It summer!  Sand, Salt, Water…and a beautifully organized beach bag just waiting for you by the door!  I decided to share with you my beach bag and how I organize it.  Taking the time to do this now will pay off when you actually need the bag.  It is a great feeling to get in the car with your bag and the kids (don’t get so excited about the bag that you forget the kids…although you will get more reading done 🙂 ) knowing that everything that you might need is already there.

Here it is!  Behold!  The BEACH BAG!

I use these bags from “thirty-one” because I love the color and the all the pockets.  I am a sucker for pockets!

The large utility tote is in the turquoise color and the one in the front is in a print called Party Punch.  I don’t sell these bags but I love them!  If you are interested in them, send me a message and I can put you in touch with someone who can help you.  If you already have a nice large bag of your own consider setting one up exclusively for the beach or the pool and leaving it prepared all summer long.  I also have a similar bag for picnics.  I will post on that at a later date.  I keep all these bags high up in my closet.

I like this bag because it is large enough for towels and it has a zipper closure.  Inside I keep towels and a matching foldout bag that I use for miscellaneous beach items.  In the front pocket you will notice a small turquoise bag that holds a trash bag and a large zip lock bag for wet bathing suits.  In the other outside pockets we put our water bottles.

In this small bag that is meant to be used for make-up I keep a book, lip gloss, pens and suntan lotion.  Toni, writer of the blog “A Bowl full of lemons” uses the same makeup bag and I noticed that she also puts dollar bills in hers.  I immediately did the same thing and they fit perfectly in that middle zipper.  It is a good idea to have money and some change for beach parking.  You can check out Toni’s blog HERE.

In the outside pockets I put a first aid kit.  This one is kind of large but it holds a little bottle of wound cleaner and it fits nicely in the pocket.  In the middle pocket I put a pair of sunglasses.  I don’t use these sunglasses unless I am at the beach or pool.  They stay there waiting patiently until I need them.  They are inexpensive sunglasses that are polarized and don’t have any metallic hardware so that I don’t have to worry about them getting rusty from salt water or chlorine.  I also have inexpensive sunglasses that stay in my car at all times just in case I forget my favorite pair and I have another pair in the baby stroller.  Maybe it’s overkill but living in Florida and forgetting your sunglasses can really put a damper in your day.

In this small thermal pouch I keep my sons epipen.  He is allergic to shellfish so I try to take this everywhere.   I also take a small cooler with snacks and drinks for the boys but that is something that I didn’t take pictures of because I don’t do that ahead of time.  I pack that cooler right before we head out.

In this big bag I keep all the beach/pool toys.  It is big enough that things can get thrown in without any special placement.  I like that.

So that’s it!  All ready to place on the sand.

Remember to enjoy the summer!  Remember to enjoy living!

Maria