*Image via.
I just placed some large orders from Target and Amazon, preparing our home for the summer ahead, and it’s made me deeply excited for the coming weeks. I am particularly looking forward to the slower mornings. Camps don’t start until 9, and we have some weeks with no camp at all, and it is delightful to ease into the morning versus go from 0-60 in the usual school-morning shuttle. (It still feels like a race most mornings! There is just so much to do between 6:45 a.m. — when we wake up — and 7:45 a.m. — when the children walk out the door, even with careful enhancements and things-done-the-night-before and all that jazz.) My daughter did basketball and then soccer Saturday mornings this past winter/spring, and we always have Mass to get ready for on Sundays, and so I have been keenly aware of taking “give” where I can get it, as I don’t think we’ll have many days with absolutely nothing at all on the daily calendar. I anticipate, in fact, that this will get even more cramped/hairy as my children get older and participate in more extracurriculars. I recently overheard some baseball moms comparing notes on their schedules — so many practices and games! — and I thought to myself, “Enjoy the relative slow pace of today while you can.”
Anyhow, sharing some of the summer fun finds I’ve picked up below — you might also find my post on getting ready for al fresco dining season helpful in the patio department. And if you’re in the market for patio furniture, Serena and Lily is offering 20% off sitewide, and these teak loungers are so chic.
01. EMILY HENRY’S HAPPY PLACE* // 02. DIVE TORPEDOES // 03. STRIPED TOWELS // 04. WELLY BANDAIDS // 05. MINNIDIP INFLATABLE POOL // 06. LOEWE-INSPIRED SHADES // 07. ICE PACKS // 08. WATER WIGGLERS // 09. SHARK DIVE BUDDIES // 10. SOCCER GOAL // 11. SUMMER PUZZLE // 12. CAT AND JACK WATERPROOF SANDALS // 13. TAKEYA WATER BOTTLE // 14. STRAWBERRY POUCH // 15. MINI GLIDERS // 16. HAIR CLIPS // 17. RAINBOW SPRINKLER // 18. BITSY’S FIG BARS // 19. RED CLAY SPICY PEACH HONEY (BOUGHT MULTIPLES TO GIVE AS GIFTS!)
*I will be sharing a full lineup of fun summer beach reads soon, most of which are drawn from your excellent and useful suggestions in response to this post.
I also wanted to mention that we keep most of our outdoor/summer toys (balls, gliders, pool toys, frisbees, etc) in this rolling mesh bin I bought at The Container Store, and we keep it in our garage year-round. I love that it’s on wheels, as the kids can wheel it out to the driveway to dig into it, and it keeps everything contained without getting musty/gross/mildewy thanks to the mesh design.
And — if you are headed to the beach, I did a lot of research and these semi-hideous beach chairs are the best you will find. I polled Magpies, I read tons of reviews — it all comes back to Tommy Bahama. They are really lightweight and you can carry on your back, which is critical when your arms are full of children needing to be carried across the hot sand, pool toys, coolers, etc. They are also thoughtfully designed, with a pouch for things like phone, watch, etc, and a drink holder. Really glad I let function take the precedence in my shopping because these really work.
I’m hoping to buy a bunch of family board games at some point soon, too. Need to do a bit more research on age appropriateness, but Mouse Trap, Sorry, and Uno are on my mind. I know my daughter could handle those but I don’t want to omit my son so need to read up a bit! Any recs?