Five Friday Favorites - Pool/Beach Must Haves

I'm a simple girl when it comes to what I need at the beach/pool. Give me the sun, sand, water and a few small things and I'm a happy camper.

#1 - Beach/Pool Bag

cover up (similar) / bag / sunnies (similar)

LOVE, LOVE this beach bag. I got it over the holiday times and we have been using it non-stop since we started pool hopping. It's big enough to fit all our towels and then some plus it has a ton a of pockets to fit goggles, sunscreen, etc. HIGHLY recommend and it's under $20! 

#2 - Polarized Sunnies

While I love my Ray-Ban sunnies, I have a hard time spending a lot of money on sunglasses each season because I tend to lose them or scratch them. Thankfully, last year I discovered these amazing sunnies. They are polarized and really do block out out the sun...plus they are fashionable and come in all different color options. I converted my family at the beach last year. Check them out.

#3 - Cover Up

cover up / beach bag

I love a good cover up and Amazon has been my go-to spot for them the last couple of years. Lots of great styles and really good prices. Above are the new ones I got this year and below are the ones I snagged last year. I LOVE them all!

blue cover up / white cover up

#4 - Insulated Cup

When I got to the beach, I bring two insulated cups - one is my big Yeti to have with water (and then later fill with cocktails) and the other is my Corkcicle to keep my wine (or other cocktails nice and cool).

#5 - Phone Cover

I don't bring a camera down to the beach anymore....instead it's my phone so I need something to protect it. I got these cases last year and LOVED them. We will use them every year. Easy to use and definitely protects your phone from water and sand.


#6 - Good Book...and I'm now going to try a Kindle

I had to add a sixth one this week because there is nothing like curling up at the beach or pool with a great book. Now that my minis are getting older, it's much easier for me to read. I did end up ordering a Kindle on sale yesterday based on the feedback from my Facebook post. It's still on sale (as of post time) so check it out if you are interested in joining me. Here are some of my all time favorite beach reads...and a few recent reads from last summer.

Anything by Emily Giffin but my all time favorites are Something Borrowed and Something Blue.
Some of my favorites from last summer - Tattooist of Auschwitz, Where the Crawdad Sings, Little Fires Everywhere, The Other Woman, Before We Were Yours and The Woman in the Window. I just finished The Nightingale and about to start Sold on a Monday.

uschwitz

Five Friday Favorites - Beach/Pool Must Haves for Spring Break

We have spring break coming up and can't wait to take our trip to the Paradisus resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico!!!  Its only a couple weeks away and I'm starting to plan out what we need...trying to be as efficient with my packing as possible.  Over the next few weeks, I'll share all the things I'm packing.  First up, wanted to focus this week's Five Friday Favorites on my necessities for the beach/pool while we are there.

#1 - Beach Bag

A beach bag is going to be key as I'll be transporting not just my stuff but the kiddos and hubs.  I did a blog post the other day because I'm searching for one to take with me that will transport easily.  Check it out here.  I'm down to two options my Stella and Dot one that will also be my carry on or the cute rainbow one from Amazon that will lay flat in my suitcase.

#2 - Affordable Sunnies

Of course sunglasses are a must.  I don't think I will be packing my nice ones as we are going to be running all around the resort and with my crazy kiddos in the water I don't want them to get broken.  And these SOJOS are just as good as my Ray Bans but a fraction of the cost. They go on lightning deal a lot so make sure you follow my Facebook page so you can see when they are up.

#3 - Hat 

Can't wait wait to wear my new hat...it was under $20 and is going to be the perfect poolside accessory!  Now I just need to figure out how to pack it without smushing it...let me know if you have any suggestions.

#4 - Phone Protector 

I got these waterproof phone protectors for the beach last year and SO glad I did especially for when we are at the beach.  I was always worried about bringing my phone because I didn't want it to get sand in it.  With this now I don't have to worry. 


#5 - Books (or in my case, audio books)

To me there's nothing better than laying out at the pool or beach with a good book.  Now that I have kids the days of doing that are few and far between but I still try and get one good read it...well listen that is with Audible.  I can still get the "read" while watching my kids.  For this trip, I'm hoping to finish Girl Stop Apologizing and I need a new one...any recommendations?? 

Five Friday Favorites - Recent Amazon Purchases

I apologize for the briefness of this week's Five Friday Favorites but with two sick kids and husband in the house it's been hard to find time to get this written.  I've been doing A LOT of Amazon shopping lately so I thought I would share my top five favorite purchases from the last month.  There's a little of this and a little of that...


#1 - Down Puffer Coat

If you follow Christina's Favorite Things on Facebook then you have definitely seen this coat.  SO many people were raving about it that I had to try it and I LOVE IT!  It's SO comfortable and REALLY warm (I wore it when we were having Polar Vortex).  I'm wearing an XS but probably could have gotten away with XXS.  I'm personally a big fan of the green color but there are other colors are available.  This also goes on lightning deal a lot so follow my FB page and Instagram and I'll alert you when it's coming up.


#2 - Mixing Bowls 

I know totally random but I've been on the hunt for a set like this.  I LOVE to cook and for as long as I can remember I've been using the same two nesting bowls as my prep bowls (one of which was cracked).  I pulled the trigger on these when they went on lightning deal and so glad I did.  I've used at least one almost every day since I got them.  Highly recommend. 

#3 - Flameless LED Candles

I have been looking for thinner flameless pillar candles for years to put in these lanterns I got.  Seriously like 3 or 4 years.  Whatever I ended up finding were super expensive until this Amazon purchase.  It's great because they are remote controlled so I can have them on or off whenever I want.  And there's a timer as well in case I forget to turn them off.  Highly recommend!  I ended up getting two sets to fill out the lanterns. 

#4 - I Need a New Butt book

I forget where I saw this book but I had to get it for my kiddos because they love potty humor.  It's the perfect small gift for them for Valentine's Day.  I love when I can find a book that gives my girls a good laugh. 

#5 - Heart Dress for Little Mini

How cute is Little Mini in this dress?!?!?!  It's by far her new favorite...wears it once a week.  It's the third dress I've bought for her from them.  She loves all things twirly and so when I can find affordable ones she loves, I stock up.  Definitely recommend!

Counting Down the Top Purchases of 2018

Let's countdown the FAVORITE purchases of 2018.  If you've been following along on Facebook then you have seen I'm doing it every hour on the hour and recapping them all for you here.  There were some favorites that unfortunately are no longer available so I didn't include them.  I'm sure you will find some goodies you've gotten this year and a few you might want to add.  Happy New Year!!!

25 - Dyson Blowdryer (and here's a cheaper refurbished one)

24 - Stemless Wine Glasses

23 - Initial Mug (or try this on sale one from Anthro)

22 - Hailey Dress (or Nordstrom Rack for a print version)

21 - Quilted Vest (look for less)

20 - BP Cozy Tee

19 - Hammer Hoops

 

18 - Gibson Convertible Tunic 

17 - Engraveable Necklace

16 - Taj Tote

15 - J.Crew Sweater Blazer

14 - Barefoot Dreams Circle Cardigan

13 - One Piece Bathing Suit

12 - Hunter Boots

11 - No Show Socks

10 - Lush Tunic

green, yellow or alternative brand

9 - Stamper

8 - Simple Long Sleeve Dress

 

7 - Girl Wash Your Face

6 - Faux Fur Vest

 

5 - Affordable Sunnies

4 - Lace Dress under $40

(can't wait for a reason to wear it)

3 - Essie Angora Cardigan Polish

2 - Packing Cubes

(I won't travel without them)

1 - Amazon Retractable iPhone Cords

(probably NO surprise)

GIFT GUIDE - Children's Books

I LOVE giving books as gifts to little ones.  You can never have too many.  Some days I'll catch my kids just sitting in their room "reading" them.  One actually reading and the other just looking at pictures.  Here are some of our family favorites -

The Day the Crayons Quit

How to Babysit a Grandma

Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors

Press Here

The Pigeon Needs a Bath

The Book with No Pictures

And check out my other gift guides -

• Kids Games
• White Elephant
• Gifts for Her (good for co-workers)
• Splurges for Her