Category: Travel
5 Things To Do Before Leaving on Vacation
Heading away for a summer trip? Here are some things you might want to consider doing besides packing your suitcase!
- Don’t announce when you’re leaving on social media. Friends aren’t always the only ones watching. Keep your home safe while you’re away by leaving your vacation plans offline.
- Ask a trusted neighbor to pickup your mail or packages. You don’t want to announce to everyone that you’re away by having fliers or packages building up!
- Make sure you’re not coming home to a big electric bill by unplugging all of your non-essential appliances.
- Empty out the fridge and the trash cans. There’s nothing worse than coming home to expired food and a full trash barrel in your home.
- Pay your bills! You don’t want to be relaxing on the beach only to remember you never paid your cable bill before you left. Make sure to organize payments and visit the post office before you head out.
10 Indoor Activities to Get You Through the Winter
When the temperatures get low it’s hard to get motivated to brave the cold to spend your spare time. Rather than bundling up to shop or go out to dinner or the movies, try some of these activities this winter!
1. Host a game night at home.
2. Have friends over and setup a hot chocolate bar.
3. Have a Netflix or movie marathon (complete with a cozy blanket and slippers.)
4. Read that book you haven’t had the time to pick up.
5. Host an at home wine tasting.
6. Try some of those Pinterest craft projects you’ve pinned
7. While you’re at it, try cooking some of those recipes too.
8. Have lots of photographs on your phone? Use a printing app to get them printed and arrange them in photo albums.
9. Update your playlists on iTunes and download some new music.
10. When all else fails….do some research on booking a tropical vacation!
10 Festive Things to do in December
It’s officially December and that means a month full of friends, family, fun and cold-weather activities! Whether you’re looking for a party idea, an outdoor activity or something to entertain your kids, we have you covered with some great ideas!
1. Go ice skating
2. Host a party with a hot chocolate bar
3. Attend a holiday tree lighting
4. Drive around to look at holiday lights
5. Go sledding
6. See a holiday-themed show
7. Visit the city for dinner or shopping
8. Have a holiday movie marathon
9. Bake cookies
10. Throw an ugly sweater party
How to Prepare Your Home for House Guests
With the holidays quickly approaching it means we’ll be welcoming family and friends into our homes for parties and events. Eliminate the stress of last minute cleaning and preparation by getting ready for houseguests early!
1. Clean spare bedrooms or sleeping areas for overnight guests now. Wash bedding and vacuum carpets/floors.
2. Tidy up your entryway. Put away any items that are cluttering the area and leave plenty of room for guests to put their shoes and store their winter coats.
3. Refresh your bathrooms by refilling all toiletries. Wash the floors and clean all surfaces of the bathroom.
4. Guests never show up empty handed. Clear some space in your refrigerator and throw out old items. You’ll want plenty of room to store extra food and leftovers.
5. Check the exterior. Make sure your walkways are cleaned up and clear. Also check your exterior lights and make sure none of the bulbs are burnt out.
6. Stock up on breakfast items. You’ll want to offer coffee and juice to your guests first thing in the morning. Make sure you have all of the essentials so you aren’t running out to the store bright and early.
20 Activities for Your Fall Bucket List
Today is the last day of September so it’s time to get moving on our fall bucket lists! The autumn season is filled with so many fun activities for the whole family. Take a look at the fall bucket list we’ve put together to give you some fun ideas for your weekends in October and November!
1. Visit a pumpkin patch
2. Go apple picking
3. Go to a corn maze
4. Take a scenic drive
5. Go to a football game
6. Bake an apple or pumpkin dessert
7. Drink hot apple cider
8. Go to a local fair or festival
9. Take a hayride
10. Go to a haunted house or theme park
11. Have a bonfire
12. Go on a picnic
13. Carve pumpkins
14. Watch scary movies
15. Shop for Halloween costumes
16. Go on a hike
17. Build a scarecrow
18. Plant mums
19. Host a Halloween party
20. Make caramel apples (or just eat them)
5 Ways to Keep Your Pet Safe This Summer
The warm weather is officially here and while we can sip lemonade and jump in the pool to stay cool, we have to remember our pets too! Hot days can lead to dehydration and heat exhaustion for our furry friends. Keep reading for some great tips to keep your pets cool and safe this summer!
1. Make sure your pet has plenty of cold, fresh water at all times. If you’re traveling or taking long walks, remember to bring a bowl and water with you so your dog can hydrate.
2. If you’re going to be leaving your pet alone in the house for a long period of time, remember to leave the air conditioner on for them. They get hot sitting in a stuffy house too!
3. Never leave them in the car even if the windows are cracked. The temperature inside of a car can rise very quickly on a hot day. Keep your pet safe by leaving them home or taking them with you if you exit the car.
4. Be mindful of their paws. On really hot days it’s not a good idea to walk with your dog. Not only can they get over-heated, but hot pavement can burn their feet.
5. Make sure they have shade. If your dog likes playing outside, make sure there is a shady area for them to lie down when they’re ready to take a break.
15 Beach Day Essentials
The official start to summer is only days away which means there are many sunny beach days ahead of us! If you like spending your weekends relaxing on the sand, keep reading to find out what is on our list of beach essentials. Keep these items in a bag and in your car so whenever an impromptu beach day presents itself, you’ll be fully prepared!
1. Sunscreen
2. A beach chair
3. A good book
4. A cooler
5. A big hat to keep the rays off your face
6. A towel and a beach blanket
7. Sunglasses
8. An umbrella to shield the sun
9. Toys for the kids
10. Snacks
11. Wet wipes to clean sand off your hands
12. A change of clothes
13. A sweatshirt or long sleeve shirt just in case
14. Flip flops or sandals
15. Bottled water
5 Fun Facts About St. Patrick’s Day
Besides drinking green drinks and eating corn beef and cabbage what do you really know about St. Patrick’s Day? Here are five fun facts you can share around the dinner table tonight!
1. The word “shamrock” comes from the Irish word “seamróg,” meaning “little clover.” It is the symbol of Ireland
2. We all get decked out in green on St. Patrick’s Day, but the holiday was originally associated with the color blue. It’s thought that everything shifted to green because of Ireland’s nickname “The Emerald Isle,” the green in the Irish flag and the shamrock, or clover.
3. The world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade is held in the Irish village of Dripsey. It lasts only 100 yards, which is the exact distance between the village’s two pubs.
4. St. Patrick was a Christian missionary, bishop and a patron saint of Ireland. He was born in Britain. When he was only sixteen, he was captured by Irish raiders and taken to Ireland, where he spent six years in captivity, working as a shepherd.
5. The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the largest parade in the world. It was first held in 1762 by a group of homesick Irish expats and soldiers who served with the British army.
5 Things to Do Before Summer is Over
We’re already in August…can you believe it? It always seems like the summer flies by and we don’t get a chance to enjoy the warmth and everything this season brings. Before September hits, try checking these things off your list to get the most out of August!
1. Pick your own fruit! Many local farm stands offer pick your own options and now is the time to take advantage before cold weather hits! You can pick your own blueberries, raspberries and strawberries for a delicious, fresh fruit salad!
2. Put your toes in the ocean! If you haven’t had a chance to hit the beach yet this summer, now is the time to start planning! You don’t want the end of September to hit and you realized you never got to feel the salty water and sand on your feet!
3. Visit your local farmer’s market! Many towns have farmer’s markets weekly throughout the summer but they close up shop once the fall hits. Take advantage now and buy some fresh produce, plants and other goodies from your local vendors.
4. Relax by the pool! There’s nothing like putting your feet up and reading a good book while sitting by the pool. Make sure you get in all the pool time you can in the next several weeks before yours gets covered up.
5. Go to an outdoor concert! Concerts in the summer are always a great time! Whether you purchase tickets online for a famous act or attend a free show locally, get out there after work and listen to some music in the company of great friends!
10 Activities for Summer Vacation
By now the kids are all out of school and summer vacation is in full swing! Some days it’s too hot to play outside and some days the rain interrupts our plans. Here are ten ideas for activities you and the kids can try to stay entertained until school starts up again!
1. Visit your local library! A lot of libraries offer summer activities for children like story time or sing alongs. Take the kids and register them for a library card if you haven’t already. While there they can rent a few books to read over vacation!
2. Play mini golf! Mini golf is a fun activity for both kids and adults. Many establishments offer other fun activities like ice cream, bumper boats and live music too.
3. Visit a zoo! Whether it’s a small petting zoo or a large zoo full of wildlife, the kids will be sure to enjoy seeing animals in their natural habitats.
4. See a matinee! On a day when the weather isn’t cooperating, take the kids to see a movie during the day. Lots of local theaters serve a variety of lunch foods too so you can have lunch AND a show all in one!
5. Check out an indoor or outdoor playground! Depending on the weather there are both options! Maybe even call some friends and have their kids meet you so a group of you can all play together.
6. Plan a day at an amusement park! What kids don’t love rides, arcade games and delicious food? An amusement park has a little something for everyone in the family to enjoy.
7. Enjoy a pool day! Whether you live in one of our apartment communities that has a pool or your town has a local one, sitting poolside is always a fun summer time activity.
8. Create some art! Whether you do this at home or head to a local paint shop or pottery making class, the kids will enjoy unleashing their inner artist during their time away from school.
9. Visit a museum! Keep their minds moving over summer vacation by taking the kids to a local museum. Lowell has lots of textile museums and there are children’s museums in Boston and Acton, MA!
10. Check out the aquarium! Sharks, fish, turtles and penguins! There’s plenty to see at your local aquarium. Some places even have shows you can attend once you get there so you can see penguins getting trained and fish being fed!