My living room floor is gritty with fine sand from any one of the four beaches I've visited in the past four days. The deck railing, lined with damp towels from the most recent adventure, is littered with discarded bathing suits and empty canisters of sunblock. An empty cooler dries out in the late day sun. The fridge is empty save for left overs from last night's grill session. The daily laundry basket is full with yesterday's evidence of summer fun. Welcome to a day in my life. Yes, it's a good day, like many other summer days on Cape Cod. Being both a mother to four and a school teacher means I see a lot of what makes Cape Cod so special.
I'm somewhat of a professional beach mom from mid-June until late August. Camp McDonald (as I lovingly refer to my summer living experience) is open for business each day from sun up to sun down, offering daily summertime activities that almost exclusively revolve around some type of outdoor activity. If we aren't at the beach, we are at the pool up the street. If we aren't there, we may be on the boat fishing. When the beach gets old (and it does, as a matter of fact), you may find us playing tennis, or enjoying a bike ride on the Canal, or taking advantage of some other affordable opportunity for fun. If it's sunny out, you can bet your last dollar we are not home or indoors.
Which brings me to the purpose of this website (and yes, it is raining out today. Why else would I be home on my computer??) My husband came home from work last night and, after seeing the day's leftover beach residue, said, "You know, you could write the book on summer fun on a budget on Cape Cod." I could, I thought, but a website would be more useful and easy to keep updated. So here you have it, a website devoted to Cape Cod Moms (and Dads and Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and Caretakers, although that would be too long a title). My nineteen years of raising kids here on Cape Cod have resulted in great insight on how to live within my means while reaping the benefit of Cape Cod life. My hope is to update you on the best beaches, activities, restaurants, attractions, traffic routes, beach reads and shopping, all on a budget (and sometimes not). After all, what else do I have to do all day but share my beach living world with all of you! Most of my experiences are on the upper and mid-Cape area; apologies if I have covered the lower Cape too lightly. I'll continue to explore and reach out to others for their tips throughout the remaining months, and years, of summer. Currently in the works are two additions to the webpage--links for off-Cape (but within driving distance) budget friendly activities, and links to the kid social scene, playgroups and support groups for families. Visit often, and be sure to Like me on Facebook and see what others have to say about living on a budget on Cape Cod! www.facebook.com/thecapecodmom/
I'm somewhat of a professional beach mom from mid-June until late August. Camp McDonald (as I lovingly refer to my summer living experience) is open for business each day from sun up to sun down, offering daily summertime activities that almost exclusively revolve around some type of outdoor activity. If we aren't at the beach, we are at the pool up the street. If we aren't there, we may be on the boat fishing. When the beach gets old (and it does, as a matter of fact), you may find us playing tennis, or enjoying a bike ride on the Canal, or taking advantage of some other affordable opportunity for fun. If it's sunny out, you can bet your last dollar we are not home or indoors.
Which brings me to the purpose of this website (and yes, it is raining out today. Why else would I be home on my computer??) My husband came home from work last night and, after seeing the day's leftover beach residue, said, "You know, you could write the book on summer fun on a budget on Cape Cod." I could, I thought, but a website would be more useful and easy to keep updated. So here you have it, a website devoted to Cape Cod Moms (and Dads and Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and Caretakers, although that would be too long a title). My nineteen years of raising kids here on Cape Cod have resulted in great insight on how to live within my means while reaping the benefit of Cape Cod life. My hope is to update you on the best beaches, activities, restaurants, attractions, traffic routes, beach reads and shopping, all on a budget (and sometimes not). After all, what else do I have to do all day but share my beach living world with all of you! Most of my experiences are on the upper and mid-Cape area; apologies if I have covered the lower Cape too lightly. I'll continue to explore and reach out to others for their tips throughout the remaining months, and years, of summer. Currently in the works are two additions to the webpage--links for off-Cape (but within driving distance) budget friendly activities, and links to the kid social scene, playgroups and support groups for families. Visit often, and be sure to Like me on Facebook and see what others have to say about living on a budget on Cape Cod! www.facebook.com/thecapecodmom/