Summer is here! {check list and finds}

I've been in "get through the last 5 days of school" mode lately.  Thoughts of how to fill the summer with fun, hopefully inexpensive, activities to keep my almost 6 year old and almost 3 year old busy.  Yesterday we decided to make a summer check list.  A friend inspired this and for any of you with older kids I think it is a great idea.  I'm hoping it will help with those "what do we do today" moments.

So, with all this summer activity stuff in mind, I was also playing with the idea of how to make our one favorite past time that much easier...going to the beach!!!  We do this a lot during the summer because we are all of 5-10 minutes from our favorite two beaches.  During the weekdays I take the kids to the beach by myself and lugging all the stuff we need can be a bit difficult.  I was trying to think of a way to eliminate one bag of stuff in my repertoire of STUFF.  I started to think...what is the "thing" that takes up the most space?  Towels!  Towels!  Towels!  I have to bring one for my son, my daughter and myself, but when I thought about it, I'm the only one that sits on one.  My son and daughter are playing the entire time and we only use the towel for all of 30 seconds to dry off before walking to the car.  This got me to thinking...and this is what I've found.

The turkish pestemal.  

the turkish towel

A pestemal is a towel that is thin and extremely absorbent.  They dry far faster then your usual towel.  They come in head towel size and standard towel size.  I think the head towel size is perfect for the kiddos.  Again, I just need something to dry them off so the smaller size makes it even easier to fold into one of my bags.  I'm loving the selection I have found through the Etsy shops Loovee and CottonCocoon.  They offer such fun colors and even offer organic options, the hardest part is deciding which ones to get.

I am also loving this tote from Target to use to throw the essentials in; wallet, keys, phone, sunscreens, swim diapers (yup, still dealing with diapers), etc.  Its cute, big and the perfect woven material that sand can just escape from it.

via Target

And I'm so excited about this new sunscreen to the Banana Boat product list.  

via Banana Boat

I am a red head which in turn equals fair complected and has freckles all over...I burn very easily.  I've grown up having sunscreen slathered all over me and I truly despise the feel of sunscreen.  This new protect and hydrate sunscreen feels exactly like lotion.  It is soft and silky, not slimy and sticky.  And it smells good too...I've in heaven.  Be sure to try it yourself.  

I'm thinking with these few items my summer will start off great!  Now to start checking things off that list.

These reviews and product suggestions are all my personal opinion, I was not compensated for this feature or review in any way.