There’s no doubt about it — summer is the perfect time for fun. I think the essence of summer is fun. What is it about summer that has such a magical place in our consciousness? Maybe it is the lack of schedules and really, that time holds no special meaning during the summer months. Swimming, playing sports, enjoying the sunshine and the great outdoors—all the things that make summer so awesome, are on our agendas this summer.

Summer is also the perfect time for road trips. We recently returned from a two week road trip out east. We packed up the SUV with our bags, gadgets and provisions and headed out the day after my son graduated from 8th grade. I also included some bags of snacks, treats and a case of water. My husband laughed at me and stated, "you think that will be enough?". I replied, "there are stores out east."

One case of water—for two weeks—for five people. Who was I kidding? The case of water lasted all of five days and that was after I was rationing everyone's water intake! Do you ever have The Fear of Running Out of water and ration your kiddos like I did on vacation? We are like most families (52% of families surveyed) who experience FORO (The Fear of Running Out ) at least once a week.

• 69% of those surveyed experience feelings such as stress, anxiety and worry when household items start to run low.

My husband and I were carrying water in our bags during the day and leaving some water in our hotel for the evenings during our family vacation. But on morning five of our vacation, there were two bottles of water left. I hid them and told my husband we were out of water. This is a phenomenon referred to as The Fear of Running Out—I was denying myself and my family bottled water we wanted (and needed) because I didn't want to take the time out of our busy travel day to go to the store.

That day, we found a street vendor and purchased bottled water for the kids for the day. I selected soda and my husband purchased a couple of bottles of a sweet drink. My husband and I made some thirsty choices that were not smart choices. My husband and I forgot that replacing a single 12-ounce, 140 calorie sugar sweetened beverage with water each day for a year can cut more than 50,000 calories from our diets.

Did you also know that nearly half of all full-time working parents say they ration or replace everyday household items with a less desirable alternative at least once per week, in order to avoid running out completely? That is exactly what we did!

When I was prepping for our trip, I should have planned for more water. But I didn't want the hassle and inconvenience of another trip to the store to purchase an additional heavy case of water. We were out of water in five days on our vacation and needed to take time out of our sightseeing to locate a store and make the purchase. Like more than half of the surveyed full-time working parents (55%), we were running an errand that was keeping us from spending quality time with our family.

ReadyRefresh℠ by Nestlé®

There is a much easier process of getting water into my home. ReadyRefresh℠ by Nestlé® – A customizable beverage delivery service that provides my family with all our favorite bottled water brands like Ice Mountain, Nestlé Pure Life, Perrier and San Pellegrino. Ice Mountain bottled water can be ordered in five different case sizes and various flavors of water. Natural Spring, Sparkling Natural Spring, Sparkling Natural Mineral and Purified Water—water beverages for every taste and every occasion.

The ReadyRefresh mission is very simple: They make it easy for my family to live a healthier life. With just a few taps on my mobile device, while I was sitting in the passenger seat of our SUV driving through Pennsylvania, through the ReadyRefresh.com website; I was quickly able to customize my order for thirst-quenching beverages delivered right to my door. I set up a delivery date for the day after we returned home from vacation!

I'm never heading to a big-box store again to lug home cases of water.

Fear of Missing Out

ReadyRefresh believes that hydration should never hinge on the inconvenience of restocking water supply. Having our favorite bottled water on hand, without hassle, keeps us in control of what we drink, and when. Because when we're thirsty, we should get to drink the beverage of choice—not fall victim to Fear of Running Out. With ReadyRefresh we will never suffer from the Fear of Running Out again.

ReadyRefresh did an experiment with the Younger family of Chicago, IL to see if FORO existed and the results are fascinating-–check it out here:

You’ve heard of the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), right? Well, you might be suffering from the Fear of Running Out (FORO)—that nagging feeling you get when you're running low on everyday essentials like toilet paper, diapers, or pet food. When it comes to (the fear of running out)FORO of bottled water, you can keep your healthy hydration on track and put your distress to rest—ReadyRefresh℠ by Nestlé® to the rescue!

With customizable deliveries of thirst-quenching water–from sparkling to still, in the brands you love most–you’ll never experience FORO for bottled water again. I know my family is set as we will be receiving our regular ReadyRefresh deliveries all summer long. I ordered Ice Mountain bottled water in every bottle option available!

I would love to hear about your Classic Summer Days of Road Trippin' and your Fear of Running Out (FORO) stories. Did you ration your water on vacation like I did? Be sure to use the hashtag #NoMoreFORO so I can read your stories. Follow ReadyRefresh℠ on Twitter and on Facebook to read more.

The best part about being on our vacation was the opportunity to spend dedicated time together. And the best thing we brought home from vacation was the memories we made together. Summer is all about relaxing, being outdoors, branching out, and breaking routine. We look out, we marvel at the horizon, we rediscover cities and find adventures.