Living in Alabama is often amusing. I mean, you have the obvious redneck-y jokes that find their way to you - a lot of them based in truth, mind you - and you also have the joys of claiming Antoine Dodson (you remember, hide yo kids, hide yo wife?) and several American Idol finalists as your own.

But something that we don't find incredibly amusing is the heat.

I'm sure that 95% of you are in a real, true summer right now. And here in Alabama, we are no exception. This week, we're breaking heat records set in 1950. That's some serious temps right there. The temps are not only in the triple-digits, but they bring with them a very dangerous air quality.

I wish I had a sure-fire way to ease the pain of cabin fever when it's weather-related. There's just something so maddening about being forced to stay inside when it's weather-related, you know? If you're ill, it's fine, because you feel bad and staying on the couch for a week sounds lovely. But if you can't go outside because you might instantaneously combust? Pure torture.

Nevertheless, we are under strict advisement to remain inside from the hours of 11 a.m. till 8 p.m. Which, if you do math, you realize is about eleventy frillion hours. So how does one get through a week of cabin-fever in a week like this?

(Oh, you wanted me to tell you? I was hoping you had some ideas. FINE, I'll go first.)

Netflix or Amazon Prime. Otherwise known as: my boyfriends. Look, I know that we don't want to plop our kids down in front of a tv for eight hours a day. And I'm not exactly advocating that here. But online streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime offer continuously new shows to keep them occupied for maybe a half hour at a time. I can usually sit them down in front of Netflix for a good 45 minutes, and those forty-five minutes are free of the "I'm borrrrreds" that make me want to scoop my eyeballs out with a spoon. Personal faves for all ages? Shaun the Sheep is one, for sure. Claymation and nonspeaking barnyard animals get into HIL-A-RIOUS debacles. Also, we enjoy torturing our boys with cartoons we watched in our childhoods. (Related: WE WATCHED SOME CRAPPY, CRAPPY SHOWS.)

Dollar store crafts. I swear by these. I get mine at the dollar store, but most craft stores have them inexpensively as well. I'm not saying we go all Pinterest on the kids or anything, but we grab a couple of kits at a time and pull them out. Look, I have two boys and even THEY love these things. Be it "stained glass" suncatchers or puzzles or garden stones bejeweled with cheap marbles, this is a great family activity. Keep in mind that these do take a LOT of supervision in most cases.. and even in the other cases, you will be inundated with "Mom, look at this!". (.. which I kind of love.)

Go to the mall. I remember growing up how we often spent summer days in the mall because my mother worked in a department store, and she didn't trust us to stay at home by ourselves. So instead, we were mallrats. And I kind of loved it. So we do the same thing, though I don't call them anything similar to vermin. The mall doesn't have to be a costly venture, either: most trips cost us $10 or less. We have malls around here that have indoor play areas for the kids, so we turn them loose in there for a bit. Then we walk around, window shopping and people watching. If we're feeling particularly spendy, we may grab a cheap ice cream cup and split it. Added bonus: you're using someone else's A/C.

This is totally counter-intuitive, but: GO OUTSIDE. Look, sometimes, you just have to indulge the cravings. So we have "magic hours" where the boys can play outside for ONLY an hour at a time. These times usually coincide with sunset or other "cooler" periods in the day; we also try and incorporate water into these hours for additional cooling purposes. Water guns, sprinklers, paint buckets and paint brushes with which to "paint" the house (.. with water) are all heavily utilized. We also empty the garage of our cars to give them a shady retreat if they want to cool off without surrendering entirely. One hour, go crazy, then come inside and drink LOTS of water and cool down. (Almost all of the time, a nap immediately follows. BONUS, right?)

Do you have any stand-by hits for when your family is feeling too hot?