If you've been following for awhile, you know my happy place is near the Ocean.  Sandy toes is my middle name. I've spent most my life growing up near or on the beach but, for the last 3 years we lived in Nor Cal not near the beauty of the beach. 

I finally convinced the husband to move back down to southern California and it was time to update my beach bag!  We just bought our first home in Costa Mesa (no, not on the beach) but we had 6 weeks between the time we moved from Nor Cal to So Cal until our actual move in date, so we rented an airbnb in Laguna, ON the beach!  Every morning and every evening we spend an hour or so playing in the sand and enjoying the waves + sunshine.   

I've rounded up my top 10 favorite summertime essentials for an epic beach day below.  

Target Beach Toys |  I mean you can get beach toys anywhere, but I thought this kit by Antsy Pantsy for $9.99 was perfection. Diggers, shovels, buckets, and sand sifters, it comes with it all.

Gathre Leather Mat | This is not sponsored, but @gathre is legit my all time favorite product evah.  Waterproof, stain-resistant, sand shakes right off, and gorgeous; need I say more.  I have too many to count in my house, but our favorite size is the midi.  Although, I do love the Maxi round for those playdates at the beach kinda days.  Guys, they just started selling these at Anthro!  Say what?

Swell Water Bottle | Keeps drinks cold, even when the sun is hot.  The large one fits a whole bottle of rose ...just sayin. 

Grom Squad Trucker Hats for kids | Listen, friends don't let friends, put those silly floppy Gilligans Island sun-blocking hats on their kids.  Want your kid to be protected and look good?  Grom Squad has you covered!  The girl ones are so cute too!

Boon snug Snack cups with spill safe lids | um, duh.  snacks are mandatory at the beach and these little cups are the perfect size for goldfish, chips or other snacks.  And the silicon lid is super snug to prevent spills.  We use them everywhere, not just at the beach.

Slow Tide Round Beach Towel | Seriously obsessed with all the vintage rugs filling my social media these days and when I saw this towel, I had to have it.  To be honest, I bought it for the look, but man it is BEYOND soft and the perfect size.  

Baby Powder - Sand.  I know there are people out there who don't like the beach simply because "the sand gets everywhere."  You know those people right?  Well, here's a little trick I learned a while ago when I lived at the beach, if you sprinkle baby powder over those sand-filled feet, it magically just wipes right off.  No water necessary. Seriously.   If you don't know this trick already, be prepared to have your mind blown.  This is life changing.

Bose Soundlink waterproof Speaker | Music makes everything better. I know we all have iPhones and can play our music on there, but this little speaker is lightweight but sounds so good.  The quality is insane and better than most speakers I've listened to.  It's waterproof, wireless bluetooth (no cords or wifi needed) and it keeps a super long charge for all-day beach fun!  Again, not sponsored, just one of the best purchases I've ever made.

Coolest kids swimwear by @tea_collection |  Tired of trying to find cute clothes for kids or showing up in the same Target suit as everyone else?  Go shop Tea Collection.  The quality is dreamy and the prints are always on trend.  We love Tea in this house (pun intended, if you know me...he he).  They also sell summer essentials like vans, native kids + havaianas too!  One stop shopping.

Straw bag to carry it all | I love, love my @cacoandkai bag but sadly it's sold out.  I found one like it, here.  But, you should still check out their etsy shop cause those mud-cloth pillows they source are to die for!

Now, I'm off to go pack my bag up and hit the beach! xoxo