What I'm Loving...

I'm totally falling off the wagon lately with blogging.   We are enjoying the lazy days of summer and I never seem to have any time to sit down, let alone by myself.  But...I know soon enough the kids will be back to school and I'll have plenty of down time so I am truly enjoying every moment with them this summer.  

We have started crossing things off our summer list and we are gathering our supplies for our more crafty items.  So excited to get started on those.  First rainy day and we're on it!   Besides that we are doing a whole lot of swimming and sunning.   Lots of tanned skin and dry hair at this house ;)

I thought I'd share a few things I'm loving these days...

To start off...this little clip I captured on my phone of my little guy FINALLY swimming.  Hooray.  After only 3 lessons, well only 3 this summer at least, he is off and swimming.   So proud of my little monkey!

Another beachy thing I'm loving is this...

It goes on super easy, it smells great, it works great and....it last forever!  We are at the beach every single day so we are putting on sunblock every single day and we have only gone through 1 bottle this summer to date.  That's a record for us.  And...I reapply throughout the day because my kids are in the pool all day so the sunblock wears off.  The great thing about this is that you can apply it and go...no waiting and....you can apply it to wet skin.  Love it!

I'm also loving that it's almost time for the Olympics.  Hooray!  I LOVE the summer Olympics.

   I cannot wait to watch gymnastics and soccer.  We are a dorky family and we love to sit and watch as a family as much as possible.  And...we are super excited because my daughter met Christie Rampone, the captain of the USA Women's soccer team this past year at a tournament we were playing in which makes watching it even more exciting.  What truly blows my mind...she is only a year younger than me and playing in the Olympics...truly amazing!

In fashion....I'm loving all of the dresses I'm finding for summer ON SALE now.  Retail is already into fall, but in reality summer is only halfway over.  These sales are making it that much more enjoyable!  Although truth be told, there is maybe one day a week at most that I'm actually not in either a bathing suit or yoga pants and tank top all day!  The bonus of most of these is that I can throw it over my bathing suit too.

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I'm also LOVING all things espadrilles....check out some of these beauties!  They dress up the simplest of cotton dresses like the peach one above.

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And here's the ones I just bought and I adore them.  So comfy!

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I'm also loving this book.  I saw it recommended a few places and it's so up my alley.   I love that Barnes & Noble shows you "Customers Who Bought This Also Bought" because it helps to see if it might work.  Since I had read three of the other books that others bought...I figured it was a safe bet.  

I have really been having a hard time finding a good read lately.  In the summer I tend to read little bits at at time when my kids are occupied or at night, but I'm so tired at night I don't get through much.  I need a book that grabs me quickly and this did it. 

I also loved this book that came highly recommended..thanks Heather!   Great book with a big twist at the end.

And lastly, I'm loving that I made and listed my last beach bag of the 2012 season for Poshed Up.  It seems I had a thing for orange and blue this year :)   You can check them all out HERE.   These are my last 4 for the season!

 I will certainly have them back in the shop next year with some new features, but it's time to start Halloween believe it or not.   Here is a preview of Halloween fabrics for monogrammed trick or treat bags..stay tuned.

What are you loving right now? 

Poshed Up

It's time to pack the beach bag...

Yay!  I am super excited for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.  We are blessed to live less than a mile from the beach and we LIVE for the summer and beach time.  While the kids are still in school, our family considers Memorial Day weekend the official start to summer!

So...with that being said, we pulled out all of our summer gear this past weekend and cleaned it up for move in day at the beach club.   I have washed all of the towels, hosed down the beach toys and chairs and started mentally planning some fun appetizers and drinks to bring down with us to celebrate the weekend.

Now on to the beach bag.  This is my essential item for the summer.  I stop carrying much of a purse this time of year because we spend so much time at the beach.  I instead carry a small wallet/clutch type bag and just throw it in the beach bag when we're headed to the beach and use it solely on a rainy day when we're not going to the beach.

Over the past few years I have struggled to find the perfect beach bag.  I've gone through many a beach bag with still no PERFECT fit...for me that is.  I have found bags that are functional, but I either thought they were ugly or they looked like every other bag on the beach.  I have found bags that are fun and easy to spot at a crowded pool or direct my child to find, but they were not set up to my liking.

So this year I decided to create my own bag.  And, I created a few extra so maybe you can finally have that perfect bag too.  :)
This bag needed to fit many needs.  It needed to be:

Big enough to hold many things, but not too big that I couldn't carry it on my shoulder

It needed to carry many things, but not be too heavy when it's full

It needed to have pockets...lots of pockets that were deep enough to keep things in them, but not too deep that I couldn't find anything

It needed to be OPEN on top so I could quickly grab something and go.  I always thought I'd like a zip top bag, but either it was too full to zip or a pain to open when it was already on my shoulder and I needed something

It needed to include a hook for my wristlet to attach to and my car keys

It needed to sit flat on the sand and not tip over...key feature for me

And lastly...it needed to be fun, bright and unique

So, here's what I came up.  This is my beauty.  I adore it and it's masculine enough that my husband won't complain if I make him carry it!

I have a few essentials that I always keep in the beach bag that I've learned over the years are key.   Here's a peek at what I carry.  I carry 2 separate bags in my bigger beach bag.  One is waterproof inside and carries the items that could leak or are slimy.  Including:


Sunblock and lots of it.  I love Neutrogena baby for my allergy boy and the new Wet Kids for my daughter who is in and out of the pool all day.  I personally use Neutrogena too.  It's a little pricier than some of the other brands, but it isn't greasy and I love that about it.

Chapstick....did you know your lips can burn?  And it hurts.

Scalp shield.  To protect your scalp from sunburn without the greasy look of spraying sunblock in your hair. Thanks Sue for introducing me to this!

First aid gel.  Someone always gets hurt, either my own or someone else's child.

In my other bag I carry the things I always seem to need or lend out including:

A comb...pool and windblown hair is the worst.

Band-Aids...again, someone always need one.  I carry waterproof ones too.

Eye drops.  These are great to flush out sunblock if it creeps into your eyes or to help with the chlorine in your child's eyes.

Tampons..enough said.

Deodorant

Nail file

Tissues

Hair ties and clips

I actually decided to start introducing zipped pouches after realizing this year I didn't have one that I liked.  This is the first that I'm personally testing out before formally adding them to the shop.  What do you think?

Neither of these 2 little bags are full nor do I intend for them to become full.  My children always give me tons of rocks, shells and other beach items to add to our bag so I need to leave room...lol    Here is what my bag looks like with both bags and only 2 towels so far.

To this I'll add:


Tons of snacks that don't need the cooler

A book or my Nook (not that it will ever get read, but it makes me feel better to dream about reading on the beach)

My wallet

My keys

My cellphone

What am I forgetting?    I know it seems like a lot for a day at the beach BUT...my goal when we go is to sit down in my chair and have all of everyone's basic needs covered so that I'm not stressed about anything.

Now if you like the look and functionality of my beach bag, I'm happy to say that I made a few others to share with the world.  Here's what they look like.  They all have the same exact features...2 inside pockets (1 large and 1 double) and a hook.  They are all also big enough to fit up to 4 large beach towels and the large inside pockets can fit an iPad or Nook.

And the two newest additions which I'm really struggling with listing because I like them both so much.

My fav....I love orange and blue.

What do you think?   If you are interested in any of them or you want to customize your own, I'd love to help.  You can see them all by clicking HERE and visiting my shop!   I am thankful to have had many sell to date and a few customers have bought more than one!!    The small zippered pouches will be appearing in the shop very soon!

And for 3 days only (Saturday, 5/26 - Monday, 5/28) ALL beach bags are 10% off.

Thank you as always for everyone's support of my business...it would not exist without you.

Enjoy this upcoming holiday weekend!   Have a sunny day!

Poshed Up