Simple summer pleasures are upon us. No matter what your job, summer is the season of FUN. But work does not wait for summer—unfortunately. With the bulk of the summer ahead of us (YAY!), we're teaming up with Old Navy to tap on-the-go moms across the country to find out how they squeeze more fun out of summer in their cities - while keeping that to-do list managed and inboxes at a minimum.

A BROOKLYN SUMMER

Lifestyle blogger, writer, stylist, and mom of two, LaTonya Yvette Staubs, shares how she enjoys summer in New York and how to save money when planning a vacation.

SHOP THE STAUBS FAMILY'S OLD NAVY SUMMER LOOKS HERE

How does your family “squeeze more fun” out of summer?

The kids and I always stay out until the sun goes down. New York is kind of magical during summer evenings. We also find joy in the simple things, like food on the stoop, going through a fire hydrant, grabbing ice cream from Mr. Softee and much more.

What are some of your favorite Brooklyn memories or Brooklyn-specific summer traditions?

Oh goodness, there are many! I love park hopping, which sounds ridiculous, but from morning to evening, we find our favorite spots, throw bathing suits and dry clothes in my bag and make a day of it. We then join friends for bites and stoop hangs—it's just pure fun.

As an entrepreneurial mom, there’s a lot of pressure to be plugged in and online. Why is it important for you to make family memories in the summer?

Thankfully (yet, unfortunately) summers are a little slow for me, so I have more opportunity to tune out of the business side of things. But the reality is that work allows for me to have fun and that my work sort of surrounds my life. Therefore, making family memories is often two-fold. It is of the utmost importance because my children are young and out of school and it feels like an essential time to focus on them and indeed be with them. But again, my work gives me the space for this.

Vacations are wonderful but they can also be hard work to plan. Do you have any family vacay planning tips?

I think my biggest thing is to see if you can apartment swap with someone first. New York living is so expensive, so my top tip is to try and not have housing be one of the expenses if possible.

What can the workplace do to help families inject more FUN into their summer?

I think in general employers should help create better scheduling options so that parents can be with their children and enjoy them. Maybe Friday's off, or being out by 5 o'clock on the dot. I believe that so much of our personal joy can impact our work, and if we can create somewhat of a balance more people will feel like they aren't completely missing out or struggling with it.