July Newsletter 2021
Fabricare Center Blog , Newsletter
Summer Fun
Ben Feingold | Fabricare Center Owner
My family has been spending a lot of time outdoors this summer…and boy has it been a hot one! Most weekends, we’ve been taking our son to the pool or to some nearby splash pads as a refreshing way to cool off . When we’re at home, he also loves running through the sprinkler or playing with his water table in our backyard. Anything to help beat the heat!
As the temperature cranks up during these summer months, we tend to shed layers and wear light-weight clothes and more breathable fabrics to help stay comfortable. I know in the summer I trade in my long sleeve button-down shirts for much more seasonably appropriate polo shirts or golf shirts. Whether I opt for quick-dry fabric, linen, pique, or even a light-weight cotton – these types of shirts tend to be my uniform of the summer.
Do you shed some layers this time of year too? Even in breezier clothing, in this heat, we still tend to perspire a lot during these especially hot, few months. Send your polo shirts, golf shirts, and other summer attire into Fabricare Center so we can knock out those deodorant marks, sweat stains, caked on sunscreen or insect repellent, and pesky odors before they set in and become a lingering issue. Though not many people think to dry clean or wet clean their golf shirts or athleisure attire, it has become increasingly popular in recent years, due to delicate fabrics and the high price of many of these garments.
Whether it’s at the pool, on the golf course, on a neighborhood stroll, or at an outdoor yoga class, enjoy your time outside with family and friends, and be sure and let us keep you looking and smelling so fresh and so clean all summer long!
Kind regards,
Plan a Coastal Road Trip Excursion
If you’ve never traveled along the Pacific Coast, or maybe you’d just like to experience it from a new perspective, there are few things quite like a road trip to take in the sights and experiences that make the journey one to remember.
A road trip lets you set your own pace and enjoy the companionship of friends or family. When you’re ready to explore, outdoor adventures, historical experiences and 99 miles of coastline await in Monterey County, California, which is known as a scenic, beautiful expanse along the Pacific Coast. From wide-open beaches, verdant vineyards and fields to the peaks of the Santa Lucia Mountains, there’s plenty of room to roam.
Scenic Beauty
Some of the top scenic drives in the world are along California’s coast, where you’ll find a wide range of local topography. One example is Highway 1, where starting toward the north, you’ll see the state’s second largest wetlands, artichoke fields and rolling sand dunes, as well as cypress forests and the craggy coastline. Further south, you’ll encounter towering cli s, redwoods and awe-inspiring bridges.
Outdoor Adventure
When you’re ready for some action, there’s plenty to find along the coast. From a captivating 18-mile long recreation trail with coastline views to kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, whale-watching excursions and more, there are numerous ways to whet an appetite for adventure near the ocean. Inland, you’ll find options like hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, cave exploring and horseback riding.
Wine Country
Along the California coast, you can find tens of thousands of acres of vineyards producing more than 53 di erent varietals of wine. In Monterey County alone, you can take your pick among 65 tasting rooms set against picturesque backdrops. How you choose to experience wine country is as diverse as the varietals you’ll discover. For example, you might head to the beach with a newly purchased bottle of your favorite wine, jump aboard a wine trolley to let someone else do the driving for a while or schedule a tour that takes you behind the scenes with a winemaker.
Beach Time
No visit to the coast is complete without a visit to the beach, but not all beaches are the same. From white sandy beaches to rocky cli s, you could plan an entire road trip around the different kinds of beaches waiting for you to discover their beauty. Enjoy bird spotting, rock collecting, surfing, tide pooling and more.
Wellness for Body and Mind
When you’ve taken in the sights and explored to your heart’s content, be sure to leave time for rejuvenation. From spas and meditation retreats to spending time in nature, it’s easy to make wellness a priority when visiting the California coast. You can even enjoy food that’s as good for you as it is delicious with a growing focus on sustainability by visiting daily farmers’ markets and fish markets, which provide a bounty of locally sourced produce, fresh meat, seafood and hand-made treasures for a truly enriching cultural experience.
Infuse Bright, Nutritional Flavor Into Summer
When families fire up their grills and turn to favorite summer recipes for filling meals, nutritional considerations are often not the focus. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. This year, you can rethink traditional seasonal menus by opting for main courses – and even desserts – that o er healthier returns by incorporating ingredients like whole oranges, which provide a multitude of nutritional benefits.
Adding an ingredient like Valencia oranges to your family’s dishes means you’re including a rich source of vitamin C (70% of the daily value) and an excellent source of folate (20% of the daily value) in your seasonal spread. As a balance of sweet and tart, the extra juicy oranges reach their peak in summer, making them perfect for warm-weather recipes, juicing or as portable snacks to take along on adventures.
When it comes to meal planning, oranges are a highly versatile fruit that can be added to both sweet and savory dishes, as well as beverages, cocktails, sauces, frozen desserts, smoothies and more. To introduce a depth of flavor and burst of nutrition to dishes, add a sprinkle of zest, segments or fresh-squeezed juice, or even grill the fruit to bring out the flavor.
Try combining them with tastes of the Mediterranean for dinner with Orange and Harissa Glazed Beef Kebabs or end your meal with a refreshing sweet treat like Orange Ice Cream the entire family can enjoy.
Orange and Harissa Glazed Beef Kebabs
1/2 cup Valencia orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 California Valencia oranges, zested and segmented
2 tablespoons harissa paste
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 ounces beef tenderloin, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch squares
1 red onion, cut into 2-inch squares
16 broccoli florets, raw
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
cooked couscous
mandarin chutney
- In mixing bowl, combine orange juice and zest, harissa, honey, oil, mint and garlic; mix well.
- Add beef cubes and toss to coat; marinate 2 hours in refrigerator.
- Using long skewers, build kebabs, alternating beef, peppers, onions and broccoli on each.
- Heat grill to medium-high heat.
- Season kebabs with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until vegetables are cooked through and beef reaches desired doneness.
- Serve over bed of couscous and top with mandarin chutney.
How Parents Can Help Children Build Social Skills
While adults may joke about needing to relearn how to be around others in a post-pandemic world, children can also benefit from a refresh of certain soft skills – especially young children who may not remember pre-pandemic life.
Building on these skills can also help children prepare for a successful return to school. In fact, data from Mintel shows parents’ top learning priorities for their children prior to entering grade school are how to play well with others (67%) and good manners (66%). “Summertime is a great time for families to help their children focus on social skills that may not have gotten much attention this past year, particularly if families were social distancing or in quarantine,” said Taunya Banta, inclusion services manager for KinderCare Learning Centers. “Parents can set their children up for success when school starts again in the fall by helping them work on these soft skills in relaxed settings like family gatherings and on the neighborhood playground.”
Consider these ways parents can help their children build social skills. Name emotions: Naming emotions is an important part of learning how to regulate them. If your children don’t understand what emotions they’re experiencing, they may be confused or upset by how they feel and that could amplify the feelings and make it more di cult to regulate the emotions.
Talk with your children about your own feelings, or the feelings of characters in books, to help them learn to identify emotions and appropriate ways to address those feelings. For example, “I’m sad, but I know a hug will help me feel better,” or “I’m mad and that’s OK. It’s not OK to hit, but I can punch a pillow or stomp my feet to get the feelings out of my body.” As a family, try practicing some simple emotion regulation strategies like deep breathing. To help younger children breathe deep, hold up two fingers and ask them to smell the flower as they inhale (one finger) and blow out the candle as they exhale (the other).
Play with other children: Play gives children an opportunity to freely express their emotions and thoughts, work out feelings and explore relationships in a safe, lighthearted way. If you feel comfortable and can follow health and safety guidelines, visit a playground or set up play dates with other children of similar ages then take a step back to let the children play together. If your children aren’t ready to play with others, allow them to stay close to you until they feel ready to join the other children.
Once the children are playing together, observe their interactions and talk with your children (in the moment or later) about how they felt. If they had fun, ask what they enjoyed. If disagreements or awkward moments came up, help your children problem-solve ways they could address those situations next time.
“Most importantly, remember children of all ages have an incredible capacity for resiliency,” Banta said. “Just knowing they have a steady base to return to, a safe place where they’re loved and appreciated for who they are, can give children the courage they need to face the challenge of a new or uncertain social situation with self-confidence and courage.”
Poolside Picks – Dive into your summer reading list
Laying out on the beach and floating in the pool are true hallmarks of summer. A good book, however, can elevate these relaxing experiences to a new level.
Whether you find yourself looking for a beach read, a book for the pool or something to help you escape while lounging on the couch with the windows open, these sizzling summer reads o er something for nearly every type of reader. From suspense to romance and adventure, you don’t want to miss these books this summer.
Some Secrets Aren’t Meant to Be Shared
From author Meg Mitchell Moore comes a warm, witty and suspenseful novel filled with small-town secrets, summer romance, big time lies and spiked seltzer. In “Two Truths and A Lie” the leader of an idyllic beach town “mom squad” has made surprising eff ort to include a new resident and her daughter in typically closed-group activities, though they’re not the only ones she’s been spending more time with. A blend of propulsive thriller and gorgeous summer read, Moore’s latest novel is a reminder that happiness isn’t always a day at the beach, some secrets aren’t meant to be shared and the most precious things are loved ones.
Transatlantic Love Story Raises the Royal Stakes
“New York Times” and “USA Today” bestselling author Alyssa Cole’s second Runaway Royals novel, “How to Find a Princess,” is an Anastasia-inspired romance featuring a long-lost princess who finds love with the female investigator tasked with tracking her down. When a threat to her grandmother’s livelihood pushes the princess to return to Ibarania, the investigator takes her on a transatlantic adventure. When they finally make it, they realize there’s more at stake than just cash and crown, and the princess must learn what it means to fight for what she desires rather than what she feels bound to by duty.
Romantic Adventure Proves Anything Can Happen
No. 1 “New York Times” bestseller Susan Elizabeth Phillips returns to her Chicago Stars series with a romance between a quarterback and one of the world’s greatest opera singers – and a major diva – in “When Stars Collide.” It’s Mozart meets Monday night football as the temperamental soprano and stubborn jock embark on a nationwide tour promoting a luxury watch brand, they engage in soul-searching, trash talk and backstage drama. Threatening letters, haunting photographs and a series of dangerous encounters also complicate their lives and make them wonder if it’s the work of an overzealous fan or something more sinister.
SERVICE SPOTLIGHT – Golf Shirt Cleaning
Keep your Golf Shirts looking like new. The heat from summer weather brings challenges in keeping your active wear looking its best and brightest.
Anti-perspirant, sun screen, insect repellent as well as overuse can dull, stain and degrade fabrics.
Though not many people think to dry clean or wet clean their Golf polo’s it’s becoming increasingly popular due to delicate fabrics and the high price of these garments.
Confidence is the di erence between a bogie and a birdie, putting on a clean and freshly pressed polo can help your mental game before you even set foot on the greens.
Have your golf and polo shirts cleaned to remove stains and perspiration. We’ll have you looking and feeling fresh for your next tee time.
