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It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of the Pacific Northwest. We have it all: mountains, snow, ocean, lakes, woods.
My favorite part of summer is days spent outdoors near the water. I love the long, lazy afternoons. No laundry or dishes calling to me. No floors to sweep or vacuum. The only thing that makes a beach (or lake) day better is doing it with friends.
I love summer. But you know what I don’t love? Searching frantically for towels and swimsuits at the last-minute, packing thirty pounds of gear for a trip to the beach and sand on (and in) everything. This summer I have managed an easy hack to make things go more smoothly.
I Set up a water play station.
Why has this never occurred to me before?
Whether you go to the beach, the lake or the pool there are a few basics you need every time. Remember the old metal lockers I painted a couple of years ago? They are now in our laundry room and house our beach day supplies. This spring I bought each of the kids a beach towel (in a different color and/or pattern) and goggles. On the lockers I keep: the towels, a bin with goggles, a bin with swimsuits and sunscreen. Now trips to the beach, lake or pool are a breeze. All of our necessities are in one spot ready to go. The towels and swimsuits are easy to put away when they come out of the dryer.
My second tip to smooth beach days is to keep stash of snacks.
My kids aren’t picky eaters. If it’s food, they’ll eat it. I am so thankful for this! I keep a box (hidden) filled with easy on-the-go snacks so we are ready to meet our friends at the beach on a moment’s notice.
But sometimes we moms need some special snacks for our beach days.
Some of my favorite beach day foods are pita bread with hummus and olive tapenade, fresh fruit, quality chocolate and cheese and crackers.
This awesome piece of paradise is only about 15 minutes from my house. It is our regular hangout during the hot days of summer. My friend Ruth only lives a few minutes away, so it is the perfect meet-up spot for us.
See this chunky little guy? I photographed his birth five years ago. It’s so much fun to see him grow!
Tucker, always showing off…
And much more slightly more cautious Hezekiah.
Ruth’s kids are up for swimming even if they don’t have swimsuits. Crazy kids!
While the kids lounge in the sand…
Ruth and I like to take it easy. We chat and read and knit.
And admire the local wildlife.
What are your tips for a fun, painless day at the beach?
Samantha was really impressed with having a basket for the beach! She has decided we need to adopt this idea. And I really loved those RITZ! When I went to the beach yesterday I actually wished I had some!
This has been a serious game changer for us!
What a beautiful day — we live in the ocean state and can use any tips like this because I have two little ones and things get pretty chaotic! Thanks 🙂
Glad I could help!