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Syncletica
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| Posted: July 26 2009 at 11:19pm | IP Logged
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HOW????!!! do you handle the heat? Especially when you're pregnant? We've had a lot of hot weather this past week, it's been a cool summer up till then. But, it just gets unbearable! And I know down south it can get much hotter than here, and much more humid in certain places. Yet I always feel sticky. We don't have an air conditioner, it's rather pointless here. But, there comes a time when you have to bake some bread or bake a casserole or something, and it heats up the house terribly. Any tips? 
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KC in TX
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| Posted: July 26 2009 at 11:44pm | IP Logged
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We have central a/c. That's about the only saving grace around here. We've had 100 degree weather for most of July. I think we're going down to about 95 this coming week.
I do cook less in the summer. It's just too hot to be over a hot stove.
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Syncletica
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 12:00am | IP Logged
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What do you make for meals, though? I'm curious as to what my options could be.
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folklaur
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 12:17am | IP Logged
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turning on the oven will really heat it up. we don't use our oven much when it is hot - only for "special" things (like DH has a late July birthday, and he likes brownies. :P)
use your crock pot.
A Year of Slow Cooking
all sorts of good stuff there.
i can deal with using the stove if it is not labor intensive, kwim? so - i can cook up rice or pasta or quinoa, and you can do all sorts of things with that (and cook extra for other meals, then you are only doing it once.)
and - pasta salads, chicken salad, tuna salad.
corn and black beans can be spiced up different ways and served over rice or wrapped in burritos.
my family loves open face sandwiches (w/gravy, ya know?) and that is pretty easy and doesn't heat it up too much or take very long.
we make subs a lot (not just sandwiches - i get a loaf of french bread, and pile it up with the stuff we like - and then get the oil & vinegar dressing (imperative! :) )- and then wrap it tight in tin foil or plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge. then we eat it for dinner, and all the flavors have blended....yum.
i'll try to think more....
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KauaiCatholic
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 12:28am | IP Logged
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FANS. lots and lots of fans, in every room.
a temporary pool in the backyard, big enough for mama to wallow in. (those inflatable ones can actually be pretty nice, IMHO.) barring that, take as many cool showers and long tepid baths as your family will allow. 
as for cooking, use the microwave and duck out of the room if it makes you nervous.
(I'm not a Southern gal, but I've lived in several deserts and am now in tropical humidity ... dunno which is worse, really. will be praying for cool breezes for you ...
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 12:31am | IP Logged
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the electric roasters you can get.. they're usually shown as being able to cook the thanksgiving turkey.. can bake.. and can be set in the garage or patio or such.
I also prefer to be ready to bake late in the evening.. then it gives the rest of the night for the house to cool off still.
And I also like a coolish shower (put up your hair and it only takes minutes) as things start to cool down at night.. it helps me cool down faster and appreciate the drop in temps.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 5:58am | IP Logged
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I'm so sorry Syncletica...I've been a southern gal all my life. Two words - AIR CONDITIONER. I bask in it when I'm pregnant!!! The humidity coupled with 90-100 degrees makes it nearly unbearable outside in the summer...at least for my delicate sensibilities. 
Cooking looks like the other ladies have described - as little oven as possible...pasta salads, crockpots, etc.
And Jodie's idea of the quick-cool-hair-up shower in the evening is a great one!
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Sharyn
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 6:12am | IP Logged
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If it's not too hot where you are you could just open all the windows to flush out the hot air from baking. Fans might aid this.
We have air con and I don't know how I'd cope without it. I did feel really uncomfortable a few days before I had my last baby and had the deepest bath I could run and that was wonderful. Made me wonder why I had never tried that before.
Snack on crisp cool veges and drink lots of water. Get a spray bottle and spritz your face. Nice loose cotton dresses.
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Sharyn
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 7:03am | IP Logged
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You could do all your 'sweatiest' chores early in the morning while it's still cool. If you can prepare or cook the nights meals if they are going to be 'heated' meals then that might be helpful too. You won't feel so hot and you won't be lacking in energy like in the afternoon, and then you can reheat it quickly in the evening. Have a nice cool shower after this to cool you down again and then relax as much as possible during the rest of the day 
I'm always scared of listeria  when pregnant though so I would recommend preparing all fresh or non heated items just before eating.
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SeaStar
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 7:07am | IP Logged
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Scrambled eggs, omelets and bacon can all be easily and quickly made in the microwave... there is even a recipe out there in cyberland for chocolate cake in a cup.
Keeping your hair up, swimming, adopting the "siesta attitude" (no work done in the heat of the afternoon)... these all help.
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Mimip
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 9:12am | IP Logged
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All of these ideas are great.
Since we have insanely hot temps all year round we obviously have Air conditioning, but we use it as sparingly as possible. We have wall units but a very old house that has very old windows. It is very hard to cool down the whole house.
We do not turn on the oven in the summer. AT ALL. No discussion. We use the crock pot, electric skillets, rice cooker, grilling outside and lots of salads. I make as much pasta as possible in one sitting about once or twice a week, using two burners at the same time.
Also another help is to stick as much as you can in the fridge. All fruits and veggies get refrigerated so they are cold. BUT drink lukewarm water. It is much easier to hydrate your body down that way. If you like cold water, drink it with meals but keep a glass of water on the counter and let that water get to room temp so that you can hydrate very quickly.
Oh and no major activities between 10 am and 2 pm. Not the time to clean, just read and relax.
Good luck!
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 9:23am | IP Logged
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That's so funny, Sycletica.....I was thinking the same thing over the weekend.....we're in the 90's all week....which is SO UNUSUAL for us!!! (Pacific Northwest) My one week of hot weather is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than the rest of the year
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Bethany
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 11:09am | IP Logged
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I've always lived in the South or Southwest and I think I hate the heat every year more and more!
I have begun using my roaster out in the garage and I just try to limit my cooking in general. We had a couple of weeks with too much eating out because I couldn't face the kitchen . I have also taken cool showers at night to just help adjust my temp. before bed. I also try to leave as many lights off as possible, especially in the kitchen, it just makes you think it's cooler.
The library is pretty cool, but my 19 month old pulls everything off the shelf.
Really, I just try to make it through until it cools off without complaining too much. Then when it gets down into the 50's or 60's at night I open all the windows and freeze everyone out.
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folklaur
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 11:25am | IP Logged
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oh - yes - cool showers w/ your hair up - and peppermint soap. i know the peppermint soap probably doesn't really cool me off - but it *feels* like it.
i like Dr Bronner's (but there are better prices out there...)
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juststartn
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 4:29pm | IP Logged
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Would a window unit in the room you spend the most time in, work?
I don't know how anyone does NOT have a/c...unless maybe they live in the far northern reaches of Canada...lol.
I grew up in Atlanta, married and lived in NC, and now I am in southern OK. Let me tell you, other than the wind, there is NO difference between the three. LOL
Sorry I don't have any advice. All my babies were spring babies (Deo gratias!), and so the worst I got was the late May heat...where I'd turn on the a/c, put my feet up on the couch, and drink water--lots and lots of water...lol....
Rachel
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Syncletica
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 9:29pm | IP Logged
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Lol - well I am in Canada, but not the far northern reaches. We couldn't afford anything like AC right now anyway. I've always been told it can lead to getting colds, too. Has anyone noticed that? Today, (it seemed to me it wasn't quite as hot as it had been. Dh said it still was quite hot.) I tried something different. After having left the windows open at night, I closed them when it started getting warmer in later morning. All the fans were going. (I have 2 ceiling fans, 2 large oscillating fans and 2 small oscillating fans.) Had a very lazy day, all I did outside was hang laundry. Had a long quiet time nap until after 3:00. The house starting warming up a bit more by 4:00ish. Opened the windows around 4:30, and it's remained quite comfortable in here, I must say. I've heard, too, (my dad always does this, I just don't remember it at all while growing up) that it's a good idea to put a big square fan in a window blowing out. Put a pillow on top to close the gap if there is one. I think you're supposed to close the windows, and the fan will draw the warm air out leaving the cool air to remain in the house. Too bad I can't afford that square fan right now either!
How did they manage long ago when there was no A/C? What about when they had to work all day, no matter what? I feel like I'm being such a sissy for complaining about it, and then remembering that our ancestors didn't have such luxury. Then remembering the women who worked in the fields while big and pregnant, even giving birth there. They had to be tough.
eta: I forgot to mention also about the hard working men who have to wear cover-alls and hard hats in the crazy heat doing hard physical labour (usually )(My dh is one.) That's got to be extremely difficult too.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 9:41pm | IP Logged
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our bodies actually adjust.. my dh is a firefighter and wears heavy boots, long pants and long sleeves and a hat in very hot weather.. drinking enough water helps.. and you do adjust.. he'll get home in the evenings and not think anything about wearing his jeans when I would have definately worn shorts
Pregnancy changes all the rules though..
What you did with closing down during the heat of the day is exactly what I do.. depending on where you are in Canada I may be almost as far north and we don't have a/c either.. the thing we have going for us is how much it cools down at night.. we CAN get the house cooled down and sleep comfortably.. I still have 2 fleece blankets on my bed so we can sleep with the window open.
Also if you have direct sun hitting any windows.. cover them.. I've heard but haven't tried myself that foil taped to the window will reflect the light/heat better than just a cover.. but actually a heavy cover will help more than a light one.. the layers are insulating.. remember when you're on the warm side they're keeping the cold out.. you want them to keep the warm out now and let you be on teh cool side.
In winter you do the opposite.. cover the windows that are cold and let the light in the windows that have it.
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LeeAnn
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 9:56pm | IP Logged
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Also here in the Pacific Northwest...we're expecting temps in the 90s all week! We usually get just two or three days per summer like this, so following a week that was all in the 80s, a week in the nineties is a bit much for most of us. Because of course hardly anyone has a/c here except public buildings and the wealthy.
One thing that has really helped keep our house cool is keeping all the southern facing windows closed and the curtains on that side drawn closed. I open all the northern windows (of course our house has windows on only two sides! tract house development....) first thing in the morning or leave them open overnight if I know it will be hot the next day.
We do have fans, but mainly use them at night blowing air on the beds. We have one blowing on the couch where the kids are parked today watching endless videos. They did get out and swim and ride bikes for a bit in the evening!
Today the outdoor temp was something like 94; indoors it got up to 84. Only now at 8 pm has it started to get cooler outside than in.
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Matilda
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| Posted: July 27 2009 at 10:03pm | IP Logged
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If you can't go wallow in some cool water, then try running your wrists under cold water for a few minutes. It really does help to cool you down.
Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree Shampoo! It has peppermint oil in it and it makes your scalp feel all cold when you get out of the shower.
I have been reading Harper Lee's biography and they talked about how the women would do their chores in the early morning and then go visiting in the afternoon. It was too hot to do anything else but sit on someone's front porch drinking iced tea.
Maybe try an iced cloth on the back of your neck to help keep you cool too and hair up showers are a must!
Hoe this helps!
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: July 28 2009 at 5:54pm | IP Logged
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LeeAnn wrote:
| Also here in the Pacific Northwest...we're expecting temps in the 90s all week! |
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Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh......I'm MELLLLLLLLLLLTING........get me outta here!
My thermometer reads 94 degrees, and we've already been several days in this and it doesn't look like it's letting up until Sun!!!!!!!!! DH said it's supposed to get up to 100 degree tomorrow!!!!!!! Ugh....we are SUCH wimps here in the Pacific NW........you just REALLY FORGET what it's like. I'm from Minnesota without AC....you'd think this would be nothing for me! But we're just not used to it. Melllllllllllllllllllting...........
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