When I was a little girl, my parents joined a local pool club for me and my siblings. It was “the” place we went every single day throughout the summer months. It wasn’t just a pool club to me, it was a place where adventures happened every single day. I became best friends with a group of girls. Every single day we did something exciting, fun and memorable – arts & crafts, swim fun, playground silliness, snack bar deliciousness, fort making out of swim towels, etc. We just created our own fun and 25 years later, I still look back at those summer days as the best of my childhood.

I want that for my 5 children, too.

Last year we joined a local swim club about 5 miles from our house. It was the best decision we ever made for our family. This summer, with sons that are 7, 8, 9 and 10… and my daughter 2 years old, I’m BEYOND excited to create some family fun adventures poolside with them. I want them to have the innocence and fun and love of summer that I had as a child at my pool club. It was a time without technology, without gaming systems, without emails/cellphones and iPads. It was a time when you went outside at 8AM and didn’t come home till 8PM! That is what I want for my children.

This summer I’m all about watching the look on their faces with first dives off the diving board, first flips off the diving board, first Marco Polo games, first swim races across the pool, first popsicles from the snackbar, first float night, first everything. Our family is fully engaged at the pool, we love to do things together and since we have 4 sons that are very close in age… kind of like bees to honey, all the other boys love to come and play, too. I can’t wait to teach the kids how to play tennis racquet baseball, make swim towel forts, play games poolside and just take the moments to float/jump/dive/race/kick in the pool. For me, it’s the summer fun at the pool that embody summer. These are the moments and the memories I will forever remember and I can’t wait to kick the summer off! School gets out on June 24th and we will go directly to our pool club!

As you can imagine, being out in the summer sun throughout the day, I’m always thinking about my kids’ skin. I need to make sure they’re covered from head to toe! I
am just learning that sun protection requires 1 oz. every 2 hours to ensure family fun. You really want to make sure you’re applying 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to you and your kids’ entire bodies 30 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating – and in the hot summer sun, that’s something you need to stay on top of throughout the day! As all moms
know, planning ahead is key! This definitely applies with sunscreen. Before heading
out – wherever it is you’re going, consider how long you will be outside and how many times everyone will need to reapply. I’ve become very good friends with fellow “pool moms” and we constantly are always staying on each others kids, too. Not to mention, we all come with tons of sunscreen and share.

Banana Boat® has some great products that offer multi-skin benefits, like water-resistance, ease of application and comfort. For example, for families at the beach, I
love their new SunComfort™ Clear UltraMist® Sunscreen – it provides Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB protection and water resistance, and also allows sand to easily brush off! For moms out there, how amazing is that!!?? I’m also really happy with their SPORT options because it’s perfect for my sons. I love that Banana Boat® sun care products have been tested in seven conditions – sun, pool water, ocean water, wind, sweat, sand and extreme heat – to provide safe and effective broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection for the entire family. Let’s face it, those are all the conditions we deal with in the summer.

Always a summer essential packed in our bag!

For me, summer is about family and the pool… we’re also BIG competitive swimmers, so my guys are swimming outside under the sun 2-3 hours a day. Keeping them covered is key.

Summer fun… what’s yours all about?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Banana Boat® . The opinions and text are all mine.