summer time is now my favorite time

Now that my daughter is older, she is really showing me how to enjoy the hot heat here (it was 103 degrees yesterday) and I am able to enjoy myself more and get creative with things we can do in the heat.

I'm not gonna lie, I am not a huge fan of the heat and try to be outside the least amount of time possible if it's over 90 degrees. My daughter apparently did not get these genes because she could be sweating with a red face and the second that I tell her that we're going back inside she has a complete meltdown. I try to take advantage of the early morning time to let her play outside and we have "breaks" for water and snack inside to help cool everyone down. I have also become a total sunscreen nazi and find myself slathering it on 20 minutes before we do anything. My boyfriend, daughter, and I all tan very easily (which is nice) but when I notice the color of our legs compared to our stomachs... it makes me uneasy about how much sun we're taking in.

How do you protect your kids from the sun? My daughter REFUSES to wear hats or sunglasses (she just rips them off). Any advice is helpful! Also, what kind of pool safety do you practice with your toddler or older children? Did you do swimming lessons? I bought my daughter a vest but the neighborhood pool has a "beach incline" going in so I swim with her and just let her hang out with me. I had another woman approach me and ask me if I wanted her to wear a vest... which I thought was rude. She wasn't even watching her daughter so I guess I understand why she asked me.

Let me know what you do for summer fun with your kids! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend an got to relax for the holiday. :)