Vacation Ideas… Cape Cod (Take 2!)

A few years ago, I planned a summer family vacation to beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We enjoyed our week long stay so much, that we decided to return back to the small town of New Seabury (Mashpee, MA) this summer for a second go round…with new and exciting places to explore throughout Cape Cod! You can view our last Cape Cod adventure in my blog post, click here Start Planning Your Summer Vacation : Explore Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard With Your Family

Cape Cod is a perfect location for a fall, spring or summer getaway! Continue reading for more fun and exciting tips in planning your next weekend getaway or vacation to Cape Cod. Here in New England, we have been experiencing summer weather even in mid-September!

Cape Cod … Take 2!

• Explore the quaint town of Provincetown. Take a drive up the National Seashore to Provincetown. Take your time strolling through the town and visit local shops, the public library, art galleries, and The Pilgrim Monument (Did you know that the pilgrims first landed in Provincetown before settling in Plymouth?). Enjoy excellent crab cakes, lobster rolls and harbor views at Pepe’s Wharf Restaurant. Visit The Donut Experiment for a unique way to order a donut…fill out your order form and watch your donuts being made right in front of you! Provincetown is very pet friendly – dogs are welcomed in many of the shops, restaurants, and beaches. Make sure to visit the Pilgrim Bark Park before you head home !
• Enjoy a wine tasting at Truro Vineyards… kids and dogs are welcome! On our way to Provincetown, we took a pit stop at Truro Vineyards and made time for a wine tasting and tour of the facility. They allowed both our dog and children to hang out with us while we sampled their unique local vineyard. (Please drink responsibly.)
• Try something new… Paddleboarding Lessons in Mashpee. The last time we vacationed on the Cape, my son and I kayaked in Ockway Bay, while my daughter and husband paddle boarded. This vacation, we all signed up for paddle boarding lessons and took a guided 1 -hour tour of Ockway Bay in Mashpee! Rentals and lessons available at Mocean Cape Cod located in Mashpee Commons.
• Take on the beautiful views while playing 9 holes of golf in East Falmouth. Cape Cod offers many  beautiful public golf courses. Cape Cod Country Club offers free golf for children after 3 pm and discounted rates for adults after 2pm.
• Tennis anyone? Pack your tennis rackets for a family-friendly tennis match. Check out the local high school courts in Falmouth or any local town for availability.
• Family Bike rides (with dog in tow) to Popponessett Marketplace. We chose to stay in New Seabury again, which was a perfect location for our family. It was near shopping, restaurants, beaches, bike paths, tennis, golfing, and entertainment. It was located near a small town of Popponessett. Riding bikes through the town and on the bike paths would lead us to cafes, shops, entertainment and mini golf. To learn more about vacation rentals in New Seabury, visit http://www.newseaburyrentals.com.
• Visit lighthouses on the National Seashore. Check out the lighthouse photo below, look familiar? It is the Nauset Lighthouse, which is pictured on all bags of Cape Cod Chips! Cape Cod has many historical lighthouses, we visited a few while driving up to Provincetown. (Tip: We took a tour of Cape Cod Chips Factory on our last visit, visit http://www.capecodchips.com for hours and directions for this free tour in Hyannis.)
• You’ll never run out of Ice Cream and Food options. Using the Yelp App, we discovered many ice cream shops and restaurants while visiting Cape Cod. We were never disappointed on this vacation and on our last trip to Cape Cod. Here are a few suggestions from our most recent trip. For breakfast or coffee: Cape Cod Coffee (Mashpee), Moonakis Cafe (East Falmouth), Coffee Table (Popponesset). For lunch or dinner:  Siena (Mashpee), Pepe’s Wharf Restaurant (Provincetown), Wicked Restaurant and Wine Bar (Mashpee), Sesuit Harbour Cafe (Dennis), The Black Cat (Hyannis), Burger Shack at Corporation Beach (Dennis), Bobby Byrnes (Mashpee), Trevi Cafe and Wine Bar (Mashpee).  For ice cream: Polar Cave (Mashpee), Emack & Bolio (Popponesset), Ice Cream Smuggler (Dennis) , Cape Cod Creamery (East Yarmouth).
• Beach hopping, and seal searching!  Cape Cod has many great kid-friendly beaches to offer. Each one was unique in what it offered, from finding starfish and sand dollars, to seeing seals swim so close to shore, lighthouses to tour, to great waves for boogie boarding… Here are a few beaches that we visited and enjoyed: Corporation Beach (Dennis), Mayflower Beach (Dennis), South Cape Beach (Mashpee), Nauset Lighthouse Beach (Eastham).

 

Something New To Try This Spring… An All-Natural Weed Killer

Having kids who play on our lawn and a small dog that runs around our yard, I am very conscious of the products and chemicals we use in our landscapes.  We were cautious when researching which fertilizer to use on our lawn, but we could not find a weed killer that I felt safe using in our  brick walkway or crushed stones beds. Last year, my husband just happen to see a friend’s post on Facebook for an “all natural” weed killer. It consisted of 3 simple products, all which seemed harmless. We gave it a try and were amazed how quickly it dried out the ever-growing weeds, which made it easier to pull out. It actually worked!

This year when it was our  yard’s spring clean-up time, I made sure I added the 3 ingredients to our market list again! Give it a try in your yard this spring!

Thank you to our friends who shared the recipe on Facebook last year and to http://nodontpinthat.blogspot.com/2014/06/all-natural-weed-killer.html?m=1 for sharing a large quantity recipe on their website (and there are many other bloggers out there sharing this recipe too!)

All-Natural Weed Killer Recipe 

Ingredients: 1 gallon organic white vinegar, 2 cups of all-purpose epsom salt, 1/4 cup “Dawn” blue dish detergent, spray bottle or large yard sprayer, measuring cup

Directions: Combine ingredients. Add to sprayer. Spray weeds. Repeat, if necessary.

Note: This recipe should only be used on brick, pavement and stone walkways, not in flower beds and lawns. 

Fire Safety Tips for Families

For parents with young school children, you have probably heard them talking about Fire Safety Month. While they are learning about Fire Safety Tips at school, it is a great reminder for parents to review their own family’s fire escape plan and test your home’s fire alarms. I reviewed my family’s Fire Safety Drill this past week at dinnertime and I thought I would share it with my blog followers:

Fire Safety To-Do List

1. Test all of your fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. As a routine, my husband and I always test our fire alarms when we turn our clocks backs, so in the Fall and then again in the Spring. It just is an easy way to remember. Another reminder is when my kids come home and say they talked about Fire Safety in school!
2. Create a meeting place outside of your home for your family in case of a fire. This is a distant, but safe place where every family member can meet up once they are out of the house. Ideas include: a neighbor’s tree, neighbor’s driveway, neighbor’s front porch, your post mailbox, etc. Review this safe meeting place with your children a few times a year. Practice leaving the house and walk over to the meeting place.
3. Review your family’s escape plan. Review where all of the doors (and windows, if necessary) are located.
4. Remind children not to take any prized possessions. Children may want to stay behind and gather their favorite blanket, stuffed animal, video game, electronics, pictures, etc. Remind them to get out of the house as fast as they can.
5. Instruct children to call out when someone calls their name and never hide in a closet or under the bed.
6. Teach children how to stay low to the ground when escaping.
7. Have a practice fire drill. Sound the alarm so the children will know what it sounds like and what to do when they hear the alarm.
8. Review how to dial 911(but only if they are safely outside and able to call).
9. Remind children that parents and/or firefighters will try and save pets. Remind them to get out of the house as fast as they can.

Mom Tips: Check with your local town or city’s Fire Department to see if they offer tours of their Fire Stations. Firefighters can also review Fire Safety Tips with your children. Many of their favorite characters show fire safety themed episodes during this month.

Tips on Getting a Family Dog

Eight years ago, my daughter asked us for a puppy… and every year since then, she would add it to the top of her Santa wish list. Every year, Santa wouldn’t disappoint and would bring her the latest and cutest stuffed animal!

I am not really a dog person.  I grew up with cats, but wasn’t interested in cats or dogs now as a parent. Taking care of my family was a lot of work. I did not want another responsibility, picking up poop or worrying about where to leave our dog when we went on vacation. And then, my husband came to me one day and said… We really have to decide if we are getting a dog. What?! Wait, I never thought this was up for discussion? She wants a dog. He promised her when she is 10- years-old, we would talk about getting a dog.

So…that’s how the dog “wish list” began. My daughter and husband started researching breeds. We had different views of the size of the dog we wanted. I wanted a smaller/medium-sized dog that did not shed, my husband wanted larger breeds. My daughter wanted any dog we would let her get. She read up on breeds, how to care for dogs, how to train dogs and typed up a note and left it on our bed one day…

She worked hard to persuade us… well, more me… to get a dog. After a lot of researching and questions to friends and strangers walking their dogs, we ended up narrowing our breed list down to a couple.

When my daughter was 8 1/2 years old, we brought home our new dog, an 8-month-old Havanese who was potty trained, crated and past the puppy chewing stage (yes…1 1/2 years earlier than planned!) Fast forward to present day, and we could not picture life without our dog. She is now 3-years-old and a huge part of our family . Her personality is perfect for our family – sweet, shy, cuddly, adorable and has slight separation anxiety (from Mom… who would have guessed!?!)

From the day we brought her home to now, there are still new things I discover about owning a dog that no one ever shared with me (or I never thought to ask!).  I thought I would put together a list of tips to share with other families looking to get a dog for the 1st time!

Tips for Families Thinking of Getting a  Dog

Here are some discussion suggestions while deciding on the right dog for your family:

1. Decide if you prefer to find your dog through a rescue league, adoption or breeder.
2. Research various breeds and narrow down your list. We bought a Dog Breed book for our kids to review.
3. Decide on age/stage preferred. Puppy vs. full-grown vs. senior, whatever age you desire in a dog,review  all of the pros and cons with each age. We were looking to find a dog that was past the puppy years (potty trained, used to a crate and past the chewing stages – yes, a hard task, but we succeeded!)
4. Decide on fur or hair (hypoallergenic and non-shedding). We narrowed down our search to non-shedding breeds.
5. Decide on potty training. Pee pads or outside. Who will be responsible for taking the dog out and when? Where? Snowstorms and rainy days were the hardest adjustment! Will you use poop bags or a poop scooper and where will you trash it? I had visions of the Diaper Genie from my babies all over again!
6. Consider pet expenses. Annual vet visits, vet sick visits, monthly medicine (flea, tick and heartworm), food (we decided organic), professional grooming expenses (and finding one you like!), spay or neuter expenses (the longest and most stressful night when she was recovering), toys, beds, crates, seatbelts, treats, grooming supplies, harness, leash, food/water bowls…just to name a few.
7. Consider daily maintenance. Besides having to take the dog out to do their business, walking and feeding daily requirements), including teeth brushing, hair brushing, eye, paw or tooshy wiping. We brush Smidgen’s hair and teeth every day – it was a maintenance part I did not even think about before.
8. Consider amount of exercise required for the size and breed of dog.
9. Discuss pet boarding or pet walking options. Where will your pet stay when you go away, go to work, or have an extended work day or have a day long family adventure. With Smidgen’s personality, we have been able to take her on many of our family vacation road trips. We also are fortunate to have family members that love watching her for us too.
10. Research possible vet questions/decisions. Required or recommended vaccines? Flea, tick and heartworm medicine? Spay or neuter? We ended up researching the pros and cons on various vet topics, as we had done with our own two children.

I hope these tips help you find the perfect dog for your family! Despite all of the unknowns with getting a dog, one thing I know for certain is that our dog became part of our family the moment we met her…we could not picture life without her!

Wishing Smidgen a Happy 3rd Birthday! We love you!