Mindbenders, mazes and monarchs

COSI spring 2013

You already know how awesome COSI is, right? There's a reason Parents magazine called it the #1 children's science center in the country. The normal, everyday exhibits and activities at COSI are so great, we often don't even make it to the big featured visiting attractions. Even when we're supposed to. Recently, we were invited to tour and review Mindbender Mansion and Amazing Mazes, a "wonderfully puzzling and utterly addictive experience" that combines "two exhibitions full of brainteasers … [Read more...]

HOOFit at the Columbus Zoo

hoofitstepcalculator2

Who's up for a walk around the zoo?! As I've shared before, I'm trying to walk more and keep track of my steps this year, and one of our favorite places to walk and explore is the Columbus Zoo. Zoe and I would go there every day if we could! So imagine my delight when I learned Ohio Health has partnered with the zoo on the HOOFit walking program to encourage people to get more activity by exploring the zoo. As part of the Hoofit program, you can attend hosted walks at the Columbus Zoo … [Read more...]

Central Ohio’s newest Star

starlanes

Last night, our family was lucky enough to be invited to a special pre-grand opening celebration at Star Lanes Polaris, a fabulous new "boutique" bowling alley/restaurant that sits just in front of the Polaris Fashion Place mall. It is a fantastic new offering for central Ohio families or couples looking for a fun night out! Several years ago, while visiting my fam in LA, we went to the Lucky Strike bowling alley/ restaurant in Torrance and had our minds blown. The atmosphere was way more … [Read more...]

The cupcake tour ends here

Koko Tea Salon & Bakery

My cupcake tour, which began in 2010 when I was still a new mommy on maternity leave and lasted through several blog posts both here and elsewhere, is officially on hiatus. Not because I no longer love cupcakes: I still adore them. Not because I made a massive new year's resolution to cut out sweets (I always do this. It never sticks.). Not because I want to eat healthier and lose weight in 2013 (although both are true). No, the cupcake tour is over because I have lost the desire to go … [Read more...]

See Disney on Ice for free

Disney on Ice - Treasure Trove

I am a huge fan of all things Disney and so far Zoe is too, so when I heard Disney on Ice was coming to Columbus, I knew it would be a perfect mommy and daughter date. Their latest show, Treasure Trove, is a medley of all our favorite Disney friends (Mickey, Minnie and the gang) plus favorite princesses from over 50 years as well as other beloved movie characters. Now, I'm happy to share you too can go see Disney on Ice's Treasure Trove show - completely for free - in one of two awesome … [Read more...]

Fantasy of Lights at Alum Creek

Fantasy of Lights 2012

Thanksgiving's over for another year... time to talk about Christmas! I loved Christmas before becoming a mom, but now it's off the chain how Christmas-crazy I am. I want to see all of the lights, do all of the festive things, and just embrace this magical season with everything I have! It's so much fun seeing it all and experiencing the magic anew through a small child's eyes. Zoe had fun at her first Christmas (9 months old) and enjoyed herself immensely last year (21 months old) but I … [Read more...]

Fall family fun around Columbus

Leeds Family Farm 2011

I love the fall season, especially with a little one. What could be more fun than playing in leaves, visiting apple orchards and picking pumpkins? And here in Ohio, we have so many options. Here are a few of our favorites. Leeds Farm. This fall fun spot has a special place in my heart because last year was Zoe's first time experiencing fall fun on her own two feet, and we took her here not once but twice. It rocked her world! She had sooo much fun playing in the corn boxes, climbing hay … [Read more...]

Storming the castle at COSI – and a giveaway

Storming the Castle at COSI

This past weekend, Zoe and I were invited to preview the LEGO Castle Adventure at COSI, the country's #1 children's science center. It was awesome - full of cool LEGO castles, a scary LEGO dungeon, a massive LEGO mama dragon guarding her baby, fun costumes to wear and of course lots of opportunities to build with LEGOs. Zoe loved the exhibit and has wanted to build, build, build ever since. I liked that there were age-appropriate areas for the littlest LEGO builders (they get the biggest … [Read more...]

Maui mochi, manju and malasadas

Maui 2011

This time last year, we were in beautiful Maui with our 18 month old baby girl. Now, we're buying a new home and fancy vacations are a thing of the past... and we have a 2.5 year old big girl! Zoe may not remember much about that amazing trip to Hawaii, but we sure do. We have these gorgeous photos to remind us forever, thanks to my splurge on professional family portraits while we were there. (I highly recommend doing that - it's money you'll never regret spending.) We have super fun … [Read more...]

Dog-friendly, kid-friendly Hocking Hills

Hocking Hills 6-12

This blog post first appeared on Discovering Ohio, which in addition to being one of my clients' blogs, is also a fantastic place to find out about great things to do, places to visit and trips to take in the great state of Ohio. For years, Hocking Hills, Ohio has been one of our favorite day trips anytime we want to hike and spend time in nature. It wasn't until this summer, however, that we finally took countless friends' recommendations and rented a cabin for a few days in order to … [Read more...]