Mompreneurs: Taking any time off this month?

So, my mompreneur pals, how are you holding up in the midst of the holiday season?  Does your business taper off when the holidays hit, or does it ratchet up to notches unknown?

Working in the toy and game business, we have been in full-tilt-crazy-busy-mode since September/October.  Things will begin to slow down next week, once that window of realistic shipping expectations closes prior to Christmas Eve.

At that point, I will try to finish shopping for my family and bake a few cookies if I have time.  But the scope of my holiday activities has been severely cut back since we launched our business.  My days of channeling Martha Stewart are no more.

Image via flickr cc sarahrzepecki

In another life, I would spend hours poring over recipes, planning holiday menus and making scores of cookies, cakes and candies for family and friends.  These days, a recipe makes the cut if it's fast and only has a handful of ingredients.  And even if it makes the cut, that's only a graduation up to the "Maybe we'll get a chance to bake these" list.  And I won't lie.... I have resorted to store-bought slice and bake in a pinch, or (heaven forbid) cookies already made from the bakery.

That's a painful confession for me.  For years, I pinned a lot of my self worth to my holiday kitchen prowess. It was one of my "things," ya know?  But there is just no way I can dedicate the kind of time that I used to give.  And without that kind of time, I just can't even torture myself by planning to do too much.  That's pressure I just can't take.

So, I've surrendered to the ready-made Christmas on levels I never would have predicted for myself.  It used to make me a little crabby and grouchy if I thought about it for too long...feeling sorry for myself and such, and wondering what the heck I was thinking when I decided to dive into entrepreneurial motherhood.  But I've reached a place where I'm at peace, and where I am able to squeeze in a single, strategically chosen recipe that is time efficient, but still has big "wow" factor.  My family loves it when I do get a chance to bake.  They get so excited.  But they are even happier when I'm pleasant and cheerful and we can take the precious time we have away from work to have fun.

Now that the kids are getting a little older, sometimes, that fun includes shared time in the kitchen baking.

Now, about that tangled string of lights that I haphazardly threw onto the shrubs outside... and the fact that our tree has been sitting in the corner of the front room undecorated for nearly a week. {sigh}  I think it's time I put those kids to work!





http://www.blogdash.com/full_profile/?claim_code=242d15ec1d1934c9ba65667647cefb91

Christmas trees and candies from Peluso's Market: an East Row tradition

One of my favorite holiday traditions is the one where we go to pick out our Christmas tree.  We've been going to the same place - Peluso's Market, here in Newport Kentucky - for nearly 20 years.

Peluso's Market is located at
625 Monmouth Street Newport Kentucky

During that time, our lives have evolved.  We've bought a house, we've had children, we've moved away across the country, and come back home again.  We've changed jobs.  We've had prosperous years, and we've had lean years. We've had years that were joyful, and years when the holidays were shrouded in sadness over the loss of a loved one.  Through all this, it is the simple traditions that keep us grounded, and remind us how lucky we are and how good life really is.

Peluso's is one of those traditions.  This tiny little store has been serving the neighborhood since the 1930's.  While the world wants to lob heaps of big box amenities upon us and our culture tries to insist we rush through our days preparing for the season, Peluso's has remained relatively unchanged.  Every Christmas, I look forward to making our way over to this Monmouth Street institution.

Mr. Jerry Rex Peluso, Proprietor of Peluso's Market
with my kids.  His sister waits on a customer at left.

Owner, Jerry Peluso, and his family stock the store at Christmas time with a full range of old fashioned candies and nuts, sold bulk-style by weight.  My kids love picking up the small paper bags and choosing from big bins filled with chocolate drops, huge malted milk balls, ribbon candy, peanut brittle, clusters, taffies, gumdrops and more. Oh - and chestnuts. They have chestnuts!

The Christmas tree lot is set up behind the store.  To access it, customers must pass through a narrow, gated walkway between the old brick buildings that are squeezed tightly together along Monmouth Street.  Its entrance is draped in pine roping and colored lights, and at night, especially, it feels like walking through a brick tunnel - like a secret passage back through time.  When you emerge in the back, your nose is immediately met with the festive scent of evergreens. The passageway opens up into a brightly lit yard filled with hundreds of fresh cut trees brought in straight from the growers.

Entrance to the tree lot.
Kinda magical, don't you think?

There are a variety of types to choose from.  We usually select a Frasier Fir because I love the way they smell, and the needles don't hurt if you step on them.  But over the years, we've brought home White Pine, Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce and Scotch Pine as well.  From small tabletop trees, to tall magnificent trees fit for a ballroom, Peluso's has a tree for every budget and every size room.

In recent years, after selling the trees for decades, the Peluso family has enlisted the help of Newport native, Tom Mitts, to manage the tree lot operations.  Mitts is a talented local painter and artist.  But he's also a veteran Christmas tree dealer with over 10 years previous experience selling trees in Erlanger and Florence.  Tom shares the Peluso's commitment to tradition and quality and he and his team have provided a seamless transition.

Paul Napier and Randall Reese take good
care of us every year at the tree lot

The experience is full service.  Mitts and his team are attentive and friendly, answering customer questions, and offering suggestions and tips on preservation and care of each tree to ensure it lasts throughout the season.  If you ask, they'll give you the same secret recipe for what to add to the tree's water to keep it fresh that the Peluso's always would share.  Each tree receives a fresh cut to the trunk with a chainsaw, is wrapped in netting to protect the tree from breakage, before being tied to the top of customer vehicles.

And yes.  Delivery IS available for a nominal charge.  Can it get any more pleasant?

View from the back of the tree lot
looking toward the buildings

Fresh evergreen wreaths and various lengths of pine roping are also available.


When we go, I feel like I'm stepping back in time and giving my young family a brief but authentic taste of what life was like for those who came before them.

Bulk Christmas candies at Peluso's Market

I think it's valuable for our children to see and experience things that have stood the test of time and remained relatively unchanged.  It's important for them to appreciate that some things in their environment are worth preserving and maintaining and that all things good in life aren't necessarily just the shiny and new, modern, latest things.  This is how they gain perspective on the future.  These are the things that will help them develop solid values and judgment skills.  These memories will sustain them when they go out into the world.

The front window of Peluso's Market
at Christmas time

We are so grateful for this unique destination in our neighborhood.  These bits of yesteryear bring value to urban family life in the East Row.

If you go:
Peluso's Market is located at 
623 Monmouth Street.
Store is usually open until 6pm, but extended hours between now and Christmas are available.
Call ahead to check hours here: 859-431-9376

Tom Mitts' Christmas Trees are located at 
625 Monmouth Street.
Seasonal hours vary, but lot is usually open until at least 8pm and later on weekends.  
To check hours call 859-341-0328.

Disclosure:  I am a marketing professional who writes articles for a range of clients that are published in various places from time to time. I strive to operate with the highest integrity, ethics and transparency.  The content of this blog is my own and all posts and topics are published by my own volition and choice. I received no incentive, payment or other consideration in exchange for writing this article from any of the parties mentioned herein or otherwise.

Welcoming Bellevue Kroger back to the neighborhood

Bellevue Kroger store's grand reopening is oh-so-good!

Image by EastRowMama

The Kroger store on Donnermeyer Drive in Bellevue, Kentucky has been a mainstay of our urban neighborhood for decades.

After closing earlier this year for a massive remodeling, the doors reopened this week, revealing a beautiful new store with many expanded features, while preserving just enough of the old familiar floor plan to make long time customers feel right at home.

Dingy and tired for many years, the old Bellevue Kroger nevertheless provided the community with a reliable resource for the things they really needed from a grocery store.

I shopped there not only for convenience, but for secret, sentimental reasons too.

Image by EastRowMama

You see, I’m the kind of shopper that circulates.  I never just shop at one store.  I like Trader Joe’s for certain things, and Remke’s for others and Findlay Market for yet others.  But the Bellevue Kroger was, well, it was always just somehow familiar and reliable.

It felt shabby and worn around the edges.  The produce department sometimes left me growling empty threats under my breath about leaving for Meijer and never coming back. (I adore Meijer's produce department, by the way.  But the checkout experience is perpetual utter misery.)   

But, I knew the baking, dairy, and frozen aisles like the back of my hand.  I could navigate them blindfolded.

I knew exactly where everything was in that store, and I could whiz through when I was in a hurry to round up dinner, even with a screaming toddler in tow.  I knew I could find staples – real, basic food ingredients to make real, nutritious meals.  And I always felt safe in there, even if it was midnight – an important - and rare - feature in an urban grocery store.

Image by EastRowMama

But that’s not the main reason I loved the Bellevue Kroger.  

The main reason I love that store is because it’s the store my grandmother shopped.

Before moving to Melbourne, they lived in Bellevue for many years – almost my entire childhood, in fact.

Every time I’d make my rounds through, I was reminded that my grandmother had walked those very same aisles countless times before me.  I loved the notion of walking in her footsteps, pushing a cart, leaning on it, browsing, reading labels, choosing standard favorites and occasionally tossing in something new, just as I knew she had.

My grandmother fought, and ultimately lost, a battle with cancer.  The treatments made her very ill and I would go and stay with her and my grandfather in Melbourne to help take care of her on those hard days.  

As her condition deteriorated, it made sense for us to be closer so we could be able to help more.  We began looking and found our current home in Newport.  I was so excited the day we told her we were moving closer.  

Sadly, my grandmother passed away just a month before we moved in.  But it was still good we were there.  We were able to look after my grandfather, who, in many ways, was lost without his love of over 50 years.

Image by EastRowMama

What’s interesting is that she was like me – or rather, I was like her – a shopper that circulates.  She loved shopping all over the city, exploring, finding deals, finding new ingredients and trying new things.  But, like me, that Kroger store was where she did most of her day-to-day grocery shopping.

It was with mixed feelings that I ventured into the new Kroger Marketplace at the South end of Newport when it opened.  

The foodie in me was giddy with the prospect of having Murray’s Cheese Shoppe a literal 10 blocks away from my front porch.  The surprisingly good toy and game department has rescued me at the last minute a few times from forgotten invitations to kid birthday parties and baby showers.  

I’ve even found myself strangely tempted by some of the home furnishings offered. (So weird to consider buying home décor at the grocery store isn’t it?).

I acclimated myself to the “new” Kroger.  I finally reached a point where I could find my way around.  Never mind it still took a little longer to shop…because it was so big.  

And then they CHANGED THINGS AROUND.

Just when I had the place figured out, they moved a bunch of aisles around.  It threw me into a veritable rage!  Why?!  I’m a busy working mother!  I don’t have time to relearn the store!  It slowed me down at a time when I needed efficiency!

Image by EastRowMama

With my trust in the new store betrayed and my nerves frayed, when I really wanted to just do my regular shopping and not “get all fancy,” I’d hit the Bellevue Kroger.

When the Bellevue Kroger closed for its alleged “remodeling,” I was skeptical that it would even ever reopen because it is situated so close in proximity to the new Marketplace.  Oh - how I've missed it.  

But open it has.

I’ve strung you along long enough… Let me just go ahead and say it:  Halleluiah!  And thank goodness they have reopened!  The new Bellevue store is gorgeous.

Image by EastRowMama

There's a bike rack so you can leave the car at home and get a bit of exercise if you just want to grab a few things.

It has just enough of the familiar old floor plan that I feel like I know where I’m going and can find things where I expect them to be.  Yes, there are some pretty big changes.  But there are whispers of the familiar everywhere. 

They didn’t completely upset the apple cart and then randomly stack everything back.  Produce is still where I thought it would be, and so is the meat and dairy department.  

Image by EastRowMama

The frozen aisles have been moved from the middle of the store to the far end – where the chips and detergents used to be.  That’s a little unexpected.  

The deli has been moved to the opposite end of the store near produce, where it should have been all along.  

You don’t get Murray’s cheese at Bellevue, but there is a beautiful butcher case now.  And hot soups!  Yes – the deli has a soup kiosk!  Let me tell you, you are going to LOVE this store.

The pharmacy is about triple its original size, taking over the footage that was the old, adjacent, stand alone Kroger liquor store.  Oh – and it has a walk-up window outside too.  You don’t even have to go in when you are feeling like death and all you want is the pills the doc prescribed to make it all better.

Image by EastRowMama

Beer.  Remember the beer section?  It was pretty basic: national brands – that was about it.  So, look at it now – a whole amazing aisle of national, regional and local beers.  And, for kicks, you can build your own six pack by-the-bottle for $8.99, mixing and matching from a good dozen or two of loose single bottles of micro brews.  How do you like it now?

Image by EastRowMama

There’s still no wine at Kroger stores in Kentucky.  What’s with the goofy Kentucky liquor laws anyway?  I’m not complaining too much because it’s still cheaper to buy here than in Ohio, but criminy, it’s awkward to schlep a kid into a liquor store to pick up a bottle of merlot to go with my Bolognese sauce.  That’s not Kroger’s fault though.  I digress.  I do that.  What of it?

Bottom line:  The Bellevue Kroger did not go away when it closed.  It is still very much alive and a part of our neighborhood like it always was – but better than ever!  Go and see for yourself!

Disclosure:  I am a marketing professional who writes articles for a range of clients that are published in various places from time to time. I strive to operate with the highest integrity, ethics and transparency.  The content of this blog is my own and all posts and topics are published by my own volition and choice. I received no incentive, payment or other consideration in exchange for writing this article from any of the parties mentioned herein or otherwise.

East Row pooches get a new playground

Newport Kentucky's East Row Historic Foundation designates new dog park

Image by EastRowMama - All Rights Reserved

The East Row Historic Foundation has unveiled a new dog park on the edge of the neighborhood along Providence Way in Newport, Kentucky.

For years, residents have been bringing their canine companions to this grassy area, along Interstate 471, to run and chase sticks and balls. But it’s never been officially designated for dogs, and there was never any fencing that would keep dogs safe from the distraction of passing vehicles or pedestrians.

Image by EastRowMama - All Rights Reserved

In 2007, a government study of scenarios for highway improvements suggested rerouting I-471 exit ramps, putting the entire area in jeopardy of being taken by eminent domain.

That has all become a distant memory. And now, thanks to a group of passionate residents, the dog park so many of us here in the East Row have been dreaming of is now a reality. A committee of our neighbors worked to create a feasible plan, got approval from the city, and then spearheaded the collection of donations to fund the project.

Image by EastRowMama - All Rights Reserved

Today, the area has been enclosed with historically appropriate, black iron fencing that blends into the style of the surrounding neighborhood.  Elegant brick pilasters topped with flower urns flank the entrance.

The park includes benches, shade trees, and a pleasant view of the East Row's historic rooftops with a bit of the city skyline beyond.

Image by EastRowMama - All Rights Reserved

There is a double-gated entrance for safety, a supply of doggy doo bags, trash cans and, thoughtfully, a water bowl and jug.

The committee will continue ongoing fundraising for improvements and maintenance.

Image by EastRowMama - All Rights Reserved

This initiative is one of the many that embody the beautiful spirit of the East Row community and make it a happy place for urban families to live and grow.

I am excited and grateful to see this project come to fruition.  My family has been spending time in this park with our dog for many years.  In fact, it's the only place in the neighborhood where my sons can climb a tree.  Climbing a tree is one of those fundamental childhood experiences that should not be missed. I wrote about my thoughts on that in this previous post, "Where can a boy climb a tree in Newport Kentucky?"  But I digress...

The quality of life in our East Row just got even better, thanks to wonderful neighbors and a cooperative city.  We are yet again reminded how truly lucky we are to be here!

Special thanks go out to generous benefactors including: Christine Tougas, East Row Historic Foundation, Marta Brockmeyer and Gary Monroe, Ron and Monica Gardner, Rosemary Braeckel, Michael and Joey Jackson, The Janson Family, Ryan and Sarah Mitchell, Rick, Elaine and Natalie Pearl, and The Shorten Family.

Image by EastRowMama - All Rights Reserved

Hours of Operation: Sunrise to Sunset.

Rules of conduct are posted at the park entrance to ensure a pleasant experience for everyone.

It should be noted that aggressive dogs are not permitted and any dog that shows aggression must be removed immediately.

Dog waste must be retrieved and disposed of by owner.

Owners must remain within the fenced area, within view of their dogs, and must have a leash at the ready in case they need to separate their dog from other dogs.

Basically, it's a golden rule deal folks.  Treat the park and fellow visitors with respect and kindness and it will remain a place of fun and respite for all of us for many years to come.

PLEASE! Make a donation to support this wonderful new East Row amenity!  For more information or to make a donation, email newportkydogpark@gmail.com.

Donation checks can also be sent payable to: 

East Row Historic Foundation

P.O. Box 72116

Newport, KY 41076 

*Be sure to write “Dog Park” in the memo line of your check!

Learn more about the individuals behind this project in this related article:
"Newport celebrates grand opening of new dog park."

Find the East Row dog park:
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en

Thanks for reading!  If you enjoyed this content, please follow me on Twitter @EastRowMama to get my latest stories as soon as they publish!

Lost (at See) Dave Buetsche Master’s Thesis Exhibition

Raising our family in an urban neighborhood surrounds our children with a diverse mixture of people doing interesting and unexpected things.  Even after living in Newport for 17 years, I still find myself routinely awed and astonished by the creative spirits that city living attracts.  Artist David Buetsche is one of those spirits.

Dave and his wife, Kelly, moved to our street a couple of years ago.  Since then, they’ve turned one of the oldest houses on our historic street into a home that reflects an eye for beauty.

While teaching industrial arts at Elder High School in Cincinnati’s Western Hills, Buetsche has been working on completing his Master of Arts in Art Education at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.  A culmination of his work to that end "lost (at see)" is on exhibit at the Pearlman Gallery in Over-the-Rhine.

True to his generous personality and clear passion for sharing art with the next generation, Dave graciously invited us to bring the boys to the Final Friday gallery opening reception.

Out in the Distance  |  David Buetsche

My nine year old son was especially interested in a piece titled "Out in the Distance."  Buetsche combines startlingly bright, abstract elements with a more realistic suggestion of natural mountains across the top.  Painted on wood, he leaves a lower quadrant of the panel deliberately bare to allow the graining texture and colors of the surface to become part of the work.

My son asked him why he decided to leave a portion of the panel unpainted.  Dave explained that he enjoys exploring relationships ("friendships" he called them - great choice of words to illustrate what he meant to a kid!) between colors and textures, especially when combinations are unexpected.

I love that Dave was willing to go into educator mode with the boy for a moment.  Communicating with kids at their level, choosing language they can easily understand, comes naturally to him..

Contourtion  |  David Buetsche

 

The boys were fascinated by the sheer scale of Buetsche’s sculptures, and admired his use of ordinary items like rope and shredded tires to create interesting visual compositions.

All the pieces in the exhibit were created using a mix of media including oils, acrylics, spray paint, varnish, tar, wood, rubber and even duct tape.

I have to say, my favorite was the show's title piece "Lost at See."  Depicting an ocean horizon, the colors suggest an ominous, and yet seemingly calm seascape spanning out into the deep.  

Lost at See  |  David Buetsche

The work has a contemporary, acidic feel to it with a steely depiction of water and a lower graphic portion that is an exercise in color and balance to the reflection on the water in the distance above.  Its view into the unknown is simultaneously frightening and hopeful.

Hmmm.  That description could also be applied to the perspective of a startup entrepreneur and inventor - almost every day.  No wonder it resonated!

Buetsche's "lost (at see)" remains on exhibit until August 3, 2012.

See it: 

Art Academy of Cincinnati - Pearlman Gallery 

1212 Jackson Street  Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 

513-562-6262

All exhibitions are free and open to the public. 

MAAE Thesis Show Hours are Monday - Friday from 9-9  |  Saturday and Sunday from 9-5. 

If you are interested in learning more about Art Academy of Cincinnati's Master's of Arts in Art Education program, click here.

Photos by Michelle Spelman, published with permission of the artist.  

All artwork depicted in photographs in this article is property of David Buetsche.  All Rights Reserved.

I am delighted each time we cross paths with a neighbor doing good things with their creative talents.  If you, or someone you know, is doing good things in the East Row, please contact me. I'd love to hear about them.

Cocktails for East Row Mamas: The Green Isaac Special

Green Isaac Special  |  Image Copyright East Row Mama

After a long day – whether that day involves working at home or someplace else – and whether that work includes a job that generates a pay check, or focused full time on making a peaceful, nurturing, healthy home for family – many of the East Row Mamas I know gratefully appreciate the chance to relax for a few minutes with neighbor friends and a cocktail.

One of the things I love about living in the city is that you can’t help but know your neighbors.  After all, you're living practically on top of one another because the houses are so close together.  With postage stamp-sized yards, like those here in Newport, urban mamas and papas spend a good bit of time together outside watching our young children race back and forth between porches. 

In spite of hectic family schedules, it’s a warm weather tradition on our street to pull out the lawn chairs and linger for a bit together in the evening after supper at least once or twice a week.  Being in entrepreneurial mode at our house, and often working funky, unconventional hours to get things done, I am especially grateful when I get a rare chance to join the crowd on my street.

Sharing a cold bottle of beer or a glass of wine is the usual plan, but every once in a while, someone decides to mix things up and share a simple, summery cocktail like a lemon drop, margarita, raspberry cooler, or sangria.

It’s raining today, and everyone is staying inside.  But I found myself in the mood for something that would feel like a fleeting moment of vacation anyway.  

With painfully limited bar stock on hand, I decided to get creative with what I had.  I found a lime in the fridge, along with a can of coconut water.  These went into a rocks glass filled with ice, along with some gin from the cabinet and a few drops of Angostura bitters.  When I tasted it, I knew it was too good to be original.  Someone, somewhere, had to have thought of this concoction before me.  I searched the ingredients online and, almost poetically, I discovered that my new favorite drink was immortalized by none other than THE Nobel Prize winning author, Ernest Hemingway.  I know, right?! How cool is that? Seriously!

 

 

“Where Thomas Hudson lay on the mattress his head was in the shade cast by the platform at the forward end of the flying bridge where the controls were and when Eddy came aft with the tall cold drink made of gin, lime juice, green coconut water, and chipped ice with just enough Angostura bitters to give it a rusty, rose color, he held the drink in the shadow so the ice would not melt while he looked out over the sea.”  -- From Islands in the Stream, by Ernest Hemingway, published post-humously in 1970

In the novel, this liberal twist on a Tom Collins cocktail is aptly referred to as a "Tomini."  In a recipe book published later that was inspired by Hemingway's vivid descriptions of food and drink, the mix is called a "Green Isaac's Special," named for Isaac Island, located just north of Bimini, in the Bahamas (Of course! We are talking Hemingway here after all).

My version is only slightly modified from the original.  I didn't feel like juicing a whole lime, and quickly squeezed just a couple of wedges into the glass instead.  I went easy on the bitters because the flavor is so powerful.  A little of that stuff goes a long way, and I really wanted to focus on the lime and coconut combination.  The result is divine.  The lime combined with the light flavor of the coconut water is so refreshing.  And the coconut water comes with little flecks of fresh coconut in it, adding another layer of interest to the glass.

I’ll be sharing this new favorite with the girls on my street when the sun comes out.  Enjoy one with your urban mama friends!

East Row Mama's Green Isaac Special

(unknowingly adapted from original version as published by the Cocktail Museum)

Fill a rocks glass with ice

Squeeze 3 juicy lime wedges over the ice

Pour in 2 ounces of gin (I like Seagram’s bumpy bottle – it’s tasty and unpretentious.  Plus, it's distilled just 20 minutes away in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and I like to buy local when I can.  But Tanqueray would be delightful if your day has left you feeling the need to spoil yourself.  If you must go authentic and true to Hemingway, then you'll have to splurge on Hendrick's.)

Coconut water

Fill the rest of the glass with coconut water (find it in the Asian foods section of your grocery aisle or at an Asian grocery store.  Make sure you choose coconut "water," not "milk!")

Add 2 drops of Angostura bitters

Stir and commence sipping immediately!

12 Ways Newport's East Row gets its pizza fix

One thing the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region is NOT known for is its pizza.  Friends from Chicago and New York kindly remind us of that whenever they come to visit.  And, we are harshly reminded when we find ourselves gorging on Lou Malnati’s in the Windy City or Ray’s in the Big Apple.  But, while we aren’t known for pizza the way they are, the choices for us living in the East Row have expanded recently – and improved immensely.

We were delivered from the ho-hum predictable brands when Dewey’s Pizza opened at Newport on The Levee a number of years back.  It’s a nice walk down from the neighborhood.  It’s a great place to take friends and visitors.  And for dinner at the Levee, it’s reasonably priced compared to other choices in the complex.  But, while they do carryout (what pizza joint doesn’t?), Dewey’s doesn’t deliver.  To get delivery, East Row residents usually had to call on a national chain. 

In the last couple of years, we’ve had some new players come on the scene, and they’re giving the usual suspects a run for their money. 

Newport Pizza Company opened on Monmouth in 2009 and immediately gave us a local option that wasn’t LaRosa’s.  I’m not a LaRosa’s hater or anything, but, when it’s the go-to at every kid birthday party, school event and kid sports team celebration, well, who wouldn’t get tired of the same old thing? Newport Pizza does a nice job – they deliver, they’ve got an eat-in option and tables on the sidewalk when the weather is nice out. Oh - and they've got at least a couple of dozen beers to choose from. 

Mellow Mushroom is a mid-tier chain based out of Atlanta that has me jumping for joy.  I discovered them while in Georgia for a wedding and so, when I saw it go in just a few minutes’ drive away, I was pretty excited.  Open for over a year, and located down by the Town and Country sports complex in Wilder, they fit right in.

Mellow Mushroom’s atmosphere is fun and festive.  It's noisy enough that you won’t feel self conscious taking the kids, but nice enough that you could enjoy a casual date night dinner before a movie.  They’ve got a nice selection of beers on tap and salads and appetizers to go with the creative pizzas.  Our family’s favorite, the Funky Q Chicken, includes barbeque chicken, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and bacon. The other one we love, the Kosmic Karma, features sundried tomatoes, spinach, feta, fresh sliced tomatoes and pesto on a crust tossed before your eyes in the open kitchen.  The kids love watching the bakers while they wait for dinner.

Jet’s Pizza is another mid-tier chain, this time out of Detroit.  My husband discovered this one during a business trip in Florida.  When he saw the new store that just opened in Newport next to Kmart, he literally stopped the car and went in and ordered carryout on the spot.

Jet’s Pizza doesn’t look like much from the outside.  The facade is pretty generic.  It's tucked away in the corner of a strip mall, and they only do carryout and delivery.  But, if you “know,” then you KNOW!  Jet’s is a pizza that features a thick, doughy satisfying crust.  A Jet’s twist that makes it unique is offering a number of different options for tricking out your crust.  Customize it with various seasoning options that include garlic, sesame seeds, butter, parmasan, and the "turbo crust," which is a combo of seasonings.  Add in stellar combinations of toppings and a wide range of sizes - including PIZZA BY THE SLICE - and you’ve got a pizza that wins.  Our family loves the barbeque pizza and the Hawaiian.  Jet's Bread is a fun starter, and the subs and hoagies are on my short list to try.

Strong’s Pizzeria is the one I’m rallying for the most.  They’ve opened on Monmouth right next to Atlas Cleaners – just a half block up from the Levee.  With a wood-fired brick oven and back patio, they’re on track to win my heart for favorite neighborhood destinations right up there with Pompilio’s, Dixie Chili and Mammoth Coffee.

Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria boasts gourmet specialty pizzas that include an awardwinning Pizza Alla Vodka recipe the owner brought back with him from New York.  It’s fantastic. Add atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re eating in someone’s home, and you’ve got a formula for success.  The menu also features salads and appetizers along with some decent beers and wines.

We aren't short on decent choices in the East Row.  The one’s detailed above are the one’s I’m most excited about.  These new kids on the block are making the Newport pizza scene interesting and I’m not mad about it.

Newport East Row's pizza choices at a glance - order is alphabetical, not by preference:

Dewey’s Pizza  Delivery? NO

Domino’s  Delivery? YES

Donato’s  Delivery? YES

Fort Thomas Pizza  Delivery? YES

Jet’s Pizza Delivery? YES

LaRosa’s Pizza Delivery? YES

Mellow Mushroom Delivery? NO 
Newport Pizza Company  Delivery? YES

Papa John’s Delivery? YES

Pizza Hut Delivery? YES

Snappy Tomato  Delivery? YES

Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria  Delivery? YES

Edit July 5th 2012:  Here are two more places within a few minutes drive that were added by a reader (see comment below):
Buona Vita's Pizzeria in Dayton KY  (Delivery?  NO)
Raniero's Pizzeria in Highland Heights KY (Delivery? Yes, but not to Newport)

Did I miss any?  If there’s another pizza joint I’ve overlooked, leave a comment and I’ll gladly add to the list.


Disclosure:  I am a marketing professional who writes articles for a range of clients that are published in various places from time to time. I strive to operate with the highest integrity, ethics and transparency.  The content of this blog is my own and all posts and topics are published by my own volition and choice. I received no incentive, payment or other consideration in exchange for writing this article from any of the parties mentioned herein or otherwise.

East Row Garden Club hosts annual Garden Walk June 2-3

Image courtesy of EastRowGardenClub.org

An early Spring has pushed up the 16th annual Garden Walk hosted by East Row Garden Club.  Traditionally held in late June, it happens this weekend, June 2nd and 3rd.

Eight private gardens featured on the tour include six never open to the public before.

This tour is one of the most popular tours in the region.  Guests will enjoy lingering in these tucked away oases and will marvel at the peaceful serenity that can be found in these small urban secret spaces.

If you go:

Saturday and Sunday, June 2nd and 3rd, 2012 
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tour begins at corner of 6th and Washington in Newport, Kentucky 41071

Tickets: 
$15/person available for advance purchase online and in person at A New Leaf Florist.
Children 12 and under are free if accompanied by an adult.
Purchase tickets on day of tour at Watertower Square parking lot (6th Street and Washington Street).
Credit cards accepted for online orders but CASH or CHECK only accepted on the day of the tour.

Tour begins at the ticket booth, where visitors will also find a vendor market featuring garden accessories, plants, antiques and other garden related items for purchase from notable vendors such as Greenfield Plant Farm and Greg's Antiques among others.

Wanna nominate a garden for next year's Garden Walk?

Novice and expert East Row gardening residents are invited to join the Garden Club anytime throughout the year.

See some of the garden club's current projects and programs.  Learn about how the garden club gives back to the community.

Find the garden club on Facebook and see their website www.EastRowGardenClub.org  for more information.

Amanda's fabulous bean salad recipe

My version of Amanda's fabulous bean salad

This is one of those recipes that you just eyeball everything depending on how many people you are trying to feed, what you have on hand, and your personal preferences.  There is no single ingredient that will make or break this dish.  If you aren't a fan of one item or another, leave it out.

It is fabulous.  My neighbor Amanda clued me in a couple of years ago, and I've been making it ever since.

1 can dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 can whole kernel corn (drained) *can use frozen instead*
1 rib of celery - diced
1 cucumber - diced (remove seeds before dicing)
1/2 small red onion - diced
1 orange bell pepper - diced
Fresh, flat-leaf italian parsley - chopped (to taste)

Toss ingredients in a bowl, douse generously with red wine vinegar.  Sprinkle with a little sugar and salt to taste. Serve.

Makes approximately 6-8 servings. 

Taste of Cincinnati 2012 there's an app for that

Image courtesy of Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber

The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber hosts the 34th Annual Taste of Cincinnati this Memorial Day weekend.  Hailed as the nation's longest running culinary arts festival,  the party fires up Friday, May 26th and continues through Monday, May 28th, 2012.

New this year, the Chamber offers a free iPhone app (a Droid version is available as well) that will help festival guests navigate over 40 food vendors. The app promises to enhance guest experience by providing booth map and menus to discover new and favorite samplings from over 200 food and beverage offerings.  It also features an event schedule along with an entertaining photo booth feature.

Make a bee line to J. Gumbo's for some Bumblebee Stew.  Then head over to Pit to Plate for a pulled pork BBQ sandwich with slaw.  Strasse Haus breaks the rules with fried peanut butter and jelly and Keystone Bar & Grill will make you swoon with their Buffalo Mac & Cheese.  Do yourself in with some real Schnecken from Queen City Cookies.


In addition to plenty of eats and drinks, the festival includes live musical and comedy entertainment all weekend long.  A complete schedule can be found here. 

East Row Mama's personal pics include dancing yourself silly with the Naked Karate Girls Saturday at 4:00pm on the Fountain Square Stage. Kick up your clogs with the bluesy, bluegrassy acoustic sounds of The Tillers on Sunday at 4:30pm on the Metromix Stage at P&G Gardens.  For a dose of some killer good piano blues, check out Ricky Nye Inc. on Monday at 2:00pm on the Government Square stage.

Taste of Cincinnati always happens along Fifth Street between Race and Broadway with Fountain Square at the center of the action.

Admission is free.  Parking is easily accessible all around downtown in garages, surface lots and on the street. 

  East Row families can catch a ride to the fest   on the Southbank Shuttle Trolley at several stops   along East Third Street in Newport between Hofbrauhaus and the Newport Aquarium for a dollar per person.

   If you go:

Hours: Noon to midnight Saturday and Sunday, Noon to 9:00pm on Monday


Video courtesy of CincyChamber via YouTube

May is the new December

A friend of mine declared recently that "May is the new December."

Boy, she is NOT kidding.  If you are at all involved in your children's life, and if they are at all involved with any activities beyond eating, drinking, bathing, sleeping, going to school and coming home, then your weeks leading up to the close of the school year are just as busy as those leading up to the holidays.

Recitals and performances, tournaments, bees, competitions, concerts, and countless other exhibitions of the talents that your children have been honing throughout the fleeting school year, must be attended.

Loose ends must be tied up.  Missing books must be found and returned.  Gifts must be purchased or made for teachers in appreciation for their efforts to help shape our "young breed."

This is the time that the weekends become crowded with First Communion and prom and graduation celebrations.  You know they are coming. You just don't often know when or how many until you've already got multiple balls in the air and you've abandoned the ink pen on your calendar and resorted to pencil instead.

In the midst of all this, winter clothes must be purged and replaced with summer wardrobes. 

Those of us who wear all the hats of running a small business or work away from the home must still find time to keep those initiatives moving forward.  The good news is, I decide when and where and who I work with on most days.  But what I want to get done and what is humanly possible are two different things in May. 

And just like the Winter holiday season, those who enjoy it most are the ones who simplify and prioritize.  The ones who trade in at least some of the "nice-to-haves-but-not-necessary-for-happiness" in exchange for "this-must-be-done-to-preserve-sanity" tasks wind up getting to June with a sense of sentimental accomplishment, traditions and memories that their children will cherish.

I'm working on that.  But it's a feeble attempt at best.  What do you think?  Is May the new December at your house?


photo credit: MrB-MMXhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/marlon-bunday-mmx/4692932272/">MrB-MMX> via photo'>http://photopin.com">photo pin cchttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">cc>

Dive right in and just keep swimming

This blog, East Row Mama, has served as a private place to park my thoughts over the last several years.  It began as a "toe in the water" back in 2008 - when I first began to explore the new media channels that were exploding all around us.

I was coming out of a stretch of nearly ten years as a fully engaged, stay-at-home spouse and mother and was making the difficult decision to return to the workplace. I was also facing the difficult challenge of discerning what exactly I might do out there after being away for so long.

Since that time, my path has rapidly evolved and I find myself looking at this blog, shocked to realize that it's been nearly 3 years since I posted anything to it. 

I'm choosing to see that as an indicator of growth. Lack of activity here is evidence that I've found meaningful things to occupy my time elsewhere. As it turns out, what it really means is that I decided to ditch the "toe in the water" approach to all of this and, instead, I dove right in to the deep end and kept swimming into the open water.

Now, I find myself returning to this early spot - like a wistful, sentimental pilgrimage back to my roots. I am still a mom. I am still a spouse. But I have my own identity - I am my own person. The path is not easy, but I am energized by it, and that makes it worthwhile. I'm excited to blow the dust off this blog. It's time.

I read somewhere once that, no matter what else is going on, all a woman really wants is control over her own life. It's true. I don't need to control others. But I do need to at least have the sense that ultimately, I am in charge of my own life.

I'm an urban mama in the East Row. And I do some other things too. Welcome to my joyful madness.


photo credit: Έλενα Λαγαρία via photo pin cc