Impress yourself (and others) by always having this during the heat wave

I once took a botany class. This included a literal excursion. I was walking around the wildflower meadows for hours in the heat of summer. There was no shade, no breeze, just no terrible misery. But when my carpooling partner and I returned to the car, I was surprised. I packed a heat-insulated lunch box with an ice pack and a few bottles of water. After spending the afternoon in a hot car, the water is still icy. It was probably the most refreshing drink I’ve had in my life, and my partner was just as happy. I felt very, very smart.

The recipe is simple. Place a water bottle (or your favorite cold drink) in the lunch box and wrap it in an ice pack. You can go out for a short time with one small ice pack, but don’t be afraid to double or triple if you go for a long time.

I have found that this hack punches far beyond its weight when it comes to pleasing and refreshing myself and others. I stuffed myself with cold drinks by myself, completely forgot them as the heat shook my brain, and rediscovered the cold drinks on my way home.

I think I won this year’s Mom Award for introducing this idea to my sons this summer. They took fencing classes, and as the weather got warmer, they sweated and thirsty every time from the class. On the first hot day, they thanked me for drinking a few glasses of lukewarm water from my own water bottle after finishing their water. I knew what I had to do.To The second I secretly filled it with ice water all year round. And when they sneaked into the car, I returned a cold drink.