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Explore Ohio // Fun Fall Activities

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Fall has long been my favorite season here in Ohio. We truly get the best of it — the changing leaves, the crisp air, and all of the fun things to do! I’m not talking about your typical apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Nope. I’m talking about all of the things you’ve often overlooked. You know… the OTHER fun things!

So I’ve rounded up a list of my favorite recent adventures that are local AND family-friendly!

Trunk-or-Treat at the Riverfront YMCA.

One of the many, many, things I love about our YMCA is all of the community outreach. And each year at Halloween, we do a Trunk-or-Treat for the community members. This open event is usually a bit of a flop; but this year was a whole other story! Hundreds and hundreds of people showed up, lining up around the entire block, to get in!

It was honestly an awesome experience to see that many people line up and wait to see the ‘trunks’. Oh, and the unicorn from Camp Y-Noah! 🙂

My kids had a blast, as usual.

Holden Arboretum Goblins in the Gardens.

My aunts invited me and the kids to join them for a day at the Holden Arboretum for their annual Goblins in the Gardens event. Growing up in Northeast Ohio, I had visited the Holden Arboretum many times as a child and teenager, but had not been back since.

The kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes and we headed inside for some fun! The days events included trick-or-treating, crafts, playing on playsets from Playground World, a giant maze through the flowers, hayrides, face painting, and — of course — walking along the suspension bridge canopy walk!

It was such a fun day AND my kids were exhausted in the end. Which, let’s be real — that’s the real goal!

Great Lakes Science Center Spooktacular Science!

We’ve been members of the Great Lakes Science Center for almost a year now and, shamefully, we’ve only made it there a handful of times. Well we recently found ourselves with a day to spare and so all four of us trekked up to the science center for some fun!

Ari absolutely loves all of the exhibits, but for the first time, Remy was able to truly join in on the fun, too!

And we just so happened to be there for their Spooktacular Science events! Basically it’s dance parties, fun science experiments, and, of course, blowing up a pumpkin. You know, just normal Halloween stuff. Ha!

The Cleveland Flea.

I am going to continue to scream this from the rooftop — I love the Cleveland Flea! I always have and always will! It’s such an incredibly well-organized event, with so many unique vendors and makers selling their goods.

This month, Remy and I went to the last outdoor Flea of the year. It was a little bit chilly on the eastside of Cleveland that morning, but we got there before the crowds and were able to make her a trick-or-treat bag, which she loved!

She paraded her little sassy booty around that place like she OWNED trick-or-treating! 🙂

Marvel Avengers Live at the Q.

Mimi and Poppy (my parents) took Ari to see Marvel Avengers Live at Quicken Loans Arena for his birthday! I was a tad bit skeptical of how the show would be. I mean, Disney on Ice has a reputation of being awesome; but I just had not heard anything about this show.

Apparently it was awesome. At least, that’s what Ari and my parents both reported! Ha! They said it was filled with action, drama, aerial stunts, and motorcycles galore!

Sky Zone Boston Heights. 

For part of Ari’s birthday weekend extravaganza, my sister and brother-in-law treated him to a morning at Sky Zone in Boston Heights. It was our first time visiting this location and it did not disappoint! They have Toddler Time on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sunday mornings, which is awesome because then you don’t have to worry about our little ones accidentally being trampled by bigger kids (which is especially a concern when your children are extra small, like ours).

They played, they laughed, and they had the best time!

We can’t wait to go back during these chilly Fall mornings!

Kalahari Resort + Waterpark in Sandusky. 

One big adventure our little family took last week was our very first trip to Kalahari in Sandusky! It was part of Ari’s birthday present from us (even though it was a week after his actual birthday). We made the hour + drive to Sandusky (home of Cedar Point!) during naptime, alas, neither child napped in the car. Eh, can’t win ’em all!

We grabbed a quick bite from Danny Boys (umm, delicious pizza, calzones, and pasta!) before heading to the room to check in. Our room was really nice — with two queen beds and plenty of space to set up the pack + play for Remy!

The waterpark itself is massive. Truly massive. We did several walk-throughs, just to see everything, prior to settling into a spot at the back of the park where the kids could freely play in 10-inches of water, exploring every tiny water slide (appropriate for their age, of course!), and laughing up a storm.

By the time supper time came around, we were all beyond wiped out. I mean, just look at those exhausted kiddos! LOL! We went to a tiny place called Eats N Treats. With the online reviews alone, I was skeptical. But the yummy philly cheesesteak and ice cream was just what we needed to fuel us for the night.

The next morning we woke up and headed right back to the waterpark. It was nearly empty and it was glorious! The kids barely made it an hour before we had to call it quits and head home.

All of this fun has been keeping us oh-so-busy!

So tell me — what other places in Ohio would you recommend visiting as the seasons change and the weather gets cooler? 

 

Life Lately // a Mom’s Tale of End of Summer

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I’d be lying if I said things have been easy lately. The adjustment of Ari going back to school and me starting my new Fall schedule at work has definitely been a challenge; but also, life has just been… different. I’ve been quite reserved and close-mouthed. Because, well, I don’t have anything particularly upbeat to say.

And that’s okay.

I recognize that in times of transition I tend to shut down a bit. Maybe it’s just the way I process things, I dunno.

But we’ve still been able to have a bit of fun, even amidst the chaos.

Painting With A Twist. 

A couple of weeks ago I met up with a dear friend to do a fall-themed pallet painting project. I’ve done other wine and painting parties, but this was my first time at PWAT Hudson. The studio was awesome and so accommodating!


And I’m so pumped about the final outcome of my project!

I can’t wait to go back!

Summer Sunset Blast.

Without truly having school-aged children, the end of summer doesn’t really mean much to us, other than going back to preschool and adjusting to a new schedule. But that doesn’t mean we don’t fully take advantage of the end of summer fun!

We said farewell to summer at Silver Springs Park in Stow, with the help of Café O’Play, bounce houses, inflatables, face painting, and a petting zoo!


While Ari hit up the inflatables (OMG – first time he’s really been able to because he’s not my baby anymore!! ??), Remy Bea and I spent some time with the goats.

This girl apparently had a fascination with goats! Which is funny, because so does her daddy! 😛

Trips to the Akron Zoo.

Our zoo membership is nearly expired, and we likely won’t renew it until after Christmas (because, busyness). But we did squeeze in a few more trips to the zoo before Summers end!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a million times again — we are beyond lucky to have this wonderful zoo in our backyard! It takes, at most, 10 minutes to get there; the zoo is so easily accessible, and so easy to navigate — even with two small children.

Lucky for us, on our latest trip, the temperature was super mild and the zoo itself was empty. The best part? All of the animals were front and center!

365 by Whole Foods opened and we may have been there at least 5 times in a week!

I took a media tour of the store before the opening day festivities, and I was beyond impressed. The store is bright, clean, and absolutely gorgeous!

There’s mochi ice cream, a taqueria, coffee from Artisan Coffee, great prices on produce, and a typical prepared food section that is to die for!

I took the kids back for opening day and we were greeted by Zippy, the Akron Zips mascot, and a whole slew of people! No joke, at 8:45 am on a Thursday morning and there were about 200 people waiting to get inside!

I’m serious when I say that it has quickly become our favorite place to grab some food, whether it be groceries or prepared food (helloooooo, chili and cheese lasagna!!!!). I see this as being our go-to store from here on out.

We took a very quick road trip to Columbus.

Besides stopping at IKEA for what seemed like 5 minutes (but was actually 2.5 hours), we wandered and made lists of things we needed to do in our head. But other than one semi-small purchase, we really just were there for the Swedish meatballs!

After our IKEA trip, Chad went with his sister and her family to the Ohio State football game while I took the kids to the local splash pad by my sisters house.

We went to a quick (early) dinner at another local fave — the Starliner Diner (delicious + authentic Cuban food) before heading back to my sister’s house to settle in for the evening.

Before heading home we went to a family cookout with Chad’s sister’s family (she was visiting from Denver just for the weekend). Basically, a whirlwind of a 36-hours.

I’ve been cooking — a lot.

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This is super weird for me because I hate to cook. But I tried Blue Apron a while back and loved it! The recipes weren’t difficult, per se, but they did reignite a spark I had for trying new recipes.

Playgrounds, playgrounds, playgrounds… and flag football clinics!

We’ve certainly been spending time at our local playgrounds and parks. Remy has taken to ‘playing’ in a major way. In fact, one of her favorite words to say is “Play? Play?” Basically, begging to go outside in play or get into all of her toys.

So it’s been fun. Oh, and Ari started a flag football skills clinic. To my surprise, he’s really fond of it. It’s super fun to watch them both come into their own in different ways.

As I read this post (and as I reread it over and over again…) I keep thinking…. FUNK, BE DAMNED! My life has been crazy and awesome! I’ll get back to my normal life soon. But for now? For now I’m basking in the awesomeness that is random.

Happy Monday, friends! xo

Explore Ohio // Put-in-Bay

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One of the perks of living on the “North Coast” is that we have islands and beaches nearby. For those not located in the Midwest, the “North Coast” is Lake Erie, or whichever of the Great Lakes you happen to find yourself south of. And if you have never actually seen the Great Lakes, you would likely be surprised to find that the view of these lakes could easily be mistaken for an ocean. They are, as Ari would say, GINORMOUS.

I recently jumped at an opportunity to visit one of the islands on our great ‘North Coast,’ Put-in-Bay! In all fairness and honesty, I had only visited once before this. I was young and I don’t remember much except that there are very few (if any?) cars on the island. That’s literally all I remember from my experience as a child. As an adult, my images of Put-in-Bay are all of college friends (and work colleagues) partying in a pool, drinking out of fishbowls. That? That has absolutely zero appeal to me.

But kayaking, biking, and wine tasting?? That. That is right up my alley!

So my friend Olivia and I met up at the Jet Express in Port Clinton. The Jet Express ferry shuttled us the 14 miles from Port Clinton (on the ‘mainland’) to Put-in-Bay island in just 45 minutes!

We arrived in PIB (Put-in-Bay) at about 9:45 on a Sunday morning — basically while everyone on the island was still asleep from
partying the night before. But we rented our bicycles and went on our merry way.

PS. I say that like it was easy — but did you know that even if you cycle on a stationary bike 3x per week an actual pedal bicycle is totally weird and difficult?? True story.

After leaving the marina and bike rental, we did some exploring — and with a quick stop at Perry’s Victory + Peace Memorial — we headed to Old Forge Café for breakfast!

It turns out they’re a creperie and have amazing mimosas. I mean, this prosciutto crêpe was aaaaaaamazing. No joke.

Post-crêpes and mimosas, we ventured to South Bass Island State Park to take in the sights. Pretty much everyone was still asleep, but we were able to bask in the quiet and enjoy the waves.

After taking in the scenery we ventured to Perry’s Cave where we legit KILLED the maze (under two minutes, ya’ll!) and learned all about the the limestone cave and it’s historical impact on the creation of what we know to be our United States!

Then we ventured to Heineman Winery for a tour and tasting. I’ll say this — PLEASE don’t try the dry wine. Please. I beg you. From my experience, Ohio wines are not, by any means, dry wines. They are sweet. So don’t go for the dry reds. Lesson learned.

But the sweet red? Delish. Absolutely DEEElish.

Once we were done with our wine and cave adventures we ventured for more food. Yep, we hit up the Upper Deck at the Boardwalk. We were still a bit full from our crêpes, so we decided to get the ahi tuna nachos as an appetizer and a side of fries.

Guys — we legit tried to GIVE away the leftovers from our ahi tuna nachos!! There were so many nachos that it looked like we barely made a dent (for the record, we made a serious dent — it just didn’t appear that way).

After we filled up on nachos we went to the Put-in-Bay Brewery and Distillery. I wish I would have tried something other than the Double IPA, but it was delicious! I’m just so predictable!

Post-brewery, we headed back down to South Bass Island State Park for a kayaking adventure. The double kayak was totally fun, but I was a tad bit hesitant about leaving my phone on land; and because of that, I was also more than a teeny bit nervous about dropping it in the water. So we cut our kayaking short to head back to the Jet Express.

It was such a jam-packed day. I would absolutely recommend doing the Kayas and Caves adventure through the Jet Express, but make a weekend of it for sure! I really wish I would have stayed the night.

If you’ve visited Put-in-Bay, what was your favorite thing to see/do!?

 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Jet Express Kayak + Cave package for two in exchange for this post. As always, all opinions herein are my own.

Day Tripping // Louisville, Kentucky

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Life has been hella crazy lately. I’d like to say we’ve been busy travelling the globe, but that would be semi inaccurate. I mean, we have been travelling the midwest rather thoroughly. 😛 😛 And one of the great things about living in the Midwest is that we can travel a few hours and be transported to a completely different type of living.

Specifically of interest to me is Southern living. The South is so close to us, but so far away. I mean, we can get to what’s considered ‘the south’ in just a few hours; but, honestly, it’s weird that Southern Ohio/Northern Kentucky are even considered to be ‘South.’  But it really is another world.

See, my parents moved to Louisville, Kentucky from Cleveland, Ohio, when I was just a few months pregnant with Ari. So they’ve been away for about 5 years now. They love it, we love to visit, but we wish they were closer. FOR SURE.

We’ve been able to visit and sightsee many times in Louisville, but here’s a list of my favorite places to visit.

Queen of Sheba – Ethiopian Restaurant. This may seem random. Actually, it is. But I swear to you this is some of the most authentic cuisine I have ever had. Chad and I are one-hundred percent foodies — through and through. And this place? This place is off-the-grid and amazing. No silverware, questionable seating, but totally authentic.

NuLu. If you’re looking for the up-and-coming/artsy part of town, head straight to NuLu — the East Market District of Louisville. There are so many boutiques and markets to check out, it’s hard not to spend every penny! Ha!


Royals Chicken. Nashville hot chicken is one of my most favorite things to eat, period. So it should come as no surprise that Chad and I found the most awesome Nashville hot chicken (aka – very spicy fried chicken). We’ve been to this place several times on our visits and it seriously doesn’t get any better! We always go for lunch, but if I had gone for dinner I would have gotten a bourbon slushie! 🙂

Nord’s Bakery. I ventured out solo one Sunday morning to find this place. Located near the University of Louisville, this adorable little bakery offers some of the most incredible donuts I’ve ever had. The staff was so friendly and I cannot wait to have more of these donuts in the future! Definitely worth the trip to Kentucky alone!

Big Four Bridge. Originally a railroad bridge, the pedestrian-only bridge opened in 2013 and allows people to easily walk from Kentucky to Indiana over the Ohio River! Parking near the bridge is free and the park is open 24/7! It offers a light show, music, and unbeatable views. But Ari will forever remember the Batman popsicle he had at the end of the bridge — haha!

Sunegros Coffee. I stumbled across this coffee shop one morning when I was out exploring on my own. I was beyond impressed with their espresso offerings. I wish I had a bit more time to settle into this place with my laptop, but, alas, time was a commodity. But I’ll be back, that’s for sure!

Louisville Slugger Museum. On one of our first trips to Louisville, we took Ari to the museum. He was too little to appreciate it, but Chad and I loved it. Chad loved the nostalgia of holding some of ‘the greats’ bats, and I loved the nerdiness of making the bats (they walk you through the factory and show you how they’re actually made!).

Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. We went out on a limb to find this place, friends. See, we saw all of the bourbon/whisky trail pamphlets that had very corporate ‘tours’ and whatnot. Those places looked fantastic (we checked them out, too), but they were full of people being literally bussed in for these bourbon trail tours. But this place? This place is off the beaten path. We walked a good quarter mile from Louisville Slugger, through a semi-sketch neighborhood, to find this place. But it didn’t disappoint. We tasted their rye whiskey… and it was… okay. I say that as someone who does not in any way like whiskey. But I could appreciate the process and the passion. Whiskey lover or not, it remains one of my favorite places.

I can’t wait to visit Louisville again, soon! And of course we will continue to explore — but is there any place that you would recommend we visit!?

 

Elevate, Play with Lark, SOAK, and Eat Local! // Embracing the Chaos

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We’ve been so crazy busy lately that we’ve hardly had a chance to slow down. It’s my own fault, really. I’m a chronic over-scheduler. It’s a blessing and a curse, friends. It really is.

See, I thrive on the crazy; I need the busy days. I need them because they make me feel accomplished. And slowing down just isn’t in my vocabulary. At least, not in this current season of my life.

So here’s what we’ve been up to as of late:

Lots and lots and lots of playing with the kids. Lucky for me, we have a standing playdate at the YMCA every day but Sunday (because, well, I’m there for 4-6 hours a day). So both kids really love (and need) this time with their friends.

But it’s been HOT, friends. Like, hot and crazy humid. Which has truly limited our outdoor play. However, I have felt a bit more comfortable playing outdoors with the kiddos knowing that Miss Bea is wearing moisture-wicking baby clothes from Lark.

If you haven’t heard of Lark, their mission is to make quality baby clothes that can easily endure the daily life of an active infant or toddler. They have developed a proprietary natural, eco-friendly moisture wicking fabric. Safer for babies sensitive skin than some of the synthetic wear that adults wear when outside or working out! Awesome, right!?

Well Miss Bea is truly comfortable in her rompers and bodysuits from Lark. And I breathe easy knowing the fabric is not only breathable, but free of synthetic fabric and chemicals, and is made in the USA!

And you can get free shipping on any order using this code: SHIPPING. Go support this awesome business, friends!

Living in my SOAK sandals. So I am weird about shoes. See, when I find shoes I love, I live in them. Like, I wear holes in my flats because I wear them every day and literally nothing else. So when I was offered a pair of slides from SOAK, a company right here in the United States, I truly didn’t know what to expect.

See, I have super high arches in my feet and it makes wearing anything slip-on quite difficult (and sometimes painful). But I’ve worn these every single day for the last 30 days and I’m in love.

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They’re comfortable, incredibly stylish, and crunchy-mama-friendly! Yep, not only are they made in Maine, but they are made from BPA-free recycled materials!

And so versatile! I’ve worn them with dresses and to my yoga classes! Seriously the only shoe I’ve needed (well, except for my running shoes to, well, run!).

Check out their full line of slides here and use code CHIC15 to save 15% off!

Yoga. Not quite #yogaeverydamnday, but my fire for yoga has been reignited, thanks to a couple of amazing yoga classes.

Last week I went to Elevate Akron, an annual outdoor yoga event here in my amazing city. It was powerful, friends. So powerful! I realized that all of the cycling, running, and strength training I’ve been doing has totally made me more physically fit — in ways I didn’t even realize before! I am so much stronger than I’d recently given myself credit for.

Oh, and I’m certain that the stretching and conditioning alongside the gymnasts I coach doesn’t hurt!

But then I decided to go, solo, to my first Yoga on Tap/Balance and Brews event. See, here in Northeast Ohio, we’ve been on the beer + yoga train for a long time — at least the last 4 years! But, sadly, I’ve never been able to actually make a class.

Well, that changed yesterday. I was elated to find out that Melissa of Balance and Brews was teaching a class right here in my own town, at HiHo Brewing Co.!

It was a great class and ended with a complimentary beer (the Smash Smash Pilz Pilz double pilsner was the bomb!).

So many markets! Guys, I’m a sucker for a good farmers market. Throw in some hand-crafted goodies? Double-sold.

Between the Cleveland Flea, the Akron Honey Market, and the Countryside Conservancy Market in Highland Square? We’ve been biz-zeeee! Busy getting delicious food, ya’ll!

Cycling. Kickboxing. and Gymnastics, Oh My! I’ve been working out non-stop and, like I said, I’m feeling so much stronger! One thing that’s truly been helping is how much I’ve been trying to remain committed to my schedule of workouts. At times it’s been a struggle, but it’s also been a saving grace during the crazy moments. As much as, in those moments, I want to just hide or cry or sleep, I find myself working out all of my frustrations and it’s helped me tremendously.

Sure, we’ve been busy. But it’s been perfect. Perfect chaos! So tell me — Do you thrive on chaos, like me? Or do you prefer to have unscheduled days and relaxing weekends!?

 

 

 

Explore Ohio // WRHS Hale Farm + Village { and a GIVEAWAY }

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After growing up in Northeast Ohio and after years of living in Cuyahoga Falls, I finally took an adventure I’d been meaning to for ages — I visited the Western Reserve Historical Society Hale Farm + Village! It did not disappoint, friends!

The Hale Farm + Village is located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and was the original homestead and farm of Jonathan Hale. It became the property of the Western Reserve Historical Society, whose main focus is to preserve the history and artifacts of the historic western reserve.

Remy and I decided to go on a relaxed visit one Sunday afternoon while the boys went to the movies. We saw glassblowing demonstrations, weaving demonstrations, candle-making demonstrations, and even an old-school musket demonstration!

That’s not even half of it! We explored the 90 acres of the Hale Farm while learning all about the agricultural practices and the life of our early settlers!

We loved it so much that I told Chad we absolutely needed to allgo as a family — and so just 6 short days after my initial visit, we found ourselves right back at Hale Farm!

We happened to be there during the Music in the Valley Folk + Wine Festival! Although we decided not to sample any wine, we did have a wonderful time listening to the folk musicians and creating our homemade musical instruments like they would in the old days!

In addition to Hale Farm + Village, the WRHS also includes the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel, the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, Costume Collection, Hay-McKinney and Bingham-Hanna Mansions, Kidzbits Family Hands-on Center and the Research Library!

We are beyond lucky to have this gem located right in our very own backyards! And their newest exhibit, Cleveland Starts Here, explores the history of Northeast Ohio and aims to help place historical context into our lives today! I cannot wait to check it out!

As a local institution, the WRHS wants to better-know it’s visitors and membership, so they are conducting a survey which is located here. One lucky survey participant will win a membership to the Western Reserve Historical Society (which includes the Hale Farm and Village as well as all of the other WRHS sites!).

In addition to that giveaway, I’m hosting another membership giveaway to the WRHS! — Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below! Winner from the rafflecopter giveaway will be announced and notified on 7/25/17.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

 

 

 

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post but I did receive a complimentary membership to the WRHS as an acting social media partner. As always, all opinions herein are my own.