Thursday, August 9, 2012

The Enforcer

So, it's hot.  And even when you are a nature-loving, forest-dwelling family, sometimes...SOMETIMES...you still succumb to the heat.  Folsom has pretty much given up his daily squirrel chase.  You can find him soaking in a bin of mucky water pretending to fish.  Or sitting inside the air-conditioned tenthome, which is where he is lounging right now.  David and I are resilient to the heat and humidity.  We might sweat, but we don't melt.  And our skin somehow does not sizzle.  Sage tolerates summer well, especially for her age, but the past two days have been challenging for her.  Both mornings started great with our usual smoothies and plates of fresh, whole fruit.  Sometime around mid-day the party train derails, and by dinnertime I've wanted somebody to stop this crazy ride.  Apparently I still have not mastered the Poker Face, because last night David decided to have a sit-down with me.  Reinstate the daily nap, he said, because her behavior turns bad when she's hot and tired.  I knew this, and yet I have not enforced naptime because we were involved in structured activities all summer that often overlapped naptime.  Further, she refuses to admit defeat -- like her parents, I guess -- and tries valiantly to keep up.  Poor kid.  Yesterday was day one of the new naptime.  Each day during the hottest point of the day she must get into bed and listen to relaxing music.  No DVDs.  No toys or books.  Nothing that might stimulate her imagination except music.  Sage fought, she screamed.  But when she woke up yesterday, even she had to agree that she felt better.  In her words, the nap is important so she "doesn't scream at Mommy."  At this very moment, she is inside with Folsom, dreaming of the ballet, most likely, since classical seems to be the most effective at lulling her to sleep.  No longer do I hear crying protests; and all seems harmonious once again in our tenthome in the forest.  Let's hope that she feels as good as she did yesterday when she wakes up.

Back to work for me...stay cool and hydrated, y'all.