As another school year comes to a close, visions of sunny summer days at the pool or beach, vacations to relax and refresh, and even carefree days with nothing to do but watch the kids run through the sprinklers and eat popsicles—dance in our heads! I have a few ideas for areas in our homes that we can simplify to make getting out of the house and having a fun day easier than ever!
Pool towels:
Pare down that collection to one or two per family member. Keep your favorites and ditch the rest.
Sunscreen:
Look for expiration dates that have already passed. Toss near-empty bottles. Scrap the formulas that didn’t work for you. Have a small collection on hand (we all have a preference in our family, so I try to keep it to one large Ziplock bag), ready to toss in your beach bag.
Beach bags:
Since we are on the topic, let’s purge that tangle of pool and beach bags and keep just our favorites or the most practical for our needs. And think twice before picking up another one at Target, no matter how cute!
Bathing suits:
Take a moment to go through your collection of swimwear. Let go of pieces that are threadbare, never worn, restrictive, or don’t “suit” you. I couldn’t resist.
Flip flops/water shoes:
Our kiddos have one pair each, which means they have to be really vigilant about keeping tabs on them when we go to the pool. It hasn’t been a problem. Say goodbye to anything grimy or outgrown.
Water bottles:
This is an area in many homes that is overflowing with extras nobody uses. Our family has one reusable water bottle per person. I like them; they are easy to clean, able to keep water cold, and are the right size for cupholders. Store them with the lids propped on top so they don’t go rogue.
Finally, I stocked pool bags. If you’ve ever seen the episode of Bluey called “The Pool,” you know the merits of a bag of boring stuff. Here’s what is mine:
- Zipper pouch with goggles, ear drying solution, and “sinky” pool toys
- Zip lock bag with sunscreen
- Burt’s Bees baby powder (non-toxic). An absolute must be used to get sand off feet after a beach day.
- A package of baby wipes (I will have these in any bag until I have teenagers, maybe longer)
- Floaties ( when my kids were little. Never want to forget these!)
I keep this in a garage cabinet, and I constantly clean out anything extra that accumulates after a pool day. Then, it’s always ready for me to toss in some space-saving Turkish towels and water bottles. With that and a cooler, there’s not much else we need to enjoy sunshine and summertime!