
Holy moly, it’s JULY! June flew by so quickly that I almost forgot about my family favorites post. (almost!) June was awesome! We have been doing tons of fun things together as a family and I am taking my #OperationSummerFun challenge to heart! (follow the hashtag on Instagram!)

So here’s what our family is currently loving!
Lauren:
Sally Hansen Gel Topcoat
I wanted to start doing my own nails since I hate going to the nail salon, and I thought this would help me space out my salon visits a bit more. I finally bought this gel top coat after reading tons of rave reviews about it from other bloggers. Turns out, it IS as awesome as everyone says! I have used this both with the polish it is supposed to go with and with my regular nail polish and it works well with both. It makes your nails look super shiny, just like they were done in a salon! I like to do the top coat when I do my regular polish and then another coat the next day just to SUPER seal it in. My manicures last for at least 8 days. (maybe longer but I always change my polish by then)

Donnie:
Rio Sun Umbrella
We have been swimming a lot and our pool isn’t shaded. So my husband was THRILLED when Rio sent me two awesome sun umbrellas. We have been using them a ton, my hubby even made a stand using a bucket and a PVC pipe. (so we can move them all around the patio) Both umbrellas offer serious sun protection, and came with holders that dig in the sand which are the best when you are at the beach. You can use the umbrella two ways, as a regular umbrella or as a leaning shelter… which is perfect for when we are fishing by the lake.

Mila:
Puddle Jumper swimmer
My sweet girl loves swimming around the pool with this thing. Hudson also had one of these and he did wear it, but he wasn’t into it as much as she is. As soon as we go outside she asks me to put on her “swimmies.” I like these better than the old school arm floaties since I think they are more secure.

Hudson:
Plasma Car
We have had this car for awhile now, but recently it made its way into our house and now it is a huge hit once again. We have a ‘formal’ living room but we don’t have any furniture in it… which makes it a perfect place for Nerf gun battles, tag, flying remote controlled devices, and driving plasma cars. Our kids have so much fun in there, that every time my husband and I go furniture shopping we end up deciding to just leave it empty for the kids. (just one more year.. ha!) Mila and Hudson give each other rides, but lately the plasma car battle has gotten real, so I finally caved and ordered another one. These things are awesome and kids get years of fun out of them. I think we have had this since Hudson was 4… but Mila is only 2 and a half and rides like a pro as well. I ordered mine from Amazon.(affiliate link) Also, around Christmas, the prices of these drop to about $30!

**Disclaimer: The only thing I didn’t pay for myself in this post was the Rio Sun umbrellas, but we really are obsessed with them.
I think I am going to have to try that gel polish!
it works so good! I like it best as a top coat over my regular polish. (the polish that goes with it is so thick, in my opinion!)
Your family is adorable. Plasma cars are super fun! I like the Puddle Jumper swimmer, too.
I think every house should have a plasma car, seriously the coolest toy ever! I hope you week is going well! 🙂
Okay, I SO need that umbrella! Thank you for linking to the product!
I love how it acts as a sunblock basically! We love it!
My parents need this umbrella for their unshaded pool!
It is awesome.. we love it and use it all the time!
I need that umbrella! By the way, a friend's daughter was found at the bottom of the pool in those swimmers at a pool party 🙁 she was ok after a week in the hospital but I'm super scared of water wings now. We did Baby Otter and are doing more swim lessons now.
oh yeah.. she can totally flip backwards out of it… it needs 100% supervision for sure. great reminder!
I want all of these. Okay, mainly the top coat for the exact same reason you stated. Salon visits though nice take soooooo much time. I also would love to know where you got the puddle jumpers so I could buy some for my kids!
I ordered it on Walmart.com.. they had the best price! 🙂
I've been meaning to try that gel polish. I've lots of great things about it, thanks for sharing!
http://www.mintnotion.com
I was surprised by how well it worked.. seriously worth the hype! 🙂 have a great week!
I LOVE that top coat. One of my favorites for sure:)
I know! I am so mad at myself for waiting so long to try it!
My daughter uses a Puddle Jumper and we love it! We even have an extra for when her little friends come over to swim.
Colletta
They are awesome! She has so much fun in the pool while wearing it!
OMG I LOVE plasma cars! I don't know if that's the brand that my daughter has but it looks SO fun! I wish they made adult versions so I can go flying around my kitchen and down the driveway!
Adult versions would be AWESOME!!
We have a plasma car that has virtually never been used! I should totally pull it out again! Both my kids use the puddle jumper suits…LOVE them!
Ours goes through phases… my younger one brought it back out, so then my older one wanted it back since it was 'his'… so starting the plasma car wars quickly making it the most popular toy in our home. ha!
I actually splurged and got my nails done. I can't wait to try that polish. The kids look like they are having a fun summer. Hope you are too.
That puddle jumper swimmer looks awesome! I just bought my daughter a life jacket – she still needs to use it! Hoping to take her kayaking and boating at some point this summer 🙂
Thanks for sharing the Sally Hansen Gel TopCoat. I tend to go "au natural" on my nails because they chips so often. I meet with clients a lot and it seems so unprofessional to me. I am going to give this a try and make my nails pretty once again. I am jealous of your shaded pool oasis. Kudos to your husband for the great idea to bring it in the pool and protect it with PVC piping.
Okay I need to get that Gel TopCoat I keep hearing about it and now it's time to give it a try. This summer those swimmies seem to be the big trend I am seeing them every where!
That umbrella is amazing! I love the pool but hate the sun! 🙂 Looks perfect!
These are such cool items. your family is so cute!
XO Color Me Courtney
http://www.colormecourtney.com