Wow, this Summer is flying by!  We’re nearly 2/3 the way through it and we hope you are making the most of the warm (ok, SIZZLING HOT) weather.  Tons of stuff to do this weekend – some indoors, some outdoors.  If you’re heading out, remember the sunscreen and the bug spray!

Our picks for this weekend?

Greater Anderson Days are celebrated all weekend at Beech Acres Park in Anderson Township!  Family fun all day, every day during the 12th annual festival brought to you by the Anderson Township Park District, Anderson Township Fireman’s Association, the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce and the Anderson Township Government.   Games, rides, vendor exhibits and more – something for everyone in your crew!

The Beach Waterpark has a ton to offer.  Not only do you get the awesome wet & wild, but Friday night they’ll have a 60’s band there to perform for SURF ROCKIN’ FRIDAYS.  Or head out on Saturday for more live music and once the sun goes down watch “The Blind Side” for this week’s DIVE IN MOVIE.  All the details on these events can be found at their site.

P had her birthday at Pump It UP last year and still talks about it to this day.  And since we can’t throw birthday parties EVERY WEEKEND (P doesn’t agree, but whaddayagonnado?), I love it when Pump It UP hosts drop in parties at their awesome facility! Friday from 7-8:30 the whole family can get their jump on at the West Chester location.  Kids are only $10 each and in addition to the bouncing, there will be karaoke, hula hoop and limbo contests – games, prizes and more!  As always us grown-ups are FREE and encouraged to PUMP IT UP right along side the kids!  It is highly recommended that you call and register your kids beforehand so you don’t miss out on a spot!  513.829.7867 – you will need a signed waiver for each child and everyone is required to wear socks – a small price to pay for this fun.

There is always something to do at the Hamilton County Parks – check out our post from earlier this week for some night-time fun, or these crowd pleasers for daytime frivolity:

• Saturday – Hike Among The Great Oaks at Winton Woods Great Oaks Trail @ 9:00 a.m.
  Walk among the tall, old oak trees and other forest habitat. We will walk less than a mile and keep an eye out for wildlife and other interesting natural features.
• Sunday – Morning Summer Strolls at Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve Pin Oak Trail @ 9:00 a.m.
  Join the naturalist every Sunday morning during July for a one hour stroll through the park. Attend any or all of these themed hikes. Theme for July 25 is “Bird Feeding.”
• Sunday – Rollin’ On The River Charity Car Show at Fernbank Park 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  The Riverview Delhi Kiwanis host the 21st annual charity car show that will feature hundreds of antique and collectable cars. View details here.
• Sunday – It’s sizzlin’ all right, so Beat the Heat at Winton Woods Harbor @ 2:00 p.m.
  Discover how animals survive the summer…without air conditioning! We will play some games to keep ourselves “cool”, too. Wear clothes that can get slightly wet.
• Sunday – Woof Walk at Sharon Woods Kreis Dam @ 2:00 p.m.
  Bring your dog and your walking shoes for this program! Join the naturalist for a hike along the Gorge and Parcours trails and learn a little about historical and modern day canines along the way. All dogs must be on a leash shorter than six feet and make sure to bring a plastic bag for easy clean-up!  Don’t forget some drinking water for your pooch too!

Bonnybrook Farms continues their CHUCKWAGON DINNERS this Saturday (and every Saturday in the Summer).  Read Kristin’s post from earlier this month for all the information.  My family hopes to get there in a couple weeks, they look like a ton o’ fun!

The 2010 Warren County Fair is Friday and Saturday!!  The 160th Butler County Fair starts on Sunday and runs through the 31st!!  And looking ahead: Boone County Fair is August 2-7; Hamilton County Fair is August 10-14; the Ohio State Fair is July 28-August 8; and the Kentucky State Fair wraps up the Summer fair season August 19-29!

Mason’s Movies in the Park continue Saturday at Cottell Park.  This week’s feature is Monsters vs. Aliens is one of our favorites!  Pack some snacks and enjoy the flick surrounded by nature!

Introduce your children to the game of tennis – Saturday on Fountain Square from 1pm to 4pm, experts will be on hand to give the whole family the ins & outs of the game.  This promotional event is sponsored by the United States Tennis Association, just in time to get us all ready for the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Open coming up in Warren County in August!

If you love baseball in a fun, family-friendly environment, Florence Freedom is the place for you!  They are home this weekend taking on the Evansville Otters – Friday 7:05 and Saturday 5:00.  We’re using our GROUPON deal on Saturday night – can’t wait!

St. Ann’s Festival is this weekend in Hamilton.  Live music and all the festival fun you can handle – Friday thru Sunday.  Contact them for details.

You all know my family loves Whole Foods – their kids cooking classes continue on Saturday.  Check their site or our posts for more details and information on registering your little ones for these FREE and TERRIFIC classes.  P and I will be there on Saturday at Rookwood, so say hello if you go!

The Betts House on Clark Street is only open two Saturdays a month and this Saturday is FAMILY DAY there.  They are open 12:30-5 and you can find all the details on their site.

How about a little Shakespeare on Friday? Enjoy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Burnet Woods Bandstand Friday at 7pm.

Toyota’s Movie Night on the Square is Saturday – Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs kicks things off at 7pm, followed by Where the Wild Things Are.

The Edensong Concert Series continues on Friday at Seasongood Pavilion in Eden Park at 8pm

There is a TON of stuff to do at The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal all weekend – click here for all the details.

LM&M Railroad is always fun and this weekend they are honoring the brave souls of the Civil War. Take a 30-minute train ride to the LM&M Junction and walk through a live Civil War encampment with demonstrations, re-enactors and more.  Saturday 10am, 1pm and 4 pm and Sunday 1pm and 4pm – we recommend calling for reservations – these rides often sell out!

Family Saturday at Contemporary Arts Center – CAC staff will show you how to make a personalized tote bag using printing techniques, fabric markers and other materials, all inspired by Shepard Fairey’s art. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St.; 1 – 2 p.m.; free members, free with admission non-members ($7.50 adults, $4.50 ages 3 – 13).  I’m hoping we can squeeze this one in cause you can NEVER have too many tote bags!

Head to Cincinnati Nature Center at Long Branch Farm and Trails (Goshen) on Sunday at 9:30pm for a Moon Walk!  Children 8 and older will wonder the trails at night under the full moon followed by some natural history readings under the stars.  Visit their website for more details.

So have you heard about the new cable channel from the creators of The Food Network?  The Cooking Channel launched in June and in celebration they have crafted the world’s most amazing ice cream truck that hit the road from NYC.  They are stopping in all the great cities, serving up the local frozen specialties – how awesome is that?

What makes it so awesome you ask?  Well for starters IT’S FREE!  And for finishers, it’s GRAETER’S – so duh, the awesome is built right in (in those huge chocolate chips of course!).

But this awesome only happens TOMORROW – FRIDAY – JULY 23rd – DOWNTOWN! 12:45– 1:45 p.m. SCRIPPS CENTER (312 Walnut Street)

Now let’s just hope that *this* ice cream truck doesn’t play that incessant Turkey in the Straw like the one in my neighborhood…oh, heck I’ll wear ear plugs!

Long ago I met Jennifer (now) McGuire….an unbelievably amazing creative force in the scrapping world.  I’ve been following her artwork (yes people when she scraps, it *is* art) for over a decade now and each and every time I see something new I’m more impressed than I was with the last.  Move over Michael Angelo, Monet Schnonet!  I’ll take Jennifer thank you very much.

Luckily she is a Cincinnati treasure and holds classes from time to time here and in Dayton.  I just found out that she will be hosting a class with her daughter THIS SATURDAY (1-3) in Dayton at Simply Scrapbooks in Kettering.

But bonus!  It is a KIDS CLASS!  If you have little ones that love to craft their own masterpieces, this is perfect for you guys!  For only $16 your pint-size Picaso will make five cards (that you’ll NEVER want to mail because they are too gorgeous to risk in the hands of the USPS) and receive a stamp to take home to keep the creative juices flowing.  All supplies for the class will be provided for the kids and for an additional $5, the Moms (or Dads!) can stick around and do a couple make & takes while the kids create!

The class is for kids 6 and up (so tempted to get P a fake ID) and I would highly recommend calling IMMEDIATELY to register.  Jennifer’s classes book very quickly!  Call Simply Scrapbooks at 937.299.6288.

Just a SMALL sampling of her beautiful cards (just a sampling, these are not the ones the kiddos will be making):

To see more of Jennifer’s work, visit her blog!

When it comes to parks and magnificent green space, Greater Cincinnati is truly blessed.  From all directions, we are surrounded by beauty as far as the eye  can see while the Summer sun is overhead.  But what about when the sun goes down?  Believe us, those parks can be just as lovely when the stars are bright in the sky.

The Hamilton County Parks District has a few things coming up in the next few weeks to make the warm Summer nights family fantastic!

• Friday Night Grillouts – well you can’t frolic in the moonlight on an empty stomach after all!  Enjoy tasty grub and live music at Lake Isabella, 10174 Loveland-Madeira Road, Symmes Township/Loveland area.
• Sizzling Summer Concert Series – The next few Saturdays at Winton Woods you can relax and enjoy some tunes under the Summer sky.  Concerts start at 7pm; but grab a bite to eat from the grill at 6pm.
• Night Hike – Friday, July 23td at Avoca Park.  Meet at the parking lot at 8pm for  a hike to the Little Miami River and back.
• Night Bike – At Miami Whitewater Forest, Friday July 23rd, 8:30 pm  Enjoy a late evening bicycle ride then have some refreshments by a fire.  You may choose to ride the 7.8 mile loop once or twice.  Recommended for ages 10 and up. Helmets are suggested. Cost is $5 and the deadline to register is July 21. Register online.
• Turtle Week (6pm-8pm; July 27th thru 31st) at Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve What little person doesn’t love turtles, right?
• Glow Disc Golf – Winton Woods, Saturday July 31st at 9:00pm  A game of disc or Frisbee golf is always fun, but playing it at night is even more fun! Bring your own glow disc/Frisbee or rent one of ours and try your skill on our glowing course!  Cost is $5, plus $3 for disc rental. Deadline to register is July 29. Register online.
• Friday Night Float - August 6th Winton Woods at 8:00pm Can you imagine a more wonderful and relaxing way to spend the evening than leisurely canoeing on a warm Summer night?  Experts will be on hand to give canoe tips and history of the lake area.  Then head out to watch the sunset.  Light refreshments will be served.  This wonderful event is recommended for folks eight and up.  Children must be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $10 and the deadline to register is August 4. Register online.
• Bats Under a Big Moon at Fernbank Park Playground, Friday, August 13th at 8:30pm  Celebrate a spooky Friday the 13th with all things BATS!  What kind live near us? How do you attract them (or if you are me how do you keep them AWAY!)?   How do they help our ecology?  Go batty and learn all there is to know at this walk and talk by the river.
• Dusk Hike – Saturday, August 14th at Winton Woods Kingfisher Trail, 8:00 pm Enjoy the Summer evening surrounded by nature while the sun sets  – maybe catch an animal or two!

Summer will be flying by before you know it  – so get out there and make the most of every minute!

Today’s Groupon is literally your ticket to fun for the little one in your life.  Enjoy an entire month of unlimited classes at Gymboree Play and Music Cincinnati locations (one is located on Columbia Parkway; the other in Mason) for only $30!  That is a $110 value folks.  This is the perfect way to give these classes a try without spending a ton of money!

Visit the Groupon site for all the details or the Gymboree site for class times and descriptions!

Who doesn’t love Whole Foods?  You walk in that place and you just FEEL healthier!  There is always something new and interesting to see, taste or try.  I hate grocery shopping as a rule, but Whole Foods is like a trip to a funhouse for me!

So I was uber-excited to stumble onto their Kids Can Cook Too! classes.  I get to be the cool mom, Parker gets to have fun and learn a little (remember, my goal is to have her on KP duty as soon as possible) and afterward I get to stroll around and buy some yummies.

We just got back from today’s class at the Norwood store (the Mason location has these classes as well).  Today’s menu?  Raw Berry Crisp (like an unbaked cobbler kinda)…fresh berries topped with a nut, oat and date crumble.  It was quite tasty and totally guilt free!

But far more than the dish the kids got to make was the tour through the store with Sarah (today’s Top Chef).  She showed the kids where they could find all the ingredients for the dish they were about to make and introduced them a ton of new tastes: dried dates; fresh lychees; dried and fresh figs; and a bunch of various nuts.

Now I can tell you if I offered P a fresh fig she would laugh at my absurdity and run screaming for the hills.  Heck, I could serve it on a silver platter dipped in a pound of chocolate and covered in sprinkles – it would still be a NO GO.  But somehow Sarah got all the kids to try the stuff.  Sarah might have magical mind-melding powers now that I think of it.  She showed them how Whole Food’s fresh nut butters are made – and they got a nibble of almond butter with their crisp.  P didn’t offer to share the almond butter, so I’m thinking it must be pretty good. You know a kid’s class is great when you walk away learning something and I learned a ton.  Til today the only exposure to figs is via fig newtons.  And real figs are so much better than their cookie counterpart!  And fresh lychees – peculiar but delicious, try some one of these days.

Kids Can Cook Too! classes are held at 10am nearly every Saturday at most Whole Foods locations. There is no cost for the classes, but you do need to register for them.  Check their sites (Rookwood or Mason) for all the details as well as upcoming menus.

We’ll see you at the Rookwood store next Saturday for TACOS!

PS: Need a Mom’s Nite Out?  Whole Foods has you covered!  Join them Wednesday, July 28th at 7pm (Rookwood) or Thursday, July 29th (Mason) for just that!  A night away from the kiddos where you can socialize, relax and be pampered.  Food, goodies, giveaways & drinks cause after all MOMS ROCK!  Free to all Moms, but you do need to register!

Contact information:

Norwood/Rookwood: Call Danielle – 513.981.0794

Mason: Call Paula – 513.459.6131 or by email paula.mangold@wholefoods.com

I can’t wait to introduce P to Beverly Cleary’s books.  They were such a part of my childhood, something my Mom introduced me to which became some of the first books I fell in love with.  I can only hope the upcoming release of Ramona and Beezus will do Ms. Cleary proud!

To get everyone in the mood for the movie, the blue manatee is hosting a “have you read…” gathering at their store on July 25th (1:30-2:30) to celebrate all things Ramona and Beatrice Quimby.  If you have a young gal who has read or is reading this delightful series of stories, you won’t want to miss this!  Activities and book discussions…I’m sure a murmur of anticipation about the movie can be expected as well.  Ages 5 and up are invited to this free event.