Summer! I’m like Olaf in the way that I love warm hugs and all things summer. Living in the Southwest, summer teases me all year with the sunny desert landscape shining through the changing seasons. Desert landscapes were built Ford-tough, the heat feeds its fiery soul. Much like salsa feeds my fiery soul. Desert life rocks!
Here’s a sunny overview of what to expect in my neck of the woods this summer:
Let’s Talk High-Waisted Swimwear
You guys. Not even when I was 15, living my best life (hindsight), and had the cutest bikini body a teenage girl could ask for, did I feel so comfortable in a swimsuit than I do now. I’m overweight AF for my liking, my exercise routine is hardly existent, and my chip and salsa addiction is here. to. stay. Even with that said, I look in the mirror and still smile back at myself. I’ve learned not to define my happiness on anything other than how I feel inside. The way I view myself is in large part to my self-talk, and you can learn more about that here. The meat and potatoes of self-talk is this: If you tell yourself something enough, whether it’s positive or negative, you will start believing it. It’s been proven by science. Start telling yourself you’re one bad chick every day, and you’ll start believing it.
I. love. this. two. piece. It’s so mom-friendly it’s not even funny. It’s high-waisted, the top is more like a knotted tank than a swim top, and the look is so modern and trendy it’s adorbs. You can have your kids pull on your bottoms and top and they won’t expose anything. You can go down a waterslide with your eight-year-old pulling your hair and swimsuit simultaneously and still feel like you are in control of what is exposed. You can eat all your kids leftover cheeseburgers and fries and those bottoms will hold you in, sista. If you want to try out a two piece for the first time ever, do it with this one. You’ll love it, I promise! And you WILL look beautiful, because you just are.
I plan on carrying around these cute accessories with me (pictured) at any given time when I’m wearing my swim suit. Even if it’s just in the back yard watching my babies swim in the pool, these cutie-patootie pieces are coming with me. Life’s too short not to have fun and feel your best!
Who Wants to Dine Alfresco?
Better Homes and Gardens magazine taught me one pearl of wisdom that I will take with me even to death: Dine alfresco in the summer. Whether you’re living in a small high-rise with a tiny balcony, or a back yard with nothing to look at but dead weeds and old toys, dine alfresco. It will lift your mood, I promise. It will give you some strong classy summer vibes and, chances are, you’ll put more effort into making an outdoor space perfectly suited for impromptu breakfasts, lunches and dinners outside. Soon you’ll have some potted plants out there, some plastic chairs, maybe some lights (Christmas lights would work – no rules!) and you’ll have a fun summer tradition every year.
I got started early on my alfresco vibe by grabbing a furniture set on Black Friday for my back yard. Labor Day, Memorial Day – pretty much any holiday – will have a ton of online and in-store sales, and that’s your time to grab as much outdoor stuff as you can to get the best deal. Another secret: Dollar Tree and Bullseye’s Playground can be shopped online now! They have affordable serving ware, chairs, and other outdoor dining goodies.
Have a Signature Drink
Celebrating the sunny season with a fun, fizzy drink is another way to channel some summer vibes. Picking a certain cocktail or recipe is like picking the theme for your summer. It sets the tone and tells your mind to relax once that drink is in hand. Try arranging some or all of the ingredients on the counter, like in a cute basket or bar cart, and let that set a seasonal tone just like we do for any other season.
Our drink of choice this year is a Michelob Ultra margarita. Like I said earlier, chips and salsa is life. This margarita pairs perfectly with it and the limes are easy to have around and they happen to look pretty on my kitchen counter. It goes without saying that you can craft any kind of drink for the summer, whether it has alcohol or not.
Pool Party!
Whether it’s a baby pool, ground-set, an inflatable number, or this splash pad that’s pictured, pools are a great thing to have during the summer months. In undergrad when the money was low and the resources were scarce, a baby pool with some plastic chairs was next to perfect for soaking our feet and tanning. So don’t give me any excuses! Get some water somewhere around your legs, put that drink in your hand, and catch some rays. You can share the pool with your kids, if you want.
I purchased this a few months back (during a sale) and I finally set it up this week! I’m imagining a lot of pool days in our future with bowls of cut-up fruit, glasses of lemonade and, of course, chips and salsa.
Party-Planning 101
Whether your budget is tight or has no roof, I got you covered. Having a blueprint of how to host a party will really come in handy when you want to plan some sunny gatherings this summer. Check out my post on entertaining to learn all you need to host a party like a boss. This year, we will be hosting three birthday parties and a Fourth of July celebration. Keep your eyes peeled for those future posts.
In the midst of that, I’m going to be hosting nieces and nephews far and wide for some serious summer fun. Teetee’s (that’s me!) house was made for fun, guys. I feel like I set that bar pretty high from the get-go, so I have to keep up so these kids know where the fun’s at. Some fun ideas I’m inspired by for summer fun:
As Forrest Gump eloquently stated: That’s all I have to say about that. That’s our summer this year in a nut shell. What are you guys up to? Whatever it is, I hope you embrace this season and make it your own!