Everyone wants their clothes to just come clean after doing laundry, but sometimes they get torn in the process. If you want to avoid damage to your clothes, don’t commit these five mistakes.
Besides doing the laundry, there are many cleaning chores you have to do around the house. We can help you with them. Ask for your quote now!
Beach lovers, rejoice! Now that the days are getting warmer, the ocean’s call is getting stronger and stronger. Nothing beats a day of sea, sand, sun and scrumptious snacks, right? At least, that’s how you probably rolled when you were younger; little to no planning and plenty of freedom. Well, tempting as it is, you’ll find that the beach loses all its fun when you travel with the whole family and no action plan, even after you pick “the perfect spot”.
We’ve compiled a list of beach camping and day trip ideas to make your life a little easier to plan and much, much more fun for everyone involved. Maybe you’ll find that, with a little planning, even the biggest families can have a memorable, tear-free day at the beach. Let’s check it out!
The very first thing you should consider when planning a day at the beach is sunscreen. Get your recommended SPF for the whole family (higher for faces and noses), and remember to apply before setting foot in the sand, or you’ll be smearing a yucky mix, of course, sandy cream on yourself all day. Re-apply at various times during the day, particularly towards noon when the sun is hotter.
Checking the weather forecast is a step you shouldn’t skip if you want to fully prepare for everything during your trip. Make sure that the highest and lowest expected temperatures aren’t too extreme for the family, or if light rains are in store. Also, be aware that hurricane season spans from the beginning of June to the end of November in the U.S., so plan your trip accordingly, and be prepared to re-schedule or cancel if there’s a warning for the area.
Repeat after us: Only bring finger foods. They make life easier for everyone! Individual bags of chips, chilled and chopped fruit, nuts, small sandwiches, you can get creative with it, but the bottom line is that you should think of foods that are easy to prepare, store and transport. The beach is a pretty hostile environment to most foods, with all the sand, wind and heat, so keeping things simple is key. But, if you need a good excuse to cut the day short, pack just enough for a midday snack then get ready to leave when the family starts to get really hungry.
No matter how many members are in your beach-going party, a basic necessities checklist will make your life so much easier. Make sure to include bathing suits, tent or umbrella, sandals and flip-flops, an extra change of clothes, towels, lots of bottled water, cooler for your food, tote or gym bags for dirty clothes, trash bags, hats and shades, and insect repellent. If there’s anything more you think you’ll need, or if a family member has special needs, don’t forget to add them into the list. If you’re planning on spending the night at the site, then be sure to triple check that list, because all the things to bring for camping on the beach are that much more critical.
Nothing ruins a fun, family beach day like being stuck in traffic for hours and missing all the good spots when you finally get there. Okay, no one likes to wake up at 6 AM on a Saturday, but it’ll help you avoid the morning traffic. The earlier you leave, the better, but if a little traffic is unavoidable, don’t forget to bring a couple of things for the kids and other passengers to distract themselves. Anything from books and toys to a portable video game console or movie player will do. Of course, the latter two aren’t things that you’ll want to get full of sand, and if you don’t trust the area enough to leave them in the car, then stick to the classics.
Like we said at the beginning, nothing beats a fun day at the beach with the whole family, but a good deal of planning is required if you want to prevent any of the thousand things that can go wrong. Don’t be afraid to mix our tips with anything you see coming up in your own experience; the point of this list is to give you a solid base for you to work on your own afterward. Also, if you still want to make sure that your chores are taken care of without skipping the beach day, how about letting a team of pros handle them for you?
It should come as no surprise that, peaceful and quaint as they are today, there are many things to see and do around the Island of Martha’s Vineyard, including historical sites from their past as settlements for mariners, whalers, and all kinds of seafaring people centuries ago. Moreover, these places lend a beautiful, unique visual style to their surroundings, especially if you know the story behind every exposed brick and arched roofs.
There are many walking tours to Martha’s Vineyard, but you might either not have enough time or simply want to visit them at your own pace, taking it all in at your leisure. If that’s the case, we present you with some of our favorite historical places on both islands, be sure to visit them and learn what they’re all about!
A colony of perfectly preserved Carpenter Gothic styled cottages, popularly known as gingerbread cottages and dating back to the mid-1800s, is what dots the center of Oaks Bluffs. This collection of fairytale houses are still owned and inhabited by generations of families descended from the original Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association, and their humble beginnings are still reflected in their tightly clustered together interiors and lack of private yards both front and back. Now they’re one of the most photographed houses in America, and how could they not be? They’re adorable!
An impressive example of Greek Revival architecture in New England, the Old Whaling Church was originally built for Edgartown’s Methodist captains, but now stands as a testament to the town’s seafaring roots and the wealth that the whaling business brought with it. Mimicking an ancient temple with its six enormous Doric temples and crowned with a Gothic Revival clock tower, the Church is a living example of the style that dominated American architecture for decades in the 1800s. This beautiful building is one of the most notorious stops of the many walking tours around Edgartown, so you shouldn’t miss it.
More than just pretty vestiges of a bygone era, the lighthouses of Martha’s Vineyard (East Chop, Edgartown and Gay Head) are still-functioning beacons that shine-out to the sea every night. Thankfully, they’re also open to the public since they’re stewarded by the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and offer their amazing views on the Edgartown Harbor, Chappaquiddick, and the cliffs of Aquinnah. The Edgartown lighthouse underwent renovations to allow visitors inside and up on the lantern room, and tours are available year-round.
Once owned by Dr. Daniel Fisher, who was one of the wealthiest men in America at the height of the whaling era, this Federal style residence has transformed over the years to include a beautiful garden on the west side, with an onion-domed roof gazebo ornamented with a gilded pineapple which you really can’t miss during your visit, and the inside of the house proper is so beautifully kept that you’ll want your house to look the same! Further, on the northeast corner, lies a sunken water garden, which compliments nicely with the beautiful surrounding areas.
The first mistake people make with humidity and moisture in the house is thinking that they’re something to take lightly. Not only do they lead to mold and mildew building up and putting your family’s health at risk, but when humidity accumulates, it can deteriorate your home’s structure. Overall, unchecked moisture in your house is bad news, so it’s better to learn how to detect and prevent the damage before it’s too late.
In this case, as in many others, keeping the moisture levels in your home controlled is much easier and cheaper than repairing the damage it causes, but how do you get rid of moisture in the house? Well, there are a few, very simple things you can do right away that will go a long way to avoid moisture damage. Let’s see what they are!
You’ll find it much easier to treat a problem if you know its origin, so before you get a handle on moisture damage, you’ll have to do some sleuthing. Regular problem areas in the house are usually the ones with poor ventilation and running water, like the bathroom, kitchen and sometimes even closets. Check for wet spots or dripping under the sink, behind the toilet, near the showerheads, etc.
However, balancing out the moisture levels in some areas of the house can be pretty difficult. These are attics and basements, and you’ll have to work around the limitations to properly ventilate them.
Check the plumbing all around and inside of your house. Chances are you’ll find a leak as the guilty party for wet spots and excessive moisture, but you’d still benefit from having regular checkups from a professional if you feel something is off.
Not all moisture problems come from dramatic sources like a broken or leaking pipe. Some can be fixed with a few simple measures, such as cleaning your floors and carpets regularly. Generally increasing the airflow that each room gets is a good idea, but if that’s not so easy for a particular room (like the basement and attic as we mentioned above) then a dehumidifier will be your best friend. Be careful not to dry out the air too much, though, since a lack of proper levels of moisture can lead to dry skin, rhinitis, unhealthy houseplants and even damage to wooden structures.
In the kitchen, don’t let pots uncovered while cooking, and if you have a wooden stove, make sure that you store the firewood outside, because it will let out moisture as it dries. Both in here and the bathroom, be sure to run the fans and vents outside instead of attics or crawl spaces.
If your house is sitting on concrete foundations, make sure that they have adequate exterior protection from water. If you have a dense garden that’s partly resting on your house, make sure that it’s properly trimmed and lets the air flow between it and the wall. While you’re outside, keep your rain gutters free from debris and in good shape, so they carry the water away from the house. Also, check if your sprinklers are not hitting the house when turned on.
If you’re getting wet spots around the house but you’ve already discarded all the obvious sources (drips, leaks, etc.), but you live in a humid climate, then look into your vented crawls. Supposing the dew point for that air is 75° F or above, and one of the surfaces is cooler than that, then that surface could be sucking up the water in the air.
Even during winter, the problems won’t stop. Accidental dehumidification (the air covering cold surfaces in water) can happen occasionally, but if it’s constant, then you’ll be facing wood rot and mold growth, which can be particularly devastating for a house if it happens inside of a wall cavity, which means you can’t see the problem until it’s too late.
Not knowing how to decrease the humidity levels in your house or damage is a risky game, and it can happen in both humid and cold weather. The plumbing should be the first thing you’ll want to look at, but if that doesn’t yield any results, you’ll have to maintain good habits to keep your humidity levels in check. Cleaning the house is a must, so planning a spring cleaning checklist is a good idea right now, even if you leave it to the professionals to sort that list out.
Martha’s Vineyard is a jewel of an island just seven miles off the southern coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and has served as an affluent coastal retreat to many famous figures in America for decades, including artists and politicians. It is also known for being one of the major filming locations for Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.
Accessible only by boat or plane, the Vineyard is a feast for the eyes, ears, and the mouth, of course, offering plenty of breathtaking views, the sound of the ocean all around, and delicious food to be had in any of its towns. If you’re looking to spend a couple of days in this quaint and lovely island, let us tell you all the best things to do!
Let’s begin with one of the most “touristy” entries on the list, but for a good reason. You’ll definitely love visiting Menemsha, a tiny fishing village in the town of Chilmark. Any movie buff worth their salt will instantly recognize this as the filming location for the harbor in Jaws, so expect to see other people in a pilgrimage of sorts.
There’s more to Menemsha than that, of course. The sunsets and seafood are both delicious and amazing, with the Larsen’s Fish Markets selling freshly caught (and even cooked) fish, and the Home Port restaurant offering tasty dishes in a cozy setting.
Chappaquiddick Island is a small peninsula (and sometimes an island) connected to Martha’s Vineyard by a barrier beach known as Norton Point, and a place visited by locals and tourists alike for hiking, cycling, nature tours, and the MyToi Gardens, which is an adorable little Japanese-style garden planted amongst the native brush flora.
To reach it, head to Dock Street in Edgartown and sail (or cycle) the 500-foot distance to Chappaquiddick, and enjoy Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, Wasque Beach reserve, or the aforementioned MyToi Japanese Garden, three perfectly zen and scenic places.
Located on the island’s western tip, Aquinnah is a National Historic Landmark as is home to the Wampanoag people. Its warm-colored cliffs offer one of the most beautiful sights in all of Martha’s Vineyard. The public beach below the cliffs lends itself to long, tranquil walks along its shores while you enjoy the sound of the Atlantic Ocean and the beautiful scenery of the waves rolling near you with every step.
The oldest colonial settlement in all of the island, and also the most lively entertainment center around. A picture-perfect collection of red-bricked and narrow streets, white clapboard homes and historic buildings that you can enjoy along the many boutiques and art galleries, which are definitely a few levels above any you’ve tried before.
At this point, we should mention that Martha’s Vineyard is composed of both wet and dry towns. It’s lovely all around, but if you want to end the day with a drink, it’s good that you plan and know if you’re allowed to. Thankfully, Edgartown is a wet town with a lively bar scene.
Described as “an island culinary adventure”, the people at Farm.Field.Sea organizes events that blend local food, guided forays into the island’s agri and aquaculture, as well as storytelling and a communal spirit all in beautiful locations. Their seasonal pop-up picnics with regional chefs and farmers end in an absolutely delicious dinner banquet that takes full advantage of the local ingredients. You’ll meet terrific people, enjoy amazing food, surround yourself with beautiful vistas and learn what the true heart of Martha’s Vineyard is all about.
As you can see, Martha’s Vineyard is a joy to visit if you enjoy smaller yet cozy and significant experiences. The scenery is very well worth at least a couple of days visiting, and there’s no telling how many wonderful people you can meet. And once you see the lovely gingerbread houses, you’ll want yours to look at least as tidy!
