Say Goodbye to Boring Summers – These Family Finds Are Pure Magic!

Summer is my favorite season. I LOVE it! All the time outside is what I crave. We love to have friends and family over for cookouts, spend evenings outside at the fire pit, and even enjoy backyard camping nights.

Today I’m rounding up a list of some cool summer finds our family is loving this year!

Mad Mats

Our screened-in back porch was in desperate need of a new rug, and I was delighted to discover Mad Mats. They are made of recycled plastic!

Since our Saint Bernard spends a lot of time on the back porch, it was important to me to find a rug that was strong and easy to clean. The rug is comfy under your feet (even barefeet) and looks great too! 2 thumbs up for Mad Mats at our house!

You can buy them at Amazon – they have a great selection!

GoSili Silicone Cups

My kids spend a ton of time outside and always want cups they can take outside for ice water. We discovered GoSili Silicone Cups a few years ago and they have become favorites for my kids.

They are perfect for drinks on the go (but also drinks at home too). They offer a few different style of cups but my kids prefer the tumblers that have lids and straws.

These reusable silicone tumblers:

• Come in a variety of bright colors
• Tough, which means they are great for adults and kids
• Are dishwasher safe
• Non-toxic
• Fit in cupholders
• Various sizes to choose from

You can purchase GoSili cups on Amazon.

SWABBO Footwasher

I love going to the beach. What I hate however is loading all the kids into the car with their feet covered in sand. It feels like we’re vacuuming sand out of the van for months afterwards.

Then I discovered the SWABBO Footwasher. Wow, it’s amazing! It’s perfect to take along to wash feet before getting into the van (just take a jug of water along to use). It’s also great for kids to wash feet before getting into the pool or coming into the house after playing in the sprinkler and getting grass clippings all over their feet.

With kids, there are so many uses for this footwasher! You can purchase it on Amazon.

Reusable Water Balloons

This was a new buy for me this year. I saw a package at Sam’s Club and grabbed them on a whim. My kids LOVE them! The first day they played with them for probably 3 hours! They are so much easier than using regular water balloons and they fill with a good amount of water too.

If you kids love water play and you want to make things easier, seriously, get the resuable water balloons! As I mentioned, I purchased mine at Sam’s Club but if you aren’t a member there you can find other similiar ones at Amazon.

Breeo Fire Pit

We got this fire pit a few years ago and I can’t say enough good things about it. We keep it out back under our pergola and it’s the perfect place for the kids to roast hot dogs, marshmallows for smores, keep the bugs away, and warm up when the nights start to cool down.

Breeo offers multiple sizes and accessories. We have the grill top (definitely recommend!) and the heat deflector, which truly helps to keep you warm around the fire pit (and as someone who is often cold, I love that!).

We leave our firepit outside all year long, without a cover, and it still looks amazing! I highly recommend any of the Breeo products! You can shop Breeo on Amazon.

Yoto Player

I’ve shared before how much my kids LOVE their Yoto players, but it’s worth mentioning again. The thing about summer is that many kids often proclaim, “I’m bored.” but if you’re anything like me, you don’t want them spending extra time on screens.

That’s why I love the Yoto Player so much! My kids take it outside with them when they are swinging, jumping on the trampoline, ect. A few of my kids are also headed out with my mom and her husband for a long road trip this summer and they’ll be taking Yoto with them to occupy them during the car ride.

I’ve made my kids “mix tapes” like the good ole days filled with their favorite songs. They love taking their players outside to listen to music.

Mockingbird Stroller

If you’ve got summer plans that will require a stroller, let me recommend the Mockingbird 2.0 stroller to you! It’s been great for our family and we can have up to 3 children riding it at the same time when needed.

If you haven’t already, make sure you check out my full review of the Mockingbird Single to Double 2.0 stroller for all the details of this great piece of baby/toddler/preschool gear!

Backyard Discovery Pergola

We installed our Backyard Discovery Pergola almost 3 years ago and still love it so much! We have the 20×12 Beaumont Pergola and it’s been an amazing addition to our backyard.

Last year we added some lights we picked up at Sam’s Club for late nights outside. I’ve noticed that our Sam’s Club often has Backyard Discovery Pergolas for sale, so if you’re a member check there for deals.

Kodiak Canvas Tents

One of the hardest things about having a large family is that it’s very expensive to take a vacation. It just is. Lately we haven’t been taking an annual vacation but instead try to do meaningful summer activities at home.

We got a Kodiak Canvas Tent 2 years ago and it’s been a fabulous way to make fun memories in our backyard. My kids love camping out there!

We tend to set up our projector, play a movie, make smores on our Breeo fire pit, and just make a very fun night together!

We’ve started a yearly tradition of having a “kick off to Summer” backyard campout night. Unfortunately this weekend looks pretty wet so we’ll have to put it off for next weekend, but I can’t wait!

Trampoline

I’m going to be honest and say that initially I was hesitant to get a trampoline. We’ve already dealt with one broken arm and two other children with 2-week-long hospital stays for appendicitis. I’d like to avoid the ER for a while.

However, after hearing how much other families love their trampoline we decided to give them a chance and I am SO glad we did!

Our trampoline gets used SO much! My kids spend hours out there each week (still, 4 years after buying it) and when the weather gets hot they put the sprinkler under it to cool off.

Two things I’d recommend when purchasing a trampoline:

1. Get a trampoline with a net
2. Get the largest trampoline you can afford and that will fit in your space.

Not only has it been a great source of exercise for my kids, they beg my husband and me to go out there too, so it’s been great exercise for us as well.

Backyard Adventures Swing Set

This is another thing we’ve had in our backyard for a few years now that still proves to be a big hit (all year long really). My kids are out there nearly every day swinging and playing.

I think the only change I’d make is to swap out one of the 2-person swings for a singular swing because that one seems to be most popular. Maybe we’ll do that this year!

This Backyard Adventures swing set has proven to be very well-made – highly recommend!