Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

I'm the first to admit that living in Southern California makes you soft. And so when the temperature climbs to the mid-90s as it has this week, frying eggs and melting hearts, the heat can sometimes make you do things that make no sense at all. So you buy boxes of candy and take the kids to see a movie called Mr. Bean's Vacation. Really.

The movie itself wasn't that bad, believe it or not. Mr. Bean is kind of like a modern-day Mr. Magoo, bumbling along through the movie's plot, making strange faces, talking in a funny voice, and eventually saving the day. What really mattered, though, was that the movie theater was air-conditioned and no one was really bothered when Kate decided to amuse herself by walking up and down the stairs -- at least not until she tripped and landed face-first about ten rows below us. As I walked down to get her, I felt the sting of judging eyes from all the parents around me. But since I also felt the cooling currents of the air conditioner, I was immune to their judgment.

Since the goal for the day was to keep cool, we left the theater and went straight to Ben & Jerry's for some ice cream. For a five-year-old, Henry is fairly adventurous with his food choices. He loves salad, soy beans, and broccoli, for instance, but when it comes to ice cream, he's just like me. Plain vanilla ice cream, every time. That's my boy!

A few minutes later Leslie ducked into a beauty supply store and the kids took advantage of their mother's absence by frollicking in a fountain for a few minutes. Alison had the sense to stay dry, but Kate and Henry were absolutely soaking wet. There were more stares from onlookers, but this time there were at least a few jealous looks from some who wished they were young enough to join in. If it had been much hotter, I'm sure they would have...