Be Prepared - Organizing Your Car for Summer Adventure

 It's Memorial Day weekend and time to kick off summer!!

We spend more time out and about over the summer - picnics, hikes, park days, baseball games, fireworks - so you might find yourself living out of your car more than usual.  Here are some items worth packing (and repacking!) so that you are ready for whatever adventures summer sends your way!

1. Sunglasses, Sunscreen, baseball caps - I always have back up shades in the car, though our family can usually get by without the others!

2. Sheet/picnic blanket - This comes in handy any time you need to sprawl on the grass - parks, concerts, beaches, etc.  It is also useful to protect your car's seats and floors after a muddy, sandy, or wet adventure!

3. Camp Chairs - Because I'd rather not be on the ground these days!  And you fit in better with the "cool" soccer moms!
    Sharpie - I'm going to mention this must-have here as a public service announcement for the team mom in charge of Lost and Found: Label your kids' stuff!  With this in your car, your kids can put their name back on their balls, their disc golf frisbees, their water bottles, your camp chair!

4.  Water and Snacks - I keep an entire case of water in the trunk so that we are always ready, though we try to pack fresh each day!  Chocolate-free trail mixes, beef jerky, and chips are good to "keep around" and fresh fruit is perfect for packing fresh, or grabbing from a roadside stand!

5.  First Aid Items - For us this involves both conventional items and essential oils, but we want to be ready to treat: bee stings, cuts, headaches, bruises, allergies, and with a Type 1 Diabetic: Low Blood Sugars.

6.  Grocery bags, napkins, paper towels - this was an add-on from my Aunt Kathleen - if you have ever taken a road trip with an incident involving bodily fluids, you know this is a lifesaver!  But, it comes in handy in the summer for damp items, bagging up an amazing discovery, wiping up the juice of delicious fruit dripping down your arm, etc.!

7.  Backup Clothing - this changes over the years, but:
             *Swimsuits, water shoes, towels - they aren't going to resist the creek, water park, swimming hole, sprinkler, so be ready and let them have at it!
            *Bowling Shoes - we LOVE the KidsBowlFree program, so bowling shoes are at the ready for frequent rounds of bowling!
              * Socks - You need them bowling, at a play place when you stop for lunch, when your other socks are [muddy, dirty, wet] from [puddle hopping, hiking, morning dew]
               *The full-out outfit change - we started with toddlers, babies, and mamas caught in the crossfire.  I don't know the last time we utilized a clean outfit (I think it was for a younger friend and we rolled up sleeves and pant legs!) but I still have them stashed, because you might as well be ready!

What do you keep in the car for summer??  Must haves? First Aid?  What did I miss? Comment Below!

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