Valentines Day is coming up, so if you’re looking for a Valentines Day gift, party treat, or a yummy little way to treat yourself, Gigi’s is the place to come! I love that you can either carry out or dine in. They have a cute little cafe area. I’ve brought my girls in before to enjoy some sweets after shopping — it’s right down the street from Kenwood Towne Center so it’s super convenient.  

And Gigi’s actually has a special going on for the holiday! Their mini bon bon box, & mini sweetheart box, and mini cakes are all decked out and on special for Valentines Day.

Tons of different flavor options. They also have brownies and cheesecakes! And don’t forget, they have lots of gluten friendly and vegan options if you’re looking for sweet treats for someone with dietary restrictions. My husband is gluten free and he LOVES Gigi’s.
They also do custom cakes for special events or weddings so keep that in mind too!

Learn more at https://gigiscupcakesusa.com/pages/kenwood-cincinnati-ohio or like them on FB to be the first to see their new arrivals and specials.

If you need to clean out those closets and make room for new, Clothes Mentor is THE place to bring it.

They pay cash on the spot, 7 days a week, and the wait time is usually 20 minutes or less. They carry sizes 0-26, maternity, petites, business and casual, so they look to buy a wide range.

The first step is to clear out your closet:

If you haven’t worn it in 6-12 months, you probably aren’t going to wear it again, so make it time to sell! Make sure all items are clean and in good condition, and current styles — think things you’ve seen in stores within the last few years.

Then bring it in!

Bring your items in a laundry basket or storage bin. The they register your items with your ID, so make sure you bring it. One you’re checked in, you can either stay and shop or leave and come back — they text you when your items are done being assessed. I love that you never need an appointment to bring items in and they buy EVERY DAY.

I stayed and shopped while they reviewed my items. It only took them 15 minutes and they offered me $300 for the items they wanted to purchase! You can take back the items that they didn’t buy from you, or Clothes Mentor will donate them to Matthew 25: Ministries for you if you’d like!

To learn more and see which of their area locations are closest to you, visit clothesmentor.com!

Make a resolution for less plastic in the new year? See why we’re loving this super chic, mom/pediatrician-approved, stainless steel dinnerware by Ahimsa!

Developed by a board-certified pediatrician mom, Ahimsa was created when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a report in 2018 discussing ways families can limit exposure to certain chemicals at mealtime. Dr. Mantravadi and her parents are from India, where stainless steel dishes have been routinely used at the dinner table for generations. When grandchildren entered the universe, Grandma was on a mission: replace all plastic at the dining table with traditional stainless steel dinnerware that they themselves had used for decades.

My kids (5, 3, 1.5) all love them because they’re really pretty — they come in two different colors, rainbow and an iridescent blue. Don’t worry about the color peeling off — they use a special process that allows the colors to naturally occur within the metal. I love them because it’s less plastic around the kids, they’re easy to clean (no staining from that spaghetti sauce, holding on to food smells, or taking forever to dry like plastic), dishwasher safe, and no worries of breaking or chipping (like if we gave them our “real” plates to eat on).

They have regular sets that include a plate (with a three-part divider, which I love because it always reminds me of portioning and to fill each spot with different colorful options), bowl, fork, spoon and cup. They also have an infant set that includes a bowl, smaller spoon and smaller cup. I believe they’re coming up with separates too.

Keep watching my review video and visit https://ahimsahome.com to learn more or order yours!

If you like food, I have a secret to success! It’s called Foodie Cincy, and it’s a deck of cards – gift cards – with 52 restaurants (technically 54 because there are two bonus ones this year). They’re gift cards to locally owned, awesome restaurants all over town. So, I’m going to give you all the details and show you how it works! Small family business, husband and wife team are going on their seventh year, rolling out the 2020 Foodie Cincy Deck for foodies to drool over! For $20, normally they’re $40 but use the code CINCYCHIC20 for half off to make them only $20! The new 2020 Foodie Cincy deck includes a great discount of $5 & $10 off of a $25, $30 or $40 food purchase at 54 of the area’s best chef-driven locally owned restaurants. From downtown to Middletown, Dayton to Northern Kentucky, Blue Ash to OTR, Foodie Cincy has done the work for you to find all the best local restaurants to visit across the region.

Included in the deck are a few hidden gems, some of the newest eateries in town, along with some of the Queen City’s most established restaurants. They can be used for over a year until Dec 31, 2020. It’s fun to use for great date night ideas throughout the year, corporate gifts, stocking stuffers, or hostess gifts during the holidays. I also actually like to stock up on them for birthdays and little gifts to have handy to give throughout the year! A minimum purchase of $25 or more is required to get the discount. It can’t be used on alcohol, tax or gratuity, but it’s good for everything else! You just see the individual restaurant card for any special exclusions.

Each card can only be used once, and only one card per bill. They’re easy to use too. You just give the server your card when you’re ready to use it! Remember to use the code CINCYCHIC20 at https://www.foodiecincydeck.com to get half off the $40 retail price to get the deck for only $20!

Recreations Outlet is having an AWESOME Black Friday Sale this Friday! Some of the specials for Friday include 12 months no interest financing on everything, $100 cash and carry discount on all products of $1,000, a free 6 punch play pass with a Black Friday purchase of $99 or more, and a FREE accessory for the 13d Turbo Original Fort that’s on sale for $2,999 (reg. $6,199).

We LOVE Recreations Outlet – we got the littles a play set from there nearly 4 years ago and they are seriously awesome to deal with.

We love visiting their showroom and letting the kids play. When we decided to get a play set for our house, it was great to see what they liked playing with at the showroom because there are so many options to choose from with play sets! They even helped us custom design one for what the kids wanted on it and where it would fit in our yard.

Recreations Outlet worked out easy financing with us and installed the play set SO well. The kids love our play set now more than ever! We’re even looking at hot tubs/spas there to maybe get for enjoying some summer nights out on our patio! So excited!

Recreations Outlet is located at 7900 E Kemper Rd in Cincinnati! Learn more about their Black Friday specials at https://www.recreationsoutlet.com/form/specials.

Becoming Mom recently launched new services and to check them out for myself, I took my mom along for a spa day. And let me tell you – it was AMAZING! My mom said it was the absolute BEST massage she’s ever experienced! Be sure to check out the video to learn more about what Becoming Mom has to offer! Learn more at becomingmomspa.com.

A runner friend of mine told me about Sarah Buckley, owner of Persist Fitness and recommended her to me. I got back into running a couple years ago, but I didn’t really know what I was doing and I really wanted to hit my goal of running a half marathon in 2.5 hours or less. I’ve run a few in the past couple years and haven’t been able to get over that hump, so I decided to enlist in Sarah’s help. 

She starts all new clients off with a Persist Fitness Signature Running Assessment. It’s an opportunity for Sarah to get to know you better — where you are coming from, where you are, and where you want to go from a wellness lens. She learns about short term and long term goals, and then you talk about best plan forward. 

Her RUN STRONG CINCY program that you can do after your assessment is a group strength class for runners and walkers. Any experience level is welcome. This program is designed for reducing injury and preserving joint health, hip and core strength, muscular endurance. The best part is that they have on-site and remote options available. As a mom of three who travels a lot for work, I loved the online plan to follow and all the video examples of each exercise that she provides. 

It’s exactly what I needed to … drum roll… accomplish my big goal! Yes! I ended up running my last marathon several minutes faster than my 2:30 time goal and I can’t help but credit all the training and help I got from Sarah and the RUN STRONG CINCY program. If you’re a runner wanting to improve, reach a goal, or avoid injury — or if you’re wanting to get started and don’t know where to begin — this is the place to go! 

Check out their website to learn more!

We love #BlackFriday sales! Especially when you can get beautiful outdoor sets BELOW COST at Watson’s! 😍 Watch for more sneak peeks of the big sale, and get the full scoop at https://www.watsons.com/blackfriday 🖤🛍

This holiday season, my hubby and I decided to give more gifts of experiences than just “stuff” they lose interest in and then it just sits around the house! We’ve done swim lessons and family swims at Goldfish Swim School for years, so they’ll be SO excited to get memberships for next year!

I love Goldfish because they provide the confidence and skills that last a lifetime — all while having fun and making friends! Winter is a great time to start the kids on lessons because it’s requires time and consistency.  So starting in the winter is the best way to ensure progress by summer. It’s also a fun winter activity to keep your kids involved and active when it’s cold out! The pools are always 90 degrees all year long!

Experts say that play based learning is the best way for kids to learn, and you really see that with the Goldfish Science of SwimPlay® curriculum. It’s so much more than swimming — I’ve seen emotional growth, creativity, problem solving and more after years of taking them to Goldfish!

Goldfish has LIMITED holiday packages available at both area locations, in Anderson and Goldfish West Chester, so now is the time to look into these! The package includes: 2 months of group lessons, Annual Membership fee, 5 Family Swim passes, FREE Goldfish towel, Bubbles book and dry bag. It’s valued at $319, but only $199 until 12/31/19 while they last! Click here to learn more! 

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is showcasing not one but TWO holiday treats on its Showtime Stage: Bah Humbug: A One-Man Christmas Carol and Mrs. Claus Saves The Day.

Bah Humbug is a 45-minute production that’s performed by ONE PERSON – from Scrooge to Tiny Tim!

These performances will take place on Saturday, November 30, at 2PM and 5PM as well as Sunday, December 1, at 2PM.

Click here to purchase your Bah Humbug tickets!

Then, just before Christmas, TCT will put on Mrs. Claus Saves The Day on Saturday, December 21, at 2PM and 5PM and on Sunday, December 22, at 2PM.

This show is all about how Mrs. Claus saves the day when we severe outbreak of the North Pole Pox strikes just before Christmas!

To get your tickets for Mrs. Claus Saves The Day, click here.