Off We Go!

On the ferry!

We are about to embark on our annual summer vacation beach week to Fire Island. My very sweet father-in-law is generous enough to hand over the house to Greg and I for five blissful days with our brood of five! If you've never been to Fire Island, let me just give you a glimpse of this special place. About an hour and a half drive from our home in NJ, we arrive to Bay Shore (Long Island) and hop on the ferry that brings us over to the island. The moment you step foot on that ferry and the breeze is in your face, you are on vacation! You arrive on the other side to an island that you navigate only by foot or by bike. For those who are residents of the island, you can purchase a wagon which transports your many bags from the ferry to your home (no need to lug a million things with your own two hands!) The basic attire there is bathing suits, flip flops, shorts and sweats. No need to ever dress up which I particularly love. We spend our days hanging by the pool, digging in the sand, riding the waves, bike rides to town for ice cream and ultimately grilling at home and hitting the hay! I have to give a shout out to the one and only Seaview Market, our "go to" spot for getting anything and everything you could possibly need! This intimate market is a family run business that provides not only amazing products but welcoming smiles every time you are there (which for us is several times a day!). My personal faves include fresh donuts in the morning, iced coffee, fresh fish, deli sandwiches and  their macaroni salad. Everything is always delicious and I am constantly in awe at the number of products they manage to keep in this one, tiny market.

Wagon post

The beach!

Yum! Treats from Seaview Market

Pics from Summer 2012...can't wait to make new memories!

Total bliss

Zoe in her element with E!

Happiness

Fire Island walks on daddy's shoulders

The ultimate scooter boy!

Ice cream love

Our annual wagon pic from 2012

What's better than a rainbow?

But the biggest challenge for summer getaways (which lucky for us is every week) is always packing. What do I really need? Did I forget something important? What's the weather gonna be like? How many pairs of shoes are really necessary? I recently stumbled upon a couple of products that make traveling a bit easier and stress-free....

• Anything that keeps me organized, I love! Stumbled across this amazing travel checklist in J. Crew (created for them by a company called Knock Knock). Got one for myself and plan to use it this trip!
• Came across these travel cases for kids....very tempted...might have to try one! 
• I am totally obsessed with my new water bottle by bkr! Definitely pricey, but worth it! Something about drinking out of a glass bottle....I also love that they invest a portion of their proceeds to initiatives that combat the global water crisis, empower tomorrow's leaders, and help in the fight against cancer. So you get a great product and are helping the world at the same time! :) 
• If you have kids then you definitely have to pack lots of snacks for any car ride longer than ten minutes! Lunch skins sandwich and snack bags are the thing for on-the-go snacking! Love, love, love them.