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

This perfect park is a fun neighborhood playground, the Battery Hooper Park, on Highland Avenue in Ft. Wright.  Located adjacent to the James A. Ramage Civil War Museum, this playground is perfect for children of all ages.  If you read my “perfect park” segments here on Family Friendly Cincinnati, you know that one thing I love in a playground for my kids is shade, and this playground is surrounded by trees, so there is lots of shade for the baby to rest in while his siblings explore and run amuck.  This playground has lots of structures for climbing, a small playhouse, slides, swings, and a large sandbox.

There are also benches surrounding the park for sitting and reading or resting.  The few times I have been to the playground we had the place almost to ourselves.  I think this park would be perfect for a playdate with my children’s friends.  The only problem I had with the park is that I didn’t see any restrooms, but perhaps there were some at the Museum, which is just a stone’s throw away down a paved path.  I think that one day we might have to walk over there and explore the Civil War Museum as well.  So if you are looking for a new park to discover with your children, be sure to stop by this little playground!

Batter Hooper Park

1402 Highland Avenue

Ft. Wright, KY  41011

Parking area is located at the Community of Faith Presbyterian Church

One of my family’s favorite things to do in the summer is to head down to the Somerset/Burnside, Kentucky area for a relaxing weekend of boating on Lake Cumberland. It’s something we do 5-6 weekends a year, and it gives us lots of opportunities to relax and to also make memories together.

If you’ve never heard of it, Lake Cumberland is a massive body of water — in fact, it’s  more than 63,000 acres. The lake is a boaters (and fisherman’s) paradise with water that averages about 90 feet in depth (yes, even with the lowering of the lake water a few years ago).

While there are MANY small towns and cities located along Lake Cumberland, for our family, there is no better location than the Somerset/Burnside area.  Nestled next to each other, the two small towns offer visitors plenty of local amenities and wonderful hospitality.

Where To Stay:

In the Burnside/ Somerset area there are lots of housing options– from camping at General Burnside Island State Park or renting a private town-home from Woodsend Bend to staying in cabins (like we do) or even renting a whole house from Lake Cumberland Resort.

For the past year or so we’ve stayed at Lost Lodge, a cute cabin community located in Burnside.

Lost Lodge is located in a quaint wooded area and has 1,2 & 3 bedroom cabins. The prices are really reasonable and they include full kitchens so you can cook (and save $$) while you are there. Lost Lodge is also family friendly and has a playground located in the center. If you are a boater like us, you’ll LOVE the fact that Lost Lodge also has a boat dock! This is important if you have your own boat as it is NOT fun putting a boat in and out of the water every day.

Boating Resources:

Don’t have a boat? No worries, you can rent one for the day, weekend or even for the week.  There are two places I would recommend for boat rental – Burnside Marina or Conely Bottom Marina. Both offer several choices including pontoons, houseboats & even ski boats.  If you do have a boat, and are just looking to moor it, they can help with that as well.

So you’ve got your boat, what about boating supplies like ski’s and tubes? Depending on where you stay in town, I have two favorite stores – Boat-n-stuff (Don’t you love the name!) – rents & sells ski’s, innertubes & more, and Paul’s Discount – sells boating supplies, camping gear, bait, swim suits and just about anything you could want, they have.

Dining Options:

Like most towns, there are plenty of dining options to choose from.  While we primarily cook at the cabin, ocassionally we do like to go out.  Around town a few of our favorites include Ginny’s (sort of a greasy spoon diner for breakfast),  the Goodie Shack for ice cream treats, El Taxco for tasty Mexican (and lime margaritas…just $1.99 at happy hour…) and Baxter’s for coffee and donuts too!

Entertainment Options:

Looking for something to do after the sun goes down? How about taking in a good old fashioned drive in movie at the Highway 27 Drive – In? With a broad selection of movies each week that includes a kid friendly option (last weekend was Toy Story 3), cost is just $5 for adults & $2 for children. Fun right?

Don’t have access to a boat? No worries, you can still stay cool if you head over to SomerSlash, Somerset’s MASSIVE water park.  I would compare it to the waterpark at Great Wolf, only it’s completely outdoors. Prices run from $12.95 – $14.95 and admission is 1/2 price after 4pm.

Do you enjoy flea markets? Well you are in luck if you do. The Somerset/Burnside area is home to two large flea markets – Shopper’s Paradise Flea Market (primarily outdoor) and Lake Cumberland Flea Market (primarily indoor).

Have time for a quick drive? We’ve visited two attractions that are both great for families.

First is Lake Cumberland Falls.  About 27 miles from Burnside, this state park is home to an amazing waterfall and hiking trails. The road to the park is wind-y so you’ll want to do this outing early in the day when there is plenty of light. Next is Sterns, KY.  About a 45 minute drive, visitors to Stern learn about the town’s lumber mill history and can take a 2-3 hour train ride courtesy of Big South Fork Scenic Railway. The train stops at various lumber mill camps where there are recordings you can play to learn the rich history of the people who worked and lived at the mills years ago.  This is a perfect outing for train & history buffs a like, and perhaps one of my favorite things to do.

So now that I have gone on and on about Lake Cumberland, have you taken your family down for the weekend?  What are your favorite spots or must do activities (aside from floating in the lake all day!)? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments.

PS. Here are some more photos:

At the beginning of summer break, we started a family “summer bucket list” and each one of us had to pick three things that we wanted to do before the end of summer giving  us a total of  twelve things to try to do as a family.  My youngest wanted to go to Winton Woods and visit Parky’s Ark and I’m so glad that was on her list.  We recently visited Winton Woods and not only got to visit Parky’s Ark but we also stopped by Parky’s Farm.  Both of these are gems in the Hamilton County Park District and provide endless fun for kids of all ages.

After packing our lunch, towels, drinks and sunblock, we were on our way.  Our first stop was Parky’s Ark. We purchased our daily wristband at the snack bar for $2/child. Kids over 13 and adults are free. If you think you’ll head to the wet playground more than once, you can also purchase a 3 pack of wristbands for $5 or a season pass for unlimited visits for $15.  My girls love Parky’s Ark. There’s nothing more fun than getting sprayed with water on a hot summer day while joyously sliding down a slide inside a pirate ship.  For me, I love that there is a nicely shaded upper level filled with tables and benches where you can sit and read a magazine while keeping an eye on the kids.  The other nice thing is that the Hamilton County Parks will let you bring in your own food and non-alcoholic drinks so you can save some money if you want to pack a picnic lunch.  The full service snack bar also has lots of great things to munch on and you can get a kids’ meal for only $3.52 (includes hot dog, chicken nuggets, PB&J, side and a drink).  Since we brought our lunch, I let the girls pick out an ice cream treat before we left.

The other great thing about this park is that the dry playground is directly across from the wet playground and if your kids are like mine, they can’t resist a playground. So, we could easily shuttle ourselves back and forth between the two attractions.  The dry playground is free so even after the wet playgrounds close, you can still enjoy the dry playgrounds year round.

Winton Woods also has a harbor area where you can rent paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, motorboats and more.  We didn’t get to venture to the harbor on this visit but one day we’ll return for some boating fun.  You can also do some fishing on the lake. One thing that we always like to do is climb the stairs to the top of the overlook  in the Winton Woods Pavilion.  Here you can get a view of the 156 acre lake and the surrounding park.

After a few hours at the wet and dry playgrounds, we decided to drive to another fun part of Winton Woods and we visited Parky’s Farm.  Since it was a bit of a steamer, Parky’s Farm wasn’t too crowded which was great for us.  We enjoyed seeing the farm animals and we knew it was hot when the big hog decided to lay down in his giant water bowl under a covered tarp.  There are also donkeys, a Llama, Alpacas, goats, chickens, cows and horses to see.  You can even go into the goat chorale and brush the goats.  We got lucky on this visit since there were some adorable young goats to brush and pet.

I love the scenery at Parky’s Farm – it is such a beautiful setting.  All the bright red barn buildings are vibrantly displayed against the green lawns and backdrop of tress in the distance.  I just love this place.  Parky’s Farm has a really fun indoor play area ($2.50/child) but on this visit, we I decided that we would do that on another day since we could just head to the newer barn themed outdoor playground for free. There’s some nice covered shelters close by so this is another great place to have a family picnic or host a birthday party.  The playground is great and will keep your kiddos entertained and their imaginations in full swing.

Parky’s Farm is also home to the Winton Woods Riding Center where kids can take horseback riding lessons. There was a horseback riding camp going on while we were there and you could tell all the kids were having a great time despite the heat.  Parky’s Farm also has pony rides for kids 48” and under ($2.50) or the whole family can take a wagon ride ($2.50/person) and enjoy some more farm fun.

Winton Woods has so many more things you can do and one day we’ll get to try them all.  They have a newly renovated campground area which includes an onsite store, café, playground and activity shelter.   You can book a stay at a campsite or you can reserve one of their brand new deluxe luxury cabins complete with full kitchens, baths, air conditioning, a private queen size bedroom and lofts for the kiddos. There is also Wi-Fi access.  Now that’s my kind of camping.  If you want to sign up for a cabin, you may want to do it early since you can book a cabin up to a year in advance. Call (513) 851-2267 or visit greatparks.org for more information.

Winton Woods also hosts a free Sizzlin Summer Concert Series in July.  All the concerts are held at the Winton Woods Harbor on Saturday nights at 7pm; bring your own chairs and blankets and enjoy the show.  Bring your appetites since  they’ll be grilling some hot dogs and burgers for you to purchase ($3.50-$4.75 for a grilled dinner basket) or an ice cold beverage (yes that includes beer for the adults).

• July 3 – Cincinnati Bass Band
• July 10 – The Mistics
• July 17 – Six Pac
• July 24 – Hickory Robot
• July 31 – The Infinity Ball

For nature lovers, you can visit the Winton Woods Nature Centre, take a hike on one of the many trails or sign up for some of their free nature programs.  Pick up their Evergreen Summer 2010 booklet on your next visit for a listing of all the wonderful programs provided by the Hamilton County Park District.  It is amazing how much they have to offer for families.  For golfers, you can make a tee time for the Meadow Links Golf course and remember they have a kids play free program after 5pm on the weekends.

If you are new to visiting any of the Hamilton County Parks, you do have to have a valid parking pass to enter the parks.  But, the parking pass is such a deal.  It’s only $5 to purchase an annual parking pass. This allows your vehicl  to get into any of the Hamilton County Parks for a year (not a day, a YEAR)!  I also just purchased their 2010 Family Passport coupon booklet for only $10 that has some great coupons for the wet playgrounds, golfing, boat rental, Highfield Discovery Garden admission, and more.   I actually already used three of the coupons recently after we visited Miami Whitewater Forest & Sharon Woods.

Well Summer is upon us..the kids are home from school, and the weather is perfect for a day at the park!  There’s nothing like taking your kids to a good playground — it’s free, and it’s fun!  And there are countless hidden gems out there just waiting for you to discover them!

One of our favorite neighborhood playgrounds is in Ft. Mitchell.  The General Ormsby Mitchel Park (which I’ve also heard just called the “Ft. Mitchell Park”) is located just off of the Buttermilk Pike exit of I-75 at 261 Grandview Drive.  This park is very close to many restaurants in Crescent Springs (if you don’t have time to pack a picnic).

I love this park because it is surrounded by trees, to provide shade for my baby who isn’t quite old enough to run around at the park yet.  The kids love this park because the playground is HUGE, and they have so many things to climb, run, slide and swing on!  There are slides of all sizes, for any age, and swings galore.  My 3 year old’s favorites are the fire truck & the bulldozer…he loves to pretend he is driving!  There are picnic tables located near the playground, and there is also a covered picnic area available for rental.  Another thing I enjoy at this park is the porch-style swings for mamas to sit and relax on while their children run and play.  There are also soccer fields, sand volleyball and a baseball field at this park.  The only thing that is frustrating is the small parking lot.  When there are team sports being played at the park it can be tough to find a parking spot.  I think there might be a second parking lot further down the road, but that can be complicated for a mama with four kids and a picnic dinner to carry.  There are also bathrooms and a water fountain at this park, but the bathrooms are undergoing renovations right now (badly needed renovations in my opinion).  Hopefully they will be open again soon, but in the meantime there are porta-potties at the park.

Do you have a favorite neighborhood park?  Leave me a comment below so I can check it out!

By now you know how much we love the library.  It’s a great resource for families, offering tons of FREE activities for parents of children of all ages.  From toddler story times and craft events to teen movie night and magic shows, there is always something fun going on for families to enjoy.

This month there is A LOT GOING ON at the Cincinnati Library:

Summer Reading Program: The basic idea is that you sign up for the program; you read some books; you keep track of how many you read and then you get a prize. Great way to get kids exciting about reading while school’s out, right?   What’s great about this too, is after you complete your sign up sheet, and get your initial prize it’s not over….. there’s a Grand Prize drawing at the end of the Summer. Read more about the Summer Reading program here.

Fun Library Events: In addition to the Summer Reading Program, the Cincinnati LIbrary has tons of cool special events happening throughout the summer.  There’s magic shows, a portable circus, kids can learn about bugs (and eat some!),there’s  juggling, music (by Zak Morgan), and even a pirate show.  In the past, we’ve been to the magic show and the pirate show and both were excellent and tons of fun! ‘You can view a complete list of events & where they’re taking place, here.

Storytimes & Special Programs: Throughout the month the Cincinnati Library hosts a ton of great storytimes & special programs for children of all ages. These are held at branches all over Cincinnati & Hamilton County. We’re including a few here, but you can find a complete list of Storytimes HERE and a complete list of Special Programs HERE.

Storytimes:

Bedtime Storytime
Tuesday, June 15
Oakley Branch Library, 4033 Gilmore Ave., 369-6038
Bedtime Stories: Enjoy stories, songs and rhymes. Tuesday 15, 6:30 p.m., Ages 6 & under.

Family Storytimes
Mondays in June
Main Library, 800 Vine St., 369-6900
Summer Storytime: Lots of fun stories for everyone! Children’s Learning Center, Mondays 7, 14, 21 & 28, 10:30 a.m., All ages.

Library Babies
Saturday, June 19
Pleasant Ridge Branch Library, 6233 Montgomery Rd., 369-4488
Baby Massage with Michelle Emanuel Bring your baby and learn calming and bonding techniques to help baby’s development! Saturday 19, 10:30-11:00 a.m. Recommended for parents with babies under 1 year. Registration is recommended.

Music & Movement Storytime
Wednesdays in June
Hyde Park Branch Library, 2747 Erie Ave., 369-4456
Movers & Shakers Storytime, Wednesdays 9, 16, 23, 30, 10:30 a.m., Ages 1-3.

Special Programs:

Monday, June 28
Madeira Branch Library, 7200 Miami Ave., 369-6028
Caring For Your Pet: Puppies & kittens with the League For Animal Welfare. Monday 28, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Ages 5-12 Sponsored by the Hosbrook Fund.

Thursday, June 17
Delhi Township Branch Library, 5095 Foley Rd., 369-6019
Reptile Rendezvous: An up close look at snakes, turtles and more with naturalist Julie Stubbs from Hamilton County Parks. Thursday 17, 2:00 p.m., All ages.

Wednesdays in June
Main Library, 800 Vine St., 369-6900
Art at Night: Learn about famous artists and discover the artist in you! Create a work of art each week. Children’s Learning Center, Wednesday 9, 16, 23 & 30, 7:00 p.m., Ages 6-12 Sponsored by the Downtown Residents Council.

Thursday, June 24
Cheviot Branch Library, 3711 Robb Ave., 369-6015
Lights, Camera, Read! Poster: Design your own movie poster. Thursday 24, 1:00 p.m., Ages 6-12 Registration is required

Finally, here’s a cute video the Library put together on their storytime program.

Everyone knows that I am a big fan of downtown.  We love spending time there — discovering fun events, cool places to eat and even just walking around and checking out all of the cool architecture.  One of our favorite stops of course is Fountain Square. Aside from the boys running around the fountain, there is always something going on there — from music & dancing to fundraisers, you just never know what you will find.

For families, one of the best days to head down to Fountain Square this summer is Saturday. Starting tonight, Fountain Square is hosting two great events for families – “Family Days” during the day, and “Toyota Movie Night” in the evenings.

“Family Days” ~ Starting today, and running every Saturday this month, Fountain Square is hosting Family Days, and is inviting children ages eight and under downtown for some fun!   Starting at 10 am and running until noon, young attendees will include activities tied to art, music, dance and fitness, animals and more!

Special guest host Chris Lynn from Warm 98 will be on site each week to lead the fun as well as special guests, including children’s librarians reading stories from the Curious George books, Happen Inc & Art Machine leading wacky craft projects and “playground games” will be scattered throughout the Square.  Rufus the Reading dog from the library and Binny from Rumpke Recycling among other mascots will also be stopping by!

While you are there, you can  also sign up your children for the Cincinnati Library’s Summer Reading program.

Toyota Movie Night ~ An activity that my family can’t wait for, Fountain Square is bringing back Movie Night!  Grab some folding chairs, a few snacks and head down to the Square to watch movies on the giant screen over Macy’s. It’s just like being at the drive in, only better because you’re surrounding scenery is gorgeous (have you been downtown at night lately? just beautiful!) Movie previews start at 7pm, with movies starting at 7:30 & 9:30pm.  The evening usually lasts until 11:30 or midnight, so depending on the age of your children, you may want to leave after the first movie.

Last year my boys and I  saw Kung Fu Panda on Fountain Square and we loved it. We brought blankets and snacks and topped off our evening with ice cream from Graters!  Oh, one very important thing to note…. did I mention Movie Night is FREE!!  That’s right, FREE!

Toyota Movie Night runs all summer long and into the early fall. Here’s a look at some of the movies that are coming up. You can view a complete list on the Fountain Square website.