Backyard Wilderness at the Great Lakes Science Center

We were provided with tickets to see Backyard Wilderness at the Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater and admission to the Great Lakes Science Center to facilitate this conversation. All opinions are my own.

A few years ago, I stopped home with my son before dashing off to get his sister from daycare. I happened to glance in the backyard and I noticed a deer. It was so still and I was in such a rush that it registered as a memory.

My grandparents had a plaster statue of a deer resting on the ground. It was life-size but not lifelike.

When we walked out of the house the deer had moved. She was beautiful and scary all at the same time. All I could think was she could do some serious damage if she felt threatened by us.

I nudged my then six or seven-year-old to the car and she stared us down with majesty. I had no idea if she decided to claim our backyard as hers or if she planned to leave. Either way, I still had to get the baby from daycare.

I called the city and was informed that we live close enough to the Metroparks that we just had to share.

It was a very real reminder that we are part of a bigger world than our suburb.

The Great Lakes Science Center invited us to view the latest Cleveland Clinic DOME Theater movie - Backyard Wilderness.

Louisville, Homewood Suites, and First Oireachtas

About a year ago, my kids started Irish dance class.

When they started, I wasn't sure how far it would go. I found the studio on Groupon while looking for a deal on a spa day. My daughter had taken classes before, but I never took her back after winter break. So, there was a studio in our city, young energetic teachers, and her best friend was willing to try too! Seemed like a giant win.

I brought the idea up to my son about trying it for the month and he said, "Sure! Let's try for a year." He is still at it! He won't perform or compete, but he helps his sister practice.

Rowan performed at her first Feis at the start of summer. She did well, as in she got up and performed in her first official competitions. At the end of summer, her teachers asked her and her best friend to perform at Oireachtas.

What's Oireachtas? (O-ROCK-TUS)

Oireachtas translates to gathering. And, it's a dance competition when referring to Irish dance. Outside of the Irish Dance world, it is the national parliament or the legislature of the Republic of Ireland. 

This is an honor to be asked by their teachers to join an 8-hand Ceili girl team. And, my daughter performed with a mixed team with the two boys in their age group.

I didn't realize what a big deal this was when they were asked. I'm thrilled that they still want to go to class, but this is not a cheap sport when it comes to competition. Justifying the costs on a budget often overshadowed the experience for me. Seeing her perform and enjoying herself made the sacrifices worth it.

Off to Kentucky!

5 Things We Know You Will Love at LEGOLAND Discovery Center

We received four complimentary admissions to LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Columbus, Ohio. Opinions are my own. 

There aren't many things that will bring my kids together like playing with LEGO.  Sure, they share many interests, but not like LEGO. They can play together or independently, enjoy a movie together, or explore an exhibit.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center is a brand new way for them to share their love of LEGO! 

And, just two hours away from Cleveland!

What to know before you go to LEGOLAND Discovery Center Columbus

Donut Fries from Dunkin Donuts and Pulling a Plane

Dunkin Donuts provided us with a gift card to try the new treats for summer. Opinions are my own.

I've inadvertently taken a social media break. I didn't even realize it until I remembered to post my weekly update!

There is so much I want to share!  At the same time, I'm realizing that there isn't a whole lot of time left in my career as a mom. I know that seems odd, I know my kids will always need me. But, not the way they do at this time in their lives. I don't want to miss anything.

I find myself being the one to beg them to do something they've always done in the past. When I realize that I'm doing it, I try to stop. But I can't help that they feel guilty and do it anyway. I hate that they have opinions!

Last weekend was the annual plane pull for Special Olympics. 

We're Eel-ing Over Changes to Greater Cleveland Aquarium! It's Fin-tastic

We received admission to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium to facilitate this conversation. Opinions are mine.

The Greater Cleveland Aquarium has made some turtle-y radical changes!

By the Spring of 2019, The Greater Cleveland Aquarium will have invested $250,000 in updates and improvements. Many of the changes can be seen now!

We haven't been to the aquarium since 2012!

And. we've been blown away at how much has been changed in the last six years.

Tami Brown, Aquarium GM and Splash Fund Director, gave a tour highlighting the changes and sharing what's to come.

On the left,  photo from our visit in 2012 with the plain blue walls.

Day Tripping to Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky Ohio

Great Wolf Lodge provided our day passes and activities to facilitate this conversation. I did not receive additional compensation for my article. Opinions are my own.

Being able to get up and go is one of the best parts of having older kids. Grabbing a day bag and heading out the door is fantastic! And, day trips have become a big part of our family life.

Recently, we were invited to spend the day at

Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, Ohio!

Nestled about an hour from Cleveland is a Northwoods-themed resort waterpark with a game arcade and Scooops Kid Spa.

The waterpark boost 33,000 square feet of indoor aquatic fun! A four-story treehouse water fort with a giant tipping bucket, a hot tub, a lazy river, five splash and play pools, and nine slides.

When the kids want to dry off there is the MagiQuest interactive scavenger hunt game and Cub Club children's activities.

The 271 room resort has a full-service restaurant, four smaller food options including Dunkin Doughnuts and two gift shops. In addition, there are meeting rooms with a full-service event planning.

Pweh! That's a lot!

Overnight Accommodations

Festivals and Fairs in Northeast Ohio 2018

Nothing says gorgeous weather fun like fairs and festivals!

I wish we had the time and money to go to all of the festivals, but it would be impossible to hit up all of Ohio's amazing activities between now and the end of the year! We are going to try.

This is not a complete list. Comment below or tag me on Instagram if you know of an event we might like to add to the calendar.

These are also on the weekly bucket list! And, check out what we are doing or have done in Northeast Ohio.

Calendar of Festivals and Fairs in Northeast Ohio

Groupon Coupons for Travel!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by US Family Guides. and its advertiser, Groupon. All opinions are mine alone. 

Have you caught the wanderlust bug? Check out Groupon to help get you to where you are going! 

When we travel, I always check Groupon before going to our favorite sites like Hotels.com, CityPass, or any of the 9,000 retailers that offer BIG savings! That's over 70,000 coupons, promo codes, and deals.

CLE to DC by Train! Things to Keep in Mind While Traveling by Train

The last two weeks have been such a whirl wind for us! School started and we did a quick trip to D.C. We also celebrated my spawn's twelfth birthday! So much to cram into a small amount of time but it was all worth it!

Last year, we started making plans to attend a wedding in Virginia. My husband had lived in the area and worked in D.C. so he thought it would be nice to stop there on the way. The wedding didn't happen but we decided to keep with the plan. Only, this time we'd go by train!

Cleveland, Ohio to Washington D.C. by train is almost twelve hours. Twelve hours!

We also only had two days before school started to pull it off. Between my husband's schedule and the rest of us, vacations get complicated.

While visiting our nation's capital could have been enough, we planned the trip inspired by a book. The sculpture that inspired The Seventh Most Important Thing is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. While the book is fiction, the sculpture is very real. My oldest spawn had to read it this summer for middle school.

Our trip began at the (ungodly) hour of 1:30 AM.

Air travel conditioned us to be at the airport early. While you do have to check in early for a train, it's nowhere near the time you need to arrive for a plane. And, there is no WiFi at the Cleveland station. They don't get a whole lot of passengers to warrant it would be my guess.

6 Travel Apps Essential for Your Next Adventure by Train + #SummerIsForSavings

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #SummerIsForSavings #CollectiveBias #WFM3

Planning a trip is stressful. Agreeing on a destination and a budget. Securing a place to stay and how to get there. And, what you will do when you arrive. Stress-ful!

For our final summer adventure, we are heading to Washington D.C. for the weekend. What I wouldn’t give to snap my fingers to plan this trip. Luckily, planning our upcoming trip has been at my fingertips. With the $49.88 PLUS Plan from Walmart Family Mobile, powered by T-Mobile - I planned our trip poolside. I kid you not.

Unlimited Talk, Text, & Data which includes up to 15GB of 4G LTE † then 2G* is a giant leap up from what I had before. I’ve been leery about increasing my data plan due to cost. I can get by fine with my smaller data plan. Until I got a taste of the larger data plan. The best part is, I’m not paying that much more for Walmart Family Mobile on T-Mobile's nationwide 4G LTE † network. Since my son has Walmart Family Mobile we get a discount for extra lines.

More data, budget friendly, and the $49.88 PLUS Plan from Walmart Family Mobile includes a free VUDU◊ movie rental credit (valued at $7.00) each time I renew service.

Upgrading was easy. I picked my phone, picked my plan, and activated it from the comfort of my front porch. No activation fees. No late charges. More data (on most plans). Walmart has the best pricing in no contract Wireless plans and the simplest to activate.

I used three apps to plan our trip and downloaded extra apps to use while we are in D.C. Some of the apps are specific to D.C., but I'm confident there would be similar ones anywhere you plan to travel.

6 Travel Apps Essential for Your Next Adventure by Train

Celebrating Cleveland Metroparks' Centennial + Edgewater Park {Photos}

I've spent the majority of my life a mile or so away from Edgewater Park. This former state park sits on Lake Erie just west of downtown Cleveland.

Edgewater State Park has had some bad press over the years. Crime and vandalism dominated most conversations about our beloved place. This did not stop many Clevelanders from utilizing the park. Myself included.

2007-ish

When the discussions started about changes to the park, I was living within walking distance. I often felt I was taking my life in my hands when I would walk over so I was excited about any improvements.

I was also wary how it would affect my drive to work among other things. It wasn't long after that we moved into neighboring suburb; promptly forgetting about the lakefront improvements.

In 2013, the Cleveland Metroparks took over Edgewater and several other state run parks along the lake. Small changes started happening. Good changes. Until it was announced that the express way that runs beside the park was going to change. It started with the speed limit. My once ten-minute drive to work doubled.

Shortly after the speed change happened, construction started. Or, demolition. For the last several years we west-siders have weaved in and out of construction barrels, sat in traffic jams that were uncommon for this span of road, and watched as our lakefront started to change.

And, all of it was worth it.

We have been rewarded with a brand new beach house and tunnels that connect the neighborhood to the park. The park has never been cleaner or prettier. Talks of crime and vandalism have been replaced with praise for the Cleveland Metroparks.

The proof is in the pictures.

Wanderlist Cleveland! 10 Places to Wander in Northeast Ohio

Oh, the places to visit in Cleveland and there is so little time left this summer! 

Our family has been able to check off several things off our summer to-do lists in Cleveland. I know what you are thinking, "why Cleveland?" We can make plans to travel all over the world. Why would we stay in Cleveland?

In a nutshell, Cleveland and Northeast Ohio is amazing! We love our city. And while we make plans to travel to other cities, why waste time together when there is so much to do right here.

Why wanderlist and not wanderlust? 

Wanderlust is a lovely word to describe where we'd like to go one day. Wanderlist is where we can go one day next week.

This is our list of what we'd like to and what we have done and would like to do again. 

Why We Love the Duck Tape Festival!

Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival - Father's Day Weekend

In the ten plus years Avon, Ohio has been home to the annual Duck Tape Festival, I've gone once. Last year was the first year we went and it was so much fun. Duck tape was everywhere! It was fantastic.

We loved having (almost) unlimited access to Duck Tape! We got to create and have access to professionals for help! The kids made bracelets and bow ties, I made a wallet and helped the little one make a purse. We were full of great ideas!

Festivals + Fairs in Northeast Ohio for Summer 2017

The beach, the sun, the festivals! Who's ready for summer?!?

I wish we had the time and money to go to all of them but it would be impossible to hit up all of the festivals and fairs that are in Ohio between now and the end of the year but we are going to try!

This list is growing every day! Please comment below your favorites and I'll add them.

These are also on the weekly bucket list!

Calendar of Festivals and Fairs in Northeast Ohio

What You Need to Have on Your Summer Adventures

This conversation contains affiliate links. We earn a small commission when you click on the ads.

I love our local pool!

It's more than a place to beat the heat. It's a place to meet up with friends, catch up on reading, and just relax. As a bonus, our local pool is in walking distance and we pass several eateries on the way to the park.

Happy #NationalLeaveWorkEarlyDay! #summer #1lkwd #eatplaylivecle #siblings #clevelandkid #thisiscle

A post shared by Mary Johnson (@mryjhnsn) on Jun 2, 2017 at 1:45pm PDT

The best part? I don't have to watch them every second. I don't even have to get into the pool if I don't want too. They can play and frolic in the water with their friends and I can watch from a distance.

All I need is a bottle of water (or disguised beverage of choice), a book, and whatever I packed in our adventure bag.

I was never one to carry a diaper bag, but my around town bag is a whole other story. The bag only has what we need for success. Or, to stave off boredom.

Finding the Sweet at b.a. Sweetie Candy + Soda Shoppe

When Mally's is in your neighborhood, it's hard to justify a trip to any other candy place.

As I was planning RD's superhero birthday party, I wanted more than chocolate. Also, my soon-to-be-seven-year-old does not like chocolate.

Not finding exactly what I wanted at traditional stores, we ventured out to b.a. Sweetie. 

This nirvana of candy started in the 1950's on the east side and was home to various locations up and down Brookpark Rd. I wish I captured the look on their faces when they first came in. I can't believe that I've never been. (this is not a paid or sponsored post)

What to Know Before You go to Castaway Bay

As a Cedar Point Blogger, we received an overnight stay and waterpark admission to facilitate this conversation. Four (4) day passes were provided by Castaway Bay for sweepstakes. Opinions are my own.

It's 82 degrees all day, every day at Castaway Bay Water Park in Sandusky, Ohio. 

I'm shivering as I type and not out of excitement - it's c-o-l-d! I can't help but look longingly at the pictures from our overnight stay at Castaway Bay.

This is the third year that we've traded our winter coats for swimsuits and headed to Sandusky. I swear, each trip out there gets shorter. 

We were surprised that the rooms were updated with fun colors and cool photos from Cedar Point!

I feel like we are now indoor water park experts and ready to pass on our expertise. 

Irish Comfort Food + Storytelling at the MusicBox Supper Club

I spent my twenties working on the West Bank of the Flats in Cleveland, Ohio. Well, most of my twenties. I ended my hospitality career on the other side of the river.

Now, I get to scope out restaurants to plan a dinner for my day job. This is the third year and I'm going back to my roots. Well, sort of, my old night club is now the Music Box Supper Club. The hubs and I went on Wednesday night to see the space and have dinner.

Gone is the water fountain that was in the circular driveway. Gone is the Panini's restaurant in the basement. Gone is the dance floor and the DJ booth. Even my office is gone. It's an elevator.

In its place, a really beautiful club and restaurant. In the late 90s, the place to be was on the dance floor on the second floor. Now, when you walk in you can upstairs to the concert hall or straight into the Rusty Anchor.

I can't tell you how many guys I watched roll down those stairs.

The concert hall looks intimate on what was once the dance floor. All seats have a perfect view of the stage. Only one bar remains in the back along the windows.

The panoramic view of the river hasn't changed and is breathtaking for this Cleveland gal. The last time I looked out these windows, they had just demolished several restaurants. Now, you can look out over the river on to the brand new East Bank of the Flats.

Win Tickets for the Adrenaline Packed MonsterJam Triple Threat Series!

We have received tickets in exchange for this conversation. Additionally, Feld Entertainment is providing four tickets to giveaway to one reader. Opinions are my own.

Monster Jam Triple Threat Series in Cleveland 

February 18-19, 2017 | Quicken Loans Arena

It's February in Cleveland! The groundhog may have seen his shadow, but that won't scare away the Monster Trucks from coming to Northeast Ohio!

Monster Jam Triple Threat Series™ is a points-based format that showcases the best lineup of Monster Jam vehicles that deliver what fans want to see most…more trucks, more racing, more freestyle, more donuts, more wheelies, more action!

This series tests the versatility of the athletes as they go head-to-head in seven different competitions driving three different vehicles --- Monster Jam trucks, Monster Jam Speedsters and Monster Jam ATVs.

These athletes battle for points in challenging racing and freestyle events that push themselves and their machines to the limit. The point leader from the series will receive an automatic bid to the prestigious Monster Jam World Finals® to compete for the title of World Champion.

Zombie driven by Bari Musawwir

#WhyIMarch(ed): My Favorite Photos from the Women's March on Washington

I went. I marched. 

And, it was the proudest I've felt for my country since November.

United we stand. #womensmarch #365omj #365sofab #whyimarch #imarchfor

A photo posted by Mary Johnson (@mryjhnsn) on Jan 21, 2017 at 7:05am PST

There were singing and chanting. There were signs and speeches. There was a whole lot of standing and waiting. I was too far to hear the speeches, but it was amazing just to be present. There was a community marching together. And, there was hope. Women gathered in sisterhood all over the world. Men, too. It was an amazing and beautiful day.

Struggling to be part of the moment and wanting to capture it all was hard. But, here are a few photos that I took that are my favorite.