After all those months of waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for spring, and then summer, and here we are. Right in the middle of the hottest days of summer, and this week is supposed to be REALLY, really hot and humid here in the midwest. Actually, the weather report looks like it is pretty hot and humid everywhere this week so I’m thinking we aren’t alone out here in the middle of the corn fields.

We’ve been planning to go to the new water park that opened last summer here in our little town, but it is even too hot to do that. Well, for us it is. I’ve always been pretty miserable when I’m out in the sun for very long, probably because I have very fair skin and I burn really quickly. And painfully. I do  my best to stay out of the sun, but when we were getting out deck painted before our daughter’s graduation open house, I must have been out there way too long because I did get a sunburn. But worse than that (for me, anyway) is the rash that I now have on my face that I think was caused by a combination of stress with everything that was going on around here the past few months with end-of-school activities and graduation and a bunch of other stuff. It is really annoying me so I’m hoping to get into the doctor this week to see if we can figure it out.

So on these super hot and humid days, we just pretty much stay inside where it is cool . . . but sometimes even that doesn’t help me have much energy to do any of the more strenuous tasks like vacuuming the carpets, folding laundry, or scrubbing bathrooms. But if there is one thing that I really do not like at all is doing nothing. Even when I don’t feel good (unless I’m so miserable I can’t walk, talk, or function in any capacity) I still like to feel a bit productive.

The best thing to do on a hot summer day, in my humble opinion, is to read a good book. Or if that even seems like too much effort (you know, holding up those heavy books can take a lot of energy), find a good movie series that you can watch for a while and then come back too after you do those things that you absolutely cannot put off. Like paying bills, feeding the kids (sometimes), and washing the laundry. Not folding it, of course, but just putting a load in the washer sometimes takes everything I’ve got left for a day.

Since I’ve always been interested in historical fiction, I’ve found that there are many great historical movies on Netflix or Amazon that I have enjoyed watching over the past couple of weeks when things around here were just rather overwhelming. When I couldn’t find my way out of the momentary craziness of lots of people doing lots of different things all at the same time, I would escape for a couple of hours and watch an episode of one of the series about World War II or Revolutionary Era America, modern-day Orthodox Jewish communities in Israel, or even 18th century Europe.

I love how some of these stories about fictional characters in real historical events helps me put some of the “pieces” together in my brain to begin to understand a bit better what life might have been like for people during those times. One of the books I’ve been reading this summer is about a young family in France as World War II is beginning and all of the hardships that they endured in a world of chaos and destruction.

So, what do you do on a hot summer day? Most days for me I find myself working on computer projects as well, in the midst of the day-to-day responsibilities and my online teaching jobs – but then when I need to take a break from all that “work” it is fun to do something that doesn’t require my brain to do all the work. I really do love summer . . . but I have to be pretty creative on these super hot and humid days when it is tricky to accomplish much of anything at all. At least if I read a good book or watch a movie where I feel like I’m learning something, then I can feel rather productive in spite of the heat.

One thing you could do is to join the Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party each week. Grab a glass of lemonade and come on along for the fun – you’ll meet lots of great bloggers and make some new friends along the way. Hope to see you there!

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Welcome to this week’s Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party!

Remember you can add three links until midnight on Saturday. One each day or all at once. Please invite your blog friends and social network to join us. It’s time to party my sweet bloggy friends. You can add three links until midnight on Saturday. One each day or all at once. Please invite your blog friends and social network to join us. – Inlinkz has implemented a new policy when you add your link to the list you need to click the little square boxes about their policies on the bottom right.

Please subscribe to ALL of your hostesses blogs

Katherine-Katherines Corner

Nina-Vintage Mamas Cottage

Marilyn-Marilyns Treats

Bev-Eclectic Red Barn

Amber- Follow the Yellow Brick Home

Theresa- Shoestring Elegance

Linda- Crafts a la Mode

Pam- An Artful Mom

A note about the new link up format:

You may have noticed that several link party hosts are now using a new version of the link up that looks a little different than before. If this is your first time linking up to the new format, you may be prompted to register your email to create an account. This is the same as before when you entered your email each time you linked up with the old format. You do not have to have a personal inlinkz account or membership to link up, everything is the same as with the previous link up procedure. After your first time linking up you will not need to create an account each time and you will just be able to link up. If you have any questions or need help,  feel free to ask!