We’re getting close. I can tell because our house has gone from 68 degrees in the morning to a balmy 81 (swamp cooling….) and I’m caught off guard by moments of extreme bitchiness (sorry about this morning, S!). After 16 years in Tucson, I can confidently say that this means the first rain is almost here.

Thus we bring to you the first annual TucsonMama Monsoon contest!

Simply leave a comment with your prediction for the date of the first real rain (ie more than a scattered drop or two, and experienced by someone besides just you) and whoever has the closest guess wins the very cool book Jeremy Jackrabbit Harvests the Rain, written by Rodney and Sasha Glassman with illustrations by Tucson kids.

Let’s hear it!

Kumquat is having a summer sale!
Wednesday is the last day to get cute, made-in-LA outfits for your sweetest little peas, or to stock up on new-baby gifts.
Enter the coupon code “summer20″ at checkout for 20% off your order.

My child has a ghost-like complexion and a mama who has already done the melanoma thing, so while I love the sweet monsoon season and grudgingly accept the sweltering heat that accompanies it, I’m hesitant to let my child spend too much time outside. The desire to keep her out of  a brutal sun for a little longer was the main factor in taking her for her first ever movie theater experience this afternoon.Good God! Even a matinee is bloody expensive now.

Two hours later, $15 poorer, but quite entertained we leave the dark, cool refuge of the theater. My daughter is chattering away about the movie and about when we can see another one. We step out into heat. Hmmm, it sure was nice to be in air-conditioned bliss, but at $15 a pop our movie visits are probably not a frequent occurrence. Then I was reminded of an email from my friend Kathryn who always knows where there is a good deal going on. Rather than dropping $15 on matinee for one adult and child, there are a number of sweet deals through the summer. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks escaping to a cinema is a good option in the summer heat. Thanks Kathryn for the info.

Crossroads Theater Grant & Swan
One show a day starting at 10am, Monday through Friday. Admission is free to the under 10 years old crowd and two bucks for the rest of us.
Cinemark at Park Place Mall offers kids’ movies once a week for $1, but the children’s film event I’m most thrilled about, just a mere month away, is the return of The Loft’s International Children’s Film Festival. A nine day extravaganza of classic, foreign, cartoon and sing-a-long movies starting on July 24th. Hope to see you there, in the cool air conditioned theater. I wonder if they serve beer, wine and pizza for this festival?
- Tucson Mama’s Sidekick