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Edit:  June 2023 – I have come to realize that this post has some outdated information so I have deleted places that have since closed in Hamilton and will endeavor to make a day trip to Hamilton to make some updates this summer!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

Behind the Scenes with Cirque du Soleil: CRYSTAL

Today I had the unique experience of going behind the scenes with Cirque du Soleil’s CRYSTAL performers and crew at the US Bank Arena. I watched the performers warm up on the ice and the crew hustle all around getting ready for tonight’s opening night. I only had one rule on the tour…not to get...

Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Tis the season for Ugly Christmas Sweater parties!  And I had the opportunity to review an ugly Christmas sweater for the blog.  Unfortunately for me, my daughter won me over and got to select the sweater and keep it.  She picked out a “FRAGILE” Lamp Sweater from the Ugly Christmas Sweater website and it is...
Broadway in Cincinnati Presents RENT

Broadway in Cincinnati Presents RENT

Broadway in Cincinnati has brought a classic from the nineties back to the stage at the Aronoff.  Rent is in town for the holidays and you will want to grab those tickets now for this 20th anniversary tour.   We saw the show on opening night and it was like a blast from the past.  The...
Alice in Wonderland at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

Alice in Wonderland at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

If you are looking for a memorable family experience this holiday season you really should get tickets to see Alice in Wonderland at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati.  Our family had the opportunity to see the show and all six of us agree that it was wonderful! The script for this Ensemble Theatre production is just like...
Blume Floral Studio

Blume Floral Studio

Blume Floral Studio, located in the MainStrasse Village in Covington  is the most unique flower shop I have ever had the chance to visit.  You will not find run of the mill carnation bouquets at Blume.  Every arrangement is created carefully with an eye for beauty and originality. Blume Floral Studio I have been trolling...
Broadway in Cincinnati Presents The Play That Went Wrong

Broadway in Cincinnati Presents The Play That Went Wrong

Need a good laugh?  Then you simply must see The Play That Went Wrong at the Aronoff Center for the Arts.  You need to hurry up and grab your tickets NOW because this show is only in town through the weekend!  Broadway in Cincinnati brought The Play That Went Wrong to town this week, and...

Kids Eat FREE at Joella’s Hot Chicken

Kids eat free at Joella’s Hot Chicken on Tuesday nights and that is music to my ears!  We were recently invited to enjoy a complimentary dinner at Joella’s Hot Chicken in Crescent Springs and I have to say it was a mighty good meal! Kids Eat FREE at Joella’s Hot Chicken on Tuesday Nights On...
Broadway in Cincinnati Presents: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Broadway in Cincinnati Presents: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I remember watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Beta Max at my grandparents’ house on a regular basis when I was very small.  Growing up I loved this movie, and I still do as an adult (both the old and new versions).  Now Broadway in Cincinnati has brought one of my favorite Roald Dahl...
Greater Cincinnati Holiday Market 2018 {GIVEAWAY}

Greater Cincinnati Holiday Market 2018 {GIVEAWAY}

I cannot be the only one who has not started holiday shopping yet, right?  Thankfully the Greater Cincinnati Holiday Market will be happening in just a few short weeks!  Are you ready to get a great deal of shopping done in just one stop?  The Holiday Market is full of unique and local vendors and...

Broadway in Cincinnati Promo Offer

If you have followed me on social media for any amount of time you have probably figured out that I am a huge fan of Broadway in Cincinnati.  They bring big Broadway hits to the stage at the Aronoff Center for the Arts throughout the year.  Thanks to my partnership with Broadway in Cincinnati my...
Loaded Baked Potato Pizza Recipe

Loaded Baked Potato Pizza Recipe

Recently we made Potato Skins for dinner and then we used the leftover potatoes from the skins to make Baked Potato Pizza.  And it was DELICIOUS!  With just a few ingredients this pizza is easy to put together and makes for a hearty dinner. If  you love a loaded baked potato and you love pizza...
Bircus Brewing Company

Bircus Brewing Company

Bircus Brewing Company is part circus and part brewery and it is quickly becoming the neighborhood bar where everyone knows your name.  At least that is how I felt when we hung out there.  You can walk into this brewery and not know anyone in the joint and by the time you leave you will...