by Mary Starr

Created on: June 25, 2008   Last Updated: June 26, 2008

It's that time of year again when the temperature can be 75 degrees at seven o'clock in the morning, and by the afternoon up to 90 degrees or more. Sunglasses are a part of our daily ensemble, every color of flip-flop is needed to coordinate with every outfit, the gyms are packed with people working on their physiques, and sun tanning and reservations are being made for families to visit fun sunny resorts across the United States and the world.

Summer is the time of the year when families take that well-deserved rest and relaxation week and spend time with their loved ones. Everyone looks forward to their vacation and that's a good thing! Having something fun to look forward to helps keep one's spirits high in anticipation. All the hustle and bustle that families go through during the year makes the summer hiatus even more exciting.

Families can choose to find a place to play in the sun and waves all day. If a beach is out of reach for your budget or time, planning a stay at home vacation organizing activities such as barbecues, picnics, softball games, bad mitten tournaments and volley ball around swimming and sunbathing at the local swimming pool can be just as fun.

Whether or not your family is planning on taking a sun vacation or just plans on being in the sun a lot this summer, it is very important to take care of yours' and other family members skin. The sun has its advantages like being our principle supply of vitamin D. Vitamin D's job is to help our bodies take in calcium which gives us the chance to have strong healthy bones. Besides being good for us, the sun though can also ruin perfectly good vacations and fun by burning the skin.

Long exposure to excessive sun rays has been linked to many health issues such as causing damage to the skin, eyes, immune system suppression, and last but not least - skin cancer. It is easy to get so involved in splashing around in the water and playing pool games that we lose track of time and forget to either apply or re-apply the sun block lotion as prescribed on the bottles. So, in order for us to protect ourselves and our family members from the short term effects of sun burn as well as the long-term effects of sun damage, it is very important that we take steps to protect our families.

Even though July 3rd is celebrated as Stay Out of the Sun Day, it really has a bigger and far reaching point - protect yourself from the rays of the sun and you can stay in the sun without fear of harm. Here are only a few tips about

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