Happy Friday, folks!
Each summer I feel a bit of insanity rising if I have’t taken the time to organize our summer gear. This includes our family pool bag, a cooler bag for lunches/snacks, the kids’ swim team backpacks, sunscreen/sunglasses, and beach towels. Time and energy put towards organizing these items allows for a less stressful exit to the pool, as well as provides a system for the kids to put their gear away to dry (instead of in a heap on their bedroom carpet), Then they know where their gear is when it’s time to get ready for the pool.
Today, I’m breaking down our organizing systems for summer gear…
1. Pool Bag. A few years ago I purchased this bag and it’s held up. It is huge and fits all six of our beach towels, plus gear.
It has side pockets all the way around for stuffing items in for easy-reach.
I designate this as the “pool bag”, and don’t use it for anything else. This way, I’m not losing anything by constantly taking things in or out. I keep our pool bag in our laundry room, so when I wash and fold towels, I can immediately put them in our pool bag so it’s ready to go.
2. Goggle Zippered Pouch. I keep a pair of recreational goggles for each of the kids (their swim team goggles stay in their swim backpacks) in a waterproof zippered pouch. This stays in our pool bag.
The kids can grab a pair if they’re going on their own to a friend’s house to swim, otherwise they stay in this pouch in our pool bag. I just buy cheap goggles in bulk each year, that way if they lose or forget a pair, it’s not the end of the world.
2. Insulated Bag for Lunches. If I know we’re only going to be at the pool for a short amount of time or in between meals, I just throw a few snacks inside a small, insulated lunch bag and put it in our pool bag. The kids usually bring their water bottles and keep them in their own swim team backpacks. If we’re going to be at the pool during lunch, then I’ll pack a large insulated tote. Sam’s Club sells decent ones that last for years, and I love the long straps on them! We pack our rolling cooler when we have evening swim meets and need to pack dinner. It’s super convenient to roll dinner for six instead of schlepping it over my shoulder!
3. Sunscreen. I keep designated sunscreens in our pool bag, because the last thing I want to forget is sunscreen! On hand, is sunscreen for face and body for both kids and adults. This summer I’m trying a few new sunscreens, I’d love to hear suggestions for what your family uses! I just ordered these: Badger Sport mineral sunscreen SPF 40 | Badger Sunscreen Face Stick | Blue Lizard mineral Spray sunscreen SPF 50 . I’ll let you know if we like them!
4. Small Clear Zipper Pouch. I put all of my personal items in a clear zipper pouch for protection and easy access. Things such as my keys, phone, lip balm, hair ties, etc. go in this pouch.
5. Beach Towels. The kids usually hang their wet towels in their mudroom locker or in their bathroom to dry. They each have their own hook both in the mudroom and their bathroom, so there’s no confusion. When beach towels are needing to be washed, I usually do so and then put the clean towels directly into our swim bag so it’s ready to go.
6. Swim Team Gear. Each one of my kids has their own swim team mesh backpack designated for swim team only.
In this backpack, they keep their swim towel, swim cap and goggles (plus a spare for each), a change of clothes, water bottle and any other personal items. Here are a few of their essentials: travel hair brush | chapstick that won’t melt | ear plugs when they have swimmer’s ear | ear drops for clogged ears and earaches . These backpacks hang in their mudroom lockers. Our kids each their own hook in their bathroom to hang their team suits and/or towels, so they know exactly where to find them the next morning for practice.
7. Sunscreen Basket. As I explained earlier, there’s always designated bottles of sunscreen left in our pool bag. We also have a sunscreen basket that I keep on the shoe rack in our mudroom.
This basket usually includes sunscreen sticks for faces, waterproof mineral sunscreen for the kids, and spray sunscreen for quick reapplication.
At the end of the summer, I clean out our pool bag and wash it and then store it in a “swim” storage tub in our basement until the following summer. In this tub I also store the goggle pouch and the kids swim gear in their backpacks. I put the sunscreen basket away in our master linen closet, just in case we need it for vacation or an unexpected sunny day throughout the rest of the year.
If you’re in need of some simple summer dinner ideas, be sure to check out my Greek Chicken Tacos or Lemon Shrimp Pasta. Finish off either of these with my Homemade Strawberry Shortcake…the perfect light and delicious summer treat!
Have a great weekend and hope you enjoy celebrating the important men in your life! Sadly, our main man will be out of the country for two weeks for a high school guys’ reunion. I’ll see you back here on Monday! xoxo
