It’s officially SUMMER!!! YAY!!! Who doesn’t love summer time? We love it in our house. It means lazier wake up times, even though we still need to get my son to his Explorers Club and the hubby and I still work {I work part time now, but I get it over with in the mornings – lol}. It means lots of sun, water and outdoor BBQs. It’s just a great time to reconnect with family, friends and the outdoors. Yes, in Texas it gets super hot, but we much prefer the heat to the cold so it doesn’t bother us. Plus with these summertime must have’s you can’t go wrong.
My Top 5 Summertime Must Haves {for 2015}
1. SUNSCREEN
Playing in the sun with no sun screen can turn a fun time into misery and can even ruin a holiday! UV rays from the sun can turn skin red and painful, or even blister and seriously burn. The sad fact is even if sunshine on your shoulders make you happy, UV radiation is NOT your friend. These are the harmful/burning rays which contribute to cancer and bad burns, not to mention age spots {eeek who wants those?}. Don’t chance it by taking the time to slather on a good sunscreen even on cloudy days. AND apply frequently. Applying once, doesn’t protect you with all day swimming and outdoor activities. We use Shaklee Enfuselle SPF 30. This is hands down the safest and best sunscreen out there! You might have heard the studies bout chemicals in your sunscreens being harmful, or the spray on sunscreens to avoid. This is why we only trust this more natural sunscreen for our family. It’s designed for all skin types, including the most sensitive skin. It’s triple-patented Vital Repair+® Complex contains antioxidant vitamins and botanicals to provide a broad spectrum of protection and adds an extra defense against premature aging. It’s your secret weapon against sun damage. Oh, and it’s Paraben Free.
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2. A WAY TO COOL OFF: WATER BALLOONS
You may have seen these in the stores by now, but this pretty darn amazing. It’s one of those “why didn’t I think of that” products. The Balloon Bonanza literally fills 40 water balloons in seconds. The box of 3 bundles was $12.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond, but I’ve heard they are available at Walmart for $9.99. Highly recommend this for some summer time fun. Watch the video of us filling up a bundle…oodles of fun..
3. STAY COOL & HYDRATED
The beating sun and summer heat can dry your skin and make you sweat more, causing you to lose essential body fluids and critical electrolytes. Most people use thirst as an indicator of when to drink water. Sorry my friends, by the time you are thirsty, you’re already starting to dehydrate. To avid unwanted fatigue, dehydration and dangerous heat exhaustion, you MUST intentionally drink the right kinds of fluids. That means you have to sometimes plan ahead. Drink at least eight 8 oz glasses of water spaced out during the day – whether you are thirsty or not. Avoid high calorie sodas, whole milk, juices, and sugared ice tea, which can often times dehydrate you more. Instead, choose water with lemon or mint! BUT there is something even better. Ideally, choose a trusted electrolyte replacement in addition to water. And NO Gatorade and Powerade are NOT good choices – they are filled with sugar, artificial ingredients and colors, and advertised as a thirst quencher – you don’t want to quench your thirst, you want to hydrate! So our household personal choice and recommended hydrating drink is Shaklee Performance. Shaklee Performance is clinically proven to hydrate better than water. In fact, it has more electrolytes and provides more energy than the leading hydrating drink. It’s proprietary OPTI-LYTE blend, plus the unique mix of carbs delivers instant and sustained energy and supports optimal hydration. Plus, it’s delicious and healthy and comes in Lemon Lime or Orange. No artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors or preservatives. If it’s good enough for Olympic athletes, it’s good enough for our family {it’s especially great for those summer time sporting events with the kids – mine drink this constantly during games}! But you don’t need to be an athlete to drink this and get the benefits during the hot summer months. Another great idea is to make popsicles with Shaklee Performance {especially great when kiddos are sick}.
PS. if you want an extra pick me up then add the Shaklee Pomegranate Tea – love love love this stuff mixed with the Orange Shaklee Performance.
4. POPSICLES
Nothing beats a nice cold popsicle in the summertime! But most of the store bought versions are filled with junk, including artificial colors, sweeteners and flavors. They are usually high in sugar, which is never a good thing. I just love this popsicle maker by Zoku. It’s similar to an ice cream maker in that you freeze it, then fill with your favorite liquid and it makes popsicles in literally minutes! Even a 4 year old has the patience to wait for it to freeze. The options for healthy popsicles are endless, we’ve even used Izzy, our protein shakes, and Shaklee Performance drinks. It’s super easy and fun – get your kids together and just start experimenting. I bought mine from TJMaxx or Ross for $25.
You can also buy these ice pop pouches from Zipzicle. We used these while on vacation in Mexico and they were a big hit. I’ve used both the Zoku and the Zipzicle products are home and in my kids cooking classes ALL.THE.TIME!!!!
5. TOWEL CLIPS
Nothing is worse than hanging by the pool and your towel is constantly blowing in your face. Or you are swimming and your towel blows in a puddle next to your chair. Try using beach towel clips this summer either at home, the pool, the beach or on a cruise. They come in so many varieties now. We have the Angry Bird ones that we bought at Target, but Amazon and the Bed, Bath & Beyond have a ton of them now too. You can find a good assortment on Amazon.com {which BTW I do NOT get paid for promoting…}.
Now it’s your turn….
In the comments below, tell me what your favorite summer must haves for this year are.
