summer favorites

Well, it’s June 21st…the first official day of summer. Why does typing “June 21st” make me feel like summer is halfway over? *sigh*

Today, I’m sharing the ten things we love about summer…

The kids helped be compile the list, and here are some of their faves:

1. Pool time

It’s no secret we love a pool day. With them doing swim team through the years (and Hadley still doing it), we spend lots of days at the pool. Swim team is early in the morning, so we will usually stay until early afternoon when we commit to a pool day.

What we also love to do is go to the pool in the evening. It’s cooler outside, and we will also have dinner there. Win win for everyone.

2. Hanging with friends

We love extra time in the summer to hang with friends. I don’t know if it was the fact that kids were forced to be outside in 2020 or the fact that my kids were old enough to be given more freedom, but that felt like the summer that starting being more than just going to the pool. It’s been great letting them go outside, bike, run around, have popsicles for a snack, and play basketball in the driveway until dark. We have a neighborhood full of kids which has been such a blessing.

3. Camp (& sports camps)

Hadley LOVES camp. She can’t wait to go again this year. After the first day of school this year, she came home telling me she recognized so many kids at school from camp. She’s even more excited to go this year because she will know so many more friends there.

In the summer, Hayden takes the cake with signing up for sports camps. From basketball to baseball to golf, he does it all. There are actually a couple of running camps nearby that he’s interested in, so maybe sleep away camp is in the future for next summer.

4. Fruit

Hadley immediately said, “fruit!” as something she loves about summer. I do too, and it’s nice to know that the kids have lots of healthy snack options, and that strawberries and watermelon can be “sides” for dinner.

5. S’mores

Travis loves making a fire when we have time. Sometimes, I tell him no because there’s usually a smokey start that kicks up my sinus issues, but the kids love the fire…and it’s hard to say “no” to s’mores!

6. Vacay

We always look forward to vacation. There are some years we get to the beach twice a year, but summer is the guaranteed time to visit the beach.

We’ve raised a couple of beach bums…that’s for sure.

Ok…i’ts my turn…I love all of the above + extra time with my kids and…

7. Summer scents & flowers

I love a summer candle and…

…peonies are my favorite summer flower …(hydrangeas are a close second!)

8. No alarm

Not having to set an alarm is the best. Now, I don’t really sleep in, but I definitely sleep later than 6am like during the school year. I love to get up by 7:30 to have some time before I have to wake Hadley for swim.

This summer, since we haven’t had baseball, we’ve had the opportunity to have a slow start to Saturday mornings which I love and appreciate.

9. Relaxed meal planning / food prep

Summer means that we often grill out for dinner. I also love that we sometimes eat at the pool or go out to dinner on a weeknight. Those are not things we typically do during the school year.

Also, I’ve shared before that I like being able to eat at home for lunch. It’s nice to take the extra couple of minutes to make a grilled cheese or enjoy a “snack plate” of whatever we have in the fridge or pantry.

10. More time to read

I love having extra time to read in the summer. Honestly, I also love having a bit more tv time too! I usually get behind in many shows and try to play catch up in the summer. I try to start and end my day with some reading…

…with hopefully reading time at the pool too!

Bonus:

One last addition from Hadley…she says one thing she loves about summer is getting tan 😆 Me too! I swear my mood improves when I’m tan. (Of course, we wear sunscreen…but it’s nice to have a bit of a summer glow!)

What do you love about summer?

I try to savor summer as much as possible. After the 4th of July, it’s hard not to start thinking about school. Enough of that negative talk…right? My teacher friends know what I mean.

I hope you have a great summer day!

Hello and Happy Friday Eve. Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite Amazon finds from last summer!

With the warmer temps, I’m already wearing some of these faves, so I thought I’d go ahead and share.

Sandals:

I’ve previously raved about these woven sandals that I bought last summer. Unfortunately, they aren’t available anymore, but…

…but these are very similar, come in a variety of colors, and have over 3,000 four star reviews.

I purchased these “comfort slides” in white two summers ago, and then again in pink last summer. They are perfect for the pool, and I often wore them to baseball games during those hot summer days last year. After I initially purchased them, I returned my regular 9 and sized up to 10 for the perfect fit.

I wear these faux Birks on the regular. I got them for Hadley two summers ago in white, and she still wears them. I purchased them in rose gold last summer and couldn’t love them more. (Because I sized up in the comfort slides, I knew to do the same in these. Size 10, instead of a 9, works perfectly for me.)

Dresses:

This dress was one of my favorites last summer. It comes in a few colors and is perfect to wear with slides, wedges or heels. It’s easy to dress up or down.

I wore it to Hadley’s dance recital last year as well as throughout the summer and back to school.

This dress was such a favorite that I purchased it in blue and then in gray.

The material is so soft, I love the high/low style of it.

This dress was another favorite of mine from last summer. I also wore it to school with a cardigan and out to dinner with friends with a denim jacket.

Fun in the Sun:

While I didn’t need another pair of sunglasses, I purchased these recently, and I love them.

I got this visor last summer, and it’s perfect for the pool. It’s also perfect for travel because it rolls up and fastens together for easy packing.

This swimsuit was my swimsuit of the summer last year. I purchased it in “big leopard” and “leopard.” There are so many cute options, and it is super comfortable.

This swim cover up was one of my favorites! I purchased it in navy, but there are so many awesome colors and patterns. I love that it buttons all the way up to give more styling options.

Hat and sunglasses are from Nordstrom, but here I am ready for the pool in swimsuit and cover up.

Other Summer Faves:

Hadley ended up getting these shorts in three colors for back to school.

She got the women’s XS, and they are super cute to wear with a t-shirt, tank, or even sweatshirt/sweater when the temps cool off.

I lived in this tank last summer. I bought it more than one color! It can easily be dressed up or down. I wanted it for the hot days at the ballpark, but here it is styled with white jeans…

With Hadley doing swim team and all our time spent at the pool, we tried to be proactive with hair care and the chlorine. This combo saved Hadley’s hair in the summer months.