20 Creative Writing Ideas for Kids of All Ages

20 Creative Writing Ideas for Kids of All Ages

Just because summer is here doesn’t mean the kids need to stop learning!  I wanted to make learning fun this summer so with the help of some friends I put together a list of 20 Creative Writing Ideas for Kids of All Ages.  My kids are all very creative, and...
Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Pie

Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Pie

Growing up in the Greater Cincinnati area makes it hard not to love “Cincinnati Style” Chili.  It’s not like your traditional hearty chili recipes, Cincinnati chili has a bit of sweetness to it and it’s perfect atop noodles and smothered with cheese.  We have our local preference on where to...
Sandusky:  Cedar Point and Hotel Breakers

Sandusky: Cedar Point and Hotel Breakers

Recently we made our first visit to Sandusky, Ohio for a long weekend spent at the Hotel Breakers.  While much of my time was spent learning great things at the Bloggy Conference, we also spent many hours exploring Cedar Point (known as the Roller Coaster Capitol of the World) getting...
Rowe Woods Cincinnati Nature Center

Rowe Woods Cincinnati Nature Center

The Rowe Woods Cincinnati Nature Center is one of my favorite places in the Greater Cincinnati area to spend a day in the woods exploring nature.  There are over sixteen miles of trails in Rowe Woods and they meander past a lake, over bridges, along boardwalks, over hills and through the...
Pesto Cream Cheese Dip

Pesto Cream Cheese Dip

You must know by now how much I love easy appetizer recipes.  Well here’s something you might not know about me, I cannot go to a party empty handed.  That’s where all of my easy appetizers come in…I have a collection of easy appetizers that I can throw together in no...
Spend a Day in Hamilton Ohio

Spend a Day in Hamilton Ohio

Edit:  June 2023 – I have come to realize that this post has some outdated information so I have deleted places that have since closed in Hamilton and will endeavor to make a day trip to Hamilton to make some updates this summer!  That being said, there’s still some good...
Our Chicago Vacation

Our Chicago Vacation

For Spring Break 2014 we took the kids on a mini-vacation to Chicago for three nights and four days. We crammed as much fun as we could into those four days and had adventures all over the Windy City. For our next trip, we may even take a trip to...
Five Easy Appetizers

Five Easy Appetizers

I have lots of favorite easy appetizer recipes, because I love making Hors d’oeuvres for any occasion.  Over the Thanksgiving weekend we had five different events going on!  So I had lots of easy appetizers to make.  I put together five of my favorite easy appetizers this weekend and thought...
Our Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes

Our Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes

My slow cooker is my best friend during a busy school week. I really don’t know what I’d do without it. If you don’t have one, I really recommend buying one! You can browse the best ones at somewhere like https://buyersimpact.co.uk/ to see if there are any that take your...
Cheap Date Nights in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky

Cheap Date Nights in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky

My husband and I value our date nights.  We have four children, we love said children, but we also cherish our alone time.  Sometimes we will jump at any chance to have a date night.  While we enjoy having nice dinners in swanky restaurants from time to time, we also...
Family Fun in Siesta Key & Sarasota

Family Fun in Siesta Key & Sarasota

Last year we took our family of six to Siesta Key for a long vacation.  We had so much fun exploring Siesta Key and the surrounding area, that I wanted to share my ideas for family fun in Siesta Key with you.  Our focus was mostly on beach lounging, so...
Getting Organized :: Children & Chores

Getting Organized :: Children & Chores

I am a stay at home mother of four children. I hate housework, but I also hate a messy house. It’s a frustrating way to live. And with five other people in this house with me, keeping up with the housework is a never ending task. My husband and I...
Walt Disney World with Kids :: Tips for a Fun Trip

Walt Disney World with Kids :: Tips for a Fun Trip

For Spring Break last year we took the family to Florida and spent three days at Walt Disney World. It was a blast! I was so thankful to have the tips & advice from friends and family before we went…I felt somewhat prepared for the special kind of chaos that...
Our Favorite Homemade Pizza Recipes

Our Favorite Homemade Pizza Recipes

Homemade Pizza with Salad is a favorite dinner around our house. I would venture to say we have homemade pizza on the menu almost every week. Homemade Pizza When Michael and I were first married he would make the dough and I would make the sauce, and we made some...
LEGO Birthday Party

LEGO Birthday Party

Last summer we had a big birthday celebration for all four kids at a local Civic Club. I wanted to find a common theme that they were all interested in, and settled upon a LEGO Birthday Party! They all love their LEGO blocks and especially their Minifigures. When I told...
Thirteen Ways to De-Stress

Thirteen Ways to De-Stress

I have days where I feel stressed & overwhelmed all day. There’s a huge amount of reasons, one is that I’ve just found out that I can get cheaper broadband deals with the help of someone like Usave, but there are many other things that are stressing me out. I’m...
Create Your Own Chihuly Sculpture

Create Your Own Chihuly Sculpture

Our family loves the arts, and we also love creating our own works of art. A few months back I read about a very cool art project for kids on the blog Mary Making and it inspired me to do a similar project with my children. The project was to...
Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs

Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs is a quintessential comfort food, and a favorite at our house.  I found this recipe years and years ago and have tinkered with it over the years until I deemed it perfectly delicious.   This recipe is written for making mass amounts of sauce and meatballs…because I...
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Cincinnati Cyclones: Kelly Cup Playoffs {Giveaway}

Cincinnati Cyclones: Kelly Cup Playoffs {Giveaway}

Have you been to a Cincinnati Cyclones game?  Have you taken your family?  We have gone to a few games, and always have a blast.  We’ve gone without the kids with our friends, Michael has gone to a game as part of a bachelor party, and we’ve gone to games with the kids.  Anyway you...
Pictures of Henry by the Ohio River

Pictures of Henry by the Ohio River

Last night was a beautiful spring night, and we took advantage of the weather and spent the evening outside.  First we had a scrumptious dinner (and some good brews) at Keystone Bar & Grill, where we dined outside watching the world go by.  Then we took a walk down to Riverside Drive along the Ohio...
Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music {Giveaway}

Sesame Street Live: Elmo Makes Music {Giveaway}

Elmo and friends are going to be singing and dancing their way into Cincinnati in May, and if you have a special toddler or preschooler in your life they are not going to want to miss this show!  Elmo Makes Music will be at the USBank Arena for just one weekend in May, and  I...
Bockfest Brewery Tour

Bockfest Brewery Tour

Even if you don’t drink beer, or have any interest in beer festivals, you should consider going on a brewery tour in Over the Rhine.  These tours are not just for beer lovers and history buffs.  I think everyone should take this tour to realize what lies beneath the streets you drive on in Cincinnati. ...
Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

Can a cheeseball be a dessert?  I say yes.  I love a good sweet cheeseball for snacking.  My sister in law Jessica makes a fabulous Chocolate Chip Cheeseball, it satisfies every sweet tooth.  She made it this past weekend for a baby shower we were hosting for our other sister in law, Jenny.  I noticed...
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Presents: Henry IV

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Presents: Henry IV

The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has just begun performing Henry IV last week.  I haven’t had a chance to see this show yet, but if it’s anything like every other show I have seen at Cincy Shakes then you know it’s going to be great.  We’ve yet to see a show there that we haven’t thoroughly...
The Children's Theatre Presents "Willy Wonka Jr." {GIVEAWAY}

The Children’s Theatre Presents “Willy Wonka Jr.” {GIVEAWAY}

I have such a soft spot in my heart for Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe and the whole gang.  Roald Dahl’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was one of my favorites growing up, and I’ve even re-read it a few times as an adult.  I’ve watched both movies repeatedly, as have my children. ...
Menu Plan Monday ~ March 24

Menu Plan Monday ~ March 24

And so it goes…we had another crazy busy week last week.  I did my best to make some good quality dinners, but we did end up eating out a few times, much to mama’s chagrin.  I’m determined that this week will be better…we’re going to quit eating out so much and eat dinner at home! ...
Gorman Heritage Farm Summer Camp Giveaway from Campfinder.Co

Gorman Heritage Farm Summer Camp Giveaway from Campfinder.Co

Do you find yourself day dreaming about the warmer months? Believe it or not, summer is going to be here before you know it! Now is the time to be planning activities for your children for the summer. It’s the perfect time to be looking into summer camps for the munchkins. Are you stumped on...
Menu Plan Monday ~ March 17

Menu Plan Monday ~ March 17

It’s Monday!  Time to plan our menu for the week and get the grocery list written.  My plan is to spend more time in the kitchen this week, as last week we had a lot of dinners out due to lack of menu planning and a busy schedule.  We attended a beautiful wedding over the...
Chicken Pesto Pizza

Chicken Pesto Pizza

I love pesto so much, and I’m always trying to find ways to incorporate it into new recipes.  At the end of each summer, when the basil plants resemble bushes and our CSA share is full of basil I find myself making mass quantities of Homemade Pesto and freezing it for the winter months.  There’s...
A Night at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s Built to Amaze Circus

A Night at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s Built to Amaze Circus

Last week we had the chance to go see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s Built to Amaze Circus show at the USBank Arena.  It was a great show!  I am a Feld Ambassador, so we were treated with fabulous tickets and swag bags for the munchkins, which made the show that much better! ...