Moms, here’s a little secret: you don’t have to wait until summer to give your kids that “beach day” feeling. When the weather is freezing outside and the playgrounds are icy or muddy, there’s a warm, cozy, super-fun escape waiting for you: The Sandbox for Kids. Think of it as a beach day, sans the water, cold toes, and clean-up hassle, where kids dig, build, explore, and imagine, while you relax with a cup of coffee and enjoy watching them create.
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Sauder Village comes to life during the holiday season, from convenient and comforting holiday meal options at the Barn Restaurant and Doughbox Bakery, to festive events in the Historic Village and unique, handcrafted gift options at the Museum Store.
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Flat! That’s the one word that best describes the terrain in NW Ohio & Southeast Michigan, which is totally fine unless it snows & kiddos want to go sledding. In which case kids have two options, one, gather all the neighborhood kids and have a BYOS (Bring Your Own Snow) party in the front yard, where kids literally gather as much snow from all the yards to make a snow hill, or, hit up a snow hill. But let’s be honest, if you’re not a local these hills are tough to find. So here’s a list of some popular snow hills the locals in NW Ohio & SE Michigan frequent with their kiddos…
If you haven’t heard the news yet, here it is: Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto is coming to the Huntington Center, and this show promises to be more magical than ever.
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It’s funny, I couldn’t tell you what I wore the Christmas of 1990 (I’m sure it was a gorgeous dress that matched my siblings and we all looked adorable Mom), or what gifts I opened from under the tree, or even if we had snow that year. What I do remember is sipping hot chocolate as we walked through the zoo at night (that in itself is pretty cool to kids) in wonderment at the Lights before Christmas with close family friends, rushing ahead of my parents in awe of the Christmas magic at Children’s Wonderland, touring the over the top decorations at Holidays in the Manor House with my grandparents, seeing the classic, A Christmas Carol, & watching the joy on my father’s face as he recited lines as we watched the classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. That’s the thing about Christmas; it really isn’t about the perfect gift it’s about the time spent with loved ones. So this Christmas let’s focus less on the number of goods under the tree and more on the quality of time spent making childhood memories that our children will cherish for a lifetime.
It’s about half an hour before the end of the workday. My brain is fried, my to-do list is laughing at me, and I’m just trying to wrap things up when, ding!, the first text rolls in.
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The last day to visit Historic Sauder Village this season is Saturday, Nov. 1. Guests are invited to plan their final visit of the year and enjoy exciting seasonal activities while they’re here, including events like Eerie Nights, Woodcarver’s Show, Trunk or Treat and more.
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Being a teenager is “hard”, “the worst”, ” brutal”, etc., to say the least!! And truth be told, raising a teenager isn’t much different than raising a toddler. And as a parent, raising a toddler, I mean, a teenager, you will be met with much resistance when it comes to activities. Here’s the thing: that resistance is their insecurities manifesting and projecting. Is it safer to just stay at home on their device? Sure. But that doesn’t help them become the person they are meant to be. As parents, we need to encourage and, at times, push them outside of their comfort zone.
It was late July and I had just posted a meet-up with our playgroup, our destination, Rolling Hills Water Park in Ypsilanti, MI. As a mom I was slightly terrified, how was I going to watch all three kiddos go in three different directions at a water park? Turns out one of the best things I ever did was to make the event a playdate meet-up! Many eyes and hands make for light work when it comes to watching children. Playgroup moms are like an extension of themselves. We each divided and conquered the water park that day. Two moms took a group of kiddos to the lazy river, another two took kids to the water slides, and two stayed by the splash area with toddlers, and it was such a relaxing, enjoyable, and fun day for all of us, moms and kiddos. Seven years later and we are still continuing the tradition!
The weather is finally perfect for dining alfresco! Who doesn’t enjoy sitting out on a patio? Let’s be honest, when you are in direct sun with no breeze it can become uncomfortable quickly, am I right?! What if I told you I literally found the perfect patio in Toledo, I’m talking about a comfortable breeze coming off of the water, epic view, and shade!
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Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 