Summer is here! How on earth did that happen? Didn’t the year just start?
It gets H-O-T here in central Texas, so I thought I’d work on a list of my 8 Summer Must Haves for y’all so you can see how we’re preparing for fun…while still being healthy!
Summer Must Haves
1. Sunscreen – Sunscreen is one of those things that you have to have. I’m SUPER fair skinned and only have two shades: white and red. But I also have a genetic condition where I don’t process toxins well….so coating my body in chemicals is a bad thing too (and I only have bad genes to give so I know my kids are at a disadvantage too.)
I checked out the Environmental Working Guide’s Guide to Sunscreen and found a kid-friendly sunscreen that comes in a spray (hard to find) that is also in their “green zone” and doesn’t cost an arm and leg for the smallest bottle you’ve ever seen. This summer I’m going with Aubrey Kids Natural Sun SPF 30 Water Resistant Sunscreen Spray.
2. Probiotics – Once again, spending tons of time in a chemical laden (and who knows what else) pool can really wreak havoc on your system. So this year to combat the chemical overload I’m going to be making sure my kids are taking high quality probiotics such as Garden of Life RAW Organic Probiotic Kids.
3. Local Honey – One of my friends is a beekeeper and gives us raw, local honey. It’s amazing! And the perfect way to sweeten summer treats while still getting some of the natural antimicrobial properties as well as work on our allergies and immune system! Be sure to check out Holly’s Honey if you live near me or go to your local farmer’s market if you don’t.
4. Farmer’s Market/Farm Stand – The best way to stay healthy is to eat lots of fruits and veggies. My kids are big on fruit, but veggies are still taking some work. One way I get them involved is to take them to the local farm stand, Eli’s Roadside Produce Market, and let them pick out what the want. They LOVE this and think it’s sooo much fun….and then they come home and demand to eat what they picked out right away.
5.Magic Bullet – One way I like to use to get them to up their fruit and veggie intake is to make smoothies. This Magic Bullet Express Mixing Set gets used almost daily around here. Mostly I make smoothies with it (click here for smoothie recipes) but some times I also liquiefy veggies to hide in muffins to sneak a few in on them (muffin recipes here).
6. Snacks – I’m sure we’ll be spending tons of time at the pool and my kids typically want to eat most of the time we’re there. I try to find some healthy portable snacks – fruit, carrot sticks, homemade granola mix and homemade protein bars top the list.
7. Kombucha – I know it sounds strange, but this has become my newest obsession. This is a fermented tea drink that is full of probiotics. (You can get it in the produce section of most stores or from Amazon.) I have been really working to control my insulin resistance and this is supposed to help heal your gut and heal inflammatory responses in your body. I try to drink 8-16 oz a day and am working on learning how to make it myself…I’ll keep you updated on this one.
8. Kindle Unlimited – I have a subscription to Kindle Unlimited from Amazon. For $10 a month this allows me to download any book in their unlimited section (up to 10 at a time) for free. It’s kind of a like a library on Amazon. I get to check out books on whatever I’m interested in at the time. Not every book is part of this system, but there are enough to keep me busy all summer. If you need some recommendations of good books, check out my Summer Reading List 1 and Summer Reading List 2. (The last 2 summers I read a book a week!) I also HIGHLY recommend any of the Walt Longmire series.
I hope a few of these make your Summer Must Haves list.
What’s on your summer must have list?
