Summer is here and whether you’re headed to out of town or hanging around the neighborhood we’ll share tips to make vacations safe, streamlined and fun for families at any comfort level.
BEACH BOUND WITH BEACHMATE
We love the beach! We love splashing the ocean, building sandcastles and searching for shells. What we don’t love about the beach, all the prep. A simple trip to the sea now involves sand toys, towels, sunscreen, snacks, blankets, chairs, change of clothes, more, more and more. This takes several trips to and from the car (not to mention you probably are holding one kid, while trying to wrangle the others)… we thought, there has got to be an easier way. And then found Beachmate!
Beachmate’s founder is a mom of four and she felt the same way. Thankfully, she did something about it and designed the perfect all-in-one-tote to make going the beach more streamlined for families so they can focus on making memories and enjoying time spent together. The Beachmate system is an incredible lightweight, stackable toy and storage system made up of 2 shovels, 5 buckets, soft cooler and tote bag all in one easy to carry bag.
Arrange the buckets and cooler dozens of different ways to fit your specific needs. Use each bucket for additional storage space, and flip them over at snack time to find cupholders and trays for sand free enjoyment. The large bucket serves as the perfect picnic table, baby bath tub or extra large cooler for happy hour. The possibilities are endless for all outdoor activities and it fits easily into the car!
FAMILY MATCHING SWIM, IT’S MORE THAN JUST FASHION
We love family matching and swim suits are one of our favorite ways to match. From the beach to lounging at the pool with Goofy on vacation, we think it is not only a fun way to express style but it often makes it easier to spot our kids on the beach or at the pool amongst the crowd. We love that SwimZip has family matching swimsuits. We love picking a bold print or a vibrant color, which can make it easier to spot your child too. 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 beach so much easier to only have to apply sunscreen to the parts not covered by the rash guard, hat and suit. They come in a variety of prints and styles.
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. Most parents know that the struggle is real when it comes to reapplying sunscreen, which is why we love swimsuits with the UPF built in and we love the full-zipper rash tops because suits can be challenging to take off at the end of the day when everyone is tired and wet.
DAY TRIP PACKING WITH ALOHA COLLECTION
Our summer is packed with Day Trips. We love to explore and even traveling just an hour or two out of town can feel like you’re fully on vacation — plus it’s a little easier to manage then packing for multiple nights. When we load up the car we have found Aloha Collection to be a fantastic packing solution for us.
Aloha splash-proof bags are lightweight and easy to clean. We love that there are so many sizes and designs. In fact we do different design for each child so they knew exactly what bags are theirs. The Small pouches are perfect for snacks… we keep crackers and fruit, cheese sticks and more so the littles can get to some fuel whenever they feel hungry. In the Mid pouches we designate those for toys and books. The handful of items they each get to bring for the car ride. From stuffed animals to action figures, coloring books and reading, these are a great size to keep them busy. And then the Day Tripper bag we pack an extra change of clothes and pajamas. We have found that even when we’re in our own zip code, whenever we are going to be out until at least dusk we bring pajamas for the kids to change into because it signals winding down and usually triggers them to fall asleep in the car, leading to an easy transfer to bed once home.
If you are hopping on a plane or staying longer somewhere, we use all the different size Aloha bags inside of our suitcase to help with packing. From toiletries to make-up, under garments to clothes, we love having a bag for everything and it keeps all separate so when things get dirty on the flip side, we have an easy way to manage our suitcase coming home too! Try it once, and you won’t look back!
HITTING THE TRAILS AROUND TOWN WITH PREVELO
Some of my favorite memories growing up were riding bikes with friends. Whether it is exploring a new trail, cruising along the beach or learning how to ride a bike for the first time, summer time is a great time to take a family bike ride. It can be fun to pick out a new trail or spot and make a day trip out of it. With 5,000 acres of forest, trails and lakes, Umstead Park is one of North Carolina’s most-visited state parks. It boasts 13 miles of multi-use trails that are prefect for cycling or jogging and 22 miles of dedicated hiking trails. One of the reasons that cyclists are flocking to Umstead is because the multi-use paths are made of a mixture of hard-packed dirt and rocky gravel sections. Note, there are no paved roads at Umstead Park, so mountain bikes or bikes with wider tires are encouraged.
When you boys started learning how to ride bikes, we were researching first bike options, we came across Prevelo Bikes. We were immediately impressed because while the majority of kids bikes are heavy and clunky, which actually makes learning how to ride a bike more difficult, Prevelo Bikes are made with the type of components you would see on a quality adult bike, like light and strong aluminum alloys and sealed bearings. By being closer to the ground and being lightweight, Prevelo bikes are constructed so they are easier to learn on. There are five sizes ranging from balance bike to 24-inch bikes and nine models. People couldn’t believe that our kids didn’t use training wheels to learn how to ride and that they were up and riding their two-wheel bikes by the end of the day.
We love getting to meet the families behind the brands and Prevelo is no exception. It started when Jacob’s oldest son was learning how to ride a bike. Jacob developed an unhealthy obsession with making him confident on the bike. He learned a lot and became the neighborhood dude that people would bring their kids to to learn to ride. Through the process, it became apparent to him that whoever was designing the bulk of the kids bikes being sold in the US didn’t share his obsession. Most kids bikes are heavy, tall and clunky and Jacob wanted to change that. It would have just been a fleeting idea that withered away in his head, but when he told his wife, Sarah about it, she was totally into it and as a result, Prevelo Bikes was started.
