Welcome!

Energy Busters Here We Come
Hi, welcome to MasonMetu™, from Me to You™. I love living in Mason, Ohio (Deerfield Township) and the Greater Cincinnati area since it has so much to offer for families. I hope MasonMetuwill be a  a one-stop, easy to use resource to find family-friendly activities and adventures you can embark upon.  You can start at MasonMetu Home for info on what MasonMetu is all about.

Here on MasonMetu™ Blog, you’ll find my blog (scroll way down) where I write about some of my own experiences as a Mom.   I’ll highlight certain features of MasonMetu™ that you might like to check out – such as our Historic Sites (new), Roller Skating, Ice Skating, Horseback Riding, Monthly Top Picks, Farms, Birthday Parties, Free Play, Kids Eat Free, Educational Resources, Parent Organizations, Sports, Fitness Centers, Enrichment Activities, Cultural Events, Museums and more.  You can even do some shopping in the MasonMetu Marketplace.

Email any updates or suggestions to kjgoecke@gmail.com. Your suggestions are welcomed!  

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Find out what local moms are talking about at

513moms.com,

a mom-to-mom Web site for

Warren and Butler County moms. 




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MasonMetu News




"The circus is coming, the circus is coming".....


March 10-14 - Cincinnati, Ohio
April 29-May2 - Dayton, Ohio

Discounted Tickets: Purchase a 4-pack of tickets for weekday shows for only $44, or receive $4 off any weekend ticket by logging onto www.ticketmaster.com and entering the coupon code: MOM. See more events in monthly top picks.




Spring Sport Registrations now underway!

(see more on the Sports page or see

Event Registrations at bottom of page)




 




 





Time Saver

Alert

  • Don't have time to get to the mall?
  • Do you want to save on gas and avoid traffic?
  • Get some great gifts  or pick out something special for you (c'mon you know you deserve it)!

Get  your shopping done at the exciting.....

MasonMetu™ Marketplace 

See the Amazon Associate Stores!

 



 






 

What's Going On? 


see Monthly Top Picks





See the wonderful events

downtown, visit:


MyFountainSquare.com.


P&G Family Skate
Noon-6pm on Sundays until Feb. 21
Free skating for ages 12 & under
($2.50 skate rental).


Register for the Cinciditarod- March 6

Race begins and ends on Fountain Square. Cinciditarod is named for, and in tribute to, the Iditarod, a brutal 1,100 mile dog-sled race in Alaska.  But instead of dogs, it's people, and instead of sleds, it's decorated shopping carts, and instead of Alaska, it's Cincinnati! Benefits the Freestore Foodbank - A team consists of 5 people - registration is $30.



Fine Arts Fund Sampler Weekend

Feb. 20-21

Locally visit Miami University's Voice of America Learning for two great shows. More details on Monthly Top Picks.




 

 

 



 

 MasonMetu™ New Finds



Visit Qdoba on February 14 for a Happy Valentine's meal deal for 2!  For only $14 you'll get 2 entrees, 2 regular drinks and 2 desserts!  Yum Yum. (offer valid at Deerfield, Blue Ash and Florence locations only).


Party Hoppers - If you want to have the inflatables come to you, then check out Party Hoppers - they not only do birthday parties at your location but you can also join in on the jumping fun at their new indoor location.  Get details here


iSpace Science - I just discovered this site and all the great science programming they have for kids.  You can read more on our Enrichment Page.



The Hamilton County Park District has some great brunches with their Sunday Jazz Brunch in the Park. 10:30am-1pm. $13.95/adults & $6.95/kids 2-12. Brunches alternate between Sharon Woods and Woodland Mound until March 21.



ER
Upcoming Event Registrations


Runners: On your

mark, get set, go!

(more info in Monthly Top Picks)

See runningtime.net for other Run/Walks.




Spring Sport Registrations now underway for the following:


ACR



 
  

Meet MasonMetu's

Sponsoring Business

 

 




 

 

 









 


 


See more on btc in the

Culture - "The Arts" section or under

Enrichment Activities.


See their upcoming events:


Talking Eggs - Feb. 19-20







 



 

 



 

 

 
 








 

 

    follow me on Twitter

     




     



     


    There's a great website resource, Family Friendly Cincinnati, that has some wonderful family-friendly recommendations on places to go, dining, activities and events.  I'm proud to be a contributor and would love for you to see what all the other Moms, bloggers and contibutors on FFC are writing about! My recent posts:

      
     





     

    WC

    Raising Money for Worthy Causes

    Also see Donation Places.




    Kicks for Kids Benefit - Feb. 21, Noon-1pm. Enjoy a yummy meal at Outback Steakhouse in Mason and support KFK. More info in monthly top picks.


    The Mason Parks & Recreation Foundation, a citizen-run, non-profit organization, is raising funds to build Common Ground, a playground designed for all children including those with special needs. For more information or to donate, visit the Mason Parks & Recreation Foundation website.




    Donate to children in need. HTC provides clothing, books, clothing, toys and furniture to families in need. They accept donated items that are in excellent condition as well as monetary donations (94% goes to families in need).




    Help support the relief effort in Haiti by donating to the Solar Liberty Foundation.  They provide solar cookers which harness the power of the sun to sterilize water and cook a meal. See my article on Associated Content for more information.



     


    Not in the mood to cook, go to:


    Restaurant Recommendations


    Kids Eat Free Listing


    Grown-Up Time

    (if you need a night out)







     

     

     Visit MasonMetu's

    Associate Baby Store on Amazon.com!

     

     

     

     MasonMetu™ Blog


    Thank you for reading my blog posts. I hope you can laugh along with me, preferably not at me. :) I've had fun writing the posts and I've found it is a great way to journal moments in our lives. One day when my girls are older, I'll be able to share these posts with them.


    On some browsers (Internet Explorer), you may need to click on the current blog post in order to see the ghosts of blogs past - then it opens back up into the main blog page and you have to scroll down again for all the posts.  I know it's a bit confusing but I'm not quite sure how to work that bug out of the system yet.


    If you'd like to leave a comment on a blog, please click on MasonMetu Blog Comments in the box below.  



    For some other great local women bloggers, visit Cincinnati Women's Bloggers.




    Thank you for viewing and for your support!




     

    The Power of a Shoebox........

    Wow, I never knew that a shoebox could keep my kids playing and engaged for so long.  At our recent Brownie meeting, the girls had to make a little home for their stuffed animal.  All the girls at the meeting seemed to really enjoy the activity but my girls took it to a new level when we got home.  They expanded their shoeboxes into mobile apartments – one room for sleeping, another for eating, etc. My youngest crammed as many animals as she could into hers.  The only problem occurred when we had to transfer all the attached boxes to a new location for bedtime.  “Shoebox homes” aren’t the most stable when they are taped together by a five & six year old, so we had some malfunctions which, in turn, caused some drama (nothing new in the Goecke house).  Girls, have no fear, the shoebox repair woman is on call 24/7 and she was able to salvage the homes.   For the past few days, the ever expanding shoebox collection has been in constant motion. “We’re going upstairs to play, Mommy can you help us?” “We’re ready to come downstairs, we need our animal homes.”  I guess you can tack on “Shoebox Mover” to my expanding resume.  So, for a cheap do-it-yourself activity/craft pull out those shoeboxes and get creative……..unfortunately this “Shoebox Mover/Repair Woman” is not able to take any new clients at this time.
     

    Dumpster Diving Goecke Style…….

    January 29, 2010
    I’ve written before how my kids have a very very difficult time parting with any of their toys and stuffed animals but my youngest has taken it to a new level.  If she puts any trash in the trashcan and sees that I’ve thrown away a picture or a school paper, then she reaches in and pulls out the item and rushes over to me asking, “Mommy, why did you throw this away?” “The guilt”….”the shame”….I feel  terrible.  I try to explain that we don’t need to keep every single ite...
    Continue reading...
     

    Help for Haiti

    January 21, 2010


    Usually I love writing my blogs and delving into some of the funny things happening in our family but with the recent earthquakes in Haiti, I wanted to do a post on some organizations that are helping with the relief efforts in Haiti.  This week I posted an article about the Solar Liberty Foundation on Associated Content.  This non-profit was started by a friend of mine from grade school and focuses on renewable energy. They are trying to raise $100,000 so they can provide 1000 solar cookers ...
    Continue reading...
     

    "It's Not As Easy As It Seems"... (is it ever?)

    January 10, 2010
    I knew there was a reason I stored away that blue box of baking fun.  My daughter got an Easy Bake Oven last year for Christmas along with some fancy cupcake decorator (another box that is still in hiding).  This afternoon she really wanted to bake some cookies and being the fantastic baking Mom that I am, I did not have any ingredients for cookies in the house (a.k.a  pre-made slice-n-bake cookie dough).  Not thinking clearly I said, “Why don’t we get out your Easy Bake Oven?” Both gir...
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    I Don't Want to Wake Up Early......

    January 3, 2010

    Chris up early with K, S & Bailey!

    There’s something about the end of the holidays that sort of get you down.  There’s all this excitement leading up to Christmas – the holiday music, festive parties, decorations, good cheer, and yummy food.  Some of us start our shopping early while others wait. The anticipation of giving our gifts is sometimes the best part (even if Santa gets the credit). 

    Not only do I have some of the post holiday blues but I also have to get myself readjusted to wa...
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    Happy New Year!

    December 28, 2009
    Happy New Year! This is sort of a conundrum for me.  Is it really a Happy New Year? We used to spend New Years with the same two couples give or take some add ons. We had this tradition for over 15 years (I think) and it was great knowing that we didn’t have to worry about making New Year’s plans since we always knew who we’d be spending it with. We’ve had some crazy wild times (Indy) as well as some more low key times (pregnancy involvement) but we always made time for each other.

    Now...
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    Pictures with Santa.....Questions about Santa....

    December 21, 2009

    Visiting Santa at Macy's - Downtown Cincinnati

    Be careful with those Santa pictures.  We’ve been going to lots of really fun holiday events lately and many of them have had the jolly man in the red suit there.  But, I just realized that I need to be very careful with the pictures I take.  My oldest, K, has always been a perceptive child and she’s started to wonder how come Santa is always at the places we visit.  She hasn’t yet commented that Santa looks slightly different at each place ...
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    Please Don't Take Us Off Your Holiday Card List.......

    December 9, 2009

    Merry Christmas!

    Well, I don’t think I’m going to get them done this year.  Normally, I am on the ball but this year not so much.  So, if you don’t get a Christmas card from us this year, please keep us on your roster. We love getting the holiday cards and especially enjoy the holiday pictures. The girls always have fun seeing all their friends and loved ones.  It’s fun to see how your family has changed over the course of the year.  I didn’t completely give up on cards this year; I...
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    Dirt Devil to the Rescue????

    December 2, 2009
    I don’t know about you but since Thanksgiving is over I feel like I am in some crazy race to Christmas but I keep falling further and further behind and I feel like I’m never going to catch up (and it’s only Dec. 1).  There’s so much to do: get the Christmas cards done and mailed, decorate the house, put up the tree, purchase the Christmas gifts, wrap the gifts, attend holiday parties (luckily we got invited to some), make some holiday cookies (okay, who am I kidding I don’t make co...
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    Cottell Park Vandalized

    November 24, 2009

    Today, I got an email from Deerfield Township reporting that Cottell Park was vandalized.  The attached pictures they emailed are so upsetting.  Deerfield Township has worked so hard to make Cottell Park one of the best parks in this area.  They’ve added a wonderful new playground, new tennis courts, baseball fields, volleyball courts, picnic tables under covered gazebos, park benches, and they relocated the original playground near the restroom facilities.  This is where the desecration to...
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    Mom


    Kristin J. Goecke I've been happily married to Chris since 1995 and I'm currently a stay at home Mom to two girls, K & S and we have a chocolate lab, Bailey. I have a M.A. in Hearing & Speech Sciences from Ohio University (1994), a B.S. from O.U (1992), & I graduated from Middletown High School (1988). I have one older brother, and two younger brothers. We grew up in Jamestown and Olean, NY then moved to Middletown in 1986. I'm close to my parents,a.k.a Cici & Pee-Paw, and do lots of FOD's with them (see tab for more details). I enjoy reading, blogging, watching all my shows and spending time with friends and family.

     

     

     

     

    MasonMetu Visitors since our launch date on Feb. 1, 2009. Thank you for visiting!

     

     



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