September 2014 – Mom on the go in Holy Toledo

The Key to being a Great Mom!

September 27, 2014momonthegoinholytoledo

Based on the title of this post you are more than likely expecting me to discuss the importance of patience, love, tenderness, not raising your voice, extra hugs and kisses, etc. While all those are very important components they are not the key to being a great mom. The key to being a great mom is to not be one from time-to-time. What! Ludacris! Crazy, right!? Wrong! You want to know what’s crazy, weeping while in the fetal position at 9pm knowing you have to get up and do it all over again in the morning. True story!

Spoiler alert! Sometimes being mom isn’t glamorous (I apologize to all the first time moms whose dreams I might have just shattered). In fact at times I feel like a hybrid of a customer service representative and wall fixture. Don’t get me wrong, motherhood has its perks. I have achieved some mad skills like being able to know where everything is located, making booboos all better, and don’t even get me started on all the ways I can multitask…we are talking cleaning a toilet, bathing one child (not in the toilet…just thought clarification was in order), helping another with homework, all while making a grocery list in my head. Let’s see Dad try that!!

And speaking of Dad, why is it that there is no such thing as daddy guilt? Talk about an oxymoron, right! But mommy guilt, now that is very much real. And that beast often attacks when you least expect. Like when you have exceeded your complaint quota for the day and you’re in the middle of multitasking your multitasking and BAM! You realized you promised your child you would read a book that you never got around to reading. Mommy guilt tells you that you are clearly a horrible mother who breaks promises to her children. Consuming this motherhood cocktail has consequences; it results with your husband finding you weeping while in the fetal position at 9pm.

The good news is there is help. So, how do you cure this ailment? Get out! Have coffee with a friend. Do something, anything without the children. Organize a Moms Night Out. It is so vital that you have time away to rejuvenate and refresh, remember who you are as a person. Your children deserve a mother who isn’t physically and emotionally drained (FYI, this doesn’t mean that they will be 100% on board with you leaving, it might be a little difficult leaving the house so start your goodbyes a ½ hour early and brace yourself for a few tears…from the children too). Motherhood is such an amazing blessing and it is important that we don’t lose sight of that, that we cherish this treasure.

I know I am cherishing motherhood today after having enjoyed a Moms Night Out last night. I came home feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and today I felt like I was in pure mommy bliss. I took the kiddos to the park, we baked cookies, giggled over the dinner table conversation, and I even extended bedtime so we could hang out a little longer (pre-Moms Night Out I was counting down the minutes till bedtime). Just as Date Night is vital to your relationship Moms Night Out is vital in order to be a great mom!

When was the last time you had a Moms Night Out?

PS……

Tuesday’s Tip: Garage Organizing Made Easy

September 23, 2014momonthegoinholytoledo

Let’s be honest that when it comes to organizing, the garage is one of the most difficult rooms in the home to tackle. In our home growing up it was consider the mecca of junk. If anything needed a place to go, by default, it always ended up in the garage. We have created 3 simple steps to get your garage organized this fall season.

Separate Your Storage

Sometimes organizing is as easy as separating your storage. Separating your storage into most used items (short-term storage) and less used items (long-term storage) helps you maintain a balanced, organized garage. Some of the long-term items we find in our home are holiday decorations, these are great for storing on overhead racks, it keeps your items up and out of the way but still accessible to you all year round. Keeping those short-term items closer to the ground on shelves or in cabinets creates a more efficient way to use your belongings. This is also a great way to prevent having to dig thru endless bins and piles of storage.

Utilize Unused Space

A lot of homeowners tend to keep most of their storage on the ground. What we all fail to see is the unlimited space that surrounds our garages. One of the best ways to organize your garage is to get all of the stuff off the ground and utilize wall and ceiling space. Hang your belongings on designated shelving units or hooks, this gives them a proper storage space but also leaving your items accessible to you at all times. Ceiling racks are the best way to take advantage of that unused ceiling space. By utilizing unused space, organizing becomes a whole lot simpler and creates an easier way to maintain an organized garage for years to come.

Get the Family Involved

Since I could remember we had designated days every year to clean out the garage. Getting the family involved is the best way to keep your garage organized. After all, it’s not just your stuff stacked in thereJ. Make it a fun project and lesson for the kids, teaching them the proper way to stay organized by creating designated places for their things to go. This is a fun way to not only get everyone involved, but to get everyone on the same page. Have each member of the family pick a place to store their belongings; designating those areas just for them so there is no confusion on where to find things.

By following these 3 simple steps you are on the right track to a clean, custom organized garage. By separating your storage, utilizing unused space and getting the family involved maintaining an organized garage has never been easier. For more tips and tricks to getting your garage organized check out Organized Garage Solutions.

Bio:

Organized Garage Solutions is your garage storage expert in Toledo. Specializing in garage shelving, cabinets, overhead storage and epoxy flooring they transform your garage from a cluttered mess to a fully functional organized space. Call today for your free, in-home estimate.

Zucchini, dark chocolate, and fig bread!

September 2, 2014momonthegoinholytoledo

The kiddos and I stopped by the orchard and grabbed some apples and zucchini…3 for a $1, no brainer right?! We ate up two of those zucchini that evening for dinner. Hmmm…what to do with that last zucchini? Zucchini bread! But not just any ordinary zucchini bread, we were going to make Zucchini, dark chocolate, and fig bread! Why dark chocolate and fig? Well, everything taste better with chocolate and we have a huge bag of dried figs that momma can’t eat all on her own (though I am totally up to the challenge. Haha! I love a good figs, pecans, and Greek yogurt, with a bit of honey parfait, AMAZING!). To be entirely honest I had no idea what this bread was going to taste like but I knew the girls and I would at least enjoy the experience of making it and the anticipation of tasting it. So we popped in a Billie Holiday CD and measured the ingredients….spoiler alert, the bread was delicious…I say was because our family went through both loaves in the matter of 2 days!!

Ingredients:

4 cups white whole-wheat flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cup low-fat milk

4 large eggs

1-1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup dried figs

1 cup chocolate chips

(Makes 2 loaves)

Instructions:

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
Mix milk, eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla in a medium bowl.
Shred Zucchini and cut figs then add to wet ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and add chocolate chips.
Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray so bread doesn’t stick.
Bake bread at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes (check center of loaf to make certain it’s backed all the way through)
Cool for at least 15 minutes, very hot!!