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Edit:  June 2023 – I have come to realize that this post has some outdated information so I have deleted places that have since closed in Hamilton and will endeavor to make a day trip to Hamilton to make some updates this summer!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
Broadway in Cincinnati presents EVITA at the Aronoff

Broadway in Cincinnati presents EVITA at the Aronoff

This week I was given the opportunity to go to the Aronoff Center to see the Broadway musical Evita.  It was a stellar show…three days later I’m still singing the songs from the show everywhere I go.  You may be thinking to yourself, “Oh I’ve seen that movie, why should I go see it at...
{GIVEAWAY} Walmart Gift Card + Del Monte VIP Coupons CLOSED

{GIVEAWAY} Walmart Gift Card + Del Monte VIP Coupons CLOSED

I was recently given a chance to try Del Monte‘s new Fruit Burst Squeezers and Fruit Snacks, and since my family loves fruit I jumped at the chance.  These items are great for grabbing on the go, or for packing in lunches.   And with flavors like Peach-Mango and Mixed Berry, there’s something for everyone.  My...
The Independent Child :: Henry & The PBJ Sandwich

The Independent Child :: Henry & The PBJ Sandwich

Raising an independent child is no easy task.  I’ll admit it, when my four year old is begging to make his own peanut butter and jelly sandwich all I can think about is the MESS.  It would be so much easier for me to just whip up a sandwich for him.  But last week when...
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Presents: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Presents: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

For Valentine’s Day this year we had an extra special date night!  Thanks to the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company we were invited to the opening night of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.  I love opening nights at Cincy Shakes…not only is there always a great sense of excitement in the air about the show that is...
Things We Don't Want to Think About: Writing a Will, Choosing Guardians, and Preparing for the Future

Things We Don’t Want to Think About: Writing a Will, Choosing Guardians, and Preparing for the Future

Have you taken time to think about preparing for the future in case something should happen to you or your spouse? There are certain subjects in our life that are taboo or forbidden, and certainly not talked about at over the water cooler at the office. Preparing for your own demise is one of these...
The Sleepy Bee Cafe in Oakley

The Sleepy Bee Cafe in Oakley

There has been quite a lot of “buzz” around town about the Sleepy Bee Cafe that opened in December 2013 in Oakley. I finally had a chance to visit the Sleepy Bee a few weeks back for lunch with my friends, and I could see what all the buzz was about….this place is great! The...
Diana, A Celebration at the Cincinnati Museum Center

Diana, A Celebration at the Cincinnati Museum Center

I have been to countless special exhibits at the Cincinnati Museum Center, but this week I went to an exhibit that will live in my memory forever.  The ‘Diana, A Celebration’ exhibit is an amazing collection of Princess Diana’s memorabilia, pictures, jewels, dresses, home movies, and more.  This priceless collection has been traveling from museum...
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey's Built to Amaze Circus {Giveaway}

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s Built to Amaze Circus {Giveaway}

This giveaway is now CLOSED.  Congrats to Jamie P who won the tickets – check your inbox, you have 24 hours to reply or another name will be drawn! One of the signs that spring is close in Cincinnati is the arrival of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in March.  The circus...
Family Saturday at the UnMuseum

Family Saturday at the UnMuseum

My friend Liz invited our family to the UnMuseum at the Contemporary Arts Center downtown on January 25th, which just so happened to be Henry’s 4th birthday.  I told the kids that this was Henry’s birthday party, since I knew it would be a festive day at the museum.  Liz had prepared a “Family Saturday”...
Disney Live :: Mickey's Music Festival {Giveaway CLOSED}

Disney Live :: Mickey’s Music Festival {Giveaway CLOSED}

Mickey and Minnie and all of their friends are going to be heading into Cincinnati in just a few weeks and want all of their friends to come sing and dance with them!  Disney Live: Mickey’s Music Festival is coming to the USBank Arena for two days only, Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15th....
Find Time to Read for Pleasure

Find Time to Read for Pleasure

How many of us have uttered the phrase: “I just don’t have time to read”.  It’s such a shame when we have trouble finding time to read for pleasure.  I know firsthand that finding that time to read can be a struggle.  We all have so many things that keep us from reading for pleasure…our...
The Children's Theatre presents "Pinkalicious The Musical" {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

The Children’s Theatre presents "Pinkalicious The Musical" {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is at it again, this time with Pinkalicious!  They are turning the popular story into a musical that is sure to please all the fans of PINK out there.  Think pink, think cupcakes, think fun!  I have all the details about the show and for one lucky reader I have...