nobody forgets about this kind of hot

I remember Texas being hot, but when you grow up here, it's not as shocking as it is to a newcomer. But what if you've been away in breezy, beautiful Kentucky for 2 1/2 years where some summer evenings meant putting on a sweater? Or what living about humid Alabama for another 2 1/2 years that curled your hair a little but never meant missing a bbq just because of the weather? If you've experienced those kind of summers for a few years, surely Texas is going to initiate you with a bang this summer. And by you, I mean me.

May is ending, and it is already hot....yes, it's just up to the 90s on a hot day, but it's hot. Not to mention, these flat plains are letting the sun beat down on me just enough to make me shudder when remembering an instance at a health fair in Kentucky. I put my face in a skin damage machine to reveal "if" I had any skin damage, and then pulled it right back out again before the nurse could assess my face. She looked at me strangely, and then I explained. I grew up in Texas. It's pretty certain I have skin damage. A good reminder to put my sunscreen on! I then scurried off to something less troubling like a body fat analysis. ;)

I also loved when my Kentucky friends blew in my workplace huffing and puffing. It is hot out there! they would say. It is it...like this hot...in Texas? I chuckled and mumbled something smart-alecky like, Yup, in February.

Now I'm the one bursting in the door. It. Is. Hot. I say to B. How did we forget about this? Why do so many people live here? Don't they know how much better it feels not to be sweaty all the time?

Since Texas does have its perks despite the heat, and I am still completely overjoyed to be here, we've set down roots and planned on buying cases of sunscreen. I've also just ordered some serious water bottles for us. Being green and cheap, I didn't want to stock up on expensive bottled water, so I decided that we were going to invest in the best water bottles we could find.

I found this family's site that reviewed and rated some of the top water bottles, all being BPA-free. Oh, and if you're choosing a water bottle, or plastic of any kind, make sure it's BPA-free. In short, BPA stands for bisphenol A, which is a harmful component of plastic additives. You may remember this from the 2007-2008 news media about the presence of BPA in baby bottles. Now, almost all baby bottles and sippy cups have "BPA-free" stamped on their packaging. For a plethora of BPA-free products and info, especially kids' stuff, the Z Recs Guide is great.

What about all the other plastics in the world? Good question!

I ended up purchasing Kleen Kanteen water bottles for all of us. They are a little more pricey than other bottles, but I liked that they are stainless steel and have a sports cap option. No more expensive technological devices falling into my water glass. Plus, they are still cheaper than a summer's worth of water bottle cases.

I got this one for myself



This one for B


And they even had some kids' sippy cups! I love that this will keep Ava's water chilled when she's playing hard outside.



They also have a bunch of fun colors and accessories, like insulated sleeves, other types of caps, etc. We went simple this time around, but if we use them regularly I might invest in some of those as well.