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Jennie | Planner of Fun

@checkedinfamily

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🛝 Mom of 2 with shortcuts to fun YOU enjoy, too
Disney • Getaways • Cincinnati
🤭 A little bougie. A lot sarcastic
What's worth your time, $, effort 👇

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Wondering who's behind Checked In Family?
Hi, I'm Jennie. 👋

Working mom of 2, finance girly, and the self-appointed planner of fun around here.

Planning a vacation is the one thing I take seriously. Everything else? Winging it.

Here you'll find travel tips and advice, stays and experiences worth the splurge, trip ideas for when you need them, and a side of motherhood, keeping two kids entertained and a husband humble (🤣) in Cincinnati. Heavy on the sarcasm. Honest about the splurges (if it doesn't make travel easier for us, I won't recommend it).

New here? Say hi and tell me where you're headed next. ✈️ taken in Cincinnati by @checkedinfamily

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13 hours ago

Hosting this fall? Going somewhere and need to bring a dish to share? I've got you! This mix is a fan favorite—the perfect mix of salty & sweet with a dash of peanut butter 🤤... And yes, I'm the kinda gal that puts the whole recipe here in the caption:

🍂 HARVEST CHEX MIX 🍂

For the sauce: • 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), melted • 1 cup packed light brown sugar • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

For the mix: • 12 oz box Rice Chex • 7 oz bag Bugles • 4 cups mini pretzel twists • 1 cup candy corn • 8 oz bag Reese’s Pieces • Mini Reese’s cups—as many as your peanut butter-loving heart wants 😜

Here’s how:

Preheat your oven to 275°F. Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla until well combined.

In a VERY large bowl, combine the Chex, Bugles and pretzels. Pour the sauce over everything and gently toss to coat.

Spread across two parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Let it cool COMPLETELY before mixing in the candy corn, Reese’s Pieces and mini Reese’s cups. We want chocolate cups, not chocolate soup. 😂

Store in an airtight container… recipe makes a nice, big amount to share!

Adapted from The Country Cook’s Harvest Chex Mix—with mini Reese’s cups swapped in for the candy pumpkins!

Save this for your next fall get-together! And follow along for more ways to make memories outside the 9–5… without making party prep your second job. 🍁

@reeses @buglesmemes @chexcereal by @checkedinfamily

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7 days ago

Do not, I repeat, do not waste an hour of your Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party waiting for the parade. 🎃

But also… absolutely do NOT miss Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade. It’s one of the best parts of the night.

Our strategy? Skip Main Street and watch from Frontierland.
We’ve been able to grab a great spot about 20 minutes before the parade — AND because the parade starts on this side of the park, you’re finished before everyone that's waiting for it over on Main Street.

That gives you a little window to jump on a ride while a huge chunk of the party crowd is still watching the parade. 🙌

(Super Bonus: the Country Bears are often out entertaining in this area before the parade starts... They're a trip!)

Save this for your MNSSHP night 🎃 and send it to whoever you're going with.

Follow @checkedinfamily for more Disney strategies that help you spend more of your vacation actually vacationing. by @checkedinfamily

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2 months ago

Ever donate a stack of books… only for your preschooler to walk right back out with one? 📚

I know not to declutter while they're home... and now I've learned to pick a little free library that's further off the grid for my donations! 🤣 Because a couple days after I (thought) I had checked this box, one by one the books were coming right back home.

"I already had this before I lost it so I got another one" 😂

Do we all have the same kids? Do you have "help" with your decluttering, too?? by @checkedinfamily

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2 days ago

Unpopular opinion: Our Disney Cruise was actually MORE overstimulating than our Disney World vacations. 😳🚢

And I know that sounds backwards… because isn't a cruise supposed to be the more relaxing option?!

Here's the thing: Less planning doesn't necessarily mean more downtime... Especially if you're like us and suffer from the pressure of FOMO!

On the Disney Wish, there was SO much we wanted to experience… but between assigned dining times, shows, designated port times, character meet-and-greets, figuring out when the Aqua mouse was running, I felt like we were constantly watching the clock and rushing to the next thing (alongside everyone else!) 🫠

At Disney World? I have to plan more upfront, but I LOVE having the flexibility to leave the parks, enjoy our resort, and slow down whenever we need to knowing whatever it is we're wanting to do can be scheduled around OUR needs.

Neither vacation is necessarily better (don't worry - I've got some areas where the cruise definitely wins!); but this is an area where I personally prefer Parks.

✨ SEND this to the person you're planning Disney with! And FOLLOW for more firsthand comparisons to help you figure out which Disney vacation is worth YOUR time and money.

Now tell me: How does this comparison resonate with your family? 👇

#DisneyCruise #DisneyWorldTips #DisneyWish #DisneyVacationPlanning #DisneyWithKids by @checkedinfamily

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4 days ago

If you're looking for me on the weekends, good chance you'll find me here: a brunch spot where you can chill and the kids can run it off! 🥞

Sleepy Bee has the best buttermilk pancakes I have literally ever tasted… and the Blue Ash location has a patio right next to Veterans Memorial Park and its play structure. (Seriously, did a mom design this?)

Brunch. Then recess once you get to the inevitable squirming part of a meal out with kids… 🙌

Fair warning: I will be judging every other pancake against these until the end of time. 😜

Save this for your next brunch with the kids or send to your "I just want to finish a sentence" friend to meet up! taken in Sleepy Bee - Blue Ash by @checkedinfamily

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3 days ago

Your kid says they're ready for a REAL haunted house. But you know they're not... 🎃👻

Check out Heritage Village Museum's Haunted Village (Sharonville, just north of Cincinnati) for the perfect in-between!

🧒 Best ages: 4-10
💰 Cost: $15 at the gate
📅 When: Fri & Sat nights in October, 6–10 PM

What you'll find: Trick-or-treating through the village with ghosts, witches, pirates and a fortune teller, a carnival-style haunted house with custom level spooks (👻---> 👻👻👻), balloon animals, Poe storytelling by lantern light, and even a haunted trail (warning: jump scare by the coffin!)

Honest mom verdict: if your kid wants spooky, this is the sweet spot. Brayden started with a level 👻 in the Haunted House before braving the 👻👻👻; and me - I chickened out!

Save this for your Halloween plans 🎃 and send it to the mom you're planning Halloween with! 👻

@heritagevillagemuseum

What ages are your kids — could they handle it? 👇 taken in Heritage Village Museum by @checkedinfamily

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3 days ago

Follow or unfollow... I'll make it an easy choice. 😜

I'm Jennie: a working mom of 2, wife, and most importantly the self designated planner of everyone's fun; and I share the shortcuts with you so you can fast forward through the planning part!

🏰 Disney strategy that MAKES the trip
✅ Honest verdicts on splurges: was it worth it?
📍 Cincinnati family fun (and beyond!)

Mom life. Real reviews. Experiences > Things

And Vacation > Everything

(Oh - I'll even make fun of my husband on occasion, too. 😜)

Hit follow — and tell me: where's your next family trip? 👇 by @checkedinfamily

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5 days ago

We’ve been to Disney World more times than we can count… but we only just took our first Disney Cruise aboard the Wish. 🚢

So how did it compare? Spoiler: they’re VERY different vacations! Some things I liked more… others… not so much. 😜

I was surprised to find out that fewer decisions didn’t necessarily mean a slower vacation… 👀

Trying to decide which is right for YOUR family? Follow along as I kick off a series that will compare the overall feel, character experiences, entertainment + more... you know, all the things that you won't find in a brochure but that actually help you choose! 🙌

If you’ve experienced both, what pulls you toward one over the other? Tell me in the comments! by @checkedinfamily

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6 days ago

Are we all spending our weekend with this guy?? 🤣

#husbandandwife #humor #watchingfootball #footballseason #funny by @checkedinfamily

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9 days ago

Already booked your Disney trip? That price isn't locked and you might still have options… it ain't over 'til it's over! 👀

Months after booking, I saved $625 on our Riviera + Wilderness Lodge split stay after a new offer came out. Same trip. Same one-bedroom villas. Just… less money. 🙌

Before you assume your booking price is the final price: Check your current room against available offers
Price the upgrades—including for just part of your stay
Compare the FULL total before making changes

Your exact dates + room may not qualify, but definitely worth the check... Things are always moving around and an upgrade might land closer to your budget than you'd think!

Save this for your next Disney trip price check or send to your "I like it bougie but I also love a discount" friend! 😜

#disneytips #disneyplanning #disneyworld #disneydeals #disneywithkids by @checkedinfamily

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12 days ago

I love throwing my kids themed birthday parties. I do not love spending the entire week making one (and I definitely don't have time for that!)

Have a party to plan? Big party energy, low party prep commitment… because I love a festive party, but I do NOT love spending a week making it happen. 🎃

Here's the thing: we're heading into a heavy decorating season. Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and it all stacks up fast. So wherever you can, leverage what you're already doing and let it work twice. Thankfully my son loves Halloween, so why not make that the Birthday party theme, too?

Our strategy:
Snacks: Make it easy! I pick one fancy thing as an anchor (in this case Harvest Chex Mix - recipe coming soon!) surrounded by things I know the kids will actually eat.
Use what you have. For us, it’s a pool! Pool party → haunted pool party: themed floaties + a fog machine & eerie lights.
Offer some alternatives… our pick: decorate a pumpkin.
Use the decor you already have, too: you're decorating for Halloween anyway, so now it's a birthday party! Two birds, one skeleton. 💀
The same idea works for the next holiday: if the decor is already going up, let it be the party theme. One less thing to buy & plan - effort is cut in half. We’ve done a fall festival theme before my son was Halloween obsessed; and I’m always hosting through December!

I linked as much as I could from our Halloween party in my bio if you’re interested (affiliate links) - file this away for your next party strategy! 😜 by @checkedinfamily

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9 days ago