Purchase a Family Journal (Guestbook). It can be as simple as a lined notebook or a fancy scrapbook with pages for notes and photos. Guests can write notes and a thank you, while your family can add pictures and anecdotes about the season. Keep the journal in the entrance way or on the coffee table for all to enjoy! You will spend hours going flipping the pages filled with cottage memories. Make a list of the entire season happenings. Fill a basket of local pamphlets, maps and resources. Then pull out a calendar and mark down every pancake breakfast, beach day, clean up day, car show, antique show, food festivals, harvest suppers, church bazaars and fire department barbeques, fundraising events, parades, neighborhood parties and more. Become part of your seasonal home community by getting involved in the local activities, there fun and many support the community.
Recheck life jacket sizes. All family members and visiting guests should have a life jacket that fits but it is especially important for non-swimmers, small children and infants. Personal Flotation Devices (PFD's) have come a long way and their level of safety and specialty is highly developed. Not to mention, kid's life jackets can be fun, with designs of their favorite characters or animal. Go to you local marine store or catalog to find out what type of PFD is right for you and your family. Ask your guests to bring life jackets that will fit their family members or have many extras to ensure the right one for person's size and age.
Don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen at the cottage? No worries, the night before you leave for the cottage, do much of your prep work in advance. Frozen water bottles can be the ice for the cooler and then you have water to drink when it thaws out. Prep most of your food in advance and pack them in to reusable plastic bags or storage containers. When you want grated cheese all you have to do is pull out the bag. Sliced veggies, cheeses, cubes of ham and turkey snacks for kids and meat or vegetarian chili can be made in advance and frozen. Pack a craft box for rainy days. A large cardboard box filled with glue, string, stock paper, crayons, children's scissors, dried beans, old t-shirts, construction paper, felt squares, pie tins, yarn scraps, and recyclable items, such as aluminum foil, jars, coffee cans, paper towel rolls and more will make for a fun filled rainy day. The possibilities of children's imagination are endless. They can make musical instruments, placemats, picture frames, and much more. Remember to resupply to box with craft surprises every once in a while. About the Author: With over twenty-two years experience as a cottage owner and renter, Joanne Palmisano wrote Camps, Cottages and Cabins, a seasonal home handbook for cabin owners around the country. Joanne's own lakefront home has been recently featured in two national publications, Good Housekeeping (December 2005) and Better Homes and Gardens (September 2006) and on the cable television show, New England Dream House. Visit Joanne's website www.loveyourcottage.com for more information.