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Edit:  June 2023 – I have come to realize that this post has some outdated information so I have deleted places that have since closed in Hamilton and will endeavor to make a day trip to Hamilton to make some updates this summer!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...
Latest entries
Rusty Bucket Giveaway {CLOSED}

Rusty Bucket Giveaway {CLOSED}

Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern is a great place to grab a bite to eat for dinner or lunch.  Rusty Bucket began in Columbus, Ohio and now there are more than 15 locations, with two locations in Cincinnati (Rookwood and Mason).  Rusty Bucket offers great appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, desserts and more.  Check out...
Frankie Pickle Books by Eric Wight

Frankie Pickle Books by Eric Wight

Do you have a reluctant reader at your house?  Or perhaps a child who is just getting a grasp of reading?  Might I recommend a great series for early readers…the Frankie Pickle books by Eric Wight.  These books were recommended to me when we visited the Blue Marble Bookstore a while back.  Max was in...
Handmade, Frugal & Sentimental Wedding Decorations & Invitations

Handmade, Frugal & Sentimental Wedding Decorations & Invitations

For my cousin Veronica’s wedding a while back I offered to help put together the wedding invitations, wedding programs, and a few of the decorations for the wedding. A lot of her money went on the essential items like her flower bouquets, the bride maid dresses and a wedding gown that looked like it came...
Menu Plan Monday ~ March 3

Menu Plan Monday ~ March 3

This past week was crazy.  Just crazy.  I had a sinus congestion, plus was working with my mom, and then we had Academic Team happenings all week, which culminated in the Governor’s Cup District Competition on Saturday.  I’m proud to say that Ella’s Academic Team (the A team) came in 2nd in our region!  We’ll...
Art of Food at The Carnegie

Art of Food at The Carnegie

Every year when the Art of Food comes around at the Carnegie in Covington they have a marvelous opening night event.  I know this from pictures I see and stories I hear, but alas, until this year I had never been.  Each year I had some sort of conflict or another.  This year was no...
TGI Fridays Taste & Share Menu

TGI Fridays Taste & Share Menu

Recently I was invited by TGI Fridays to come in and try some of their new menu items.  I can’t resist the chance to try new food, so I jumped at the chance.  I took my blogging friend Amy Q from “In a Galaxy”, and we had a fabulous Friday afternoon Mama’s lunch without kids. ...
Welcome my Newest Advertiser: The Works IT

Welcome my Newest Advertiser: The Works IT

So it’s true, The Works IT is my newest advertiser, and I’m obligated to tell you that.  Now that the formalities are over I can assure you that The Works IT is more than just an advertiser.  This business was more like a partner to me for the past few months.  I promise you that...
Cincinnati Home & Garden Show Giveaway {CLOSED}

Cincinnati Home & Garden Show Giveaway {CLOSED}

The Cincinnati Home & Garden Show® presented by the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Honda Dealers  will be returning to the to Duke Energy Convention Center this weekend, and will be there until March 9th.  You do not want to miss this event, take the whole family and make a day of it!  I’ve never been to a...
Rusty Bucket: Rally 'Round Your Bucket Promotion

Rusty Bucket: Rally ‘Round Your Bucket Promotion

Do you have a Rusty Bucket Restaurant in your neighborhood?  There’s one that’s pretty close to us in Cincinnati and it’s a great place to dine.  Rusty Bucket started in Columbus OH, and now has locations in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.  They serve classic favorites such as pizzas, burgers, meatloaf, salads, steak, and more.  For...
Menu Plan Monday {February 24}

Menu Plan Monday {February 24}

Do you need some menu planning inspiration?  We had a DELICIOUS week here last week!  Check out all of my recipe links below, and then head over to the Organizing Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday Roundup to find more inspiration!  Don’t forget to pin your favorites! Easy Fish Tacos Skillet Red Beans and Rice Homemade Pizza...
Easy Fish Tacos

Easy Fish Tacos

I’m a sucker for fish tacos, and I’ve had a hankering for one ever since my favorite fish taco joint closed down last year.  This week I decided to tackle fish tacos in my own kitchen, and I even came up with my own creamy fish taco sauce.  I came up with a simple way...
Pudding Shots

Pudding Shots

My friend Lisa shared a very special recipe with me, and she has given me permission to share this recipe with my readers.  The recipe is for Pudding Shots.  What’s a Pudding Shot you ask?  Well, it’s part dessert, part cocktail.  It’s a perfect treat to make and take to a party, or in Lisa’s...