On the Water

If you're looking for something fun to do during your oh-so-short summer ... get to some water. The beach, a lake, river, pond, whatever is closest. We usually opt for a day at or on the ocean but yesterday we did something different. Our neighbor owns a power boat that he uses to go fishing or to spend some time on the water with his kids. He invited us to go with him to a local lake. Oh my gosh! We had a great time. I should probably put in a plug for waterproof sun screen here, because we all got a bit toastier than we should have. I can't believe I spent a day in the sun when the temperature was over 100! But, on with the fun stuff.

I packed a quick picnic lunch with sandwiches, cherry tomatoes and plums from the garden, some chips and lots of drinks. We towed the kids (and my young-at-heart husband) in some inner tubes and stopped in a little cove to eat lunch. After much jumping in the water, and our neighbor's son "painting" his body with some amazingly slippery and deep mud, we launched off for more tubing. We ended the day tired and happy to have spent some time with family and neighbors. This weekend why not ask another family to join you for a simple activity, boating, fishing or just walking on the beach. Your kids will love it (especially if you remember the waterproof sunscreen).