It can be very overwhelming to tackle the day-to-day list of everything we want to accomplish, but if you can just try and do three simple tasks every day or every so often, you will accomplish so much more with ease and less frustration. I call this “My Easy Three.” Here are some previous ideas to inspire you:
- Emails, linen closet, medicine cabinet and Marie Kondo
- Suits, Beauty and a Book
- Kitchen Organization
- Keeping Your Swimwear Clean and Fresh
- Accessory Organization
- Sprucing your front porch, watch batteries and Sloppy Joes
- My Three Favorite Ways to Stay Organized
Today we are going to tackle three summer-time tasks – first Sunscreen. My go-to is the perennially popular, PABA and paraben-free Trader Joe’s SPF 50 Spray Sunscreen to save the day—and your skin—with broad-spectrum UVA & UVB protection and skin-nourishing ingredients like aloe, Vitamin E, & coconut oil. Their sunscreen is never tested on animals and at $5.99 this product continues to appear on the “Best of” lists for years — including Consumer Reports 2019 Best Sunscreens.
Here is a great article on the 10 Best Sunscreens of 2019, how much and how to apply them, what strength dermatologists recommend and more. The FDA is currently proposing big changes to sunscreen regulations, and only physical sunscreens with the active ingredients zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are recognized as generally safe right now.
Flashlight batteries. Now is the time to replace all those flashlights with fresh batteries so you are prepared for summer storms when the power goes out and for late-night walks – the only time to take a walk with your dog because it’s so hot. It’s good practice to change the batteries every 6 months so you can avoid corrosion and it will insure you always have a ready to use flashlight. We try to keep a flashlight in each bedroom in the house, especially in the guest bedroom so your company doesn’t have to navigate around your house in the middle of the night. Here’s a helpful article on battery safety from Consumer Report.
Picnic Coolers. When was the last time you actually used soap and water to clean out your cooler? Usually we are so tired from a day at the beach or lake we just dump the ice out, let it air dry and put it away until the next time. Between seasons, take them outside hose them down, fill with hot water and a little dish soap and give them a good scrub. You might even add a splash of bleach, let it sit for a bit, then give the coolers a good rinse. Dry them out and let them dry out in the sun.
Travel and Leisure magazine rated the top insulated cooler bags for 2019 here. I love this Igloo cooler called the Daytriper. This sommelier-inspired tote stows a mini foldable table, a bamboo cutting board, a corkscrew, and a set of cheese knives. Inside, the cooler has two separate compartments with an adjustable divider. And the front straps are flexible, too, so you can easily tote a picnic blanket or beach towel along, too. And, it’s only $79.
Now you are summer-ready!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
Love me some Trader Joe’s sunscreen! Use it every summer!