We have been trying to soak in every last bit of summer. I was hoping to go at least once a week to the beach and we have been doing pretty good with making sure we make time for it. This past week was full of packing. It seemed never ending. We decided to start with our basement, because it was filled with all of Jon’s tools, the boys never ending toys and my crafting supplies, styling props, books and oh so many DVDs. Seriously it’s been a daunting task. On Sunday we ran out of boxes mid day and instead of picking up more we decided to make a run for it and head to the beach!

I have been meaning to share what’s in my beach bag, because I think I’m now a pro at packing it!

Now, I have a bag that I always keep packed with the boys bathing suits, a change of clothes, sunblock and beach towels plus a rolling cooler for snacks and drinks. I also have my personal beach bag which is featured above. I get a little fancier and use an extra large straw tote, which I fill with:

-A Fouta towel by Crane & Canopy. This is a new purchase because I was tired of bringing just Star Wars or Ninja turtle towels to the beach. Momma wanted something stylish and I’m obsessed with it! It’s a Fouta so it’s 100% Turkish cotton, but the back side is still terry cloth material so, I find it softer than traditional Fouta towels, but just as light.

It’s absorbent, but fast drying so, I can lay it out at the beach and it dries really quickly!

Lastly since I got the bath sheet it’s so big and roomy that both of my little guys have no problem wrapping themselves in it!

Then I add a couple more mom essentials:
-Baby powder! This is a must have for the beach. Just sprinkle some all over your sandy kids and poof magic all of the sand falls off! It’s my favorite mom hack.
-Sunglasses are a must. I always try and spent less than $20 on my sunglasses. My magic number is around $6 and then I buy multiples, but I’m always losing them. My favorite places are Forever21 and H&M.
-I like to bring a book or magazine in case I get a chance to read. This only happens if I have Jon with me so, we can take turns watching them, but the best is when they find other kids, because they just stay on the sand building castles, digging holes or looking for sand flies.
-I also bring my own snacks, that the boys won’t want to steal from me! My latest obsession is Tickle Water. The branding is just so cute and the it’s sparkling flavored water which is bubbly, but not as intense as seltzer. Plus a Pressed by Kind bar, which doesn’t look so appealing outside of the wrapper, but it’s really yummy and it’s just fruit and chia seeds. That’s it! Nothing else is added to it.

A perfectly filled tote for momma’s beach needs! What is your favorite thing to put in beach tote? Any amazing mom hacks I must know about?