The past July, my husband’s grandma turned 85 (🥳) and we celebrated on a lakefront cabin in Minnesota. But what to wear to the “Land of 10000 Lakes”? The cooler northern temps were a relief from the scorching weeks at home. I was packing for five children with temperatures ranging from low 50s to high 80s. Of course, I had known about this trip for nearly a year and yet waited until last minute to pack (why am I the way that I am).

1. Shirts
   • This seems like a no-brainer but it was an area I overpacked in some ways and under packed in others. I brought several long sleeve t-shirts thinking that we would layer them frequently but it rarely happened since everyone preferred their sweatshirt. Looking back I think I only used one long sleeve shirt for one morning on my toddler – probably was not worth packing but he was super cute when wearing it 🙂
   • The boys spent most of their time in sleeveless tank top; the short-sleeve t-shirts came home clean.
   • I also had a cute one-piece for the baby; it’s an old Rag romper. While they don’t have the exact one in stock, there are LOTS of cute ones to pick from! (Check them out here!)
2. Sweatshirts
   • Sweatshirts were a MUST. We wore them every morning until the weather warmed up and then occasionally in the evening if it was breezy.
   • For my baby, I packed a one-piece zip up outfit; it was perfect for the cooler mornings.
3. Dresses
   • My girls both love dresses. They wore leggings in the AM and switched to shorts once it warmed up.
4. Jackets
   • One of my kids preferred her jacket over sweatshirt because it had pockets for collecting (sound familiar, anyone? 😆). But otherwise, sweatshirts for layering were the go-to.

1. Sweatpants/Leggings
   • I packed a few pair of sweatpants and/or leggings for each child but this was another area where I grossly overpacked. One pair per child was plenty for this trip.
2. Shorts
   • If the kids weren’t wearing swimsuits, they were in shorts or skorts. I definitely did not pack enough and we reused frequently.
3. Swimsuits
   • The kids spent 50% of the day in their suits. Whether on the boat, fishing on the dock, or actually swimming, these suits were used DAILY. Thankfully, I packed two suits per child. This worked perfectly; we rotated every other day so the suits were dry before rewearing.
   • We pretty much always used a rash guard or long sleeve suit so their skin didn’t rub on the life vests.
4. Pajamas
   • This seems like another obvious packing addition but with kids on vacation, this takes up a lot of space and here’s why. I pack a fresh set of pajamas for each child for each night.
   • By the end of the day, the layers of sunscreen, lake water, dirt and snack residue have mounted and nothing is more refreshing for the kids (and parents…) than to finish bath time with a fresh set of pjs.