A Day at Malabar Farm with the Kids

A few Sundays ago we decided to re-visit Malabar Farms in Richland County, Ohio. We have been numerous times in the past, but it seems that since the kids were born our visits have grown fewer and further between.

As a Louis Bromfield fan, I love to not only check out the house but also to stroll the scenic, Pleasant Valley farm.  The property has a lot to offer, making it a destination that can appeal to everyone.

When we arrived, we had to visit the playground area. The kids were entertained by the large tractor, slide, and swings. After a few moments of leg stretching and playing, we took a walk to the barn, where we petted cats, cooed over baby goats and checked out some lazy cows.

From there we admired the house, from outside.

We strolled to the Pugh Cabin and continued back to the cave formation.  The walk was ideal on a late Sunday afternoon as traffic was minimal. As a parent, I truly appreciate a walk in the woods, so this was one of my favorite parts of the adventure.



The kids were tired upon arrival of the gift shop. We chatted up the lobby bird, strolled the shop and picked up a snack of fudge.

Snack excluded, this was a completely free adventure. They do not charge admission to visit the grounds of Malabar farm, but the house tour does hold a fee.

If you go, plan to drive to the top of nearby Mount Geez for a breathtaking view of Plesant Valley. Stop by the cemetery on the farm to pay your respects to Bromfield, and don't forget to check out famed Pugh cabin from the film, the Shawshank Redemption. You might also want to peek at the infamous Ceely Rose house.



You might also enjoy this guide on activities in the Richland County area for kids.

School Bus Snack

This easy school bus snack is the perfect way to welcome a new school year!

This post contains affiliate links.

Back to school is an exciting time for both kids and parents! This year my youngest is excited to begin her first year at preschool! My oldest, he says he must be most excited about lunch or the bus, he can't decide. I appreciate his honesty.

To take their excitement to a new level, we made a delicious and easy school bus snack to the delight of the kids!

This is so easy you guys! The kids can build these and they will love munching on them too!

Ingredients:

1 to 2 teaspoons of yellow frosting, any kind will do!

2 Nilla Wafers

1 Graham Cracker

4 Rice Chex pieces

Instructions:

Spread the frosting on the graham cracker

Add the Nilla Wafers as the wheels for the bus

Add the Chex cereal pieces as the windows

Enjoy!

This was a fun way to get the kids involved in making their own snacks and we might have played with our food just a little!

Do you have a fun back to school snack idea to share? I would love to hear about it in a comment!

You might also like this fun handprint fish puppet craft.

How to Rock a Hurricane Like a Boss

This most may contain affiliate links.

Hurricane season is here and many of our readers are in the path of the latest storm. While it is a major pain in the hiney to face a tropical storm or a hurricane, have no fear wonderful people. I am going to share a few of my tips to help you handle this hurricane and any others that come your way like a boss in reasonable style and comfort, given the situation.

Stock Up!
Ok, I know the experts are going to say buy things like bottled water and tuna fish, but come on people. Drastic weather calls for comfort. Instead of getting in a fist fight over the last cans of spam on the store shelves, let's get real. No one wants to eat spam in good weather, let alone terrible weather. Buy all of the pop tart's, granola bars, cold cereal and snack cakes you can get your hands on. Buy soda, booze and single serve fruit juice drinks. Buy candy, coffee singles that are like tea bags, and shelf stable milk. Buy the damn doritos and bean dips like there is no tomorrow.

Kiss Your Ice Goodbye
Accept that ice is going to be something you want, but don't have. Do not stand in line at the gas station for an hour for a bag of ice, just will yourself to go without it. I once paid $10 for a bag of ice and got a handful of laffy taffy as my change. Never again. Ice ain't worth $10, no matter how hot it might be outside.

Run, Don't Walk, to the Sporting Good Store
No, I am not crazy. But I am going to give you a tip to help you keep your cool. Buy as many cooling towels as you possibly can. There are these great ones out there by Mission that will make life feel a little cooler in the sweltering temps while you wait on your power and beloved air conditioning to return.

Dust Off the Board Games
In 2004 we lost power for a week during a hurricane, 2 weeks later we lost power for another week during a second hurricane. We played board games with reckless abandon. We battled it out over every game we could get our hands on and somehow we survived a week without electric, air conditioning, television and gasp even our phones as charging them was nearly impossible.

When In Doubt...
Fondue
Get your booty to the hardware store for denatured alcohol right now if you have a fondue set. If not, Get. One. Now. You can heat soup, make ramen noodles and even brew hot coffee if you have a handy dandy fondue set. You will be the envy of your friends and neighbors if they get a whiff of some hot soup, oatmeal or whatever cooking. If they smell your hot coffee, look out  cause you might just become block president or something if you are willing to share. I am not certain, but I would be willing to guess that in a pinch votive candles would heat a fondue pot nicely if you can't get the Denatured Alcohol easily.

What are your pro tips for riding out the storm? Do tell so that everyone can hunker down with minimal annoyances and maximum comfort!

Pie Crust Cookies

If you need a treat in a flash that is low in sugar but packed with buttery flavor, this pie crust cookie recipe is one that you will want to check out!

When I was a kid, sometimes my grandma would bake a pie. That was always nice, but the true treat was her pie crust. After she trimmed her crust to fit her pie plate, she would sprinkle to excess with cinnamon and sugar and bake it up. She called it cracklins and let me tell you, this is the flavor that I reminisce on as an adult.

The only bad part about cracklins was how few and far between they were! 

A few months ago, my kids were begging for treats, so I stood in my kitchen surveying the options. We were low on baking supplies, but my mind wandered back to this simple treat for childhood. I decided I would just make a pie crust and make something fantastic.

While at first, my family was skeptical that pie crust cookies could actually be good, now they beg me to make these at least once a month! The recipe is similar to a shortbread, it is so easy to make that anyone could make these!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 cup of chilled butter

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of ice water

1/4 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball.

Roll dough out until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick

Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar and slice into chunks, strips, wedges, whatever!

 Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Hungry for more?
Check out this recipe for the kids:
Super soft play dough