Our inflatable backyard pool

Its June and temperatures here in Maryland are already hitting the low 90's on a daily basis. Here in the Washington, DC, suburbs, there are plenty of options to get cooled off -- we love the local pools and community water parks around here -- but sometimes you just don't want to leave the house! Sprinklers are an option, of course, but our backyard lawn is fragile, at best, and turns into a muddy, grassless, mess long before the boys get tired of the sprinkler. So our inflatable pool has been our go-to summer heat relief.

We've been using this Little Tykes inflatable pool/slide for four years. It takes about 15 minutes to set up, although drying it out afterwards can take a couple of hours depending on whether the sun is still up.

Still, this combo climbing wall-water slide-pool has kept them busy for four summers! There are not many things around our house that can withstand four years of use without some serious wear and tear.

Without a doubt the best $200 bucks we ever spent!

Since the boys are older, and it was, after all, their first day (ok...half-day) of summer vacation, I added about 100 water balloons to the mix for today and....BINGO...two hours of instant entertainment and a great kick off for Camp Daddy! :)