Summer is billed as a time for cannonballing into pools, flying down slides for hours at a time, and spending as much time outside as possible. While my kids and I do our very best to basically live at the pool the moment that school lets out, we need a little more to do. Living in the desert makes it hard to do much outside during the middle of the day, though. Movies are great but can get expensive, and I can only walk the aisles of Target without a shopping list so many times. A cheaper and far better alternative? Going to the library.
Guys, the library is 100% where it’s at during the summer (and the rest of the year). While the fact that libraries have access to thousands of books for absolutely free is enough of a draw for me, there are a few more added benefits that you and your kiddos should take advantage of.
Three Words: Free. Air. Conditioning.
Did I mention that I live in a desert? Because I live in a desert. And I totally love it here. It’s a gorgeous place to live, we have mild winters, spring and fall are alright, and summer is not even the least bit humid. But it’s hot guys. And running my AC all the time gets expensive. I’m sure a lot of people would find the 78° we tend to keep our house at way too hot, but when it’s between 100° and 110° it actually feels pretty great.
You know what feels even better? Leaving my air at 85° and heading to the library. In general librarians are pretty chill too, so you don’t have to be worried about getting kicked out while you read, play games, or surf the internet while enjoying your free air conditioning.
Pinterest Is a Liar and Cookbooks Are Expensive
So it’s the first few weeks of summer, and you’re still trying to bake with your kids before you get fed up with the process and start flinging popsicles at them every few minutes. Your first step? Go to Pinterest and search “chocolate chip cookie recipe.” What do you find? Dozens of different recipes all claiming to be the best recipe, like, ever. While they are all basically titled the same in strikingly similar cursive font, these recipe makers like to shake things up by changing the capitalization.
- The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- THE Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVE
Wash, rinse, repeat. And I’m telling you guys, most of those bloggers are straight up liars. Their recipes are mediocre at best. Sorry, not sorry.
I like to turn to cookbooks instead of Pinterest and Fakey McFake Bloggerson, but they’re expensive and I don’t always know how some of those recipes will actually turn out. You know who will let you borrow cookbooks for totally free? That’s right, the library.
Free Events Are Better Than No Events
If you haven’t stepped foot in your local library in a while then you don’t even know what you’re missing out on. From computer literacy skill workshops to talks from experts to musical guests, it’s all happening there. That’s right, it’s not just all toddler story time.
Most libraries have events for every age group, from teeny tiny toddlers to senior citizens. And guys, they’re totally free! So what are you doing still reading this, go check your library’s schedule of events! (And then come right back.)
Your summer doesn’t have to be jam-packed with hundreds of activities. In fact, both you and your kids will probably be a lot happier if you don’t micromanage and schedule every minute of your summer vacation. Still, it’s a good idea to have a few activities on the back burner and ready to go when you need them. Going to the library, hanging out at the pool, and throwing popsicles at the kids are my favorite go-to activities, and maybe they’ll work out for you too.