Summer Favorites

I know summer, especially in Minnesota is such a special time! There’s nothing better than swimming, boating, and get togethers with friends and family. I wanted to do something fun and share some random summer favorites of mine! We have a very busy summer but my favorite thing is just being with family, grilling, eating chips and salsa, and enjoying the sun and pool. I hope you all can relax a bit and soak up these quick summer months that we (those who live in MN) get;)

Dessert— My favorite post dinner dessert is a Yasso sea salt carmel bar. They are frozen greek yogurt bars and are so delicious. You can get them in other kinds like mint chocolate chip and fudge. I’m pretty sure you can get them at most grocery stores (I get mine at Target or Jerry’s).

Salads— I’m obsessed with the Sweet Kale gourmet salad. It’s the perfect salad for summer. I usually buy the bigger bag from Costco but I know a lot of local grocery stores sell it as well. Lately, I have loved this Endless summer salad. I get mine at Jerry’s. It’s a great light salad for summer!

Chips— I am a big fan of Sun chips (garden salsa is my favorite kind). The only problem is..I could eat the whole bag;) Our fam is a huge fan of chips and salsa... and of course guac!! We love these Sea salt organic multigrain tortilla chips from Costco (I also found them off of Thrive Market). We usually buy like 3 bags just in case they’re not in stock next time. Our favorite salsa is Village extra hot sauce and we usually get it from Target.

Beverages— 95% of the time I am drinking water with lemon! If I want something different I’ll have a Bai (clementine and pomegranate are my favorite flavors). Alcohol drinks I usually go with a glass of Moscato or a vodka sprite (but I rarely drink).

Sunscreen for me— Coola face sunscreen (daytime lotion and SPF in one). It’s organic and goes on light and won’t sweat right off! I also wear and love the Coola body sunscreen.

Sunscreen for toddlers— I love the Babyganics pure mineral sunscreen stick for Asher’s face! For his body I bought this two pack of Neutrogena Kids oil free water resistant sunscreen spray. It’s nice because it doesn’t take awhile to apply. It works great when you have a pool or are in water a lot because it stays on really good. I also love that it’s 70 proof!

Kids park— Madison’s Place Playground It’s close to our house and is such a great park. They have the best splash pad for kids in the summer. It’s also handicap accessible, which is awesome. Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater is so cute. It’s a free park and it’s in downtown Stillwater, which is super pretty. You could even stop by one of our favorite ice cream spots after (Nelson’s)!

Summer Toys— Squirt guns have been a huge hit so far this summer. Asher is obsessed. He spends a couple hours just squirting my plants or at “targets”. He loves having a squirt gun fight, especially with grandpa! Bubble makers have been another hit at our house. Asher’s been loving baseball lately so we ordered some bases and he practices hitting my pitches on a daily bases!

Music— I love all types of music but 90% of the time I listen to Christian! Symphony by Switch ft Dillion Chase and Your Words by Third day ft Harvest have been my jams lately! I love the beat of These Days by Rudimental ft Jess Glynne, Macklemore, and Dan Caplen. Mitchell Tenpenny is an up and coming country artist who I’ve liked recently (he’ll actually be performing at our Thielen Foundation celebrity softball event in July)! Drunk me is a really good one of his.

Restaurants— We honestly don’t make it out to eat often now with two kiddos. But The Tavern Grill in Woodbury is great. It has a big outdoor patio and bar area. San Pedro Cafe in Hudson has amazing food (we love the chicken nachos). It has a nice patio in the back as well. Redstone, Good Earth, and Charlie’s on Prior are also favorites of ours!

Books— I don’t have too much time to read but we are traveling a bit this summer so I want to try and get Where the Crawdads Sing read (I’ve heard great things). I also love my daily devotional, Embraced by Lisa Terkeurst.

Swim suits— I have had a lot of luck with supportive swim suits from Soma. Magicsuit Solid Sophie tankini swim top is one of my fav’s that I own. They have great two piece, tankini, and one piece options that fit every body type. Nordstrom and Bare Necessities are two other great spots to shop for swimwear with many options and sizing!

MISC- Baby Infant swimming pool float w/ canopy - Hudson is only 5 months and loved being in the water in this!

SwimWays Kids Power Swimmer Vest- Such a great floatie for toddlers learning to swim. It doesn’t restrict Asher’s arms either!

Nektar- Favorite healthy smoothie/ bowl place (especially in the summer)! The Acai banana berry bowl is so good, I get it at least once a week.

I hope everyone has an amazing summer with lots of fun, sun, and family time:)

xoxo,

MRS T