How to keep the kidlings busy?

Here in Arizona it gets mighty hot in the summer. Sweltering really. Not that humid hot. That oven hot. Where you feel like your skin is baking when any bit of direct sunlight finds it. This is when people don't care about how FAR a parking spot is from their destination. Their main concern is finding a spot with shade.

Anyway, it gets to be too hot to play outside by about 10am. There's only so much you can do during the summer. We generally try to find activities that are indoors. There's the mall with the small area for the kids to climb and jump around. There's any fast food joint with a play area (but that equates to buying the food).

The one activity that I really enjoy is storytime at the library. It's actually a library that's about 8 miles away from our house, so it's a drive. But the guy who reads really gets into it. Very animated. Very fun. The only hitch? Only 100 people are allowed in the room at one time. So he hands out 'tickets' to those who want to attend.

Yesterday? The library opened at 10am. We got into the parking lot at 10:03am. We walked in. A sign was in front of the door that read "STORYTIME IS FULL".

"What the heck?"

Not 5 minutes after the library had opened and the guy had already handed out 100 tickets. ONE HUNDRED! So there was a line of parents with their kids outside the library just waiting for 30 minutes of amusement. Does that sound like desperation for all the Moms & Dads watching their kids this summer? I mean, the guy has storytime every Thursday and Friday for 3 and older kids. Once a week for 2 and younger.

I couldn't believe it. The Princess got her 'reading' progress card looked at and got her 'prizes'. Then the kidlings and I got a couple books. And then we went down the road to a Mickey D's. They didn't eat anything. They played in the play area. I'm the one who loaded up on a chicken sandwich, fries & soda.

I just can't WAIT for the library to be built down the block in our neighborhood. It's slated to be finished in two years. Here's a recent blurb about the new library:

Mr. A has given the Town an amazing gift. Mr. A will donate $1 million to fund the new book collection in the library to be built at the regional park.

This library is being constructed in partnership, but the Town is responsible for purchasing books to fill the shelves once the doors open. With his donation, Mr. A has almost single-handedly fulfilled the Town’s $1.5 million book obligation. Calling his gift a “challenge grant,” Mr. A has challenged the citizens to come up with the remaining half million dollars for the collection.

The architectural firm with years of experience in library design, is working to design the 15,000 square foot new library facility with an optional 5,000 square foot shell. The library will house an eventual 100,000-volume book collection with state-of-the-art technology, computer lab, large and small meeting rooms. The design should be complete by next spring. Following the completion of the design, the construction phase will take approximately 12 months, hopefully opening by June of 2007.

So until that library is finished? I'm stuck driving to this other library. And trying to get into storytime. ARGH!