Weekend Fun & Some Summer Must-Haves

We had the kind of weekend that you need a weekend to recover from! Friday, the girls and I headed to the zoo. Saturday morning, Peyton had soccer, then we hit the pool, and then we had a few good friends over for some burgers, beers, and a few bags games. Sunday, we headed over to our friends’ house on the river for boating and cooking out. Checking off: first zoo trip, first pool day, and first boat ride from Addy’s bucket list!

We got home Sunday night, all a little sandy, with sun-kissed shoulders, and ready for bed. 

^100% could not have staged this photo. Also, 100% could not be more in love with it (or them!!)

Surprisingly (and thankfully), nobody got sunburned all weekend. I love the Sun Bum line of sunscreen. I use the spf 70 on Peyton and Addy, and the spf 50 on London. Sun Bum also makes a face stick, which makes it so easy to get the girls’ faces. For my own face, I love the Shiseido lotion. It doesn’t leave me white or oily (and it smells really good!).

One of the things that made life SO easy for us this weekend was a giant beach bag. Target carries these bags in a variety of colors, and because they’re perforated, I don’t have to worry about tossing in a wet towel or sandy shoes. Speaking of towels, I have a GIANT towel that is perfect for three kiddos (and all of their toys), which was so much easier than dealing with London’s continued fear of grass on her legs, or worry about Addy rolling into dirt!

Last summer, I impulse bought a cooler tote from the Target Dollar Spot for $3. Dave gave me so much shit over it, saying it was going to leak/to break/etc. Well. It is STILL going strong and it is amazing. The exact one is no longer for sale, but you can find a similar one here and here (<< this one is amazing). It’s a soft cooler, which makes it SO easy to throw over your shoulder while picking up a baby and/or chasing a rouge toddler heading toward the river. We stuff it full of ice packs, and it holds 6 bottles, some juice boxes and snacks for the girls (like cheese sticks and gogurt which are their current favorites), a few beers for Dave, and some bottles of water!

We brought our little bouncy chair to the river for Adaline. People teased us for “moving in” – but it ended up being a life saver. She didn’t want to lay most of the day, and only wanted to be held – by me. Which meant Dave was in charge of making sure London and Peyton didn’t fall of a boat/into the river/eat sand/drink bubble solution. Addy did, however, sit in the bouncy chair. It’s upright and not a super plush fabric, so she didn’t overheat in it (despite ours being black, it stayed pretty cool!). A sun hat was also a must-have for her.

Peyton definitely needed a bath when we got home, since she was COVERED in popsicle stickiness, sand, and her hair was a hot mess from being on the boat. We have this amazing detangling shampoo, and it 100% saved her hair the day.

And now, to take on Monday (and a mountain of laundry, because let’s be real, I did zero housework this weekend)!