Secret Agent Josephine

I bought a five dollar slip-n-slide yesterday. You might as well call me a sucker. You know how those things work: You throw yourself down on the rock-hard ground and then slide along in the mud and bits of grass, giving yourself a nice grass burn, until you hit the end with a big splash of muddy water up your nose. It’s all very painful and insane. But it’s been hot and I’m trying to keep the kids from going too crazy. Beat-up and bruised or insane? I choose bruised.

And of course I had to show them how it’s done.

I am turning thirty-nine next week so I feel the need to brag that I’m not too old to slip-n-slide. What scratches all over my knees, elbows and upper thighs? Those are just beauty marks, right?

You know what time it is, don’t you? The sweat is rolling down your back, the kids have been traipsing dry grass bits in and out of the house faster than you can vacuum them up, bickering seems to be the favored form of communication…it’s time for a coffee break. An iced coffee break.

First you need some tall glasses and some little ones for the kids. Fill them with ice. Add chocolate syrup liberally. Fill the adult glasses halfway to three-quarters of the way with cold coffee and then the rest of the way with ice-cold milk. The kids get just milk and chocolate and maybe a smidge of coffee if they beg hard enough.