Sunday, July 31, 2011

Coney Island - Cincinnati, Ohio

The girls and me on the carousel.
Fun house mirrors!

 
Fountain near the rides

Bumper Cars

 

These are some of our photographs from a recent trip we took to Coney Island. We had a great time!! This was not our first trip to this family style amusement park and it will not be our last! It is fun, affordable and family friendly. This place has a lot of things to do! Consider making it a two day event. Get a sunlite pool pass for one day and a classic ride pass for the second day. This way you can take your time. Be careful of the sun. This place can be exhausting!
 
Bella "Driving" a stationary firetruck



Playground


Ivy showing off her face paint

It was not even moving yet and Bella was already having fun!

The Details:
Location: 6201 Kellogg Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45230
Prices: Ticket for Sunlite Pool & Classic rides $21.95 for ages 5 and up
Tickets for Ages 2-4 $9.95
After 4 pm $11.95
Tickets for Sunlite pool only: $11.95 for ages 5 and up and $3.95 for 2-4 year olds
Tickets for Classic Rides only: $11.95 for 5 & up and $6.95 for 2-4 year olds
Parking $7.00
You can buy tickets on-line at a discount!




Penguins - Florence Branch, Boone County Public Library, Florence, KY

We were recently lucky enough to take Ivy to this show at the library. The Newport Aquarium brought a penguin to the Florence branch of the Boone County Library!
It was amazing! Ivy is a huge Penguin fan. She even wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up! It has been her thing for years. There was a marine biologist at the show! She got to talk to her for a few minutes one on one. She was so excited. She has since told me what the lady said about a million times. That short conversation has become a huge moment for her.
The show began with them bringing out the penguin and talking to the kids and adults about the aquarium. They talked about what they do for the penguins. They explained what the penguins do in the wild. The penguin they brought was an African penguin. At the end of the speech they allowed the kids to come up. The penguin was in a small fiber glass box. They were asked not to touch him but the could get very close. Ivy did not want to turn away long enough to even let me get this photo, lol. After I got one photo of her with the penguin I handed her the camera and let her get pictures of the penguin. She took around 50! I was shocked but she asked if I could put them on a disk for her. I was so grateful for the opportunity to give her the experience of being up close and personal with a penguin and being able to talk to a marine biologist! I would like to say thank you to not only the Newport aquarium for their people and penguin coming in but also to the library for hosting this event! I would also love to say thank you to the wonderful woman who took the time to speak with her. She will remember this day forever!

Family Dinner at Olive Garden - Florence, Kentucky

Last night we had dinner at the Olive Garden on Mall road in Florence, Kentucky. I had a really busy day and did not want to cook. We all needed a night off! We threw caution to the wind and embraced a high calorie but fantastic meal! Olive Garden is a very pretty restaurant with amazing food and a great wait staff. I must state up front that this is not a budget dinner but it is not outrageous either. Dinner for the four of us ran just under $50. We did not drink any vino (wine) though because the price stacks up quickly! I had a bottle chilled and waiting at home.

We started with a pick two sampler appetizer. We got stuffed mushrooms and ravioli. You get six of each. The ravioli was wonderful. It was lightly breaded and fried. It came with a thick tomato sauce for dipping. Not good for you by any means but yummy. I am normally a huge mushroom fan but I was not impressed with these. Ivy loved them however.

The Eggplant Parm caught my eye on the dinner menu. It was great! I got five eggplant slices and spaghetti on the side. Michael, my husband, got Carbonara Ravioli with Chicken. I tried a bite of each. They were just as good as the eggplant! Their kids meals are set up so the kids get choices. They pick a pasta and a sauce. Bella, my toddler, got small shells and red meat sauce. You can add a protein to a kids meal for a $1.25. This is what Ivy did. She got Fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp. She said it was very tasty. The kids also got to chose a side. Ivy got mashed potatoes, which I thought was a little weird. I normally would not allow two carbs in one meal but this was a special outing. We let the kids pick whatever they want when we go out. It is not an issue because we do this so rarely! I got Bella grapes for her side.

They also brought a huge bowl of salad with Italian dressing and a basket of hot, fresh bread sticks to the table for all of us to share. The salad and bread sticks are unlimited. They will gladly refill either or both as many times as you want. This was not an issue for us. We had way too much food!! While we greatly enjoy food we are not huge eaters. We can all eat a decent sized meal but everything here was double sized! The waiter packed up half of all our meals except Bella's. We brought almost her entire meal home. She only ate a few bites of her pasta. She did have a bread stick and some salad. She was so overwhelmed by the environment that she spared little time for eating. She enjoyed herself, talking to people who walked by, coloring on the kids menu and checking out her large cloth napkin. They ended the dinner by bringing us our doggie bag with our packed up leftovers and mints for all of us.

It was a great dinner! Next time I will not order appetizers. There was too much food for us. The place does have a good atmosphere. It is the kind of place that allows you to linger and enjoy your food. Granted we were a little later then the normal dinner rush which may have impacted this fact. We got there at about 8pm. During the weekend dinner rush our experience could have been much different. The place was still busy but there was not a line waiting to be seated. For popular restaurants it typically pays to go early or wait until a little late. The service tends to be better because the staff is helping less people. At some places we have visited even the food is better when you visit outside of the peak hours.

The Details:
Location: 7848 Mall Road, Florence, KY 41042
Phone number: (859) 371-5425
Ordered: 1 appetizer, 2 adult dinners plus drinks, and 2 kids meals
Cost: $48 plus tip
If I had it to do over: I would drop the appetizer!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Urban Art

These are some of my urban art photographs. They were taken in Covington, Ky at various locations.
Nature Will Find a Way by: Crystal Jackson

Overtaken by: Crystal Jackson
Nature takes over by: Crystal Jackson

They love me, They Love me knot by: Crystal Jackson
Brick by Brick by: Crystal Jackson

Abandoned by: Crystal Jackson

Twilight Walk  by: Crystal Jackson
In between by: Crystal Jackson

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Art Keepers

Are these not the cutest? I was so impressed with how this worked out I had to share it with you! For those of you that do not know I am a full time student, even in the summer! This is finals week. My last class is tomorrow for summer term. I needed something to occupy the kids. I got to looking around the house for something for them to do and found a stack of large envelopes. Ivy and I were just discussing the other day that we needed something to store her artwork in. I thought well these would be good for that and if they decorate them it would be even better! I gave them stickers, crayons and additional art supplies for Ivy. The only thing I asked was that they put their names on them. I wrote Bella's on the front of hers and Ivy wrote hers on the back of hers. Then I left them to it. They made these beauties! Not only do I now have something cute to keep their art in, It also kept them busy for about an hour and a half!! I got some homework finished and they had some sisterly bonding time. It was a beautiful thing all around!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Mitchell Memorial Forest and Miami Whitewater Forest - Ohio

We recently decided to spend a day checking out a couple of parks in Hamilton County, Ohio. The first was Mitchell Memorial Forest. We walked down Wood Duck Nature Trail. The shot on the left was of an old dam. The pond area that it traps is full of lilies! We unfortunately missed them blooming but I think we may try to return to see them in bloom. You can barely see this dam from the family friendly trail. You will have to do a little off trail to get this close. Be forewarned there is a fence between you and this. I know, I know but this was too pretty to pass up! It was only a small detour and my husband kept the kids on the trail. We enjoyed the trail which is only about a mile. Ivy played in a small almost dry creek. She found bugs and flowers to check out. After we were done with the trail we went to play at their playground. It was small but cute. The issue we had with this park was that there was not any shade over it. It was very hot and sunny on this day. It did not take long and the kids were ready to run for the shade of the neighboring trees.

Ivy Took Bella's hand and said "Let's go find an adventure Bell." I got this shot of them walking off into the trees. We just followed behind them. We found a small clearing at the end. It was not a very long trail but they were super thrilled with it. The entrance is right by the park. It was a pretty little clearing with a small well which was covered.

After this we headed back to the car. We had a snack in the shade of the trees by our car. After that we headed to Miami Whitewater Forest which is only about 10 minutes away.
We cooled down and got some drinks out of the cooler before heading out onto the next trail we had picked out. We went down the Tallgrass Prairie Trail. It was very pretty! It is also only about a mile. It was slightly more hilly but still manageable with the jogging stroller. When we got to the Prairie we tried to locate all of the plants that were on the sign. It was fun. We found quite a few of them and other things, like blackberries. After the trail we played Frisbee in the clearing by the parking area for the trail. It is fairly large and grassy. This was Bella's first time playing Frisbee. She loved to throw it but could only get it a foot or two. She would clap and yell "Good Job!" Anytime she or anyone threw it. We played for about a half an hour before moving on.

The next stop was the lake. We parked in the little bit of shade we could find in the lot. We walked along the paved trail by the lake stopping to admire the view, a couple ducks and a willow tree. There is a very large playground and the visitor center by the parking lot and lake. We took the kids to play at the playground and realised there is a water park here as well. It was super hot so they were practically drooling at the site of the water! We had to walk around the corner to the snack bar to purchase a bracelet. We only had to get Ivy one because Bella is under two. We did not even have suits with us, lol. That did not stop them from having a blast!The water park has a pirate theme complete with a ship!

The Info:
Location of Mitchell Memorial Forest: 5401 Zion Rd. Cleves, OH 45002
Features park offers: 3.9 mile mountain bike trail, hiking, picnic areas, playground, and catch and release fishing only.
Cost: Free because we purchased a park pass on a previous visit. If not it is $3 for the day or the year pass is only $10!
Location of Miami Whitewater Forest: 9001 Mt. Hope Rd. Harrison, OH 45030
Features: Wetlands, trails, Frisbee golf, golf course, equestrian trail, snack bar, campground, picnic and shelter areas, lake, fishing, boat rentals, wet playground, playground, and visitor center.
Cost: Free with pass. $3 for day pass or $10 for year pass
Cost of Water Playground: $2 each or 3 for $5

Breakdown of Our Day:
Arrive at Mitchell Memorial Forest (12pm)
Walk Wood Duck Nature Trail (12pm to 1:15pm)
Potty Break and Play at Playground (1:15pm to 1:45)
Small Trail Walk (1:45pm to 2pm)
Snack in Shade by the entry to Wood Duck Nature Trail (2:00 to 2:15pm)
Drive to Miami Whitewater Forest (2:15pm to 2:30pm)
Walk Tallgrass Prairie Trail (2:30pm to 3:30pm)
Played Frisbee by trail parking area (3:30 to 4pm)
Potty Break (4pm to 4:05pm)
Walk around Lake (4:10pm to 4:30pm)
Played at Playground (4:30 to 4:50pm)
Brought bracelet for wet Playground (4:50 to 5pm)
Played at Wet Playground (5pm to 6pm)
Dried off kids and got them changed (6pm to 6:20pm)
Left park (6:20pm)
We stopped for Pizza for dinner.
 This was a tiring day in the sun for all of us. The whole house slept soundly that night!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Are You a Stay at Home Mom or a Working Mom?

Over the course of my ten years of motherhood I have been asked, probably a million times, the question "Are you a stay at home mom or a working mom?" I am admittedly a very social person. I like people, for the most part anyway. For nine years the answer to this question was so very simple. I am an at home mom I would easily toss off. For a while I did a little work at home but I still considered myself an at home mom because I still did not leave. I did a large amount of volunteer work over the years but I always brought Ivy with me or did it while she was in school. There was never a doubt in my mind that I was a stay at home mom.

About a year ago I went back to school. I am going full time for nursing. Now I find the question "Are you a sahm or working mom?" very difficult to answer. I am both simultaneously while not being either. I sit on the proverbial fence at this time. The first time I was asked after I went back to school I answered I am a sahm. The girl launches into how lonely it is and how this is the first time she has made it out of the house this week. (First off I was never "that mom" for very long. You know the mom that has not changed out of her sweat pants for days and complains that she is so bored. I am a very energetic person. I have been compared to a hummingbird stuck in a cage when I have been in the house too long. I have had a few spurts of this kind of thing over the years but it never lasted long. Honestly, who has not had this happen at some point in their child rearing life? My worst time was after I had my second baby. We moved when Bella, my now toddler, was less than six weeks old. I know we are nuts. Other then moving she was my entire life for about three months. The month and a half after we moved here was awful! I spent a couple weeks unpacking but then nothing! I was getting antsy! It was winter and nasty out. By the time I was able to get out I did not know the area very well. I had lived around here when I was younger but it had been almost ten years! Things change a lot in ten years and so do people! The things that interested me then were old hat by now. After a few months I started to find my footing here.) I told the girl I was not lonely or bored. She said "What do you do all day?" I said "Well, I take care of my kids and house. I take the girls on at least a couple outings a week. I run a couple days a week. I run the household errands, like paying bills and grocery shopping. I go to class three days a week and spend at least an hour a day on homework." I could tell by the look on her face something was not right. She gives me a dirty look and says "I thought you said you were an at home mom." I looked at her completely at a loss and said I did. She said "If you are leaving three days a week you are not a stay at home mom." At that moment I realized that she had not heard anything else I said. She was hung up on the fact that I left my children to go to class. My nine years as an at home mom and the experiences that came from them were suddenly useless. She got up and walked away as I sat there feeling like I had been slapped. I was so used to being an at home mom I was shocked to know that at least some people no longer considered me part of that club.

A few weeks went by. I was once again asked this question. I sat there so long trying to decide what to tell her that she repeated the question figuring I did not hear her. I looked at her and said I am not sure. This must have confused her. She gave me the weirdest look. I said "I am in school full time. I guess I am a working mom because I leave my kids three days a week." She started laughing and asked how long my classes were on those three days. I told her I was gone for four hours two days and nine the other. She said "That is not even enough hours to work part time and you do not get paid. I do not think you are a working mom. Now I am a working mom. I go to work five days a week. By the time I add in driving, I leave my kids for almost ten hours a day." I said "But I am not an at home mom either." She just looked at me for a minute. Then she shrugged her shoulders and said "I do not know what to tell you. Maybe you are both or neither." I had nothing to say here. I was lost. I actually said "It was nice talking to you but I think we need to be going now." I got up, collected Ivy from the play equipment and left.

I have been trying to figure out the answer to this question ever since. Now whenever I am asked I just say I am a full time student. This allows the other mom to decide for herself. Some say I am a stay at home mom, others say I am a working parent, but the majority just say "oh" and move on. I do not think most people are quite sure which way they should categorize me. After all that is the point of this seemingly innocent question, to place the other mothers you meet in a category. I have friends on both ends of the scale. I relate well to the working moms because I have some of the same struggles they do. How to get everything done on busy days, the dread of a looming deadline or sick kid, trying to figure out who will watch the kids when you leave and trying to do as much work from home as possible so you do not have to leave them. After nine years as an at home mom I still relate well to the sahm as well. I have been there. I understand their struggles and why they do what they do. For now I do not belong to either club. I hope that I will continue to meet open minded people who can accept me for who I am, a unique individual, instead of trying to categorize me and place me into a predetermined section.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Petting Zoo at Lents Branch of Boone County Library - Hebron, KY

This morning we took the girls to a free petting zoo. It was at the Lents Branch of the Boone County Library. It is in Hebron, Kentucky. They had goats, bunnies, ducks, a pony, a donkey, an alpaca, and a chicken with two chicks. The kids were allowed to pet everything! The ducks and chicken were none to friendly. They ran from the kids. Bella, my toddler, was unsure of touching anything. She finally decided that Ivy would not lead her astray and pet this bunny. After that she touched everything. She really loved the donkey!
They had animal feed. The kids were able to feed the goats, the alpaca, the ducks and chickens. The girl in blue in the center of this photo is my daughter, Ivy, feeding one of the goats. After about twenty minutes, Bella finally felt comfortable enough to feed the goats. She laughed as they licked dried corn off her hand! It was so cute!
I would like to let all my readers in on a little secret! You can go to library programs even if you do not live there! Things like this that are free and open to the public are easy options for even non-residents. There are other options though as well. If you will be visiting an area and would like to see what the library there has to offer you can simply call them or look them up on-line. If you ask nicely they will normally allow you to go to even the library programs that require you to sign-up as long as there is room! All you have to say is "I will be visiting your area for a few days and I was hoping to find some affordable, educational fun for my kids. Do you have any programs we could attend?" We have visited libraries not only in multiple areas but in multiple states! Another secret I would like to share with you about the library is that you can use your local library card to get a card at neighboring libraries. You can often get a card in any library in your county and in the surrounding counties. Some areas do charge a small fee to issue a library card but it is normally not more then a couple dollars. Do be careful to keep your books from different branches organized or without a doubt something will get lost or be returned late. Remember that you do not need a card to visit a library regardless of where it is located. We have even stopped at public ones when we are on the road and the kids were getting tired of being in the car. I can not stress how great a trip to a public library can be!
Cost: Free!
Hours of Entertainment: Almost two
Location: Boone County Public Library-Lents Branch, 3215 Cougar Path, Hebron, KY

Friday, July 22, 2011

Forget New Back to School Clothes! We Got a New Back Brace Today!


It is that time of year again. The time that parents everywhere dread! Back-to-School Shopping! You hear it in hushed tones, whispers and giggles that your kids are in need of expensive new sneakers and hot new clothes. I always dreaded this time of year! With august fast approaching I know my daughter will be taking my wallet for a wild ride. This is how many parents feel this time of year. You go to the mall. You see drooling young people ready to hand over a fortune for the latest trend. You see frustrated and often yelling moms. They just want to get this madness over with. After all school shopping is one of the worst things on the planet! It leaves us with empty wallets and pounding heads. This was my mentality as well. Last year I was one of those moms just dreading the back to school shopping.

However, this year is a different story. Today my daughter received her new back to school accessory, a back brace. My daughter suffers from juvenile idiopathic scoliosis or JIS. This summer it finally reached a point where the doctors had no choice but to brace. They are simply trying to slow down her curve progression at this point. Most people effected with idiopathic scoliosis have the adolescent version. It is much more common. My daughters case began at around 7 years of age. It took me many battles, three doctors and a school nurse to finally get her diagnosed. At the time of diagnosis she was nine. She had a curve of 28. We went back in spring and she was already at a 50. Once she reaches a 65 they will be forced to operate. Once they begin operating they will have to reopen approximately every six months. The prospect of one surgery is scary. But if you take into account that if we started now she could have as many as 8 or even 9 it is to scary for words to express! This is her second brace this summer. Her first one did not work. She only had the first one for a month. The spinal specialist said the x-rays were not what he was hoping for. The brace was not putting pressure on the right spots. The fact that if this brace does not slow down her curve that they will have to resort to a neck ring is another fear of mine.

Having a child who is sick with the flu is nerve racking and may make you lose a night of sleep. Imagine living with that everyday. Knowing that no matter what you do that your child, so small and fragile, will require surgery and long term rehabilitation care. The best that you can hope for is that they will need only one surgery. I know that needing only one surgery is a pipe dream. It is almost as unlikely to happen as winning the lottery. The type she has is aggressive and fast moving now that puberty is knocking on the door. The growth is only adding more fuel to the fire. I live with a constant dread. Everyday no matter what I am doing or where I am her disease and all its implications are looming over me. Every set of X-rays I find myself silently praying for the best but always expecting the worst. I hold myself together well. Never a tear shed at an appointment. Not even the first, when they explained how bad this was. I will always be strong for her. I will be her much needed rock. I will be her voice, always demanding the best care, always researching the best treatment options, seeking out the best of the best doctors for her care, and always asking the questions that need answers.

If you have a child that is ill, who has a major disease or condition, I want you to know you are not alone in this world. There are mothers everywhere that lay awake at night praying, who worry that their children will only get worse, who battle with doctors and insurance to get their child the best care, who foot the bill themselves when the insurance company will not, who worry about how they will cover the never ending
co-pays, who have to break often devastating news to their children, who hold their child as they cry about the strange looks and mean comments and who wish that their child was just like everyone else but also thanks god they are not. They are unique and wonderful! There are other parents who understand! We are at the parks, the doctors waiting rooms, the libraries, the schools, the sporting events and even at the mall, doing the dreading back-to-school shopping. We are out there and we care!

To the parents of the healthy children: You are the lucky ones! I am happy for you, for the fact that you and your children do not have to go through this. Keep it in the back of your mind that your children are your ultimate gift and understand that ill or not my children are my gift. She and her sister are my heart, my world and everything I work for! Please teach your children that kids are still kids even if they look a little different. Please understand that behind the surface smile and tired eyes that the mom you are talking with may be going through a lot more than you realise. Please do not stare at my child as she walks by in her back brace. I know she is beautiful but it makes her self-conscience. And above all else, Please pray for the many families that are just not as lucky as you!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

South Fork Park - Union, KY


South fork park is without a doubt one of my favorite parks we have visited and trust me that is a long list! There is no amazing attractions here or anything. The park is simply clean and well cared for. It is what comes to mind for me when I think of a park outing. It is small but it is never crowded. There is a large, newer play area. The half that is closest in the photo is for older children(5-12, I think). There is an area for small children to the left of it. It's a wonderland for the 2-5 set! There are swings and a rock climbing area in the center. This photo was taken from the rather large covered picnic area. There is a basketball court and sand volleyball near the playgroud. There are huge grassy areas for the kids and adults alike to run and play. I should warn you that the grassy areas are hilly. There is also a path that leads you through the woods to a small, wood bridge. I love this path for the occasional run because it is stroller accessible. One of my favorite fun facts of this particular park is the fact that they have a doggy water fountain! There is ample parking as well. I would like to state that this park lacks a proper bathroom. There is a port-a-potty but Eww, is all I can say about that! There is a Kroger's nearby if you must go and are like me, lol. The park is located in Union, Ky.

Price: Free!
Directions: Take U.S. 42 to Farmview drive (almost across from the Kroger's). Turn right onto South Fork Park dr. There is a big sign here but there is not one on 42 so watch carefully!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

A Little Humor and A Blonde Moment

Ok, so when I set up my blog I saved it as one of my favorites. I have not in all the time I've been writing here came to my own blog by typing in my URL. Well the other day I was trying to add the blogs I follow gadget and realised in the process that my URL is mis-spelled! I tried changing my URL but it's giving me problems working after I change it. Send me a little luck on getting this fixed because it is driving me crazy! I guess my tired mommy brain skipped a letter when I was first setting this up, lol. Just wanted to drop an explanation to anybody who notices and thinks I'm a dummy, lol.

Monday, July 11, 2011

SHARON WOODS - SHARONVILLE, OHIO



Sharon Woods park was a fun outing. There are many waterfalls sprinkled throughout this rather large park. We started out our trip with some play time at the playground near the harbor on Sharon Lake. It was a very nice park. There is an area for big kids and a play area for the toddler crew. There are baby swings but not swings for the big kids here. My oldest found this a little disappointing. There is however a small rock wall and an area that looks like rock that has places to climb up & tunnels to climb through. There is a snack bar right by this park. In the summer there are fountains here but we went in spring before they were up and running. After some play time we decided to check out the harbor and lake. There is a boat house located here where you can rent boats. It was much to cold out for us to even consider a few hours on the water. I also must warn you that boat rentals are not cheap!

At the bottom of the stairs was a paved path that circled the lake. We decided to go for a walk. My husband went back to the car to grab the stroller. We went with the jogging stroller on this day. The path does wrap up and around to the parking lot so you don't have to carry the stroller down the stairs. You do however have to wrap up and around the playground. After we had Bella strapped in the stroller we were off. There were many ducks on the lake and the path. They were almost to used to being around people because you could walk right up to them. It was neat for my oldest who loves animals but if you have a child that would try to touch them I would suggest watching closely because these ducks will not run away easily. We walked along the path for a while then my husband says "What's that noise?" I stopped and sure enough I could hear something. I said "It sounds like water." He just starts walking across the small road. I asked "Where are you going?" He answered "It's coming from over here." Ivy who had followed him across the street yells "WOW! Mom you have to see this! It's a waterfall!" I cross the street. It was where the water ran out of the lake through the dam. It was pretty neat. We stood there for a few minutes.

There was another path on that side of the road that lead up into the woods. It had a large sign. I walked over to see what it said. It looked like something we could do. It was 0.7 of a mile one way through the woods. It lead to the other side of the park and was marked as moderate so we thought we would be able to get the stroller down it. We began down it and figured if we got to a place where we couldn't get the stroller through we would simply turn around. It thankfully never came to that. The path was very nice. It followed along the water. There were many waterfalls along the way. There were also educational signs to read beside the path. At one point it crosses the water. The cliffs here are quite a sight. Since it was spring we didn't encounter a lot of people on the trail. There was a few places we had to work a little to keep the stroller moving but it wasn't bad at all.

When we got to the other side there was another path running along the road we followed. It passes a couple small waterfalls. These are neat and very easy to access because they are right along the road. One even has parking by it. My only complaint about these was the fact that they put concrete around the falls to keep them from washing out. While I can understand wanting to preserve the beauty of the falls, I am simply a purest. I think that people should let nature take its course on things like this. When people do this to a natural site it feels more like a man made item. Still pretty but it loses a little something.

When we got a little further down there was a large bridge leading across the water. On the other side there was a large park with a little log cabin. This park is one of the large wooden ones. Ivy was happy because there were swings nearby. Two large picnic areas are close by as well. There is a huge building by here. It's the Sharon centre. There is a free nature area inside. We took advantage of this. The girls favorite part was a large aquarium with a "log" running through it. The kids climbed inside to watch the fish and turtle swim around. It was very neat. I had one problem with this as a mom of a toddler. The outside edge of the "log" is concrete and you have to really keep an eye on them. They could fall and hurt themselves but more likely is a child running their head into the top of it when trying to climb inside. It is made to crawl through but my toddler could just stand in it. There is an area at the back with chairs for the adults to take a much needed break. The whole back wall is made of windows that look out on a nature area. While we were there we saw birds, chipmunks and a raccoon. In this room there is an area to stick your hands in and guess what you are grabbing. This would of been much easier if they actually all had stuff in them. About half of them were empty. There is also a table with crayons and papers for the kids. As you walk toward the door leading out there is a great photo op wall and a tree to walk through.

There is something called the "Heritage Village" here too but we did not go. You have to pay to get in. It was looking like it was going to rain so we just headed back toward our car. It looked neat so I would like to go back sometime. We were almost back to the lake when it started to sprinkle. By the time we made it back to the car it was raining. I was glad we didn't have to be out in the rain for to long.

There are a few other things to do at this park including an 18 hole golf course (not sure of pricing) and an indoor play area that costs $2.50 a child.

There are ample picnic areas and tables throughout the park. I would also like to give some credit where credit is due. The restrooms were some of the nicest I've ever seen in a park. They were clean and well stocked with toilet paper, soap and paper towels. I was honestly shocked by this! Quite impressive!

Heritage Village is $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 5-11, Children under 4 are free.

Admission to the park was $3.00 for the day.