Exploring with YOUsufs

 Samuel and I went to our first Peanut Butter & Jam Session at Symmes Township Public Library. I learned about Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions from a fellow teacher on the way back from a conference in Columbus. She was telling me about the different things she did with her kids when they were younger. She recalled her trips to these sessions and said they all loved them, so I have been on the lookout for a session ever since. The theme was Steel Drum Summer and a story was told throughout the show about different islands in the Caribbean. It was an outdoor musical performance and we had great seats! We sat on the hillside in the shade and Samuel enjoyed his snack while doing some dancing. There was even a slight breeze while we listened to the music. A couple of dance moves were taught for different songs played. Our favorite songs were Under the Sea and We don't talk about Bruno. Before each song was played a story was told or we learned something about the various instrumen...

I wanted to take a quick weekend trip to Yellow Springs, Ohio, but Bryant had a different idea. He decided to book us a trip to Dollywood's DreamMore Resort and Spa in Pigeon Forge, TN. It was an incredible trip that we all enjoyed and cannot wait to go back!   Dollywood's DreamMore Resort and Spa This resort is perfect for kids of all ages! We stayed in a Junior Suite and had so much space. The room had a king sized bed, bunk beds, and a pull out couch. Since our son is still sleeping in his crib we brought his pack and play along. We simply pulled the couch off the wall and put his pack and play behind there and he slept great! One day he will get to sleep in the bunk bed and will love it! There was even a wet bar area with a fridge and this was a perfect area to set our snacks and water. There was even a cubby area for suitcases. Right inside the door are hooks and this was great to hang important items you did not want to lose. Friday: Check In Day When we arrived on Friday...

 I remember Madcap Puppets coming to my school when I was in elementary school. I loved when the puppets came and especially when they used the larger puppets. I saw that Nanny Belle's was hosting Madcap Puppets for their anniversary at Summit Park in Blue Ash. Summit Park is a really nice park with 3 different restaurants, an ice cream shop, an observation tower, nature playscape with water, playgrounds created for different age groups, restrooms, trails and more. They even host a market each month in the summer that we like to attend that is filled with local vendors. We arrived around 9:30, set our things on a bench under the glass canopy for the puppet show, and headed to the playground. I invited my sister and her kids so they joined Samuel and I. They loved playing on the different playground items. There is even a ramp, climbing hill, and slide area. There is turf throughout which is very nice. There are seats that look like rocks along the slide that are in a shaded area. Y...

Great Parks of Hamilton County has over 15 parks in the Cincinnati area. This is nice because you can purchase an annual motor vehicle permit that is valid at any of these parks. It cost us $16 for the year or you can purchase a day pass for $8. This was the rate for non Hamilton County residents. If you live in Hamilton County it is $10 for the year and $5 for the day. We received a sticker that we could display on the car for future entry, but we just placed ours in our glove box to show in the future. My husband spent a lot of time at this park conditioning for cross country and playing Frisbee golf with his friends. He even brought me here a few years ago to play a round of Frisbee golf with friends so it is neat to come back with Samuel and share this park with him. There are also nature trails, a gift shop, a nature center, a golf course, and a boat launch ramp to the Ohio River. We parked near the Breezy Point area because there is a great playground. We arrived around 10 and pl...

Hello everyone!  We have decided to travel to National Parks during Spring Break. This year we wanted to stay close by since we were just planning to travel for a long weekend. While looking to visit National Parks near Cincinnati we decided to explore Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Cleveland, Ohio. It was only going to take us about 3.5 hours to arrive. We headed out Friday evening on April 8 and stopped outside Columbus for dinner before continuing on our way. Unfortunately, we got stuck in some traffic around Polaris and did not arrive until around 9:30pm.  We decided to stay at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Akron in Stow, Ohio. This was an excellent hotel that was located about 10-15 minutes from all of the places we wanted to explore. They also had breakfast which was nice to head down to when Samuel woke each morning.  Saturday morning on April 9 we decided to start at the Boston Mill Visitor Center to plan out our time while at Cuyahoga. We knew wh...