Five for Friday: Heatwave Edition

We are currently playing a game called "clean out the fridge / freezer / pantry by only eating / cooking what we have." It's gone well, so far - I have reached into the depths of my food supplies and pulled out ingredients I had no idea I had. However, the situation is getting a bit dire. Evidence: today's lunch consists of leftover cous-cous, a string cheese, and baby carrots. I think I'm going to have to breakdown and grocery shop a bit this weekend - otherwise we may not survive!

Anyhoover. As you may or may not know, Virginia is currently in the midst of a heatwave, much like the rest of the region country. I read somewhere yesterday that 47 out of 50 states were expected to see temps of 90 or above. Between the temperature and the dew points, the heat index is regularly hitting 110 and higher. That added to the god-awful humidity makes going outdoors almost unbearable. Last night, I ran on the track while C played his flag football game at a nearby high school, and my 3.5 miles felt like it was going to kill me. When we were leaving the field at 9:15 PM, it still said "feels like 102" on my weather.com app. That is just not right.

Everyone around here is doing anything and everything they can to stay cool, so I thought that, for this edition of Five for Friday, I'd give you my Top 5 "Beat the Heat" necessities. Read on, and, if you need me, I'll be hiding in the shade somewhere trying not to sweat on everything. Ew.

Five for Friday: Heatwave Edition!

1. Iced coffee

The thought of drinking hot coffee when the temperature is this high makes me almost nauseous. However, I still need my AM caffeine fix! Enter: iced coffee. Obviously delicious if procured from somewhere like Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, but just as easy to DIY: I brew my K-cup in a coffee mug, fill a large Tervis Tumbler with ice, and pour the coffee in. Problem solved.

2. Sundresses

I have several similar to this one from LOFT, and you better believe it's just about all I'm wearing these days (when I'm not at work). The light, airy fabric is perfect for the times when you'd really just prefer to be naked than have any fabric whatsoever touch your skin, but it's not socially acceptable to be naked in public. Sundresses are the answer, my friend. Dress it up, dress it down, whatever. Good for any occasion!

3. Sunscreen

There is not enough sunscreen in the entire world to protect me from the evil sun which is out to fry my pale porcelain skin. Any time I'm going to be outside for more than a few minutes, I am lathering every inch of myself in SPF 50 or higher (I once received SPF 100 from my sister as a gift). It is no secret that I fry in a completely unreasonably short amount of time. I've accepted it, and now I protect myself from it!

4. Box fan

For whatever reason, the airflow in our townhouse is simply awful, and while we keep the thermostat at a lovely 72 degrees, we are always battling the fact that the downstairs is cold and the upstairs is stifling. If C and / or I are going to sleep a wink at night, there must be a giant fan on, pointed directly at the bed. Also good for white noise - totally cancels out anything happening in our neighborhood (or the cat crying at night, which he's recently started doing. UGH).

5. Otter Pops

Betcha weren't expecting that one, were you?? That old standby summer treat (also known simply as "freeze pops" in our house) is perfect for a heatwave. The moment when you come inside from the oppressive humidity and just need something cold right. then. is exactly when the Otter Pops come in handy. We have a bunch stashed in our freezer, and they always do the trick! It's pretty cheap to pick up a big box of them from Target or the grocery store, and they seem to last forever. I'd like to have one right now...

What are your favorite "beat the heat" tips and tricks? Any unique ways to stay cool on the hottest hot days? Let's hope the dog days of summer are almost over!

*all images from Google Image Search