We went to a favorite spot on the Saco River for a quick dip before dinner on Thursday night.

The one (and only) thing I dislike about taking the kids swimming in the summer is their desire to drag all kinds of toys along. I started a rule when the girls were preschoolers, "You want it, you carry it." That usually dissuades them from bringing too much and saves me multiple trips back to the car. Plus the kids have learned that I'm more likely to take them swimming if we keep things simple.

And the thing is, they almost never even use the toys they bring anyway.

But they insisted they bring a couple of toys for our quick trip to the river and dragged their gear across the rocks to the beach.

Amazingly, this time they actually played with them.

Then L. made a discovery while she sat in the river eating her apple.

I think you can guess which "inflatable" was the most fun.

Do your kids have a favorite beach "toy?" Tell us about it.