Ways to Stay Cool

 Besides the obvious of staying hydrated and buying a fan or air conditioner, here's some tips to stay cool during the hot weather (And yes, I'm feeling the heat, too):

1: If you have difficulty keeping your home cool, cover your windows with camping emergency blankets, such as those made by Coleman (I've only tried this brand):

I used to live in an old house, and my bedroom was like a greenhouse in the summer. Then, after having limited success with normal blankets, my aunt had an idea to use emergency blankets, and it worked very well. In fact, sometimes my bedroom was even cold (But that's not a bad thing coming in from the hot outdoors). 

It works like a one-way mirror or shiny sunglasses: You can see out, but light can hardly get in. And it's not blindingly bright on the outside, not like a mirror. It's more like looking at crinkled aluminum foil in the sun. 

I put this in at number one on the list just so people will see it, even if they just glance at it and move onto the next blog. The rest of the things on this list are not in any particular order.

2: If you put a bottle of water, soda, Gatoraid/Poweraid, or anything you like in the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how much liquid is in the bottle, you can make your own slushy drink. When it's partially frozen, give it a hard shake, and the ice will turn to slush in the rest of the liquid. It's perfect if you're on-the-go, too. Just don't forget it in the freezer! (A timer or an alarm clock can help.)

3: Owning a soft fabric ice compress (or more) can help cool you off, but these also help: freezing a damp (Not wet, so wring it out) washcloth; filling a sandwich bag half-way with water (Or thick dish soap, such as Dawn, but I haven't tried that, yet) and double-bagging it so it doesn't leak; (To be continued)

4: If it's bad enough, try sleeping on the floor (Think: Hot air goes up, cold air goes down. If you sleep on the top in a bunker bed or upstairs, you may have trouble falling asleep or sleeping). 

5: Take a cool or cold shower. (When I was five-years-old, we didn't have the money to own a swimming pool, so what my mom did was dress my brother and I up in raincoats and rain boots, and then turn on the cold shower. It was a blast, and we screamed and giggled the whole time. At one point, I remember having an umbrella in there, too.)

...To be continued