Summer Essentials

Summer is here and we are SO EXCITED!!!  Today I thought it would be fun to share some our FAVORITE summer essentials!

First on the list are three absolute necessities... a good tumbler to hold your diet coke with fresh lime, a kindle and a strawberry fruit pop :)  The Whatburger Yeti is from the What-A-Store (Whataburger website) but  Swig are some of my FAVORITE as well.  I use  my kindle all the time in the summer because I love that I can throw it in my bag and have multiple books.  I was anti-kindle for the longest time but once I tried it out I don't miss the "book feel" at all like I thought I would.

Another essential for us are these workbooks.  They're a "bridge" book for in between grade levels and the stickers and map keep my kids interested all summer long.  I love that it's a mix of subjects and tasks and the quality is awesome for the price.

We added  this photo printer to our summer essentials list last year and I can't wait to get it out again this summer.  We did a little "family journal" and we're going to keep it going this summer.

When it comes to sunscreen we use Supergoop all summer long.  I love  the big pump bottle of Play to have at home for pool time or to throw in our bag when we travel and I know we're going to be reapplying all day long.   The Play spray is what I throw in my backpack if we're going somewhere and I think we may need a quick application.

The lip shield goes EVERYWHERE with us...

... and I wear  the glow screen every day in the summer.  I also keep  their part powder in my bag for days when Griffin is wearing pigtails and I know we're going to be in the sun a lot - I put it on her part as well as mine (my bangs part gets burnt BAD!).  

Also, the No-AD sport stick is what everyone has in their golf, football, etc. bags because it's easy to apply and doesn't get their hands messy.  

Bogg Bags are another summer essential - I've talked about them for the past few years but they stand up, hold a ton, can be rinsed out - they're just the best.  If you're looking for one my biggest tip is to follow Bogg Bag on instagram and then watch for when shops tag them and then shop those small shops.  Dillards, Scheels and Macys also carries them if you can find them online or in store.

There are cooler inserts you can buy as well (full and half bag) that we love for pool days.

Another fun summer find is  this underwater camera.  It's inexpensive, works great and while it doesn't take the world's best photos and video it's easy for my kids to use and I don't worry about them hurting it.  It's also so much fun to see the pics and videos that they capture of each other on water slides, swimming, tubing, etc.

We got Dave  this portable speaker years ago and we use it more in the summer than any other time of the year.  We bring it outside with us when we're in the water and it connects to my phone using bluetooth and plays all of our favorites all day long (and don't worry.... our yard is big enough that we're not bothering our neighbors... we don't have any behind us and the ones on either side are far enough away that it's not loud)

This version is about half the price AND is completely waterproof.  Perfect for poolside, on the boat, etc., etc.

We started sing Ultra Swim products a few summers ago when Griffin's hair was a HOT MESS of chlorine  tangles even after using a clarifying shampoo and conditioner.  I bought a bottle of Ultra Swim and could FEEL the buildup of chlorine coming right off of her hair. 

If you have a Costco near you head there ASAP and see if they have the Stream Machine water guns again this year.  They're $18/each on Amazon but TWO FOR $10 when Costco has them and they are hands down the BEST water guns.  They last FOREVER and hold a ton of water. 

 My kids are moving out of goggles but  our FAVORITE ones are by Splash.  They have a soft stretchy band instead of the regular rubbery one and you won't have to adjust or "fix" goggles anymore.  They also don't hurt their hair like the rubber ones will.

If you're traveling anywhere that requires you to bring a towel I can't recommend these turkish towels enough.  They pack up so small but are suuuuuper absorbent.  We're heading back to family camp this year and will need to bring towels for the water slide and pool area and 6 of these take up less than half of a Bogg Bag.  They're awesome!  My set is sold out but you can find super similar ones  HERE.

Hoping you found some fun summer-inspo today!  I'd love to know what your summer essentials are - leave me a comment and let me know!

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