I’ve reached a point in my life where as a mom and a work-from-home-mom, my days aren’t just about my kids anymore. Sure, it’s still a big part of my day, but I’ve finally been able to incorporate some ME time too. Or at the very least, I’ve started thinking about my needs too. I think it actually started a year ago when I was all done with the diaper bag. Once I was “free” of worrying about everything I needed to pack for the kids, I made room (mentally and physically) about what I need to pack for me! Now that it’s Summer, I thought I would share with you my go-to, summer-essentials bag list:
- Sunscreen – I’ll admit that as a kid I despised putting on sunscreen but as an adult, I worry too much about the harmful effects of UV rays, wrinkles, and a slew of other issues that I won’t go into details about in this post. Not to mention, sunscreen doesn’t mean you can’t get tanned (which is what I worried about), you’ll just be doing it safely. So now, I always make sure to carry my Banana Boat Simply Protect Sport Spray whenever I leave the house. It’s easy to apply and the new line is made with 25% fewer ingredients (including no oxybenzone or added oils or fragrances). The water and sweat resistant formula is ideal for me because I apply it before I head out for a run. It’s great for even when I run errands in my neighborhood because, lets be honest, this year’s humidity got me sweating without doing much.
- Water – I pretty much suck at staying hydrated in the summer. I’m often so busy that I forget to drink enough water throughout the day. It’s only once I’m out of the house, often alone with my thoughts, that I realize how parched I am. So now, I always make sure I have a water bottle stashed in my bag so I can hydrate once I realize it!
- Snacks – part of my health and wellness journey has been changing up my eating habits. I noticed that when I’m hungry (which is often), I tend to eat whatever is available. That often ends up being food that is full of sugar or sodium (or both). So I always try to keep a healthy snack (like a granola bar or seaweed snacks) in my bag for when hunger strikes.
- Sunglasses – now that I finally started wearing them (I never used to), I can’t leave the house without them. I mean, who wants to squint (and wrinkle their face) when they don’t need to.
- Lip gloss & lotion – I definitely have dry skin and while it’s worse in the winter, it’s still bad in the summer. Since I wear a lot of shorts and T’s, I need to be prepared to lotion up my skin when needed. Same goes for my lips but in the summer, I like to use ones that have a bit of a shine (because SUMMER!).
What are some of your go-to, must-have, summer-bag essentials?
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Banana Boat. In exchange for this post I received perks in the form of product and compensation. All opinions on this blog are my own.