POOL TIME! SWIMMING SKILLS WITH YMCA
When we think summer, we think swimming! Whether it’s the pool, ocean, or just a splash pad, you can find us spending the hot months in the water. But of course we always want to be safe and that starts with making sure our kids have the skills needed to navigate any body of water.
When our boys first were learning to swim, we turned to the YMCA of San Diego County. We were always fans of all the camps and programs the Y had to offer and the environment they work hard to create. They provide swim lessons for almost all ages helping to develop competency in swimming alongside confidence and endurance. Their certified instructors give students personalized attention and encouragement.
We did private lessons and immediately saw our boys learning to swim. So fast-forward to now it’s time for our girls to begin swimming and we knew the YMCA would give them the best foundation as well. Now, all of our kids are in lessons for their skill level and the genuinely look forward to each class and then are excited to practice what they have learned all week long.
Another cool aspect to keep in mind is that beyond learning how to swim, the YMCA has competitive swim teams for all ages and abilities. Swimmers can learn and train together as a team, push each other to succeed with encouragement, individual discipline, and pride in everyone’s achievements.
Not only does pool time cut the heat but it’s a healthy activity that exercises the entire body and a skill that can both save lives and enrich them — especially living in San Diego. Be sure to check out all their offerings and other activity camps too!
SUIT UP! SWIM STYLE AND FUNCTION WITH SWIM ZIP
Who doesn’t love a trip to the pool or the beach? But all of us can admit to having fights with our kids about reapplying sunscreen or a kid crying because the sunscreen got into their eyes. Whether you are headed to the beach for vacation or the backyard pool, we love SwimZip swimsuits. They were invented by a mom, who was diagnosed with skin cancer at 26. She started creating swimsuits with UPF 50+ sun protection built in. So you and your family can put on a rash guard or swim-suit and be sun safe! It makes a trip to the pool so much easier to only have to apply sunscreen to the parts not covered by the rash guard, hat and suit.
And when the day is done, one of the most challenging things is getting off the wet swimsuits that are often layered with sand. We love that so many of SwimZip’s rash guard tops come with a full-zipper, which makes them easy to put on a squirmy kid and easy to take off. They come in a variety of prints and styles. We love that SwimZip has family matching, not only because we love all things family matching, but it often makes it easier to spot our kids on the beach or at the pool amongst the crowd. We love picking a bold print or a vibrant color, which can make it easier to spot your child too.
FROM THE WATER TO PLAY: PEDIPED SHOES PROTECT
Whether we’re at the beach, exploring tide pools, swimming, playing at the splash pad or just running through the sprinklers, you can bet we’ll be wearing our pediped water-safe shoes. Not only are they super comfortable and stylish but they feature quick-dry EVA footbeds which are designed to express water quickly, so we can go from wet to dry in a hurry.
Since pediped water-safe shoes are light-weight, eco-friendly, and able to handle dunks and splashes, they still look great after a day at the pool or beach. We also wear our pedipeds to camp. They are perfect to run and play while being able to weather a good water balloon toss or waterfall hike.
The Flex Canyon and Flex Sahara lines are designed to be durable enough for a hike and safe for the splash pad and both lines are approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association for promoting healthy foot development. We love all the color options too!
SPLASH-PROOF BAGS: ALOHA COLLECTION IS A MUST
Goggles, towels, snacks, change of clothes add multiple kids and a simple activity becomes a production. We love Aloha Collection bags for helping us get to and from the pool. We love the day tripper tote. It has an Expandable full zipper top to maximize space, which always comes in handy. I like that there’s enough space for towels and then we use the mid pouch to keep our change of clothes dry and then when we change we put the suits in. The tote also has an inner zipper pocket which we use so we don’t forget our goggles and hair ties. The small pouches are great for snacks or swim toys. Once I get to the pool I like being able to be hands free and not lug a bag around so I put my valuables in my hip pack. We love that Aloha Collection has so many cute and colorful prints. You can coordinate or mix and match. And the best part is that all of their items are SPLASH-PROOF® which is the next best thing to being waterproof. From a juice box spill to a cannonball splash, we know that our belongings will be protected.
SUMMER’S UNIFORM! SUN PROTECTIVE WEAR WITH COOLIBAR
A summer must have for your wardrobe is Coolibar. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime — there is a 300% increase in skin cancer incidences over the past 40 years. Whether we are headed from the pool to the playground or going to summer camp, it is so important to protect our skin. We especially love Coolibar for when kids are at sports camp where they are out in the sun for hours. And if your kids are like ours, they would rather play and have fun then slow down to reapply their sunscreen. One of our favorites is the Lumaleo line. It’s so lightweight and soft so we can wear it when we’re active whether that be at the park or going for a hike. Made with Organic Cotton ZnO™ fabric. The fabric is a blend of organic cotton, naturally sun-blocking bamboo, and a hint of spandex with zinc oxide infused at the fiber level. The kids especially love the thumbholes on the shirts. From shorts and shirts to hats, Coolibar makes a wide range of clothing with UPF 50, perfect for whatever your summer activity is. They also have a great assortment of hats from baseball style to bucket to provide some shade for your child’s face too.
SEA THE CHANGE: GOSILI’S OCEAN COLLECTION
While we’re enjoying all the splashing this summer, we should also be thinking about protecting our incredible oceans too. Did you know that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish? Yes, you read that correctly. GoSili is on a mission to reuse, waste less, and clean up that mess!
GoSili Reusable Ocean Cups are made with 100% platinum silicone and give back to ocean conservation. 1% of each purchase is donated to organizations that support ocean clean-up and preservation. The sustainable silicone drinkware comes in four color ways. Every cup is unique and features its own, one of a kind water pattern. Much like our waterways, no two cups will ever look the same! We also bundled ours with reusable Ocean straws too.
We’ve always been a fan of GoSili cups for our kids and the travel mugs and tumblers. This ocean collection is the same featuring an embedded stainless-steel ring that prevents the cup from collapsing when gripped and their patented technology paves the way for a new drinking experience and is the perfect alternative to all the excessive plastic to-go cups that end up in our landfills and oceans.
So let’s raise our sustainable silicone cup and cheers toward being part of a solution!
