Beach Must Haves

    Can you believe it is already July? I feel like summer is flying by! On the upside, at the end of summer we are taking a beach trip. We are so excited! We will be driving so that means we can bring way more than we probably should. I will break down the top things we will need for our trip. Maybe it'll help you on your next beach trip.

Actual view from our beach house

This water though!

                            Floaties, life jackets, & noodles
We are renting a place that is right on the beach & it has a community pool. So the first thing we are bringing is floaties, life jackets, & noodles. My kids are obsessed with the idea of getting a poop emoji floatie. They also asked for a laughing/crying emoji or swan floatie. The big swan is like $40! It is fun to have floaties. Maybe we will even throw in a beach ball.
                            Sunscreen
Sunscreen is a must for obvious reasons. I really enjoy Neutrogena sunscreen. I usually just get 30SPF. We burn easily and it works great & it smells so delightful.
                           Board games & cards
During relaxation time when we aren't at the beach or pool the kids may get bored. So we like to bring a few board games. They really like Chinese checkers, Chutes and Ladders, and Guess Who. We also bring Uno & face cards. Pretty much every vacation, we bring cards.
                           Baby Powder 
So I've heard and seen many things on Pinterest saying baby powder helps with the sand mess. So apparently once you are dried off you just put baby powered where you have sand and it comes right off. I am totally trying this out!
                            Goggles
So I should've mentioned this along with floaties, but my kids have to have goggles to swim. I am not sure what they think happens if they don't have them, but it's not good. I can't argue that after a day of swimming in a pool your eyes do get red & sting from the chlorine. So I will not be forgetting them.
                            Bathing suits
With all that swimming, you need a few bathing suits. I have found that if you wait til say July or August to buy bathing suits, you may be out of luck. I was on Children's place website just yesterday looking for a bathing suit for my daughter and they had nothing! How can this be? We still have 2 solid months of swimming. It's so frustrating. Luckily she already has 2. I was hoping to score a deal, no such luck!
                          Aloe Aftersun Lotion
I am sure during our beach trip someone will get a sunburn. I've tried the green aloe stuff and it is so dang sticky! So, I have found Banana Boat Aloe aftersun lotion. It smells yummy and really works. It doesn't have the cooling sensation, but it really helps moisturize your burned skin. Another trick to curing a burn is tea. My dad you used to make tea and put it in the fridge and make it real cold. Then he would put a wash cloth soaked in tea on the sunburn. It takes the red & heat out almost immediately.
                          A good book
Bring a good book. If you have older kids you may just be able to finish it! Recently I reread These is My Words. It is amazing. I have a huge list of books I'd like to read, I am hoping I get to read a little while relaxing on the beach.
                          Video Camera
We have a waterproof handheld video camera and we've loved taking it to the beach or in the pool. We will probably upgrade to a Go-pro before our trip. It is so much fun to watch videos from vacations. I don't like to spend my whole vacation videoing or taking pictures, but it is really nice to have some photos and videos from your trip.
    Beach trips have always been my favorite vacations. They are low key and relaxing. The best thing about the beach is it's fun for the whole family & it's free entertainment! Leave a comment below & let me know what you bring to the beach.

8 things to bring camping with kids

   

    We really enjoy nature and being outdoors. Well, summer is here!! So we have been trying to go camping, fishing, shooting, & anything else we can & to enjoy the beautiful weather. Camping is one of our favorites. We have 2 kids, so camping can be tricky. Have no fear, I have 8 things to help your next camping trip be a success!

1- Bring glowsticks

My kids go crazy over these things. I am not going to lie, I really enjoy them myself.  My kids like them when it gets really dark, they are like a little night light in our tent. Not to mention, when they are running around outside I can always spot them by their glowing bracelets.

2- Blankets

I know you are thinking, blankets... yeah I know sleeping bags, something to keep the kids warm. I agree, but I let me kids bring their own blanket. It is a little piece of home and comforts them. 

3- Cards... UNO or face cards

We like to bring UNO or face cards along anytime we camp. Our kids love it. We play go fish, war, slap jack or just good old UNO. If you are camping for a few nights or even just one, kids may get bored. Or maybe you just want to keep them close by while you prepare dinner. Give them some cards and viola, easy entertainment.

4- BUBBLES

I cannot tell you how many times we've gone camping and what a big hit bubbles are. We went with a big group of friends and brought bubbles and the kids had so much fun playing with them. The nice thing about bubbles is it entertains a wide age range. So much fun!

5- Water guns/water balloons

I say water guns. Just for the simple fact there is no clean up. You can get them at the dollar store or walmart for so cheap. We get the $1 ones from walmart that are long and skinny that suck up water. Then we've brought a bucket and fill it with water. That way they can suck up the water from it and you don't have to sit under the water spicket trying to fill up those tiny water guns with the tiniest hole! (seriously, who thought that was a good idea!?) They also make water balloons you can fill up like 50 or so at a time. Super fun & quick to fill. Then after make a game of who can pick up the most balloon trash! 

6-Kid food

We have all been there, you cook dinner just to have your kids say that's gross or I don't like that! So do yourself the favor and bring some kid friendly food. Whatever that may be... go-gurt, apples, cheese and crackers, hot dogs. You get the idea. You won't have to worry about hungry & cranky kids.

7- wet ones/ baby wipes

Kids are just straight up gross. Somehow they manage to get dirty in any situation. So be prepared and bring those baby wipes. We've used them for cheetos face to dirty worm gut hands. Baby wipes save lives.

8- toy/book

Hear me out. I realize that camping is to enjoy the outdoors and whatnot, but it doesn't hurt to have a few action figures or a book to read while hanging at the campsite. I usually will have my kids bring a few tiny toys and a book or 2 to read. My daughter is a book worm and will sit in her camp chair and read for a long time. It is very relaxing & she is still enjoying nature. My son will take his action figures and play in the dirt or wherever. It's fun & relaxing. 

  That's all the things I can think of for now. These things have made our camping trips much more enjoyable! Comment below on the things you've brought to make camping a better time.

                         Happy Camping!