As temperatures in our nation's capital reach a balmy 100 degrees again today, the #DCusedtobeaswampsoitsmiserable feeling really starts to creep in. It's days like today that I totally wish we had an in-ground pool. Unfortunately, city living means small yards, and small yards mean no pools unless you can afford one of the giant homes with large yards. Sadly, we can't.

Yesterday, while at Target, I decided we needed to have a little fun on these hot days and I wasn't going to simply leave pool ownership to the wealthy few in Old Town Alexandria. So I decided to pick up a "Party Pool" (with cup holders). Why? Because it's always a party in our backyard, and I think it's high time we added a pool to the mix.

This morning, after Alex and I got our chores done (laundry, water flowers and garden, weed) and tortured ourselves with a morning run (I swear I almost didn't make it), we started to set up our party pool. I laid out a few blankets as a bit of padding for under the pool (we'll get some interlocking squares the next time we're at Lowes).

Then Alex started to lay out the pool in front of an enthusiastic audience. We were getting closer to a simple version of my dream.

It was looking good! Alex then used the air compressor to quickly blow the pool up.

The final step before enjoyment was to fill it with water.

During the fill I noticed a little point sticking up in the bottom of the pool. We quickly lifted the pool and saw a tiny stick that had come through the blanket. Luckily we caught it before it made a hole. We got very lucky. My pool day was nearly ruined.

That's it, the only thing left to do is enjoy the fact we finally have a backyard (and very small) pool. Not bad for $30! Just add music, some freshly made iced tea, and we pretty much have the perfect 100 degree Saturday.

What are you doing to beat the heat this weekend? Do you have some pool time in your future? Small pool, community pool, or are you one of the lucky ones with a large in-ground of your own?