We just returned from our 2nd Fall Break road trip and it was such a perfect escape for a family fall fanatics like us.

We live just north of Cincinnati and the destination was Pontiac Lake Michigan which means we spend most of our time on I-75.

I have had a lot of people ask me about the parks that we have visited and how I happened upon these little pit stops. So I finally decided to map it all out here on the blog for anyone that might be looking for some 1-75 destinations in the Ohio or Michigan area.

Almost all of these activities are free or very budget-friendly. So if you are traveling with a big family like we are it is easy on the wallet.

Without further ado here are the stops we make in order from Lebanon, Ohio to Waterford Township, Michigan.

The first stop (coming from the Cincinnati area) is Lebanon Ohio.

This is a great place to stop for a bite to eat at the many local restaurants or in our case just a morning coffee and pastry at the Lot No. 1 coffee shop.

Lebanon has the cutest shops and historic downtown area.

There is a train station and plenty of sidewalks to take in the gorgeous fall foliage if you are there at that time of year.

We then travel an hour and a half north to the village of New Bremen. I can’t recommend this stop enough even if it is about 15 minutes off of the highway.

My favorite part about the village is The Bicycle Museum of America.

Our whole family was able to go for under $10!

This museum was the coolest thing! They had some of the earliest bicycles all the way up to modern ones. They even have an original Pee Wee Herman bike.

Most of it was off limits to touch, but there were enough interactive displays to keep our 8 little hands happy.

The kids loved this museum and I enjoyed all the history behind it as well. If you like bikes at all this place is a must-see.

From there you can walk to the Komminsk Legacy park which is not only gorgeous but a lot of fun as well.

It considered an “interactive art park” and I’ve never seen anything like it.

This little park is sure to impress your family.

Along with the museum and the park, there is The Miami and Erie Trail, which is a 2-mile path that runs alongside the historic canal in the village. It’s easy to fall in love with New Bremen, Ohio.

From there we hop back in the car for another hour before stopping off in Findlay, Ohio.

This little University town is home to one of our favorite coffee shops, George House Coffee Co.  It’s eclectic menu includes some food, loads of drink combinations, and lots of rows of reading material.

Not far from there is Fort Findlay, an old wooden playground that my kids absolutely love!

After getting those wiggles out we drive another hour and a half to end up in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor is a day trip of its own so there are way too many attractions and experiences to fit in at one little stop but here are a few recommendations that we have experienced.

Barton Nature Area

Beautiful scenery with plenty of trails, a fascinating dam, and lots of water activity if you have a kayak or canoe!

Maize and Blue Delicatessen

If you are a Wolverines fan this little deli near the campus needs to be on your bucket list. Be ready for a mouthful though.

County Farm park

Not only was this an amazing playground, but this park also has lovely trails and beautiful community garden.

Gallup Park

Along the banks of the Huron river this park has it all: wild life, water activities, gorgeous hiking trails, and a playground that your kids will want to spend hours at.

Our destination of  Pontiac Lake Recreation Area is only 45 minutes away from Ann Arbor so that is our final stop.

To be clear, these photos are not all from the same trip! That would be too much in one day. We do try to stop at each city. Sometimes it’s a quick stop, others are a longer visit. This last time we saved Findlay for the ride home.  Either way it makes a really fun adventure out of a  5.5 hour drive!

If there is something else along that route that I am missing out on please let me know. I would love to add more attractions to our i-75 fall road trip.

When Misty Pearson became a mom a photo of her newborn daughter was displayed in the International Space Station window with the distant planet earth visible in the background. That’s one of the cool perks of working for NASA, your astronaut friends celebrate milestones in a way that is literally out of this world.

Misty has had a long time fascination with space. When she was 12 years old she watched a shuttle mission with John Glenn who was one of the original astronauts and was going up again. It was then that Misty proclaimed to her parents that she wanted to be an astronaut and they both encouraged her dreams. Even at a young age they looked for opportunities to allow her to pursue this passion.

This photo is of Misty while on a work trip to another NASA site in Huntsville Alabama, which is where she went to space camp more than a decade before.

Her dad was especially instrumental in helping Misty because he has also had a love for space exploration. He acted as a guide directing to Misty to hone in what it was she really loved about space and what she wanted to pursue. After graduating High School Misty went to LeTourneau University where she decided to pursue mechanical engineering. A lot of her journey involved just eliminating what she knew she didn’t want to do. She knew the military was one route to NASA and she didn’t feel called to that. Math wasn’t really something that she got excited about either. There were a lot of classes and aspects of space travel that Misty couldn’t see herself committing to.

It wasn’t until an internship in Houston in the summer of 2008 that Misty truly found her calling. She had a friend who connected her with a woman that worked at NASA in operations. Their motto in this department is “Plan Train Fly”, meaning they plan the mission, train the crew, and fly the mission. That was the moment Misty realized this was it! This was what she wanted to do! Getting to that point was not easy. There were times Misty wanted to quit but she knew this was her God given destiny and she had a support system around her to cheer her on and give her the drive to stick it out.

Looking back at that time Misty says “I was where I was supposed to be and I just had to get through it! When it was hard and I was worried, my parents always encouraged me and reminded me of WHY I was doing this. I knew that all of the struggle was going to be worth it.”

Misty testifies of the goodness of God that divinely placed each stepping stone for her to get to where she is today. Even her first job as an Inventory and Stowage Officer was the perfect place for her to be and she only had to do ONE interview. She worked that Crew Support position full time for 6 1/2 years and she loved it.

Now she is working a slightly higher level of operation integration working through problems and finding solutions. She still loves her job and the fact that it’s not all data and engineering, but that she also gets to work very closely with the astronauts and actually have interaction with them.

PHOTO DATE: November 14, 2017
LOCATION: Bldg. 30 – FCR-1
SUBJECT: Expedition 53 flight controllers on console at JSC in FCR-1 during grapple and berthing of the Orbital ATK Cygnus CRS-8 cargo craft to the nadir port of the Unity Module on ISS.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Josh Valcarcel

When Misty became a mom it was a big transition. She had been working at NASA for nine years at this point and now she had to navigate being a mom and an employee. She wasn’t sure how it was all going to blend together but as it turns out Misty says being a mom made her a BETTER employee.

“It has forced me to prioritize and become more efficient with time management,” Misty said. It helps that NASA and her team have been extremely supportive. “Working for NASA in flight operations there are high expectations. For some positions, there are details that could kill the crew. You have to know your stuff. You have to be on your game. You can’t make mistakes. So because of that high pressure enviroment there actually is a good balance of work and home. There is an expectation that you are taking time off and getting the rest that you need to be healthy. They support you getting family time in. There are even rules in place to ensure that you don’t work too many hours.” Misty has seen this in action first hand. “When I became a mom breastfeeding was very important to me. I was having trouble with my milk supply when it occurred to me that I am going to be working in mission control and I am going to have to pump two to three times a day!” She panicked, but decided to simply send an email to the flight director in charge of mission control for that shift and she said “Here is the deal… I am a breastfeeding mom and I am going to have to step out for 30 minutes a couple times a day and here is how we are going to do this.” She stated it very assertively because she knew it was a priority and that she had to stand her ground for her baby. “The amazing thing was I got so much support. These were male flight directors I had emailed and several of them wrote back saying: your family is the most important and that is totally fine. I appreciate you planning in advance…”

Misty says “Being a mom has taught me to speak out and stand up on behalf of my child, which has made me more willing to stand up for myself and it is empowering.”

Misty admits that she is still trying to figure out how to be a good mom and homemaker while being a good employee, wife, and woman of God all combined.

There is no superhuman woman out there absolutely crushing it in all areas, but Misty says in the past two years of pregnancy and motherhood she has learned so much about priorities.  “There are a lot of things that we do (that I did) that aren’t on the priority list. So it’s this realization that our time needs to be spent on those things that are most important. That’s my time with God, that’s my time with my family, keeping our home cozy, investing in myself. Having a list of top priorities helps. Sometimes the right thing to do is leave work early so that I can spend time with my child.”

What woman doesn’t struggle with feeling like they have to juggle it all? Misty was clear that she does not have it all together and in her words is still “a work in progress but God’s helping me figure things out.” Even then Misty is such a wonderful example of how you can devote yourself to a career and pursue dreams that are outside of the home without sacrificing your family or your faith.

I can’t wait to see what happens next for Misty and her family. I love that she has a baby girl with such a strong and gifted mother to look up to. It gives a whole new meaning to reaching for the stars.

I have thrown a lot of parties over the years, everything from Green Eggs & Ham to Batman, to Tea Party, Bumblebee, Candy Land, Butterfly and Nerf. Usually when I have a theme I am pretty thorough about having all of the details come together. This year I knew I wanted to have a big theme party for Ezie because we have a schedule and his last big party was three years ago.

The theme was going to be pizza because there is a book called the Hug Machine that is about a boy who loves to hug everybody and his hugs make everyone feel better.

This is just like Ezie!

In the book the boy refuels by eating pizza. This is also just like Ezie, so much so that when I read the book to the kids they asked if it was written about him.

Anyway, I made a pizza themed Evite, a pizza pinata, a fruit pizza, and the kids even made pizza party signs.

The thing is, the number of people coming to the party kept increasing. This happened mostly because not only is Ezie a big hugger, he’s also super friendly. In my facebook status update last year I called him the “Friendliest kid in the world” so I shouldn’t be surprised that he invited everyone he bumped into, which is super sweet. Also, it was a record breaking 90 degrees that day. So the idea of a few kids eating pizza on a cool fall day turned into a big ole cookout on a hot day (hot dogs and burgers are WAY cheaper for large groups).

In the end it was the biggest party we’ve ever had with a total of 48 people if you include our family of 6.

These are just some of the kids.

Although the party went a very different direction than I originally planned it’s okay because it was so fun to celebrate Ezie. What better way to have a party for my super friendly little guy than with 47 friends!

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I was driving my 8 year old home from school one day when he asked me a question I will never forget. He said, Mom, is sex a bad word?

My heart started racing but my brain slowed down. I had prepared for questions like this. I am a confident modern mom who believes we should use honesty, scientific facts, and openness when discussing these delicate topics. Yet there I was fumbling for words when approached without warning.

“Well, sweetie” I began trying to fake a super calm tone. “It’s not bad, but it’s something for married grown-ups. Remember we had this talk and your dad went over some stuff with you? It’s a beautiful thing that God created but I don’t think you should be talking about it at school… ” I rambled on for what felt like an eternity trying to appropriately explain what I meant and concluded with “No. Sex is not a bad word”. This was followed by him correcting me with “I said, is SUCKS a bad word?”. There was definitely a brief awkward moment before I spat out “Yes. Sucks is a bad word. Don’t say it.”

No matter how cool or knowledgable we are, for most of us, talking about sex to our children is still somewhat uncomfortable. It’s important to get over it though. I am the first in line to want to blame our hypersexualized society for everything, and it has increased the need for these discussions and lowered the age at which we have them. Let’s be honest though, the human sex drive has been around since Adam and Eve. Even if there was no Ariana Grande or Victoria’s Secret we would still need to talk about it. There is no escaping the fact that your child will encounter things that will make them curious. It’s natural. The question is, what do we say?

I am no sexpert (proof, right there with my cheesy mom joke) so I have turned to those that are, specifically ones that share my values and faith. I have three main resources for discussing and teaching your children about physical intimacy and the human body. We have all three of these books and I highly recommend them, some I have mentioned before.

1. The Talk

This book includes 7 biblically based lessons that you can go through with your child about sexuality. It is all scripturally based and includes diagrams and illustrations as well as web URLs for some additional material such as videos. The Talk is recommended for ages 6-10. You read that right. This book is for elementary age children. I personally never introduced the book to any of our children at age 6, but we definitely did it before age 10. If your kids are in school, sports, a neighborhood, or have any communication to the outside world (Rapunzel you can sit this one out) then they probably need this information sooner rather than later. You don’t have to share everything, but even pregnant and breastfeeding mothers can get questions from the baby’s older siblings that are sex related. So it makes sense to give truthful, factual answers that are age appropriate as they grow rather than all at once when their hormones and pubescent changes have already taken over their bodies.

2. Wild Things The Art of Nurturing Boys 

I love this book about parenting boys. I refer to it over and over. It has been a lifesaver for us. Even though it is about boys some of it applies to boys and girls alike. I’ll give some excerpts from the section that is titled “Talking with boys about sex” where it gives 5 tips for parents. If you have a daughter just swap out the gender in the information below. It will still apply in these scenarios.

1. Take the initiative. Give a loving consistent, steady flow of information that should begin as early as possible.
2. Explore your own attitude. If you are very uncomfortable with the subject read some books and discuss your feelings with a trusted friend, relative, physician, pastor, or counselor. The more you examine the subject the more confident you’ll feel discussing it.
3. Offer Accurate Age Appropriate information. Talk about sex in a way that fits your boy’s age and stage of development.
4. Cover more than sex. In addition to telling a boy about the biological specifics of puberty, parents need to discuss dating with him as well and how relationships with girls can be very emotionally powerful.
5. Talk with boys specifically about girls. Boys need to be as informed about female sexual development as they are about their own sexual development. If they only hear about themselves, they only have half the equation.

3. Good Pictures Bad Pictures

Last but not least, this is a small picture book that teaches children the dangers of pornography. This isn’t exactly the birds and the bees chat, but it is such an important conversation to have in the world we live in. Unlike the other two books I mentioned, this one does not have scripture in it, but it does fit in with the principals that are in the Bible. It uses analogies and science to explain a complicated subject to young children. It gives them an action plan so that they are empowered with knowledge and a strategy when and if they find themselves in a compromising situation.

Those are the three books that have been helpful to us at this point. I’ve only been a mom for 12 years so I am still in the thick of all this trying to figure it out as I go. Even though that first book I mentioned is titled “The Talk” it isn’t about this one time thing. The best way to communicate with our children is through openness and honesty and it’s ONGOING. Your child is going to learn about sex, do them a favor and let it be from a safe and loving caregiver rather than the world.

For this Inspiring mom interview, Anna and I sat down in front of our computers. She lives in Texas and I am in Ohio. I wanted to interview her as an Inspiring mom because I have watched her story from a distance. I knew she was a young mom who tragically lost a child and then made a difference in the community and in the lives of others as an activist bringing awareness to drowning prevention. 

When we started the video chat the first thing Anna said was “Are you sure you want to hear this? Are you sure this is something you want me to share because I have been through some really, really dark stuff. It’s ugly. I’m serious.” I could detect the years of pain and struggle in her voice as she spoke. I told her that I believed God ordained this interview. I know that the truth and light of her story absolutely has to be shared, even if some of it is difficult to hear. This is real life pain that Anna went through and it could be you or me or any of us. So please read this with grace and compassion knowing that God had a plan for Anna and she is using her heartbreak to show the work of the redeemer at hand. 

Anna got married and became pregnant when she was only 19 years old. Then she dove right into nursing school when her first baby was 5 months old. Shortly after graduating with her nursing degree she became pregnant with her second baby. She loved both her children, but it wasn’t until the third baby (Gavin) who came when she was 25 years old, that it felt like motherhood was really beginning to click. From the time she was pregnant she felt different about this bond.

She was finally ready to start acting like a mom and do all the mom things like cuddle and spend time gazing at him in awe. Even though Gavin had a cleft pallet she nurtured him throughout the surgery and was even able to breastfeed him despite this obstacle. Motherhood was becoming second nature to Anna and it felt like their family was complete. 

Just as Anna began to feel comfortable in this role the image of family shattered when she discovered that her husband was battling a serious drug addiction. The two of them separated and he was admitted to rehab. When he got out Anna explained “Things seemed better. He had found the Lord and was himself again. I just wanted my family back and was tired of living as a single mom.” 

So that summer they gave it another shot. They went on a cruise together and all the broken pieces seemed to come back together. Anna then got the exciting news that she was moving into a management position at the ER. This led to the decision to invest in a house! When Anna’s husband wanted to go back to school she thought, Why not?. Everything else was moving forward and the future looked bright so Anna took out all of her retirement to support his dream. It was as if they had been given a fresh start, a second chance at love, and the hope of a happy home. 

Unfortunately, as is the case with many addicts, it wasn’t that simple. Her husband had relapsed and Anna found herself alone and hurting just as she was before, except this time she humbly admits to making some poor decisions in that season. Rather than looking to God and allowing Him to be her savior and rescuer she turned to another man, one who was not her husband. It wasn’t that she went out looking to have an affair. Anna says that she didn’t have healthy boundaries in place and in the midst of the anger and pain she allowed things to go too far. It was as if by retaliating against her husband she would be able to gain control. She was tired of being the victim. 

That December the truth came out about Anna’s affair and she and her husband got into a huge fight, one that actually ended up getting violent. They decided they needed to separate. The holidays that year were hard, but they were trying to handle the whole divorce in a mature manner. They wanted to do what was best for their three young children and they were finding a rhythm that worked for them. 

Then on New Year’s Day 2017, Anna got a call while at work. It was the most devastating call any mother could receive.

Anna was informed that her precious 2 year old baby boy had drowned in a pool. She raced out of the hospital she was working at straight to the hospital where her son Gavin was. As an ER nurse, she had faced situations like this but this time was different. This time as she stood under the dim hospital lights in her scrubs looking down at the child on life support listening to the machine steadily beeping she wasn’t the nurse, she was the mom. It was by far the most difficult experience she has ever had to go through.

It’s been almost three years since Gavin passed away. The Lord has been covering Anna every step of the way. He has given her the hope and the courage to keep going even when she felt like giving up. Anna has done a tremendous amount of work with the Texas Drowning Prevention Alliance. You can read more of hers and Gavin’s story here.

So much healing and restoration has taken place since the loss of her marriage and her son. A miracle that only God could do. 

Anna has since remarried and her husband is an amazing christian man who supports her and loves her unconditionally.

He also introduced her to a program called Celebrate Recovery which she has been an active participant for 18 months now. She will actually be sharing her testimony at her local celebrate Recovery this coming week and Anna informed me that September is national recovery month! 

Here is what Anna has to say about what she has learned through Celebrate Recovery

“I have been able to identify where my struggles truly lie and what I continue to pick up. I have to stop looking at the past. It is damaging to my spirit and my soul to keep analyzing all the reasons why my life is ‘not what I expected’. There are things that I have no choice but to accept. I cannot change what others do with their life despite when I wish they would choose differently. I have absolutely no choice but to accept that my youngest son died, and there wasn’t a thing I could have done to change it. I have to accept that because of what happened and choices that I made, I am now in a new phase of my life. Instead of clinging to the past or trying to figure out how I got here, it is time to embrace where I am. Accept the life that God has blessed me with, and continue to find the best version of myself that I can BECAUSE of my story.

As hard as this journey has been, Anna has taken all of her pain and used it to help others. That is her passion and her calling. She is currently going back to school to continue her education as a nurse. She said this would be the year Gavin would have started school so she has started school too. “My path is my memory of him. I am trying to be proactive in his honor.” Anna says. 

Anna encourages anyone dealing with hurt, pain, or addiction to find a local Celebrate Recovery to be a part of. 

On Anna’s shoulder she has a tattoo with the scripture reference Isaiah 40:31 and I will end with that verse because it’s so perfect for Anna, and for you, and for me, and all of us. 

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 

If you would like to connect with Anna or see more of her journey you can follow her on Instagram at @AnnaSlaytonRN

It’s officially one week since our first day of the  2019/2020 school year (just typing 2020 seems unreal by the way).

My mom laughed when I told her “it’s been a great year so far” on the third day of school. Obviously, there is a long way to go, but knowing your teacher, classmates, and schedule is a big win and if your launch is a success it’s a good indicator or how the rest of the year will hopefully go.

Before school started they had open house and meet the teachers. Our school does a tradition where all the coaches, teachers, and even the principal get on a school bus and stop at different neighborhoods in the district and pass out popsicles.

The closest stop for us was a mile and a half away. It was a lovely day so we loaded up the wagon, scooter, and bikes to go meet the teachers.

SJs teachers from last year were thrilled to see her and hear about her summer.

They even introduced her to her new teacher. It was really special.

I have so much gratitude for teachers.

All three of my school age kids are making big jumps this year.

Ezie is going from half day PM kindergarten to first grade, so he is in the full day program for the first time.

He started reading last year, but it’s still emerging so I am excited to see him become a more fluent reader and writer. Right now the thing he is most excited about is lunch and recess. One of his best friends from our church has recess with him so I am really happy for both of them.

SJ is now in third grade.

This is the grade that she would have started last year if we hadn’t chosen to retain her. A year later we still feel like that was definitely the right decision. I know she is ready for third grade now. She has a year of mainstream schooling under her belt and she can enter this new grade level with confidence.

She has multiple teachers and she will even be switching classes, so they really dig deep into the individual subjects. So far she has already connected with her teachers. Her favorite part has been tending to the milkweed garden on the school grounds and observing monarch caterpillars! She is also looking forward to getting back into gymnastics soon. Even though we took the summer off she has continued to excel and loves to practice her back-walk-over which she still has yet to master but it’s getting close! I can’t seem to get a video of her to post so here is a pick of her working towards the splits.

Z is the big dog on campus.

The elementary school here goes up to 6th grade which I think is great. The downside is there are some programs he can participate in like choir and band but they are off campus and he’s decided not to do them this year. Also, he is in several AP classes which are a part of the Junior High program but they have it set up as some kind of a satellite program since he is still in elementary school. It’s okay though. He likes his school and has lots of friends since this is now his third year there.

One big change that is almost hard for my little mama heart to bear is that he graduated the children’s church program and is now in youth group! We are very good friends with the youth pastor and leaders so I know he is in good hands. One of the leaders even brought him on a camping trip. It’s the same one we went on as a family but he rode with and hung out with all the older boys.

He had a blast and has also gone out to eat with the youth group after church a couple of times. Z is still definitely interested in robotics and the practices for his competition have already begun. Between all of that and watching him volunteer on the tech team at church I am just blown away by how fast he is growing up.

At least I am still taller than him. He has surpassed my shoe size though!

Elle is at home with me this school year. She is three years old and still has two years left until kindergarten so I am in no hurry to rush schooling.

I am believing for great things for all of them. I know that the newness and energy of it all will fade soon enough so I am soaking up the good attitudes while I can. They all three wake up, get ready, and are relatively excited to get to school.

I realize this could change at any minute so we’ll see what week two holds.

This summer was HARD. H.A.R.D. I totaled my van. I’m still not really driving. We’ve taken some huge financial hits. Yet, you wouldn’t really know that from any of the pictures. My blog tagline is “Making the Best of What Looks Like a Mess”. So in the midst of all of this mess I am choosing to focus on the good times and reflecting on all of the provision that had to happen in order for my kids to have a FANTASTIC summer regardless. Here are some of the highlights from our 2019 summer break-

One fun memory is when we had a girls vs boys water balloon fight in the back yard.

Then in June, we went to Texas to spend time with J’s family. It was so great to catch up with everyone. The kids got to be with their grandparents and some of our relatives that we hadn’t seen in years.

Ezie even learned how to swim!

And Z got to go indoor sky diving!!!

Losing our van in Texas was certainly a setback, but the new van is really nice too. My favorite upgrade is keyless entry. I love it! As a mother of four with a cluttered purse, it is always a pain to have my hands full and have to dig my keys out. Not anymore!

We didn’t have a full-blown garden this year but we grew some herbs, berries, tomatoes and the most memorable thing of all… the FRESNO CHILI PEPPERS. We had some really fun times doing chili pepper challenges to see who would be the last to resort to chugging milk. Z claims he was always the winner but I am pretty sure J won every time.

SJ got to do her first alumni camp at Ohio Valley Voices and they had the BEST time. They did everything from biking, to ziplining, going to the zoo, and much much more.

I’ll have to do full blog post about the grandparent adventure that took place in July. The short story is that my parents took the kids and their cousins to City Museum in St. Louis and from what I hear and see from pics. It was epic.

Elle actually stayed with us at home for that adventure. She’ll get to be a part of the action when she gets older. She had her own special times though, like her first haircut!

Then in August we did our annual trip to Michigan where my best friend lives.

It was a short trip, but we got to see our friend who was in town from Nashville and we went to the beach everyday. It’s so beautiful there.

Last but not least we went camping in Indiana.

We were there with a group from our church and had so much fun cooking around the fire and having great conversation.

We also went hiking and caving and that was super cool. 

Summer 2019 may have had its challenges, but there is no denying we are blessed and we made lots of awesome memories.