Tricks to Try While Living Your Best Summer Life
If the seasons were people, I think fall would be a warm and cozy, pie baking grandma. Winter could be a flannel shirt wearing, fire building grandpa. Spring is a cute and playful baby. Then there is summer. Summer is the crazy party animal that everyone loves to be around but ends up needing a break from, eventually.
Summer is when it is okay to let our kids eat freezer pops for dinner and to consider an evening swim sufficient for a bath, right? I am asking for a friend. But seriously, life is hectic. School is hectic. So why not advocate for a laid-back summer?
Once you are talked into living your best summer life, it is time to make sure that things like bug bites, sunburn, and heat stroke do not put a damper on the fun. Remember these tips, while you are living it up:
- Keep drinks cold by partially filling balloons with water and freezing. Place them in your container or cooler with your drinks. If you want to cool down your drinks fast, science is here to help you. Submerge your drink into a container filled with iced water. Add 2 spoons of salt and wait for the miracle to happen. Salt will trigger a chemical reaction that will make your hot drink drop several degrees in just a few minutes. Enjoy!
- Did you know that keeping your ice cream in a Ziploc freezer bag will keep it soft? Seriously! Just add the container of ice cream to a gallon sized freezer bag before you store it in the freezer. The bag keeps your ice cream soft so that you can scoop it easier. It will also keep it protected from ice crystals and freezer burn.
- In the world of natural skin care, aloe vera gel is one of the coolest kids on the block. (Pun intended.) It is a summertime necessity. For the most beneficial aloe vera gel, avoid buying with fragrance. Also, note that aloe vera gel is NOT green, but transparent. Apply liberally to sunburns, dry skin, scrapes, abrasions, itchy bug bites, and stings. It can even be kept in the refrigerator for an extra cooling sensation.
- The bane of everyone’s summer existence? Mosquitos! Little ruins a fun day faster than finding yourself covered in bug bites, right? Before you douse your kids (or yourself) in chemical-laden sprays, try a more natural approach. Lemon Eucalyptus essential oil is a great option. The secret to effectively using a more natural approach for bug repellants is reapplying often. That is a small inconvenience to avoid the toxicity of all the chemical stuff.
I hope your summer plans include watching fireworks, reading good books, eating lots of watermelon, running through sprinklers, and being kissed by the sun. Whatever you find yourself doing this summer, don’t worry beach happy. Shell-abrate good times. Seas the day. Keep palm and carry on. Anything is popsicle!
Previously published in the Hampton County Guardian.