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DIY Recipes

Sand Castle Cake

Happy Tuesday and welcome back from the long weekend! Memorial Day may be over, but we want to keep these Summer vibes going with a beachy dessert! This DIY Sand Castle Cake is a breeze to put together and can be customized so many different ways!

Sand Castle Cake | Vicky Barone

Ingredients: 2 boxes of white or yellow cake mix, one container of vanilla frosting, one sleeve of graham crackers, and four round cake pans in varying sizes (we used 9″ 8″ and 6″).

Directions:
1. Combine cake mixes, one box at a time. Pour into cake pans two at a time. Bake according to directions.
2. When the cake is cool, place the largest layer onto a cake plate and cover the top with frosting.
3. Add the following layers of cake from largest to smallest, spreading a generous amount of frosting on each layer.
4. Place graham crackers in a sturdy Ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin or a glass jar to crush the crackers.
5. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs onto all frosting that is visible to create a “sand” look.
6. Finish with paper umbrellas!

Sand Castle Cake | Vicky Barone

Sand Castle Cake | Vicky Barone

(We had a little umbrella-happy assistant help us with this one 😉 )

Sand Castle Cake | Vicky Barone

You can even make an entire beach scene! Gummy peach rings make great inner tubes, and Teddy Grahams make great beach-goers! The possibilities are endless. How will you decorate your Sand Castle cake?

Categories
Family Kids Lifestyle Products Things I Love

Beach Accessories for Kids

We’re rounding out our week of Summer travel tips on the blog with a list of our favorite beach accessories for the boys!

Here are some of my must-haves for a day at the beach with my kids:

Beach Accessories for Kids | Vicky Barone

1. Sunscreen
After some research into the sunscreen I’d been using on my kids for years, I found some not-so-pleasant results (it’s on this list! Yikes!). I found this Alba Botanica sunscreen in a search for a safer option and I love it. It’s made with 100% vegetarian ingredients and it’s aerosol free while still working as a super convenient spray.

2. Bucket Hats
To further protect my kiddos skin from the sun, I like to bring along some floppy beach hats for them! This Tuga Sunwear hat is made from quick-drying fabric to wear in and out of the water, and it has UV protection for their faces, ears, and necks. They come in a few different colors AND they’re reversible!

3. Hooded Towel
Pottery Barn Kids has the cutest hooded towels for both the bath and the beach. They are also rated UPF 50+ for UV Protection and they can be personalized with your little one’s name.

4. Sand Toys
Of course we can’t make a beach trip without some fun stuff to play with! Melissa and Doug make awesome pool toys that we love to bring to the beach with us for sand play. This lobster claw game is fun for the beach, the pool, and even the bath tub!

What are your must-have beach accessories when vacationing with kiddos?

Categories
Products Things I Love

My Must Have Beach Accessories

This week we’ll be doing a mini series on Summer Travel! First up, we’re sharing my very favorite beach accessories if you’d like to see…

My Must Have Beach Accessories | Vicky Barone

1. Sunglasses | Loft | Similar
100% UV protection and a cute retro style frame are the perfect combo for stylish and protective beachy eyewear.

2. Beach Mat | Target
A good, sturdy beach mat is so much more enjoyable to lay on than a wet and sandy towel. The best part about this woven mat from Target? It folds up for easy cleanup AND it has handles!

3. Sunscreen | CeraVe
Spray sunscreen is a lifesaver when it comes to chasing sandy, wriggly kiddos, but I love it for myself too! CeraVe is lightweight, oil free, and easy to apply to wet or dry skin.

4. Cowboy Hat | Peter Grimm | Similar
I can’t be on the beach without my trusty cowboy hat! Peter Grimm has hundreds of hat options, including these tightly woven “Drifters” that are perfect for blocking harmful sun rays.

My Must Have Beach Accessories | Vicky Barone

What are your favorite beach items? Any good vacation book recommendations?

Later this week we’ll be sharing beach accessories for kids, plus some travel essentials for road-tripping little ones. Stay tuned!