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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!?

 

7 Tips for Safe Car Travel with Kids

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored from Car Junk Yards Near Me. 

With Summer nearing it’s end our vacation season is officially starting. That’s right — we’ve had several trips (one day trip, one weekend trip, and one week-long beach vacation) planned for quite some time. And with that comes quite a bit of travel anxiety. Well, atleast for me it does. I wasn’t always this anxious about travelling, but having children has certainly increased my level of nervousness. Like, tenfold.

In addition to making sure that we have all of the necessary equipment for our trip, road snacks, drinks, the right clothes, and everything else that comes with travelling with kids, I also worry that we won’t be safe enough.

We’ve all seen it — the awful mommy-shaming on Facebook for not having the proper chest strap alignment for a carseat; or the decision to move your three year old from rear-facing to forward-facing; or, God forbid, the choice to give your child a screen on a 9-hour drive. The shaming is ridiculous, yes. But in all seriousness, there’s a lot of truth in these safety concerns — we all wonder if we’re really ‘doing it right.’

So when it came to finding the perfect family car, we turned to Cars.com. At Cars.com we were able to do the proper research on safety ratings and reviews from real people — from real parents — just like us! With so many different makes, models, and vehicle-types, it could have been totally overwhelming. But I swear to you, it wasn’t. Before even choosing a dealership, we knew what we wanted. We knew the safety rating and that it would be the perfect vehicle for our growing family.

Armed with user reviews, average pricing, and all of the vehicle safety information a girl could want, we chose our dealership and picked out the perfect crossover SUV.

So besides getting the right car for your family, I’ve rounded up a list of other ways to travel safely through this vacation season!

Subscribe to AAA. A membership to AAA not only gets you discounts on all kinds of things (like hotels and outings), but it also ensures that if something does happen on your road trip, you will be ‘rescued’ by someone!

Pack a potty seat for your little ones. This may seem silly; but if you have more than one child and/or if you’re travelling without your partner, you may find yourself in a situation where you’re trying to shuffle 2+ tiny children through a busy rest area. That can be dangerous not only because of other vehicles, but also because of human trafficking. I’ve taken to just bringing along a potty seat to make potty pit stops a bit… ‘easier.’

Get your vehicle maintenance done at least two weeks before your trip. This will give you time in case something unexpected arises during your visit. For instance, what if you find that you have a damaged tie rod during the appointment? It’s best to know these things well enough in advance of your road trip that you have proper time for repairs.

Plan your route ahead of time. There will likely be construction or traffic jams to slow you down. Map out a list of potential stops or breaks, both for your childrens sanity and for your safety (frequent breaks are good for your body and your mind — and can help you refocus for the drive ahead!). Perhaps you won’t need to stop at that nifty roadside attraction; but at least you’ll know where they are just in case.

Check your spare tire kit and pack a first aid kit. Because who the heck knows what could happen! I keep a first aid kit in my trunk, right next to the jack. You really just don’t know what might arise (kids, ya’ll).

Hydrate and have plenty of water on hand. As moms we often think of the ‘worst case’ scenario. Well, what if you were stranded. Just, what if?? As inconvenient as it may be to make potty stops, make sure you and your family are remaining hydrated. Also, keep a jug of distilled water in the trunk of your car in case of an emergent situation. If all goes well, it will remain there. But you will have it for peace of mind if nothing else.

Drive safe and steady. There is no race. You will not win a prize for arriving at your destination 10 minutes earlier. Just drive safe. Remain aware of your surroundings. Don’t text and drive. Assign your co-pilot as your navigator. Slow down for stopped vehicles. Stay buckled. Just, please. Please.

With these tips in mind, I hope you spend the rest of your Summer days travelling the world, the country, or, heck!, even just your backyard!

And tell me — what is your best tried and true travel tip!?

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.

 

Explore Ohio // Wooster { and a GIVEAWAY! }

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I have to admit — I’m really loving this “Explore Ohio” series! Not only does it give me a chance to give ya’ll a virtual tour of my favorite places, but it’s a way of reminding myself exactly why I love living here. There is always somewhere new to explore — like these kid-friendly things to do in Amish country!

Well on my recent trip to Wayne County I spent a whole 24-hours in Wooster, Ohio. Wooster, pronounced Wuh-stir, is just 35-miles southwest of Akron — but, until recently, I had never been!

These were my honest thoughts of Wooster, prior to my visit: “It’s a place where people go to camp, right??” I’m not certain why I thought that, but I did.

Boy was I surprised!

Besides surprised, I was also very nervous because this trip to Wooster was an overnight — and would mean my very first overnight without Miss Bea. But upon check-in at the St. Paul Hotel, I completely ‘checked out’ from my children. No joke.

First of all, the St. Paul Hotel?? Gorgeous! Absolutely stunning. With 17, newly renovated rooms, this unique boutique hotel has culture written all over it!

Our room featured a luxurious king-sized bed amidst a rustic, rust-belt-chic setting. And the bathroom? Heated… freaking… floors! And a TV in the mirror, ya’ll!

And don’t even get me started on this shower! My only disappointment was that I couldn’t spend more time snuggled up in this bed. No joke. I mean, for us, we could have spent an entire week inside this hotel room! That’s how bad we needed a getaway!

Here are my other must-see spots in Wooster, Ohio!

Broken Rocks Cafe. Fresh baked bread, exposed brick, delicious seasonal eats — what more could you want!? I had the chicken salad sandwich (which comes on amazing focaccia!) and a side of jojos. Jojos are basically seasoned + deep fried potato wedges. It’s a regional thing to call them jojos. I never understood it until I moved to Akron.

Chad had the Kung Pao Woodfired Pizza. It was amazing! The sauce was beautifully balanced with the crispy veggies and crust!

The Ohio Light Opera. This professional opera company is located on the Wooster College campus and features operettas and musical theater from June through August. They perform several shows a day, and several different shows at a time!

We happened to catch them during a rehearsal for Say Anything, and, even though we only caught about 30 minutes, I seriously could have stayed and watched them perform all day!

Our group was lucky enough to also go on a little backstage tour, where we saw so many people hard at work! Costume design, set design, and all of the props!

It was an amazing experience, and I have so much more respect for those who work in the theater industry! It’s clear they do it out of passion!

Faithful Little Cupcake. A bakery that specializes in all kinds of specialty cakes, but also sells cupcakes in their storefront, has a passion for ‘paying it forward.’ For every wedding cake sold, the bakers donate a birthday cake to a child that, otherwise, wouldn’t have one.

PS. Their cupcakes are the bomb. THE bomb.

Blue Spruce  Boutique. This boutique is life, y’all. I mean, imagine a smaller, more inexpensive version of Anthropologie + Magnolia combined into one! I could have spent hours and all of my bank account in this store! In fact, the next time I’m in the market for something fancy shmancy, I’m heading here!

Spoon Market. The small-town market of my dreams… We stopped here real quick for a drink at their bar before dinner. They have a full bar with craft beer on tap, craft beer in bottles, and make cocktails to order. The bar only seats about 10-14 people, but the market itself has tables lined up throughout.

The vibe is chill. Very, very, chill. A few of us decided to play a game of Cards Against Humanity (I mean, how can you not when the cards are just sitting there on the bar!?) and it was a blast.

The next day I came back to shop even more. They offer Jeni’s ice cream, a full deli, and eclectic wine selection. Basically, the perfect place to swing by and pick up a bottle of wine and some cheese before your next dinner party.

Tulipan Hungarian Pastry and Coffee Shop. Think of the most divine little coffee shop and pastry shop. This. This is it. The pastries and intricate, hand-painted cookies were not only beautiful to look at, but were some of the best flaky baked goods I’ve ever eaten.

We were tempted to come back the next morning for their chicken paprikash crepes, but we opted to sleep in instead!

Basil Asian Bistro. I’m a bit tough on Asian restaurants, but this one meets the cut 100%! They offer all kinds of sushi, traditional asian dishes, as well as thai dishes!

We may have tried a little bit of everything and this is what I can tell you:

1  You must try the dry ice martinis.

2  The calamari is the best I’ve ever had. Perfect amount of spices/salt/pepper and crunch!

3  My pad thai was on par with what I hold to very very snobbishly high pad thai standards. I can’t help it. I just really love pad thai! 😛

We were excited to hear that the owner of this restaurant also owns two more closer to us in Akron, so we’ll definitely be back to see him very very soon!

Sure House Coffee. On a whim I swung into this coffee shop near our hotel. I walked in and I totally knew it was my kind of coffee shop. With air plants on the wall and a limited menu (think pour overs, brewed coffee, and simple espresso combinations), I could tell the coffee would be fabulous. So I ordered a coconut milk latté to-go, but I so wish I could have stayed!

And I’m SO excited to hear that they are opening up a second location in the Northside District in Akron! Hooray! My dreams have come true!

Even though our kids were not with us on this trip to Wooster, there was not one single place on this trip that I wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing them along. And I just love finding new family-friendly day-trip destinations! I can’t wait to come back and explore more.

And now, a giveaway! That’s right – I’m hosting a giveaway for a $25 gift card to one of my favorite places to shop here in Ohio (and they do have a lot of locations elsewhere, too!) — Giant Eagle! Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter!

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Thank you to HER Realtors for sponsoring todays post and giveaway. As always, all opinions herein are my own!

Explore Ohio // Wayne County

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Confession: I grew up in Amish country.

Okay, so many of you may already know that about me; but some of you may not know what exactly that means. It means that our high school consisted of students from 3 different towns coming together to attend school (but still only graduating with 83 people); it means that we had “drive your tractor to school day;” it means my best friend in elementary school was amish — and, yes, I’ve ridden in a buggy several times; oh — and it means that my hometown doesn’t even have so much as a flashing yellow light, let alone a stoplight!

So when I was recently asked to visit Wayne County, Ohio — also considered amish country AND home of the Ohio Light Opera — I was intrigued, but skeptical. I mean, how could amish country impress a little country bumpkin like me!? 😛

But guys. Wayne County changed me. Well, that may be a tad bit dramatic; but I seriously never would have or could have imagined that this place just an hour from my home in Akron, could be so amazing!

We started our grand tour of greater Wayne County by heading out to Lehman’s Hardware Store. My friend kerry had mentioned that I would love Lehman’s. But neither her nor their slogan of “for a simpler life,” didn’t convince me.

But approximately 3 minutes into our trip into the amazingness that is Lehman’s, I was sold. SOLD, ya’ll! I mean, it didn’t hurt that this place was comprised of so many of both mine and Chad’s favorite things — we just didn’t realize that this constituted “homesteading”!

Rain barrels, compost bins, old-fashioned push-mowers, cast-iron skillets, and wood-burning stoves — you name it! In fact, the other girls on the trip were surprised by how much of what they offer we already incorporate into our daily lives. I suppose we’re semi-homesteaders of some sort?? Who knew!?

Our next stop was Quince Bakery and Café. I can honestly say that never did I expect some of the finest bread and baked goods to come from a tiny bakery in Wayne County, Ohio! I mean, I find myself to be a bit of a baked-goods snob. In fact, my husband and friends tend to poke fun at me for being the kind of person that simply must buy and taste all of the baked goods, but only to hoard them. Is there a “Hoarders: Baked Goods Edition”??!! I kid!

I. am. in love with the food from this tiny bakery — and thrilled to find out that she travels to Akron for the Countryside Conservancy Market in Highland Square every Thursday! Hooray!

And somehow I convinced her to let me buy some of the amazingly soft and fluffy focaccia bread she was saving for the market! I could eat only this bread for the rest of my life, ya’ll! Seriously.

Next up was a quick stop by Shisler’s Cheese House. Shisler’s is a teeny, hole-in-the-wall, kinda place, with delicious, soft, swiss cheese on the counter for patrons to try. It was delicious and this family-owned business (for THREE generations!) had such an awesome vibe!

Believe it or not, there was still time (and room!) for more baked goods! That’s right — we stopped by the Dutch Kitchen Bakery, a mennonite and amish bakery in the heart of Wayne County, for a tour of the bakery (ya’ll those mixers were HUGE!).

The manager told us that an old Amish woman comes in every morning (sometimes at 3am!) to make all of the dough for the pies and fry pies — every single day!! PS. We had a strawberry rhubarb fry pie and bumbleberry fry pie. They did not disappoint. 😉

And, I mean, look at the size of this donut!! Crazypants!!

Our next stop was a place I’d been meaning to visit for a very long time — the J.M. Smucker Company Store + Café. Little known fact that our great state of Ohio is home to the Smucker’s corporation — which is actually headquarters to Jif, Pillsbury, Crisco, Dickinson’s, Hungry Jack, Santa Cruz Organics, Folgers, and Dunkin Donuts, to name a few!

I was in shopping heaven! We may or may not have bought a plethora of jams and juices to bring home (I mean, when in Rome, Wayne County, right?!).

We rounded out or day in Wayne, County with a trip to the Pine Tree Barn. The Pine Tree Barn restaurant, the Granary, which is only open for lunch, features amazing house-made salads, entrees, and desserts.

The food and desserts were amazing! And so was the infused iced tea. OMG we drank so much of that, it’s ridiculous. And after our lunch we wandered through the old barn, which acts as a furniture and furnishings store.

I also told my husband that we MUST come back during the holidays for a carriage ride and to cut down our own Christmas tree!

Chad and I have already discussed our next trip to Wayne County! Another trip to Lehman’s and Quince are definitely in order — soon! Thankfully, we’re only an hour away from this delightful place! I hope that you’ll consider visiting Wayne County, Ohio for your next weekend getaway!

 

 

Thank you to the Wayne County CVB for sponsoring this trip! As always, all opinions herein are my own. #DoWoo

Kentucky Round Up!

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Hey! Did you know we went to Kentucky (or as Ari calls it ‘Tucky) three weeks ago!? Yep! We did! And honestly, the last two-plus weeks haven’t been hard. We’ve just been busy. And I’ve had a hard time concentrating on pretty much everything (helloooooo, three different to-do lists that need to be condensed!).

But Kentucky was our first real/kind of vacation as a family of four.

It took us EIGHT HOURS to make a 5.5 hour trip (#ThanksRemy). But we made it.

We had to stop about an hour from home because Remy had pooped and wanted to eat. Yayyyy infants. 🙁

She seriously screamed the entire drive… which was super fun and not at all anxiety-inducing… Sigh.

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But we made it. And when we got there we settled in and ate (a very late for us) dinner! To be honest, the whole sleeping situation was even more rough. Not because it was uncomfortable; but because our children are sleep demons. Ari and Chad slept in a queen bed and I slept in a room with Remy. She, of course, hated sleeping in the pack and play. And woke up frequently.

Thursday morning my mom and Ari made pancakes for everyone — and it was totally cute. The pancakes were very heavy on the blueberries! Ha! 😛

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After our delicious breakfast, Mimi and I went to get pedicures! I’ll admit – I’ve had very few (if any?) indulgences since Remy was born; but Mimi wanted to treat me and my little piggies to some pampering! A little girls time was just what the doctor ordered!

We ended up spending the rest of our day relaxing before grabbing some dinner at this incredible Ethiopian restaurant, Queen of Sheba.

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Traditional Ethiopian food is served ‘family style,’ and without utensils! The spongey-bread is the only utensil you need! Surprisingly, the kiddos did awesome. Not surprisingly, we l-o-v-e-d our amazing meal. Seriously. We need to find an Ethiopian restaurant nearby in Ohio!

Other items of note during our trip — Ari got to play with Legos. Like, a lot. I mean, I know that’s business as usual for him. But we ended up finding this Lego resale shop that specializes in minifigures. It was totally cool. They even do birthday parties! If we were local we would totally be having his fourth birthday party there.

Oh! Chad and I got out for a date day without the kiddos! Okay, so it was really like three hours. But still! It was fabulous!

We went to a neighborhood in Louisville called NuLu — which is very Ohio City-esque (if we’re comparing Cleveland to L-ville!). They happened to be having a neighborhood block party.

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We wandered around, in and out of little boutiques. Being in bourbon country almost made me want to drink bourbon. Almost. 😛

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We ventured into a crazy antique store that was… trippy, to say the least. But there were fun-house mirrors! :O

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How fun! Post-fun-house/little shop of horrors, we grabbed some (Nashville) Hot Chicken. Add grits, slaw, and potatoes to the mix? Hea-ven.

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For reals. We LOVE this food. Love it.

Later that night we all — meaning me, Chad, Mimi, Poppy, Ari and Remy — all went to downtown Louisville to walk the bridge over to Indiana! It was HOT. And our kids were straight-up losing it. But the views were incredible (even if we did bribe Ari with ice cream — real talk, friends).

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To be honest, the rest of our trip was spent just lounging around. It was really nice to visit. And I’m seriously surprised I was able to post this update before our next trip to ‘Tucky! :p :p