Saturdays Are For Coffee

Cold is not my favorite but I’m a sucker for a good cup of coffee. So last Saturday we bundled up and headed to Wyoming Community Coffee!

This charming coffee shop is tucked into one of our favorite Cincinnati neighborhoods! As if the promise of a fantastic latte wasn’t enough, we got to check out the Book Bus while we were there.

The Book Bus is the cutest bookstore on wheels I’ve ever seen! It’s the only mobile bookstore I’ve ever seen but I challenge anyone to to find a cuter one than this!

We settled in for the hour with our delicious drinks- one caramel latte, one london fog and one chocolate milk- and spent some quality time together.

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We will definitely be making more regular visits to this little gem! Cincinnati friends if you are looking for a local cup of coffee, a yummy quick bite and comfortable and cozy atmosphere, check them out!




Sunday Family Funday

Last weekend we set out on our first official(since it's actually December!) holiday activity. We'd actually planned on doing something Saturday and Sunday but you know what they say about best-laid plans! Anyway, Sunday was a bright, beautiful and 60-degree day, so we ventured out. Our plan was to head to the Krohn Conservatory to take in the gorgeous holiday display. But, when the husband suggested we drive downtown, hop and the streetcar and have brunch first, I wasn't going to argue. There has been much debate about whether or not the streetcar was a wise investment for the city. I guess that remains to be seen but if my kid's excitement is any indication, the answer is YES! 

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A quick ride on the streetcar delivered us to one of our favorite restaurants, Maplewood Kitchen. We got there at the perfect time. Shortly after our arrival, the line began to snake out the door! After filling up on bistro steak and eggs, lemon ricotta pancakes and chicken hash we made our way to Eden park to check out the holiday display at Krohn Conservatory.

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The display never disappoints! Rowan could have stayed for hours watching the trains! 

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 A streetcar ride, giant pancakes, trains and a Ferris wheel! This kid was on cloud nine for the next two days! 

Sunday Funday|An Afternoon in the City

I am not the most spontaneous person. Neither is my husband. I don't know if it's because we're both Virgos or if we're just set in our ways. So, I was pretty proud of us for deciding to pack up the kiddo and head downtown for the day. We were all dressed, ready out the door in an hour! Shouldn't Sunday afternoons be about finding a little adventure?   We hadn't been to the Observation Deck at Carew Tower in years but it was a perfect afternoon to introduce Rowan to a picture perfect view.   

Why does my sweet baby boy look like such a big kid these days?! Gah! It's all flying by too fast! 

We stumbled upon a climate change rally! These were my two favorite signs. After spending time on Fountain Square we hopped on the streetcar to head to Findlay Market. We've been on it a handful of times and just realized that Nick Lachey voices the stops. That is so Cincinnati!  

 

We had a quick and delicious lunch, listened to some street performers and bought some goodies before heading home. Sunday, fun day, indeed! 

family{opening day}

opening day in cincinnati is an unofficial holiday. people take off work. parents call their kids in sick to school. some schools will bring classes down for a field trip. it's a day that blankets the city in a sea of red and gives everyone the warm fuzzies.

we headed downtown monday to be a part of the festivities. 

rowan lasted longer than we thought he would but we were all a bit ready to escape the crowds. so we followed up the parade with tacos and a few adult beverages!

we're looking forward to more of this-warm days, dining outside and of course, baseball!! 

  

local heart{spotlight: spruce}

friday morning doug takes rowan to swim lessons. i usually spend the time sleeping or cleaning. a few weeks ago, i was exhausted and worn out from a particularly challenging week of toddler wrangling, i declared friday as "my day!" i had grand visions of a morning spent in a cute cafe reading and sipping a cafe au lait to my hearts content. as soon as the words left my mouth i never thought about it again! until, last week.

last week i decided to indulge myself with a manicure so i booked an appointment at spruce.

spruce is one of the newest offerings in vine street's gateway quarter. it features natural and toxic free lotion, scrubs and cuticle oils in a relaxing and eco-friendly. 

the first thing i noticed when i walked in was the smell. it smells really, really good. the total opposite of a nail salon! the design of the salon is simple, minimal and gorgeous. i was swooning at all of the copper details, especially the sink in the back wall! the staff was warm and friendly without seeming like they were trying too hard. meagan and i chatted about everything from nail color to babies to moms giving themselves some time off as she worked on my nails.

  i haven't had a proper manicure since before rowan was born and this little indulgence was exactly what i needed!  

i mean, seriously! my nails look awesome!! so, what are you waiting for? treat yo self! 

family{kiddos and a carousel}

Holy crap! I can't believe February flew by and I went MIA. There were some life things that were thrown at me last month that took some time and most of my energy to sort through. But, I'm happy to be feeling well enough to write up a quick post!

Last saturday we headed down to the riverfront for the Kids Kuisine event, a fundraiser for the YMCA, at Smale Park. It was nice to go to a food event where we didn't need to worry about our little one behaving, well. like a toddler. The event featured food stations, interactive demos for little (would be)chefs and a ride on the Smale Park Carousel!

Ro definitely enjoyed the banana smoothies!

A Cincinnati favorite, Holtmann's Donuts, was there.

A fun cooking demo with little foodies.

The one thing that we found a little curious was that for an event geared towards kids the options for anything not sugar or carb based were practically nonexistent. We really try to limit Rowan's processed sugar intake. I know that kids can be picky eaters but this would have been the perfect setting to try to introduce them to some new things in a fun way. Overall, we had a good time!

Someone is waiting patiently for his turn on the carousel.

It was a little chilly but a beautiful day so we took a little stroll along the Ohio River. This is one of his favorite toys. In the last few weeks he's insisted on taking it with us every where we go. It's a little bulky so if anyone has any suggestions for something that is similar but slightly smaller-and not as noisy!- I would appreciate it.

family{pumpkin patch}

friday we bundled up and set out for the pumpkin farm, blooms and berries. 

last year rowan was just a few months old so the pumpkin picking excursion was definitely for us. but, oh what a difference a year makes! it was so much fun to watch him run around taking everything in.

he could have spent all day with the goats. they came over and licked his fingers which sent him into a fit of giggles. there were also a few tears when he realized they couldn't come home with us. somehow two urban suburbanites have a little one that is an outdoorsy animal lover! 

dad braved the slide. it's kind of hard to say no to that little face.

i highly recommend this for families with little ones. there is a great age/size appropriate straw maze and the adorable cow ride. there are picnic tables so it's possible to pack a lunch if you'd like. unfortunately it started to rain so we had to leave before we had a chance to take the hayride. they also have a little market on site where apples, caramel apples, cider etc can be purchased. pumpkins(of course!)and fall flowers are also available. adults are $7 kids under 2 are free

family{saturdays at the park}

it shouldn't come as a shocker to anyone that i prefer to be curled up on the sofa with a cup of coffee and a book. my list of favorite things to do include reading, watching movies and filling up various online shopping carts and figuring out the amount of an inheritance needed to purchase everything. it also includes things like brunching, lunching and cocktailing. are you spotting the trend? 

these activities are not necessarily child centric. a long wait with a curious and cranky little one made our last attempt to brunch a little stressful and the total opposite of sunday funday.  this is how i found myself on one of the hottest weekends all summer at the park with two of my favorite guys!

how could i say no and stay inside to that face?! we've been to glenwood gardens several times(fun fact-we had our wedding photos taken in glenwood gardens) but we'd never been in the children's garden area. this 12 acre section of the park is beautiful and so much fun for the kids to explore. i think this kid is determined to make me nature lover because i'm almost positive i told my husband we should pack a picnic and visit again in a few weeks!