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(Not a restock- but these glasses have brought me homemade iced coffee joy every morning!)
It’s hard to believe we are only a week out from Memorial Day as I write this post. The weather has been unseasonably cool this spring, and suddenly summer temperatures are in the forecast — leaving me feeling completely unprepared.
Which sounds ridiculous, but it happens when your head is down taking care of the day-to-day realities of work, motherhood, laundry, lunches, and life.
As I took a few quiet minutes in the yard to gather my thoughts today, I realized something: in so many of my other posts — like Teacher Mom’s Pool-to-Bedtime Routine, Teacher Mom’s Summer Survival Guide: Pool & Beach Systems That Actually Work, and The $200 Shopping Trip That Saved My Teacher-Mom Summer — I write about the systems and products that make summer motherhood feel infinitely easier.
Since most of my systems are already in place, I really only need to restock a few staples, fill a couple wardrobe gaps, and add one or two little things that simply make me happy.
My Summer Restock List
☀️ Blue Lizard Sunscreen
☀️ Ion Hard Water Shampoo
☀️ Lightweight Pool Cover-Ups
☀️ Audible + AirPods
☀️ My Everyday Pool Hat
Audible + AirPods
I love to read, but during the school year I barely have time. Between teaching, motherhood, household responsibilities, and sheer exhaustion, reading tends to become another thing I used to do.
Summer is when I try to reconnect with that part of myself again.
But I also don’t want to sit at the pool buried in a paperback or staring down at my phone while my daughters swim. Audiobooks will become my compromise. I can fully supervise my kids while still listening to stories that make me feel like me again.
This summer, I’m hoping to finally catch up on:
…while still keeping both eyes on my girls in the water.
My Favorite Pool Cover-Up
This cover-up was my absolute favorites last summer. I rotated them constantly and always felt comfortable, covered, and put together — which honestly matters when you spend nearly every day at the pool with little kids.
They were lightweight, easy to throw on, and somehow made me feel more confident even on the hottest, messiest summer days.
You can also find more of my favorite realistic summer-mom purchases in:
The $200 Shopping Trip That Saved My Teacher-Mom Summer
Ion Purifying Solutions Hard Water Shampoo
This shampoo was recommended to me years ago by my daughters’ babysitter, whose daughter was a serious swimmer. We spend so much time in the pool during the summer, and chlorine absolutely destroys my girls’ hair if I’m not careful.
This shampoo gets the chlorine out while still leaving their hair feeling soft and nourished instead of dry and brittle. One of those products I buy every single summer without even thinking twice about it.
Blue Lizard Sunscreen
We spend hours at the pool every day during the summer, and this sunscreen works best on my daughters’ and my very fair, sensitive skin.
It’s lightweight and breathable, so my girls never fight me when it’s time to reapply. That alone makes it worth every penny. We have tried so many sunscreens over the years, and this is the one I consistently trust the most.
If you’re preparing for pool season too, you can also read:
Teacher Mom’s Summer Survival Guide: Pool & Beach Systems That Actually Work
Baseball Hat for Pool Days
As I mentioned in my post The “Knowing”, I’ve dealt with burnout, stress-related health concerns, rosacea, and scalp irritation over the past few years.
Because of that, I wear a baseball hat at the pool every single day during the summer. At the very least, it protects my scalp and hairline from getting burned and irritated in the sun.
I usually buy a new one every season because sunscreen eventually discolors them, and unfortunately I still haven’t figured out the magic trick to prevent that.
These little purchases don’t magically make motherhood easier, but they help me feel more prepared to enjoy summer instead of constantly scrambling through it. And honestly, at this stage of life, that’s enough for me.
Spruceprints 