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Kent

Why Wait? Open an Ohio 529 Plan Today

September 19, 2019 by Rachel 50 Comments

September is already upon us and the school year is back in full swing! Moms everywhere are already tired of packing lunches, helping with homework, and scrambling for outfits every morning.

But the thing is is that the end of the school year will be here before we know it. And then another Summer will fly by. Then we’ll be starting another school year. And soon enough, those kids we were sending off to kindergarten will be graduating high school. It will all happen before we know it.

As a parent still struggling with their own student loan debt, I knew I wanted to set my own children up for success from the start. So Chad and I started a 529 Plan for Ari when he started school.

Kid in green shirt

What is a 529 Plan?

A 529 Savings Plan is a lot like a 401k. It’s an easy, tax-friendly way to save for your children’s higher education. Ohio’s 529 Plan can be used across the country for 2-year and 4-year programs as well as technical schools.

Ohio’s 529 plan makes it incredibly easy to open and start saving for the future. They offer tools like the College Savings Planner to help you figure out how much your investment will impact your students’ future education. You can also check out this Cost Of Waiting Tool to see just how inaction can negatively impact your higher education finances.

Right now my first grader wants to be a YouTuber. But, heck, at his age I wanted to be a singer. Things change… quickly. In 5 years he may want to be a doctor or even a welder. Who knows.

But I do know that he will have options. He can decide whether a two or 4-year school is in his cards. He can decide if a trade school will be best for him.

First Day of School Dress

It’s so easy to get started.

There are only a few things you truly need to start Ohio’s 529 plan.

  1. Your ID, social security number, telephone number, address, your date of birth, and your mothers maiden name.
  2. The telephone number, social security number, address, and date of birth of your successor (someone to take over the account should something happen to you).
  3. And lastly, the date of birth, telephone number, address, and social security number of the person you’re saving for.

That’s it. Easy peasy, right? Exactly.

Kids on a hay bale

So why wait?

Don’t. Give your children the tools they need to be successful. Engage them in learning and nurture their passions. But also provide them with the financial support they will need in the future, now.

Click here to get started with your very own Ohio 529 Plan.

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Filed Under: #MomLife, back-to-school, children, cleveland, Columbus, Columbus Ohio, Cuyahoga Falls, family, giveaway, Kent, mommyhood, money saving tips, Ohio, parenthood, school, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, back-to-school, children, cleveland, columbus, Cuyahoga Falls, family, giveaway, Kent, money saving tips, motherhood, ohio, parenthood, school, tips + tricks

Explore Ohio // Kent

January 17, 2018 by Rachel 33 Comments

Ohio in Winter — is cold — but it’s also a gorgeous time to explore our local community. It’s hard not to think about moving when the temperatures are -15 degrees. But heck! even if I could, I wouldn’t move out of Ohio. Nope. I’d move to this gem in the Short North, Columbus. (Listed on HER realty — OMG isn’t it gorgeous!?)

But, alas, I won’t be moving anytime soon. But if you live in Ohio one of the places you’ll hear about frequently is Kent.

Kent, Ohio is home to Kent State University, which is primarily what people think of when they hear “Kent.” But there is so much more to Kent than just the university! Really! I promise!

Fresco Mexican Grill and Salsa Bar.  Fresh is definitely the name of the game of this restaurant, which sits at the corner of Erie Street and Water Street.

Everything is prepared to order and comes out quickly! From their tacos (order three, you won’t regret it but you will be full), to burritos, to salads, Fresco blows those other fast-food mexican restaurants out of the water! And, of course, bottomless chips. FRESHLY made bottomless chips, that is, with a huge selection of house-made salsas! Oh – and 60 hot sauces sit next to the salsa bar, in case you need to turn up the heat a little more! 😉

If you’re coming after work for a quick dinner, grab a frozen sangria or frozen margaritas (or try a mix of Sangria + Margarita combined!)

Haymaker Farmers’ Market.  Every Saturday of the year people from all over come out to this farmers’ market — which just so happens to be the oldest farmers’ market in Portage County. Their mission is to bring local food and community together. Their vendors range from artisan soaps to fresh fruits and vegetables. Oh — and Ohio City Pasta and pour over coffee!

My favorite part is the space — located underneath the Haymaker overpass bridge! It’s a gorgeous location for their outdoor market.

Tree City Coffee.  Stop in at any time of day to pick up one of their signature Tree City Maple Lattés and a homemade biscuit, because they truly are delicious! And I can get behind any place that has ethically sourced coffee with direct trade.

Also? They make their own peanut butter concoctions and offer them in a variety of ways on the menu. Like the fluffernutter sandwich, made with their freshly ground peanut butter and marshmallow fluff!

If you don’t have time to stay and relax, they do offer a super convenient drive-thru (which, I’ve hit up more times than I care to admit).

Brimfield Bread Oven.  Located just a couple of miles outside of downtown, this little gem is a true hidden treasure. All of their breads are homemade daily and baked in a woodfired oven. They serve breakfast treats, like morning buns, pretzel croissants, and danishes, as well as a huge variety of breads — including a local HiHo Beer Bread!

Honestly, everything I’ve had from here is delicious, but I have yet to try their woodfired pizza (served most days, but only in the evenings). I keep telling Chad that we must go for a date night, like, soon!

Freedom Trail.  This trail, I think, is one of the most underutilized flat trails in all of Summit Metro Parks! From the Kent trailhead (located off of Northeast Avenue) to Howe Ave, it’s 2-miles of mostly flat running or biking trail. Which means when I want to take the kids in the double-stroller for a run, this is the most perfect place for it! A total of four easy miles, surrounded by huge trees, close to the KSU airport (so lots of sights for the kids to see in the skies), and the occasional train blaring in the distance.

It’s truly my go-to place for running and if you have never been, I highly suggest checking it out!

Peace, Love, and Little Donuts.  And like any ‘good runner’ I like to eat donuts after my 4-mile run! 😛 I kid (kind of)!

But if you are looking for a place with fresh donuts (and gluten free options), that are customized right in front of your eyes with all kinds of toppings (think caramel, fruity pebbles, and basically any other form of sugar you can think of), you’ll want to stop in to Peace, Love, and Little Donuts of Kent.

I, of course, seem to always opt for the plain donuts because there’s just something about a powdered sugar cake donut — you can’t go wrong!

101 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.  Switching things up a little bit, but this place needs a mention. Kent has no shortage of places to sip and savor your favorite beers and wines thanks to the university students. But 101 Bottles is different. It’s not a college hangout — it’s a craft beer mecca.

Offering individual bottles, six packs, cases, growlers, and kegs of your favorite craft beers, 101 Bottles has truly made it’s name for itself in the area. Want a beer that is hard to find like Bodhi? or Bell’s Hopslam? or the latest from 3 Floyds? This place always gets it. And if you sign up for their text message alerts, you’ll be alerted when all of your favorites are in.

Stop in to check them out and stay for a flight at their bar area!

Lucky Penny Creamery.  I am hardly the farmer type of gal, but I’ve run into the folks from Lucky Penny too many times to fail to mention them. If you’re looking to purchase goats milk, cheese, cajeta, or just see how it’s it made, head to Lucky Penny Farms and see how their beautiful dairy goats make delicious cheese!

If you can’t make it to Kent, you can always find their cheese and milk at the Haymaker market, Countryside Conservancy market, or at Mustard Seed.

Where is your favorite place to explore in Kent, Ohio!? 

 

 

 

 

This post is a partnership with Nakturnal. As always, all opinions herein are my own.

Filed Under: Akron, beer, brews + food, cleveland, Columbus Ohio, explore locally, Explore Ohio, Family Travel, fitness, food, Kent, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, pictures, restaurants + bars, review, road trip, shop local, sponsor, Travel Adventures Tagged With: akron, brews + food, cleveland, columbus, craft beer, explore locally, explore Ohio, Family Travel, fitness, food, Kent, mommyhood, NEO, ohio, restaurants + bars, review, shop local, sponsor, Travel Adventures

Crafty Mart // Explore + Shop Locally

December 7, 2016 by Rachel 6 Comments

Thanksgiving weekend was the shortest, long weekend in the history of weekends, friends. We laid really, really, low for most of it. But I did manage to sneak out with Remy Bea on Saturday to go to one of my favorite local events — Crafty Mart. Crafty Mart is Akron, Ohio’s market for all things handmade! It’s honestly just an awesome collection of locally-made eclectic finds.

And I freaking love it!

First of all, it’s at, like, all of my favorite places — Musica, Summit Artspace and the Akron Art Museum! There really isn’t a place big enough to hold all of the vendors here in Akron, so they are split between three, very close, locations.

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Remy Bea and I started out at the Akron Art Museum. We left the boys at home and just wandered around. It’s honestly been a couple of months since we visited, so it was nice to see the new exhibits while checking out the vendors. I don’t recall what this big red exhibit was, but you could walk into it. It was fun!

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Here are some of my favorite vendors and local artisans from the event:

  • Norka Beverage. Hand-crafted artisan beverages made right here in Akron in 1924. After being out of the business for over 50 years, this local business has been given a new life! It’s been revived and given a new life!
  • Whiskertin Lighting. Bringing incredible industrial brightness to new spaces! I absolutely loved all of their pieces — and wish I could purchase them all!
  • The Social Dept. Graphic designers turned screen-printers turn local midwestern t-shirt makers! Gotta love Blimp apparel in the Rubber City!
  • Department 100. 3D printers turned artists. Ohio-shaped fly-swatters; Ohio-shaped earrings; Ohio-shaped cookie cutters; and so much more!
  • Akron Coffee Roasters. I’ve long been jealous of all of the local coffee roasters that Cleveland has. Sure, we’re close to Cleveland, but Akron has been long overdue at having a good coffee shop. They roast their own beans and can tell you exactly where your coffee has come from! Give me a pour over, stat!
  • Bacon’s Superior Beard Care. Beard oil and mustache was for the special furry man in your life! Made with a blend of beeswax, lanolin, and jojoba oil — and it smells delicious!
  • Studio KMR Photography. My dear friend Kevin takes amazing photos and turns them into awesome works of art. Ari is a big fan of all of his coasters and magnets (which he insists on taking off of our fridge and hiding…).
  • BreadAndRoses2. These. bags. are. ADORBS.
  • France France Kids Shop. Adorable kids clothes, made by hand, right here in Kent, Ohio!

I just can’t stop loving Crafty Mart — or shopping from local vendors! Seriously! Whether you live here in Ohio or not, I urge you to check out local makers in your area. There are so many amazing crafters out there. Just go and explore them. Buy from them. And support the economy in a big way by shopping in small ways! ♥ ♥

 

Filed Under: Akron, cleveland, coffee, crafty, Crafty Mart, creative, crunchy granola, events, explore locally, Kent, life, Ohio Tagged With: akron, cleveland, coffee, crafty, crafty mart, creative, crunchy granola, events, explore locally, Kent, life, ohio

Weekend Wrap Up //

June 15, 2016 by Rachel 1 Comment

It was another one of those weekends. The kind of weekend that makes my heart pitter-patter. I went to bed SO full of happy on Sunday night. Seriously. I was just… happy!

My mom and dad arrived around noon on Friday. We got them settled in and then headed to lunch over at Retro Dog. Retro Dog has long-been one of my favorite fast-casual spots. Well, because, it’s hot dogs. Obvy. But it’s not just any hot dogs. It’s Sahlen’s Hot Dogs… a freakin’ Buffalo tradition!

Seriously, friends. These natural-casing hot dogs are amazing. And my dad feels like he needs to go to Retro Dog every time he’s in town! Which is totally fine by me.

It turns out Fox 8 was on-site filming a segment for New Day Cleveland. The owner knows us (because we share a strong love of hot dogs, root beer, and Buffalo).

The owner came right up to me and said “Oh my gosh this couldn’t be more perfect timing! They don’t believe that our best customers happened to *just* walk in!” and threw us a Retro Dog shirt to put on Ari!

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The camera crew came over to film us and Ari started cheesing in the worst way. Seriously, THE worst. They said they are going to use the footage, but seriously it’s of Ari shoving hot dogs in his mouth and making funny faces at the camera. Ha!

Post-Retro Dog we headed out to get Ari a new pair of shoes. I know that sounds lame, but it seriously made him SO happy! And we were even able to squeeze in a quick swim at the wading pool with Mimi and Poppy!

Friday evening we all headed out to dinner and then to bed early. Thank goodness!

Saturday morning was rough. Remy had a really rough night and I was desperate for a break from her. I ended up powering through the morning, some way, some how.

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My mom and I took Remy to the Freedom Trail and went for a run. Meanwhile, Chad, Ari, and Poppy went to Lowe’s for their Build & Grow workshop. Afterward we all met up in Kent for lunch at Fresco Mexican Grill. Think Chipotle, but locally owned and wayyyyy better. That’s Fresco!

We also had a chance to walk through Haymaker Farmers Market! It was our first market of the season and it was a beautiful day for it! Ari and Chad shared a popsicle from PopSmith (rhubarb or something?)… and we walked and enjoyed ourselves.

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Oh, and we stopped by the newly-opened Peace, Love, and Little Donuts!

They had a super impressive spread of little donuts! And the most impressive part? Was the fact that they made these beauties right in front of us!

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When we asked Ari which flavor he wanted, he replied that he wanted just plain ol’ chocolate. Kiddo! For real?? But we made sure to get a bunch of different flavors to try out. And they were all delicious! My dad (half-) joked that he was going to go get a dozen just for himself. He didn’t (this time), but he likely will next time he’s in town.

And Saturday evening we headed to Mimi & Poppy’s hotel for a quick swim in the pool. I mean, Ari wouldn’t stop asking to go for a swim in the pool at the pool. Of course, when we got to the pool, he was terrified to go in (I knew he would be). I somehow convinced him to come in with me and he did great!

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Post-swim we headed back to the house for a cookout. Chad made amazing burgers and cucumber salad while Ari played in the backyard with Poppy. Mimi snuggled Miss Remy Bea and finally got her to settle down (thank goodness for Mimi!).

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Everyone passed the heck out after that kind of day! And I was lucky enough to have had a chance to sleep next to a very lovey toddler instead of the very-clingy baby! No, she didn’t take a bottle; but Chad just brought her in once or twice to feed, and then took her right back out! I was so grateful to have had that time with Ari (and a bit more sleep!).

I definitely needed every second of that.

On Sunday my mom and I cleaned the whole house. Well, almost the whole house (Ari’s room is a disaster area. For reals.). Because I was hosting a little in-home shopping party for some girlfriends!

We had so much fun sipping sangria (even if I did forget one fairly important ingredient!), snacking on finger-food, and shopping LuLaRoe!

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Mimi left in the middle of the party (but not before purchasing seven — yes SEVEN — items!) to go home to Kentucky [insert sad face]. But after the party the kids and I picked up right where our busy weekend left off!

I decided to drag the kids on a solo trip to the Keyser Barn for their first of the summer concert series! While it was a short trip (thanks, Remy, for that meltdown), we did have some fun!

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And with that, our weekend is totally, completely, wrapped up! So much fun!

Filed Under: #MomLife, #SweatPink, Akron, Ari Davis, babies, baby girl, busy mom, children, cleveland, events, explore locally, family, friends, fun, Kent, life, live happy, love, mommyhood, Moosh, NEO, Oh baby!, Ohio, parenthood, pictures, Remy Bea, running, summer, weekend, workout Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, ari davis, babies, being a mom, busy mom, children, explore locally, family, fitness, food, friends, Kent, life, life with a toddler, Live Happy, local, marriage, Moosh, motherhood, NEO, oh baby, ohio, parenthood, pictures, running, weekend, workout

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