What were the most memorable milestones of 2019? Which states are likely to have the biggest impact in the 2020 presidential primaries? What did we learn about the health risks of e-cigarettes and vaping? How much has—and hasn’t—changed in the last 10 years? The latest edition of America’s best-selling reference book rounds up the events that made the year 2019 unique and will serve as your number one source for the years to come.
 
“For more than 150 years, The World Almanac has been the authoritative source for Americans’ questions on any subject,” said Sarah Janssen, senior editor of The World Almanac. “The 2020 edition of The World Almanac records the biggest events and issues of 2019 and will be your go-to reference for questions on any topic in 2020.”

If you are planning to take the whole family to Niagara Falls you will be pleased to hear that there are plenty of things for the kids to do if they get sick of looking at the awesome waterfalls. The city of Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada is packed with family-orientated activities to suit children of all ages. Here are our tips to creating the kind of trip to Niagara Falls that nobody will ever forget, and for all the right reasons.

Family Friendly Hotel
This may seem an obvious one but there are many small, boutique lodgings in the area which aren't suited to noisy kids. Marriott on the Falls is a beautiful hotel perfectly suited to family groups and in the perfect location to make the most of all the sights and sounds of this unique tourist hot spot.

Hornblower Niagara Cruise
Let's get the must do watery ones out of the way first! Let your family get up close and personal to the magnificent falls on a Hornblower cruise. Dressed in snazzy plastic waterproof ponchos passengers will ride on of the fleet of Hornblower catamarans which are state of the art and can easily accommodate 700 people. You will then be taken to the basin of the thunderous Horseshoe Falls which tower 170ft above you. As you get closer to the falls the roar from all that water has to be heard to be believed and as for that famous mist, you will be very glad of your poncho!

Journey Behind the Falls
Once you have been that close to the falls it seems rude not to investigate further and see what goes on behind the scenes. Once again donning your ponchos, this journey behind the falls involves a descent of 150ft to tunnels which lead to the observation decks at the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls. This amazing perspective allows passengers to actually stand in the mist and watch the water crash into the basin below. This trip lasts for approximately 30-45 minutes and is one trip that nobody will forget.

Wildplay
If your family enjoys a bit of adventure then they will absolutely love this one! Wildplay Niagara Falls boasts a zipline and aerial adventure course that will give adrenaline junkies a real thrill. There are also smaller adventure courses for age 5 and upwards and a zipline for thrill seeking kids who are 7 and over. Please bear in mind that for the safety of the children there are also height requirements so a very small 8 year old will be old enough but not tall enough to ensure their safety. Details of these can be found on the Wildplay website so you can check in advance to avoid disappointment.

Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory
A great opportunity to enjoy some family time together in altogether more sedate
surroundings. The Butterfly Conservatory is only a 10 minute drive from the Falls and you can take a self guided tour through this beautiful conservatory which boasts more than 2000 butterflies fluttering freely in a rainforest setting. The blaze of colour has to be seen to be believed and if you fancy something a bit fancy why not take a ride through the botanical gardens in a horse and carriage.

So it's become a tradition for my family to attend local Cleveland artist, Machine Gun Kelly's annual XXMas concert. This is a special show, put on just for the fans in Cleveland. After all, that's where it all started. I actually know a ton of people flying in from all over to attend, but it's a special, Cleveland thing, and one I'm thrilled to be able to attend every year.

This means a lot of to us, on a personal note. The Holidays are incredibly sad, since we have no family to spend time with anymore. For reasons I don't even fully understand, we're on our own. Because of this, the EST movement and those involved have quickly become my family. I love these folks so much, and I am so grateful that we get to have this Holiday celebration together. 

Because we're corny, we like to dress up and be festive for the show. Every year, there's a theme. The first year, it was Nightmare Before Christmas themed. (We actually bought the set, and it's set up in Xander's Music Corner right now. See below.) 

This year, the XXMas theme is the iconic movie franchise, "Home Alone." We will be dressed accordingly, thanks to the awesome folks at UglyChristmasSweater.com. Yep, they have a nice selection of Home Alone themed apparel, as well as tons of other options that will have you looking delightfully tacky this Holiday season. They've got onesies, 3D sweaters, pants, and yes, even traditional Ugly Christmas Sweaters galore. 

Check out some of my favorites below, and then I'll show you what we'll be wearing to the show of the year! 

With cold and flu season in full swing, it's hard to know when to tough it out, or when it's time to admit defeat and head to the doctor or local Urgent Care clinic for treatment. 

As a mom, I always get nervous about dragging all 3 kids to a busy Doctor's office during peak "sicky season". With thousands of people succumbing to influenza just last week alone, I am not at all eager to expose my family to any more viruses and germs than absolutely necessary.

Urgent Care or our Pediatrician's office? Well, let's just say these aren't exactly germ-free environments, and I would hate to see all 3 kids end up with illness because I was taking 1 to be seen. Isn't that what always happens, or is that just MY bad fortune? 

Anyway, this is a common concern for many families, and I am thrilled to let you know that Amwell Online Health Care is the perfect solution-and you won't even have to leave the comfort of your own home to see a highly skilled, bona-fide physician!