summer in texas is trying, to say the least.
investing in a few good summer essentials helps immensely.
and, in this season of mine, having good summer essentials that work while chasing a toddler (and would also work in potential seasons of pregnancy + postpartum), is worth its weight in gold.
our easter baskets are summer-themed
first, let’s talk about our easy-peasy way we make sure we have summer stuff that fits: our easter baskets.
know that I haven’t always been this wise. in fact, it took me trying to squeeze my nursing boobs into a pre-baby swimsuit - to which my nursing boobs were like LOLOLOLOL - to realize that I hadn’t invested in a new, good swimsuit in over eight years.
so I - ever the opportunist - decided we needed an annual reminder to make sure we’re prepared for the armpit that is Texas Summer. and my solution was to create a gift formula. (yes, you read that correctly.) every year, we’d receive a few summer essentials - things i’d probably be buying anyway - as our Easter basket. new swimsuit, new towel, new cover-up, new summer shoes, new sunscreen, new water bottle, new snack bag, new pool toy, whatever.
this way, I get an annual check-in to make sure I have pool and beach things I feel good in. (because mama and daddy get Easter baskets, too. it’s more fun that way.) and that way I won’t go another eight years without making sure I have a swimsuit that fits me well….and fits my current season well. (because based on my prebaby swimsuits, apparently prebaby haley didn’t have to run after a baby. or worry about string-pulling babies. LAWD.)
here’s my full post on our Easter baskets, with examples of what we’ve given each year.
okay, let’s get down to business!
my personal summer must-haves
swimsuits
i love a good tankini. always have, always will. prebaby, I did the whole bikini thing, but now I’m ELATED to give myself permission to return to the tankinis. being a swimmer, I’m just naturally very active in the water, and I like that tankinis are more geared towards that. and the fact that I don’t have to worry about anything popping out while running after KK is an added bonus.
I love that a tankini means I can mix and match - I have a few neutral-colored tankini tops (mainly blacks and navys) in athletic cuts, and a whole slew of different bottoms in fun colors and patterns - all from different stores. below are some of my favorites, but I love anytime I see a fun bottom I like, I grab it and know that it’ll work with any of my neutral-colored tankini tops. easy peasy!
side note: when KK was brand new and I had just been cleared to get in the water, I loved this suit. it was easy to nurse in and the suit was like a comforting hug on my soft postpartum body.
the below photos have links from last year, so they may no longer work - but I at least wanted you to be able to see the website they’re from.
the above photos have links from last year, so they may no longer work - but I at least wanted you to be able to see the website they’re from.
I also love to search “Lilly Pulitzer bikini bottoms” on Poshmark. Such good colors. Take my money.
I think I also have some lingering Old Navy and Target bottoms from prebaby Haley that’ll also work with my tankini tops, but I couldn’t link those here. But some of those prebaby suits had to go. Like, no ma’am, prebaby Haley, NO MA’AM.
sunglasses
these. always and forever. since they’re so inexpensive, I have three or four pairs and keep them everywhere: the car, my purse, brett’s car, the pool bag, the stroller, the wagon. EVERYWHERE.
eventually I’d love to invest in a good pair of aviators again. maybe the Easter Bunny can bring me a pair. stay tuned.
good baseball hats
i believe you can never have too many. usually one can be found in my easter basket
this year I got one for my swimteam and this airport code hat.
in the past I’ve also gotten hats for our university and hats from places we’ve been.
shoes
my favorite shoes are always and forever these and these birkenstocks. and, given where we live, i can get away with wearing birkenstocks 80% of the year. god bless texas.
i also have three pairs of leopard sandals from jcrew + jcrew factory through the years, a really basic set of nice-ish, plain flip flops from Target in both nude and black, as well as this super fancy pair in both black and brown for when I want to up my game a bit.
my favorite pool + beach shoes? this pair of birkenstocks. i have three colors.
sun shirts + rash guards + fishing shirts
for the pool, for the farmer’s market, for our annual beach trip, for fishing, whatever. we have a whole slew. basically anything that protects us from the sun, but doesn’t feel like wearing a sweatshirt in August.
i love these with all my heart - while technically a mens shirt, I love the oversized fit (and the good colors).
but also, THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE rashguard + sun shirt. I wear it in the pool, at the beach, on walks, whatever. right now I love wearing it with shorts as an outfit for running errands or hanging out. so freaking flattering.
brett loves long sleeved and short sleeved fishing shirts - magellan and columbia. and I love borrowing them.
I also love the UPF clothing from our University, LLBean, Lands End, and Lily Pulitzer.
a go-to, flattering cover-up
I bought this in one size bigger (in both white and navy) and I love love love it as my go-to swim coverup. it’s SO darn flattering and comfortable. everytime I wear them I’m SO thankful I invested in these.
a great big canvas bag
i actually have both this one and this one. both monogrammed, both extra large, both zippered, both extra long handles. BOTH AMAZING.
and this was definitely overdue, as up until now the only pool bag I’ve had was a tiny, wicker thing with the words, “siesta! fiesta! tequila!” on the sides. it was time for an upgrade.
I choose one to be our Packed Pool Bag and this bag stays packed and ready for the pool, hanging on our Wall O Hooks. (more on this in a second.)
basically I wear these everyday from May through October. I own four pair, and a handful of tanks, and that’s how I make it through Texas Summer, tysm.
a gym membership with good pools and awesome childcare
we prioritized room in our budget to join a Lifetime gym. because I love to swim and they have the best swimming set up. and while I swim laps, KK loves going to their childcare. and she loves going to the pool. loves. so it’s been really awesome for us as a mutually-beneficial morning outing.
here’s more on why joining a gym works really, really well for us in this season!
and here’s what we bring to the gym (and pool!)
Naptime Kitchen also taught me this many years ago - that prioritizing a nice gym with good childcare and a spa-like locker room can be worth every penny in this season of toddlers and tiny children. And now I so agree.
quality food containers
because as you can imagine, our eating out budget is limited. (like i said, we prioritized Lifetime gym’s steeper membership fees in our budget, but that meant we had to trim other things: like eating out.)
so we always eat lunch at home, or we bring lunch with us - depending on the day and our plans. having quality food containers and quality lunch boxes has helped immensely.
see this post for our favorite containers/lunchboxes and our favorite things for lunches/snacks
one of my evening routines is to pack KK and me a lunch for the next day, if needed.
aka how we survive leaving the house (and how we survive going to the gym/pool so often).
we also love our wagon. these two things are also crazy-levels of durable, indestructible, and comfortable/convenient/smooth/easy. BLESS.
yep, you read that correctly. whenever we go to our gym and its super nice pools (which can be as often as six days a week), I take my stroller. so I have my stroller dressed to the nines: a nice caddy on top, a snack tray for kk, a cup holder, a huge hook, and my stroller cooler. it may sound silly, but it these additions have been game changers for me, and they keep my bottom basket from being an overwhelming pile of stuff.
and having a cooler on my stroller means we have the best spot for pool snacks, etc.
a good skincare routine
between all the sun and sweat and sand and pool water…woof.
here’s my skincare routine.
a daily rhythm
I need this just as much as KK does. take a peek into our day-to-day here. like when we play, when we rest, when we swim, etc.
Here’s my full list of things/systems/routines that help me feel my best. Year-round.
a few summer systems we love
Wall o Hooks
we had a great big unused space of wall near our front door. and I knew just what we needed. because that’s the thing - make your home work for you. while I could’ve put a great piece of art or a stylish bench, I knew we needed hooks.
so our big space of wall became one of our MVPs of our home, thanks to a double decker set of these hooks in our hallway. two rows - one up top, one lower for younger people - three sets of hooks each. so six total. WALL O HOOKS, BABY.
and while this is great year-round, this is phenomenal for summer. one of my summer essentials, if you will. the entire summer, this Wall O Hooks is the drop zone for everything: damp towels, wet swimsuits, hats, Packed Pool Bag (more on this in a second), cover-ups, etc etc etc. it keeps things off my counters and off my floors. and more importantly, it allows things to dry in time for our next adventure.
want to see a visual of this? see my “hallway” highlight on my Instagram!
because our home is made for living. and these Wall O Hooks may not be beautiful, but gosh do they make our lives easier.
Packed Pool Bag
remember my favorite, huge, zippered, monogrammed, canvas bag with extra long handles? let’s call that my beloved, go-to pool bag. and during the summer, since we’re at the pool almost every day, I keep this sucker packed.
or, more accurately, I keep it as packed as I can, and then I hang the Packed Pool Bag on the Wall o Hooks. so that way I can easily see if anything that is hung up on the Wall o Hooks needs to be grabbed to add to the Packed Pool Bag. like that cover-up that was drying overnight.
in our Packed Pool Bag we keep extra pairs of sunglasses, the Bag o Sunscreen (more on this in a second), pool toys, koozies, a pouch with my wallet + keys, spare reusable diapers, and a laminated bag we use as our wet bag. that way, all I have to do is grab from the nearby hooks any reusable swim diapers, cover-ups, etc that have been drying overnight. and whatever snacks. don’t forget the snacks.
similarly, if we’re going somewhere that’s not the pool, I just transfer that pouch with my wallet + keys back into my purse.
our Packed Pool Bag is pretty light since we keep a very stocked car.
A Stocked Car
post coming soon!
Bag o Sunscreen
in our Packed Pool Bag is our Bag O Sunscreen. it’s a smallish, clear, leakproof, water resistant toiletry bag (similar to this), and in it I keep our collection of sunscreen, ready to grab for the pool/beach/camping/hikes/wherever. because we’re pale, and we live in Texas.
in our Bag O Sunscreen we also keep a foundation brush because of the brilliant hack that taught me a foundation brush is the easiest way to apply sunscreen to kids.
Sandwich Night
because gawddddd, it’s so hot. at some point in the summer, the existence of our oven makes me want to cry. a weekly sandwich night saves. full list of why we love a weekly sandwich night here.
an easy, summer-friendly meal rotation
we’re more active in the summer, and therefore I like easier meals. see our rotation here!
freezer prep sessions
like I said, we’re more active in the summer, so on Sundays I try to make a few things that will make eating at home easier that week. But the Sundays I’m able to do one of Thriving Home’s 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions to take care of a few dinners for the week ahead? I thank Past Haley alllllll week long. Use Haley20 at checkout for 20% off prep sessions!
Like I mentioned, lately KK and I are much more active these days. So having some dinner components prepped ahead of time means I can enjoy that time with her, and still have a delicious dinner ready. So these 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions have been easy to add to my Sunday ritual, and they’ve been such an asset for our household.
Here’s an affiliate link to their 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions - use Haley20 at checkout for 20% off prep sessions!
See a full blogpost on my freezer favorites here.
so we can easily see any swim lessons, pool dates, special dinners, family adventures, beach vacations, road trips, etc.
my water routine
because y’all, it’s so damn hot.
here’s a quick instagram post where I model how I came up with my routine. (I’ve since tweaked my water routine shown in the post to meet my current needs, but the process is still the same.)
right now I have two of these amazing cups, thanks to the brilliance of my dear friend lisa - one for me and one for Brett. I fill them up first thing in the morning, and then I refill them in the early afternoon. they stay cold, they don’t sweat, they fit in both my subaru cupholders and my stroller caddy, and the straw is a godsend - drinking enough water has never been so easy. easy freaking peasy! these babies were made for summers by the pool.
smoothies. lots of smoothies. and juice.
have i mentioned how hot it is?
i try to have a daily smoothie and a nightly juice as apart of our daily schedule.
see more about my smoothie routine here.
see more about my juicing routine here.
brett and I are here all the dang time. my go-to is the georgia peach. brett loves the ryan palmer.
retractable sun shade
don’t laugh, but I have something similar to this installed in both our cars. and I will now never be without.
this tablet/phone mount for the car
sometimes in the eleventh hour you need sesame street to survive that car ride from the pool, you know.
speaking of, we keep this season of sesame street downloaded on my phone and my ipad. this season is free on amazon, and KK doesn’t realize she’s watched the same episodes over and over again.
carwash subscription
i cannot recommend enough getting a carwash subscription to somewhere with a good drive-thru carwash and a plethora of vacuums/sprays/potions to DIY a good car detail.
(if you’re local, we have a monthly subscription to here.)
because yeah, having a clean car is such a pleasure and - let’s be real - my car can always benefit from a clean thanks to KK and thanks to summer-y things. but also? it’s one of the best ways to spend some of KK’s awake time. we get out of the house during the Dog Days of Summer, she’s thoroughly entertained, it isn’t expensive, and she sees me taking good care of one of our greatest investments. win, win, win.
a Summer Box
we have four big ol tubs, each labeled Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. in these boxes, we store anything seasonally-specific that we may need during that season and that season only. consider it a big dumping ground of random seasonal things. like, to give you a better idea, here’s our Fall box and here’s our Winter box.
in our Summer box, I have things like our beach toys (more on this in a second), a beach-themed puzzle, KK’s reusable birthday crown (her birthday is June 3rd), a garland we use to celebrate our family’s birthday (aka our wedding anniversary, June 24th), our summer-themed activities, etc.
having these boxes serves as a nice seasonal landing pad for me - I know where everything is for the upcoming season and everything has a place. even if their place is just a fall-themed box in the garage.
an indoor grill
every Sunday, we grill things for Sunday dinner + for weeknight dinners and we hang out. (we call it Grill and Chill - read more about this weekly ritual of ours here.) but sometimes, it’s too dang hot for Brett to grill outside. so we have this cast iron reversible grill/griddle for those days and it’s awesome.
our beach favorites
see the blogpost here!
my favorite summer things for kk
i cannot adequately express my love for these swimsuits. i make sure kk has two or three for the summer, and they get daily use.
we have three or four white ones and we use them all summer long. they’re always hanging on our Wall o Hooks to dry, and I always have at least one chilling in our Packed Pool Bag
cover-ups
we have (and love!) this one
we get them in a wayyyy bigger size, in hopes they last more than one summer
my sister loves to give KK an Easter gift with a few fun summer things - last year was a precious cover-up and a pair of sunglasses, so she may do another cover-up this year
this hooded towel, monogrammed by my mom
it does not budge and it keeps her face so shielded. similar to her swimsuits, this thing is relatively pricey, but because we bought it in a color that matches her three swimsuits, she wears it almost every day and it has gotten serious mileage.
her favorite summer shoes (and outfits!) are listed in this post!
our outdoor play favorites
see the full post here! more on our outdoor play favorites like our water tables, our soil table, our sand table, our bike, our scooter, OUR GRAVEL PLAY PIT, and more!
swim lessons
worth every freaking penny. like yeah, we spend a ton of time in the water because I’m a swimmer and gosh, I love water and it’s Texas Summer, but also because kids ages 1-4 have the highest drowning rates, so it is imperative that KK has strong swimming skills. we signed up for swim lessons.
indoor activities + play invitations
we’re also doing a lotttt of indoor play. here’s a running list of our favorite toys, activities, and things from birth until now!
a daily rhythm
I need this just as much as KK does. take a peek into our day-to-day here. like when we play, when we rest, when we swim, etc.
there ya have it. i’ll update this as I think of more of my Texas Summer Essentials, but for now:
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