 Creating, editing, updating and writing MasonMetu has been very rewarding for me emotionally, intellectually and creatively. I am thrilled when I get an email from a viewer saying they liked one of my blog posts or they used our monthly top picks calendar to find something fun to do for their family.
Having a wonderful network of family and friends initially got MasonMetu going but now, with the help of social media, MasonMetu, is able to reach even more viewers. There are so many other wonderful blogs and websites available that I wanted to do a monthly feature on some of them. Many of these are created by women who take the time to give us a sampling of their daily lives. There's a wide variety of blogs out there - humorous, informative, innovative, and more.
I started the blogging recommendations with my new friends from Family Friendly Cincinnati since they graciously accepted me as a contributor and they have some really great blogs that I'd love for you to see (see our Women to Watch page for a great feature on founding FFC member, Shannan Boyer) and some of our FFC featured bloggers are archived below. Now, we're able to branch off and see some of the other great blogs in the Greater Cincinnati area. Happy reading.
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Please Welcome Our
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September 17, 2011
Anyone who works full time, is a Mom to four children (and wife), and has time to share her amazing blog and cooking talents with all of us has definitely earned the title of Dining Diva! You Go Girl! I recently stumbled across Susan's blog and was not only intrigued but amazed at what she has to offer. Some of you know that I struggle with cooking and coming up with meal plans. Well struggles be gone since Dining Diva has my back. Susan not only puts together a weekly menu plan of meals, but she also puts it in a convenient PDF or Excel file that includes your grocery list and meal plan for the week. You'll also want to print off the recipes and keep them on file (I've purchased a 3 ring binder where I can place the recipes and then I always like to make a note if it was a favorite for our family at the top). Susan is my guardian cooking angel! Plus I love that she's a local resident of Deerfield Township.  Susan's family - adorable!
I always like to learn a little bit more about the woman behind the blog, so Susan and I had a little Q&A and here's what I learned. - How many kids do you have (ages)? We have four kids: Jackson (8), Chase (8), Eliana (3), and Lincoln (1).
- What's your top 3 favorite kids foods? Generally, I try not to differentiate 'kid foods' and adult meals as I am a big fan of making one meal, and everyone eating it, and I think it's important for kids to have wide range of foods they like. That said, there are a few meals I make that kids tend to love: Beef and Mozzarella Bake (a casserole of ground beef, pasta, tomato soup, and cream of mushroom soup and cheese, of course); Grilled cheese and Tomato soup (with nice cheeses), and Sweet and Sour Meatball Skewers with rice....all are on the DD archives!
- What's your top 3 favorite foods/meals? My mom's homemade ravioli, my husband's cheesecake, and Minnesota wild rice soup.
- When did you launch Dining Diva? I launched it April 2 of this year.
- For a picky eater, do you have any suggestions? Yes! I have several. First, if you can, start young. Insist they try everything (at least a couple of bites) at each meal until they are old enough to articulate what they don't like (seven or eight years!) . Palettes change over time, and you can learn to like foods, so make sure they get exposure to many different things. Second, involve them. Often, kids don't like food because they don't know what's in it. You can start early having kids help you cook. Let them put meals on the weekly meal plan, pick out fruits and veggies at the grocery store, and involve them in the preparation of the meal. This breaks down the fear of the unknown, and of course they want to eat food they made! Finally, if all else fails, hide stuff in there...puree spinach or carrots to put inside casseroles; allow them to use ketchup on anything to get it down.
- Where do you find your recipes? Everywhere. I love Kraft Food and Family Magazine, Family Circle, and Real Simple. I also cut recipes out of the newspaper, ads, and anywhere else. Rarely though do I make a recipe exactly as it's printed. I nearly always optimize it to make it lower fat, easier, quicker, and/or more delicious. My favorite source of recipes though is an evening my girlfriends and I created called Dining Divas Girls' Night Out. A host invites over many women, and we each submit a recipe ahead of time. Then, on the night of the event, we make our dish and bring it to the party. We always wind up with fifteen to twenty new recipes, and we've gotten to see them in person and taste them and talk to their maker. It's an inexpensive way to spend a night with friends and get great recipes, and we eat so well!
- Do you have any favorite recipe blogs or other blogs you get inspiration from? Yes! Jane Maynard's blog: This Week for Dinner is one of my favorites. Her recipes are always delicious and something we'd actually eat.
- If someone was visiting Mason or Cincinnati for the first time, what 3 things would you tell them are a must see? (1) Pitrelli's restaurant in downtown Mason. It's a great family-owned restaurant that represents so much of the best of Cincinnati. (2) The Flying Pig marathon -- it's a high energy weekend that is simply a great way to get involved and see so much of Cincinnati, whether you run, walk, or watch, there is something for everyone (3) Eden Park -- the views are outstanding, and there is so much hidden art; it's a scene of beauty.
- In your past life or current (pre Dining Diva) what did you do? In my day job I work at Procter & Gamble in the Purchases function. My current job is to work on 2020 organization strategy, and that's what prompted me to launch Dining Diva Dinners. I was studying what skills would be critical in the future, and my research shows that being able to do business using social platforms, providing services, and entrepreneurial skills are key, and I wanted to ensure I was building those skills. So, I decided to develop those skills sets in a way that can help others. My girlfriends were always asking for my weekly meal plan, so this is a way to give it to them and at the same time to encourage families to eat dinner together. There is so much value in a family sitting down at dinner (research shows kids who eat dinner as a family do better in school, have lower incidence of drug use, and eat more fruits and vegetables.) I simply want to do my part to help families around the world enjoy these benefits by making fixing dinner easy. Also, I am an advocate for spending wisely, and I hate the idea that families who are already strapped for cash are spending more money due to extra trips to the grocery store. If I can do a little prep work and help people, I want to do that.
- What do you like to do in your spare time? I love to read. I am a runner, and I workout 5-6 days/week. I have four kids, so I like to spend time teaching them and understanding them, and I have a husband who is out of this world, so I want to spend time with him. We are also involved with the Yellow Ribbon Support Center and Let us Never Forget foundation.
Susan also shares her "Special K" snack bar recipes on our recipe exchange forum. Your kids will love them. Thanks to Susan for starting such helpful resource. You can also find Dining Divas on Facebook and Twitter.
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : Dining Diva - Susan Vanell-Charpentier
June 29, 2011
 Sabrina and family. Did you know that Cincinnati was just named " the most social-media savy city in the World"? Well, that means we've got lots of great bloggers and social-media gurus in abundance. I wanted to feature one local blogger, Sabrina Ingram, from Modern Cincy Mom. Married for nine years, Sabrina is now a stay-at-home Mom of two energetic little ones (sounds familiar). Sabrina loves a great deal and wanted to document her adventures and hopefully help others on the road to saving... Continue reading...
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : Modern Cincy Mom - Sabrina Ingram
May 2, 2011
Lunch It, Punch It! What a great idea. Three friends, all librarians from Cincinnati and Northern Ky, decided to make it a goal to pack at least ten lunches and then reward themselves with a lunch out. You can read more about FM, Lin & udandi to see how they got LPI started. I love this idea. It not only will save you money, but you'll probably eat a lot healthier since you'll be the one deciding what goes in your lunch bag. They have an engaging website that has cool recipes, great blog... Continue reading...
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : Lunch It, Punch It!
February 28, 2011
Mommy Hates Cooking is a blog after my own heart. I recently discovered this great blog and now I look forward to getting Kristy's recipes emailed directly to my inbox. Even if I don't get my cooking mojo going that day, I still love checking out her recipes and I file them away since sometimes I actually do get motivated and want to cook. I love how the web can bring Kristy to my home even when she's blogging all the way from Broken Arrow, OK. Mom to an adorable little guy and wife, Krist... Continue reading...
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : Mommy Hates Cooking
January 30, 2011
The Savings Lifestyle is a great site to visit – filled with money saving tips, coupons, giveaways, free stuff and so much more. It’s all there to help you save money and maybe earn some money too (see Strategies to Save or Strategies to Earn). I love their motto: “Save on what you need, spend on what you want”. The Savings Lifestyle was founded by Andrea Deckard, who originally started Mommy Snacks in 2008. She’s been blogging, sharing her money saving tips, inspirational stori... Continue reading...
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : The Savings Lifestyle - Andrea Deckard
November 30, 2010
 " I'm a Domestic Debacle"......yup it's oh so true and I love that Katie Dattalo has a blog that makes us all feel normal. She's a Mom, wife, homemaker, and part-time substitute pre-school teacher (by way of an Aerospace and Military science background - wowza). She also has a fabulous blog that has so many tips, reviews and giveaways and great posts that will keep you coming back for more. I love her Puke Apocalypse 2010 post (I'm sure she doesn't want to relive all this). Her blog is so ...
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : Domestic Debacle
October 30, 2010
I don't know about you but once November arrives, I feel like we are off to the races with holiday shopping. Many of you are probably savvy shoppers that already have your Christmas lists completed but if you're like me you are either thinking you have plenty of time left to get it all done or you just think your list of "to get" items will somehow magically appear wrapped and waiting on Christmas morning. Of course, we'd also like to save money on our wish lists as well as get great deals ... Continue reading...
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : Just Trying to Save Money - Brianne Miller
September 29, 2010
I think you can tell that I love living in Mason, Ohio but I also love living in Greater Cincinnati. The Queen City has so much to offer and if I'm looking for something new to experience, I head on over to 365Cincinnati.com. Why? The blog is great. The founder, Bridgett Raffenberg, really knows how to showcase our city and she does it with style. I always enjoy reading about her adventures and the easy to use website keeps me engaged and ready to return for more fab suggestions on things... Continue reading...
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : 365 Things to Do in Cincinnati - Bridgett Raffenberg
August 31, 2010
 Katie and family!It is "the little things" that make it all worthwhile. Katie Scheper captures these moments in a heartfelt way. Sharing in her family joy becomes contagious and makes you want to stop by for a longer visit. Katie is a Mom of four (her youngest just turned 7 months and he's adorable). I also love that she features her daughter, Ella (better known as ella bella princess of Kentucky), and some of Ella's favorite things. Katie not only delightfully takes us along on some of he... Continue reading...
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : the little things - Katie Scheper
August 3, 2010
"Trying to fit it all into a 24 hour day".......April's tag line says it all and I'm sure many of us are in the same boat (at least I know I am). April has a great blog where she joyously writes about her two girls and more. Working (she's a social worker), being a Mom and wife gives April an endless array of material to blog about. April's oldest starts first grade this Fall, and her youngest is doing her baby thing - just look at her cherubic little face from her May 12th post. Reading Ap... Continue reading...
Posted by Kristin Goecke. Posted In : April Sluder - Doin' the Working Mom Thing
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Mom, Blogger, Miscellaneous......
| Kristin J. Goecke |
| Mason, Ohio |
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.
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