I like the way sweat smells

We have made it to hot season. And as the season is so named, it is hot. We have been dealing with 12 hr power cuts every other day. That adds insult to injury. When the power cuts are at night, that’s even worse. It is also dry during this time of year. Very dry.

The other night the power was out and I was trying to put the kids to bed. We were hovered around a light reading stories. The kids were on me, as they often are when we read, but even more so this night because of the lack of light. I was sweating. This was not a glisten. This was a full fledge sweat dripping down my head, so much I could have swam in it. Dawson looks at me and says, “I wish I could sweat like you do.” I said, “no you don’t, be glad you are like your daddy who doesn’t sweat.” He said, “No, I want to be like you.” “No, you don’t” “Yes I do” and so on for awhile until he added, “I want to be like you because I like the way sweat smells.” Now just think, if we had no hot season or no power outages, we’d never have heard comments like that.

Other ways we know it is hot season:

Kenan’s bed in the morning is completely soaked like you poured a bucket of water on it.

Heat rash. On the neck. On the bum bum. (boys, not me, just in case you were wondering).

Boiling hot water out of the sink in the middle of the day even though we don’t even have a hot water faucet in our kitchen.

Our hot water tank actually heats up, even without turning it on.

The only reason I want to exercise is so I can take a shower afterwards.

Lots of trips to the pool.

Cranky boys who haven’t slept because of the heat. And if I’m honest, cranky parents too.

The season of perpetual yelling without understanding because so many fans are on and you honestly can’t hear the person in the next room or the one sitting beside you for that matter.

Mangoes. Beautiful mangoes, they just aren’t quite in season yet, but they are coming! Strawberries also come in season so we get to eat a few kilos of those.

Smoothies.

Everyone sweating and moving as slow as snails. Who can sleep when it is this hot?

Enjoying everyone sweating with me. The rest of the year it is just me.

No need to melt butter for cooking. Sit it on the counter for ten minutes and it is done.

You can melt chocolate too. Take it out of the freezer and an hour later it is completely melted.

Advantages to no power- less tv and more play. I play with the boys more too because I can’t do anything else which is a good thing.

Boys only wearing their underwear all day. Oh wait…that’s all year round. Never mind. Actually had a visitor here for 6 weeks whose child stayed at our house in the mornings. He commented every time he saw Silas in clothes. Both times.

More flies. But at least they are sluggish too so they are easy to kill.

Less mosquitoes.

You can boil water in a minute.

Drinking 5 liters a day is normal, if not too little.

I can give the boys as much water as they want at night without fear of them wetting the bed…at least from pee.

If we leave Silas’ milk cup out for over an hour, the milk curdles. The milk curdles in the fridge as well when the power is out all day. And it's not fresh milk, it is milk powder.

You eat less. Too hot to eat much.

No power keeps me out of the freezer so I can’t get a bite of chocolate or get the chips for cookies.

If you spill something, there is no need to clean it up. It will be dry the next time you walk by.

I have more compassion for Malians. They have no power ever.