April 2016 – Mom on the go in Holy Toledo

20 Kid Approved Ohio Destinations

April 16, 2016October 23, 2017momonthegoinholytoledo

The kiddos put together a list of their favorite Ohio destinations we have visited. The following destinations are fun family friendly destinations that were of particular interest to children ages 2-11 years of age & us kids at heart too! (Tip: When purchasing tickets for admission inquire about discounts, AAA, reciprocity, etc. We were able to get admission FREE at some of these thanks to our local memberships)

Campbell’s Sweets Factory Tour (Cleveland…pair this one with #16 for an awesome day trip)
Spangler Factory and Museum (Bryan…pair this one with #4 for an awesome day trip)
Imagination Station (Toledo…pair this one with #18 for an awesome day trip) )
Imagination Kingdom (Wauseon…pair this one with #2 for an awesome day trip)
Sauder’s Village (Archbold)
Castle (Loveland)
Newport Aquarium (technically it’s in Kentucky but it is so close to Cincinnati)
COSI (Columbus)
Maumee Bay State Park & Lodge (Oregon Ohio)
Armstrong Air & Space Museum (Wapakoneta)
Young’s Jersey Dairy (Dayton…pair this one with #20 and/or #12 for an awesome day trip)
National Museum of the U. S. Air Force (Dayton…pair this one with #11 and/or #20 for an awesome day trip)
African Safari Wildlife Park (Port Clinton)
Cedar Point (Sandusky)
Kalahari (Sandusky)
Christmas Story House Tour (Cleveland…pair this one with #1 for an awesome day trip)
Kings Island (Cincinnati)
Toledo Museum of Art’s Family Center (Toledo…pair this one with #3 for an awesome day trip)
Toledo Zoo Aquarium (Toledo)
Boonshoft Museum (Dayton…pair this one with #11 and/or #12 for an awesome day trip)

Have some great memories of visiting an Ohio destination with your family? Do own/work at a must visit Ohio destination? Please share! As stated, we are currently working on our summer bucket list; we would love to hear your recommendations.

Campbell’s Sweets Factory Tour

April 7, 2016momonthegoinholytoledo

Our latest trip to Cleveland was hands down the best so far!

It included an awesome, informative, & highly delicious tour of the Campbell’s Sweets Factory. Campbell’s Sweets Factory sells savory and sweet treats including, but not limited to, various gourmet popcorns, chocolates, cupcakes, etc.

Brief History…..

Campbell’s Sweets’ heritage spans four decades of candy making excellence, beginning Amos “Jupie” Campbell’s famous Karmelkorn®. Amos started the sweet journey when he opened highly profitable Karmelkorn franchise shops in four mall locations and a plaza store.

In 2004, Jeff (Amos’ son) and wife, Lynn opened Campbell’s Popcorn Shop in Cleveland’s historic West Side Market. At that time, they, along with two of their daughters, Holly and Bethany, launched their business with only a microwave, bowls, cooking utensils and some raw products. With a lot of hard work, sweat equity and integrity they have seen their business grow and flourish. source

Tour time….

We began our tour next to a huge popcorn machine where we learned a bit about the history of popcorn, the different types of kernels, and why certain kernels are used for caramel & heavier flavoring. I have to be honest, I was highly impressed at how captivating the information was, my kiddos listened so intently.

And then the fun really began, they turned on the popcorn machine & it started popping!! The machine produced a catchy beat with the popping of each kernel, suddenly a stream of popcorn came pouring out, and the magnificent aroma of freshly popped popcorn enveloped the space. There is nothing on this Earth that compares to the comforting aroma of freshly popped popcorn except maybe tasting freshly popped popcorn! And it tasted amazing!

It was so warm, fresh, and the texture was perfect, though the taste was a bit bland but not for long, next step, caramel!

Ever wonder why they use the copper kettles? Turns out it is because the copper stays hotter much longer than stainless, which means the caramel won’t harden. That was just one of many nuggets of wisdom shared during our tour.

After mixing the popcorn and caramel together we paused for a quick sampling and then formed popcorn balls. He used a handy little tool, in fact we counted as he made them, and in one minute he made 30!! Far faster, convenient, and efficient than forming them by hand, I kinda wish they sold that nifty little tool.

After the caramel popcorn balls were formed a stick was then placed in each and a popcorn ball on a stick was distributed to each tour attendee.

Then the final step because what’s better than a caramel popcorn ball on a stick? A caramel popcorn ball on a stick dipped in chocolate!! We were all winners that day! Each person dipped their own popcorn ball in the chocolate and while the chocolate cooled we shopped!

Get this; the tour cost $5 a person, $5 that you get back in Campbell’s bucks to spend in the shop at the end of the tour!

So not only did we get to go home with the caramel popcorn balls dipped in chocolate that we watched and participated in making but we also went home with some gourmet popcorn too! It was so difficult deciding which flavor to bring home, CLICK HERE to see their menu and see that the struggle was real! Ha-ha!

Touring Campbell’s Sweets Factory was such a fun, unique, informative, and delicious family experience.

Details…

Campbell’s Sweets Factory is located at 2084 W. 25th St. Cleveland, OH 44113

Hours:

Monday- Thursday: 10am-7pm

Friday & Saturday: 9am-7pm

Are you ready to schedule a tasty tour of Campbell’s Sweets Factory?

Call (216) 965-0451 today

Add to the fun….

Now you can visit Campbell’s as a destination on The Euclid Beach Boys’ famous Rocket Ship Car or Thriller Car!

For more information, visit http://www.theeuclidbeachboys.com and click on the “Ride & Dine Ohio” link. You can also email them at euclidbeachboys@aol.com to schedule your Rocket Ship Car or Thriller Car Ride & Dine Tour to Campbell’s Sweets.

For more information, call 440-460-0565

While you are in Cleveland be sure to stop by the gorgeous West Side Market for lunch or simply a cup of Joe!

Additional Fun Family Friendly destinations in Cleveland:

A Christmas Story House Tour: A Journey back to Childhood

Childrens Activities Around Cleveland

Top 10 Things to Do with Kids in Cleveland

15 Cleveland Kid-Friendly Restaurants for Parents to Eat Out and (Most Importantly) Drink

5 Tips for Packing Healthy Lunches your kids will actually eat!

April 5, 2016April 12, 2016momonthegoinholytoledo

Whether you are packing lunches for school, a road trip, a picnic in the park, or a fun filled day at the zoo the struggle is the same & very real! Getting your children to eat healthy is like trying to rearrange the stripes on a Zebra!

Educate– Educate the kiddos on nutritious foods!! If at all possible take the kiddos with you to the store. Teach them how to read food labels:

Simplicity is your best friend here. Focus on products with short, pronounceable ingredients and look for these labels: organic, antibiotic-free, non-GMO!

Look out for sodium. Small amounts of sodium are necessary for keeping proper body fluid balance but too much can contribute to high blood pressure. Almost all foods naturally contain small amounts of sodium but many processed foods contain greater amounts.

Watch the sugar content! Fruits naturally contain simple sugars but also contain fiber, water, and vitamins, which make them a healthy choice. Snack foods, candy and soda, on the other hand, often have large amounts of added sugars. And when it comes to drinks, water is the best option.

Select foods high in protein. The body, muscles, skin, and the immune system are made up of protein. Foods high in protein include eggs, meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, yogurt, nuts, soybeans, and dried beans. Anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent of the calories that kids consume each day should come from protein.

Want some help?

Take the kiddos to Imagination Station’s Eat it Up! Exhibit! It is the perfect & fun way to help educate your kiddos on nutrition!

Also, check out Heather Stouffer, CEO of Mom Made Foods, she is a huge advocate of watching food labels…watch her video ‘5 tips for reading food labels’ HERE .

Kids Pick– Let the children select the food they enjoy. Bottom line, if you pack broccoli and your son hates it, he won’t eat it. Let your kids weigh in on what they want to pack in their lunches, and offer them a few healthy choices so they feel like they’re in control.

Think Outside the Sandwich! – A sandwich is not a requirement for a lunch, think outside the sandwich! Try turkey and cheese roll-ups, sushi, meatballs, deviled eggs, veggies or fruit with dipping sauce (hummus, peanut butter, ranch, etc.)

Portion control- Double check the nutrition labels and make certain children are only consuming one serving size, if not less, most serving sizes are for adults, not children. Some company’s do offer a child size, like Stonyfield, the adult size has 23 grams of sugar and the children’s size has half the amount. It is vital that children watch their portion sizes.

Bacteria & Germs – Be safe. Pack lunches properly to ensure food safety and freshness. Invest in a reusable ice-pack; Rubbermaid makes this awesome blue ice that keeps ALL containers cool.