Read Bella A Cute New Book Today

Today we read "Peek-a-Zoo!" Written by Marie Torres Cimarusti. Illustrated by Stephanie Peterson. This is the cutest book! Bella loved flipping down all the flaps to reveal the animal behind them. I highly suggest this one.

College Road Trip with my Sister

At the first stop in the morning

I took my sister to look at two colleges yesterday. We went to UK in Lexington, KY and University of Cumberlands in Kentucky. We took both my daughters with us, Ivy-10yrs and Bella-19mths. I must have been crazy when I decided that was a good idea, lol. It was a long, exhausting but fun day. We got up at 5am, ate breakfast, showered and got dressed. We left the house at 7:30am. We drove to UK first. It is right by downtown Lexington. It was a very nice campus. Cassie, my sister, really liked it! It was here that I realised that I had forgotten the stroller in the other car! I was kicking myself all day long for that one but we made it work. We had packed a lunch. We ate on the UK grounds surrounded by trees. It was nice.

Canon at UK

Statue near one of the student buildings with an eatery

Bella was happy to get to UK & out of the car!

UK Campus

UK Grounds

Memorial Hall at UK

UK - outdoor theater

Ivy checking out the grounds at UK

Sundial

Dorm building at UK

Grounds at UK

We ate lunch here at UK. Bella was dancing for the few students that were there.

She was happy to be loose and have a little freedom.

After UK we headed to University of Cumberlands. It is in southern Kentucky off the last exit before you hit Tennessee. It is a nice campus as well. It is the complete opposite of UK in many ways. It is in a small town. The college looks much newer. The grounds are smaller and much more compact. UK's grounds almost run in a long line. Cumberlands are in a circular formation. Cumberlands has a religious affiliation and UK does not. Cumberlands does have a great aid package though! She was very impressed with what they could offer her financially. The day gave her two very different colleges to compare and contrast.

Fountain in the center of the grounds at University of Cumberlands

Checking out the fountain

University of Cumberlands

The view from the campus at University of Cumberlands

University of Cumberlands

I loved this beautiful ceiling at University of Cumberlands.

View from one of the dorms at University of Cumberlands.

University of Cumberlands

We decided it would be wrong not to at least drive into Tennessee when we were already so close, lol. We drove to the first exit in Tennessee which is Jelico. We stopped there for a little break. After that we began heading back north. We stopped off at Corbin, KY for dinner and a break. We visited the KFC museum first. It was really neat. We walked back to the car and Ivy said "Mom, I am getting hungry." We all agreed that we could not make it home without eating. We stopped at a pizza place and got a large pizza to share. We did not want to sit in a restaurant. The kids were dying to get out and run around. We found this adorable little walking bridge and gazebo to eat at. It was so cute! Best of all there was grassy areas for Bella to run around in when we finished eating. There was a large stream or small river that ran under the bridge. It was full of ducks! The kids had a blast feeding them pizza crust. What a fun stop off! We had to stop near Williamsburg for gas on the way back home. Bella was getting antsy again so we decided to hang out at the McDonalds and have dessert. This was a super rare occurrence so the kids were over-the-moon!  They each got a vanilla ice cream cone. My sister and I each got a apple pie. The whole stop came to $2.10, lol.

Waiting for her ice cream

After that we got back on the road and did not stop until we got home. We were so exhausted!! Bella did not make it here. She fell asleep in the car. I cannot blame her. I was so tired! I barely got my pajama's on before crashing.

PS. The photographs for the Corbin part of our trip is in a different page because there were so many pictures of the colleges.

Clay Penguins

Ivy made these super cute clay penguins I wanted to share!

She made a pilgrim and an indian!

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!

Website: http://www.coneyislandpark.com/

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!

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!

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

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!

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.

The Borderline Creamy Whip on Hwy 50 Greendale, IN

On Highway 50, in Indiana just barely, sits the Borderline Creamy Whip. It's almost on the border of Indiana and Ohio. It's a small ice cream shop. It is kind-of like a ice cream truck without the truck. It's a trailer with a walk-up window. They are a great family stop in summer! Their prices are very reasonable! They have picnic tables set up in the shade for you to sit and enjoy your frozen treat. The girls who work here are a joy.
We had a child's size cone (In the photo) which was huge! My oldest tried a sundae. She said it was very good. They just do the basics but they do them well! They are near many other family fun places! They have a good sized gravel lot that you can easily turn around in. This is nice because they are off of such a busy road. There is a small gift shop next door to them if you are interested. We all got ice cream and it cost me less then $5! By now I'm sure you all know I love a well priced outing and this one takes the cake...cake-cone that is!

Barnes and Noble in Florence, KY

I honestly just stopped by the Barnes and Noble in Florence, KY to get a book but it turns out they have loads of fun things for the kids to do. Enough to occupy them for an hour or two. They have this amazing train table. The kids played with it for a while. They have a stage in the back corner. They didn't have anything the day I was there but apparently they have free shows and story hours there from time to time.

They also have a huge Children's section! A fun place to take your children for a day outing. They can play for a while. Then you can let them pick out one book of their choosing. Be forewarned however that this could take a while because of the selection.

They also have a summer reading program. It's free to sign up. It's for children in grades 1 through 6. They simply read 8 books. Fill out the form with the titles of the books they read. Then drop it back off. They get to pick a free book off a list of age appropriate books. I highly suggest anything that gets kids to read!

Chuck E Cheese - Cincinnati, Ohio

We recently visited the Chuck E Cheese located at 8801 Colerain Ave. in Cincinnati, Ohio. I hadn't been to this particular branch in many years. We went here to celebrate a friend's child's birthday. My husband unfortunately had to work on that day so I was on my own. I get lost easily so I was pleased with the fact that it was easy to locate from the interstate. There is a wrap around parking lot. We managed to find a spot on the front side. There is plenty of parking in the back but it means you would have a little walk to get inside. Once inside I was happy with what must have been a very serious remodel since the last time I had visited. The place is large with flashing lights and children everywhere.

Chuck E Cheese is a restaurant and arcade in one. You buy tokens upon entering and place a pizza order. They give you your tokens and a number for your table so they know where to deliver your food. They also now have a rather large salad bar. Your older children almost immediately raid you for the purchased tokens and run off into the games. They stamp the children's hands and the hands of their adult upon entry with a black light stamp. When you exit you give your hands to an attendant who checks to see if you match before allowing you to leave. This sounds good in theory but I don't know how much I trust this system. I can honestly say the huge downfall is the fact that people feel they no longer have to watch their children. Ivy is 10. I allow her to play by herself with me checking in on her frequently. I understand the need for a little independence at this age but I do not trust the rest of the world enough to completely leave her on her own for an hour or two.

We were happy with the selection of games. Ivy thoroughly enjoyed the tunnels that hang from the ceiling. There is a small toddler area roped off with a few games and a play area for them. It was small and felt crowded when only a few children were playing there with their parents in tow. Ivy collected tons of tickets but decided to save them when she saw the prize case. She said that she would rather come back later and try for a larger item because the small to medium prizes were junk. I tend to agree. They now sell "prizes" like balls instead of allowing them to be exchanged for tickets. Their prize selection area is much smaller and does not have many medium selections that would appeal to a 10 year old girl.

The food is kid friendly but not completely mom friendly. Their pizza is incredibly greasy. It did come to the table hot which is a plus. The salad bar was acceptable. It was decently well stocked for the weekend. They have unlimited refills on their drinks that you refill yourself fast food style. They have a fairly good variety of drinks.

They have a stage where large mechanical puppets put on a show. There are large tables by this that they use for birthday parties. The concept of the birthday parties is neat. They sing to the kids. A hip-hop style version of Happy Birthday. Someone in a giant mouse costume(Chuck E Cheese) comes out for this. He then crowns each birthday child with a special inflatable birthday crown. Sadly the girls working the parties were not exactly enthusiastic. Ours appeared to wish she was anywhere but here. When dealing with small children's birthday parties I feel they would be better served with happier employees. The best highlight of having a birthday party there instead of just a normal visit is the fact that the birthday child gets to go into the "ticket blaster." This is a wind machine of sorts that whirls tickets around while the child tries to catch as many as they can. This is not open to the regular public so it is a perk retained just for the birthday child which gives it a special air. It is a great marketing gimmick because every child including my own wanted to have their birthday party there at that moment because they were only allowed to watch. Children do not like to be left out of anything so I'm sure this has landed them many birthday parties. My friends daughter is still fairly small so they did allow her Dad to join her in it which I thought was nice. She seemed to enjoy it once she was in there. As a birthday party option I thought it was nice because they take care of the food, dishes, drinks, entertainment and the clean-up. They also give a balloon to each child and they have options where you can add additional tokens to your package at a lower rate so the teenagers would also have tokens to play the games. My friend also told me they gave her additional tokens for booking online. Not a bad deal for a birthday party.

Overall, I would say this is a fun family outing. I personally would take my children here to play again but perhaps skip the pizza. The tokens can get pricey. You can find coupons online for token deals and you also receive a much better price on them if you buy a large amount all at once. They really get you by your children bugging you for more and more tokens. You have to set a limit upon entry such as I'm buying X amount of tokens for each of you. When they are done you can play in the tunnels until everyone is done and then we are leaving. No questions asked. Be warned however that mom and dad will want tokens as well because this place is fun for all ages. Their bathrooms are pretty clean and they have a diaper changing station for the babies. It is in the main area of the bathroom instead of in a stall. I like them in a stall better because you are not in the flow of traffic. Oh, and don't forget your headache medicine! After an hour in here you will need it, lol.

Hours -Sunday-Thursday 9am to 9pm Friday and Saturday 9am to 10pm
Phone number is 513-385-1438
Website is www,chuckecheese.com