momonthegoinholytoledo

Preparing for Advent: Final Installment of Best-Selling Series! GIVEAWAY (great Christmas gift)

November 9, 2012November 17, 2012momonthegoinholytoledo

The momentous third and final volume in the Pope’s international bestselling Jesus of Nazareth series details the stories of Jesus’ infancy and boyhood, and how they are relevant today in the modern world.

Ultimately, Jesus’ life and message is a story for today, one that speaks to the restlessness of the human heart searching for the sole truth which alone leads to profound joy.

“I can at last consign to the reader the long promised little book on the narratives of Jesus’ childhood . . . Here I have sought to interpret, in dialogue with exegetes of the past and of the present, what Matthew and Luke recount at the beginning of their Gospels about the infancy of Jesus.” – Pope Benedict XVI

To be entered into the Giveaway simply…

Follow Mom on the go in Holy Toledo

Like Mom on the go in Holy Toledo facebook page

Like Image Books facebook page

Then post a comment stating you have done all 3 and share a favorite childhood memory.

Winner will be randomly selected Dec. 4th

Acts of Kindness Countdown to Thanksgiving

November 5, 2012November 1, 2014momonthegoinholytoledo

Last November our family lived 30 days of Gratitude which was extremely fulfilling. This November we are doing something similar but this time there will be more order to the activity and the children are involved in preparing the activity…Acts of Kindness Countdown to Thanksgiving!

The idea is kind of similar to an Advent calendar. However in addition to a piece of candy each day there is also an act of kindness for the children to engage. First things first…assembling an Acts of Kindness Countdown to Thanksgiving….

What you will need:

1 mini 24 count muffin tin/pan
4 sheets of construction paper (let kiddos select colors, need two colors)
1 bag candy corn or equivalent sized candy pieces
22 Adhesive dots (Scotch has great ones)
Thanksgiving themed stickers
22 Acts of Kindness (See our list below…feel free to add, or alter the list so that it is age appropriate for your children. Ours is geared more towards our 5 and 6 year olds.)

Acts of Kindness List:

Make an afterschool snack for your sibling.
Put together a fun package for friends who live out-of-town. Make a card; include stickers, and other fun activities.
Help clean out the pantry. Put all canned goods in a pile to be donated to the shelter.
Give someone a compliment.
Organize your clothes and place the ones that no longer fit in a pile and you and mommy can donate them to a clothing drive or shelter.
Hold the door for someone; allow them to enter the building first.
Go through your toys and books and those that you no longer use will be donated to children in need.
Help around the house without being asked to do so, such as cleaning your room, the family room, or arts & craft drawers.
Help your sister or brother with something in a kind manner.
Teach your sibling how to do something, to put their shoes on, a crafts, trick, etc.
Visit or call a relative or family friend that you do not see often.
Make and Send a Random Card of Kindness to an ill child. http://loveletterscares.org
Help mommy make dinner for a relative or family friend.
Write a letter to a soldier and send to http://Kidz4Troops.org
Get out your crayons and color one of the coloring pages found on Color A Smile and then send it to Color a Smile where it will be distributed to the elderly in a Nursing Homes or through Meals on Wheels Programs. http://www.colorasmile.org/coloring.html
Help organize books in the book shelf.
Read an extra story with mommy. (Or read to mommy, if old enough).
Help pack a Shoe Box filled with items for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child. http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/
Praise your siblings or a classmate when they do something kind.
Kids Choice (allow your child to come up with their own Act of Kindness)
Purchase mittens and hats to donate to the homeless shelter.
Help mommy collect and drop off donations to the animal shelter.

Instructions:

Please encourage your kiddos to participate in the assembling of the Acts of Kindness Countdown to Thanksgiving. By doing so they have the opportunity to practice and sharpen up on their fine motor skills, patterns, sequencing, addition, subtraction, etc. (steps towards writing, reading comprehension, and practicing math skills).

Print off the Acts of Kindness list and cut each into one strip.
Have children trace circles on the construction paper (we used the bottom of a cup as our template).
Cut circles out.
Have children place stickers on the circles.
Have children place circles on the table in patterns. Have some fun with this, take your time and see how many different types of patterns they can create.
Have children wash their hands and then open candy corn or equivalent sized pieces of candy, package. Then take a few minutes and have some fun with math! Do some simple addition… place 5 pieces of candy on the table and then add 3 more, ask your child how many there are? Then subtract two from the table and ask your child how many are left. If you have older kiddos have some fun with multiplication! Add five pieces to each cubby in the first row; have them multiply 4 x 5 and then check their work by actually counting out each piece of candy.
Once you are finished having some fun with math have children count out however many you wish to include in each cubby (we included 3 pieces in each because all three of them will be participating in the countdown, so each will receive one piece of candy each day)
Then have them roll up each Act of Kindness and place one in each cubby. (Well, 22 of the cubbies since Thanksgiving in on the 22^nd, or adjust to your liking…24 days).
Then place one Scotch adhesive dot at the top of each circle. And place circles over the cubbies thus hiding the candy and Act of Kindness.

Then each day have the children take turns uncovering the Act of Kindness for the day. Take a moment and discuss the act of kindness with your child/children to make certain it is comprehended accurately and then later in the day (we like to do this over the dinner table) discuss how they accomplished the act of kindness. Ask them how it made them feel, how they think it made the other person feel, and any addition questions associated with the act.

Does your family have a similar tradition around this time of year? Do you have any suggestions for additional acts of Kindness? Was there an act of kindness you did or received from someone who had a strong impact on your life? Please share…

Homage to Halloween

November 1, 2012October 17, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

I can’t believe Halloween is over. We had so much Spooktacular fun all month! I thought I would take a second to give Homage to all the fun had Halloween 2012!

The kiddos don’t get to have all the fun. I made these crazy brownies for a Moms’ Movie Night that included wine, pizza, and scary stories. Bonus, it was on an evening with a full moon! The fact that my hubby and older two kiddos were away on a campout made the night even scarier.

The kiddos gave their teachers these jars filled with candy corn for Halloween. Yes, it says Boo! on top of the jars but I ran out of white fabric so I thought yellow would be the closest.

While decorating these I ran out of black glaze. So I figured I would run to the store to get more. Mind you this was the night before Halloween and guess what? They ran out of black glaze, shocker right!?! So we went with the chocolate icing instead and I think those turned out better than the ones with the glaze. Funny how a mishap can actually improve the quality…I wonder what other mishaps have contributed to amazing results…like PB & J, what is the story there?

When it comes to pumpkin carving in our house tradition has been to have all of us together. We make it a fun family experience. We usually have Halloween music playing in the background and some pumpkin or fall inspired treat. In the past we have made candy apples, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pumpkin pancakes, etc. This year we strayed from tradition. (My hubby and older two kiddos carved their pumpkins at camp).Which I struggle with, I am slowly learning to become more flexible with the less important traditions as the children get older. However I refuse to budge when it comes to Christmas.

Our 5 and 6-year-old helped their little sister clean and carve her pumpkin, it was really sweet. I suppose I would have missed out on that moment if each had their own pumpkins to carve. There is nothing more precious than watching your children teach each other in a tender and loving way.

Halloween Day! We eagerly anticipated the Halloween parades at our son’s preschool and our daughter’s elementary school. Our son’s was at 11 and it was precious. I so enjoy seeking the munchkins in their costumes and the big smiles on their faces as they march past their parents and relatives. I also find so much joy in seeing the expressions on the parent’s faces when they see their little ones, there is nothing like it on this earth.

For Halloween evening I made finger food for dinner, lol! Hot dogs in crescent rolls, they are supposed to look like fingers, use your imagination, I had to rush it a little because trick-or-treating started at 6pm.

And I made these super easy and super cute white chocolate ghost suckers; thanks to Family Life with a Mom Who is all Hart. The kiddos loved them! I am seriously making these for the kiddos’ future Halloween parties!

And then it was time! Here in Northwest Ohio it was really cold and misty. So we bundled up in our winter coats, mittens, and hats. (Yes, I did carry a pumpkin pail but not for candy, inside it I placed an extra bag in case theirs tore or malfunctioned, as well as water, tissues, and the camera.) Under all those coats and hats is a Princess, Queen, and Red power Ranger.

We are so blessed to live near my parents and in-laws. We alternate whom set of parents come to pass out candy each year. This year my dad and sister passed out candy so that we could all go trick-or-treating together.

This house is so cool. They were on the news one year thanks to all their festive outdoor decorations.

Our toddler walked to about two houses then she started tripping over her dress so daddy carried her door-to-door until 7pm, he is amazing! Our little Power Ranger made it to 7:30pm and the champ of Halloween 2012 is our Queen, she made it till the end, 8pm!

Though it is sad to see Halloween 2012 end a few Twix and Reese’s cups softens, or rather sweeten the sorrow.

How was your Halloween? Did you have any costume malfunctions or food conundrums?

Tuesday’s Tip: Car Clutter AHH…

October 30, 2012October 30, 2012momonthegoinholytoledo

Car Clutter AHHHH……..

Car clutter is inevitable; you are a mom on the go, car pooling, practice, school, grocery store, parties, vacations, etc. In-between the various activities snacks are divvied out, water, juice box’s, baby biscuits, Cheerios, items to occupy time, etc. There are often enough random eatable items left in our car to feed the family for at least a week, although, that is a diet plan I prefer to skip. Granted, it is not just the children contributing to this mess, mommy also contributes to the clutter with a half-dozen coffee cups in the front seat. So, how do you maintain a semi clean car with your hectic schedule? You can keep the clutter at bay with this simple acronym, T.O.S.S.

T.O.S.S.

T- Trash

Keep a small garbage bag in the front seat and one in the back with the children. Encourage children to throw all trash and any left over food items into the bag. This includes you mom, you need to model good habits for the pairs of eyes watching you from the backseat, put the coffee cups in the trash.

O-Objects

Children leave behind various items, a few things I have found in my car includes, pencils, parts of pens, sweaters, underwear, socks, half grilled cheese sandwich (this one was embarrassing, had to move around car seats and a relative was the lucky grilled cheese sandwich winner), toys, keys, sunglasses, tissues, etc. Have children help remove any random objects after each days worth of errands. If your children are too young to help than do this once a week.

88215628-260x260-0-0_Euro+Pro+Shark+SV748 — The Handheld Shark is a must for Motherhood. I never travel without mine!

S-Sweep

I always have a handheld vacuum plugged in and ready to go. Grab the vacuum and sweep up any small items like Cheerios, leaves, dirt, etc. once a week. When you go on a long journey bring the handheld vacuum with you as well as the charger. Traveling is much easier in a clean vehicle.

S- Sanitize

Once you have tossed the trash, removed the objects, and swept the vehicle it is time to remove any germs that are not seen by the naked eye. I keep a hand towel and small spray bottle filled with vinegar, water, and lemon juice for this very purpose. Spray down the door handles, any random sticky goo, cup holders, radio, and don’t forget your steering wheel; it has nine times more germs than a public restroom (makes you want to wash your hands? Go ahead, I will wait).

If you enjoyed this tip you might also like:

Donating Done Easily

No more Kittens Losing their Mittens

Travel While You Train (Potty Train)

Kelly’s Kits: Multisensory tool, Geography lesson, Contests and more!

October 29, 2012October 29, 2012momonthegoinholytoledo

We received our Kelly’s Kit last week and the kiddos were beyond excited! They were begging me to open the box so they could see the fun that awaited them inside the package! So we tore that sucker open and our 6 year screamed with excitement when we saw that it was Kelly’s Klay! (Each month is different so it is exciting to see what surprise is inside).

So we retrieved the directions and started mixing up the clay.

Then each kiddo had a chance to play with the clay.

For our preschooler and toddler we used Kelly Klay as a multisensory tool to teach letter and number identification! We simply formed the clay into alphabet letters and numbers. I then encourage each to identify the letter they made and practice the phonic sounds of each. As an added bonus I had our preschool, with a little help from his older sister, do a few addition problems with the numbers. For example, I formed a 2, +, and 3, and then he formed the solutions, the number 5.

For our first grader we focused on geography, to be more precise, the state she resides in, Ohio. She formed the clay into the shape of the state, identified the major cities, and included a couple of rivers. Not bad for a six-year-old.

The kiddos have been playing with the clay since we opened the package. We stored it in an airtight container so they could quiz each other on addition equations and their phonics whenever they pleased (I got it out while I prepared dinner, it was perfect, they were occupied for a few minutes and I liked the fact that they were having fun while learning, that is what I like most about Kelly’s Kits).

Yesterday they did finally decide on a Krazy Kritter for the Masterpiece Challenge. What is the Masterpiece challenge? Glad you asked….

Masterpiece Challenge (all ages): Use simple “found” objects to incorporate into your Kelly Klay assemblage and create a Krazy Kritter! Found objects can include: buttons, dried pasta, rice, beans, nuts & bolts, toothpicks, corks, old jewelry, bottle caps, use your imagination!!!! Found object art is using “found” items that have a non-art purpose to create art from! Submit your entries to win a $50 visa card!

Please say hello to Happy Rainbow Turkey (yep, they all decided on that name). Wish them luck!

We so enjoyed this month’s Kelly’s Kit and can’t wait for next months to arrive! Want in on all the fun? Enter to win one of 10 annual memberships valued at $99.90 each! BONUS: Everyone who enters will also get a promotional code for FREE Kit (one-time $2.49 shipping fee applies). Click here to be linked to the facebook page, click like, and then enter to receive your promotional code for a FREE Kit and your chance to win an annual subscription. Good Luck!

Moms’ Timeout Show & Organic allergen-free Candy Giveaway!

October 24, 2012November 7, 2012momonthegoinholytoledo

Calling all moms, do you feel like you are a walking zombie, are you having trouble getting through the witching hour, do you feel like you are in the twilight zone? If you answered yes to any of these help is on the way, simply click on the video below to learn some serious, and humorous, ways to Survive the Tricks & Treats of Motherhood!

And now for the Giveaway!

YummyEarth is giving away a package of their amazing lollipops. Why are they so amazing? Because they are:

Certified Organic
Gluten Free
Contain no Artificial Dyes
100% Natural Flavors
100% Vegan
Tree-nut Free
GMO-Free
Peanut-Free
Soy-Free
Wheat-Free
Dairy-Free
No MSG
No Corn Syrup
Casein-Free

You might be thinking wow…so, what is left? Real fruit extracts….they help flavor and color YummyEarth! And they taste amazing…my kiddos eat them up. YummyEarth products are great treats for your kiddos to take to school parties because they do not contain ingredients that children are commonly allergic to. I personally like these lollipops as incentives for potty training. You Poop you get a lolliPop!

To read more about YummyEarth’s inventors (two dads, I love that!) and their focus on making sure the ingredients are grown responsibly… on small family farms, enabling hard-working families to earn a fair income while avoiding harsh pesticides and unsustainable farming practices. CLICK HERE

Rules:

Like Mom on the go in Holy Toledo’s facebook page

Like Lilly’s Kitchen Lab’s facebook page

Like YumEarth’s facebook page

Then post a comment stating you have done so and give a guesstimate of how many different types of headpieces we wore throughout the clip and/or which one was your favorite!

Winner will be randomly selected on Halloween!

Tuesday’s Tip: Donating Done Easily

October 23, 2012momonthegoinholytoledo

I realize most moms always have the best intentions of donating to a charity on a regular basis but it can be difficult – life gets in the way. Also with the current state of the economy most families are on a strict budget leaving little room for charities. But it can be done. After some trial and error we have adopted a foolproof method for collecting items for our local charities at a fraction of the price – and you can too with these simple steps.

Purchase a bin; you can decide what size works best based on how many items you will be donating and how frequently you will donate. (I have a small one I keep in my pantry and a larger one in the basement to place the items when the smaller bin is full).
Print off the charities wish list.
Tape that wish list on the inside lid of bin.
Before a trip to the grocery store reference the list with the weekly ad, note if any items are on sale, then take it a step further, clip for the cause, check your coupons to see if you have any for the items that are listed. Write those items down, grab the coupons, and hit the road.
When you get home place those items in the bin. I like to have mine conveniently placed in the pantry but you can decide what location works best for you.
Then, determine a day that you will designate as donation day and drive to the charity and drop off your donation. I often wait till I have a large bin to donate, usually every other month.

Once you are in the habit of referencing the charity’s list prior to a grocery trip donating can become second nature and thanks to the weekly deals and coupons the items cost mere pennies.

Learning Opportunity

Whenever possible be certain to share what you are doing with your children. Explain why the bin is there, that others do not have everything that your family has, and why it is important to donate. Also, when possible, have your children go with you to donate the goods.

Spooktacular Saturday fun!

October 19, 2012October 19, 2012momonthegoinholytoledo

Saturdays in October always mean one thing in our house, Spooktacular Fun!

Last Saturday we went Trunk or Treating with friends from our playgroup. For those who are not familiar with Trunk or Treating it is when a community establishment (church, business, school, etc.) comes together, parks their cars in the parking lot, pops open their trucks, decorates them, and then passes out candy as children walk up to their vehicles. There is often some incentive to decorate the best trunk too!

I have to be honest I do find it a little amusing that from the moment our children can walk we, as parents, preach stranger danger, exclaiming that they should never approach a stranger in a car and to never ever take candy from a stranger in a car. Then what do we do, go Trunk or Treating, haha. Perhaps I am sending mixed messages to our toddler?

After Trunk or Treating we headed home and made some Frankenslim! So much fun, you can read more about it here.

Later that evening we had family movie night and since it was a Spooktacular Saturday we watched Casper!

But the Spooktacular fun did not stop there, while watching the movie we all enjoyed brain cupcakes, yum!

We so enjoyed our Spooktacular Saturday!

Are you looking for something fun to do tomorrow that will make your family’s Saturday Spooktacular? Then check this out….

The Heart of Christmas: A Life Changing Movie (Review and GIVEAWAY)

October 17, 2012October 17, 2012momonthegoinholytoledo

After running around town this morning dropping off our preschooler at a field trip, picking him up from his field trip, then dropping off our 6-year-old at school (she had a delay start), and going back to pick up our preschooler from school I realized that I had driven up and down the same street 6 times between the hours of 9 & 11:30am with our toddler in tow. By the time I got home I felt so frazzled and so behind, I did not accomplish anything this morning (besides driving). That overwhelmed feeling was multiplied as I opened the door and was greeted by the pile of laundry that was dumped on the coffee table while one of the kiddos search for an article of clothing this morning, the Legos that were left sprawled on the floor from the night before, the shoes tossed right by the front door, the fingerprints all over the window from our toddler getting into the markers, etc. So I rushed to feed the kiddos and started doing the dishes while they ate lunch. After they had lunch and went down for a nap/quiet time I hit my “to do list” hard! So much to do so little time!

First things first, I had been putting my review of The Heart of Christmas off for the past two days trying to find the perfect time to view it and I couldn’t put it off any longer. So I grabbed some laundry to fold (always multitasking) while I began watching The Heart of Christmas. And WOW! The gift I received having had the opportunity to watch the film is difficult to put into words.

The Heart of Christmas tells the story of Austin and Julie Locke, who are devastated to learn that their young son, Dax, has been diagnosed with cancer. With courage, determination and faith, they decide to give Dax one last Christmas – even if it has to be in October. When the community sees the holiday decorations and learns the heartbreaking truth, what happens next is a miraculous outpouring of care and support. The Heart of Christmas will touch your heart and bring home the spirit of the holidays. In stores now!

Movie Trailer

Half a box of Kleenex later and I think I am now able to maintain some composure and share the amazing gift The Heart of Christmas has given me and our family.

The film opens with a mom who is very busy; in fact she forgets that she needs to take her son trick-or-treating that evening, drop her daughter off at an overnight, and that her daughter had a game the next day. She reminded me of someone…but whom? Oh, that’s right, me! Then, while in the neighborhood where she is dropping off her daughter and trick-or-treating with her son she stumbles upon Christmas decorations, the neighborhood is decorated for Christmas, not Halloween. So she inquires about what is going on and it is then that she is told about Locke’s blog and her life and mine change from that moment on.

I don’t want to give too much away, I do not what to rob you of the amazing gift that this movie provides when you view it but I will let you know that Dax’s parents are told, that after exhausting all options and treatments, that he will not live past 6 weeks. As a parent you can’t help but to put yourself in their shoes and think about your own children and all the things you would be feeling if this was your child. Like the fact they would never experience their first kiss, driving, prom, dating…no more Christmases! I became a hot mess when Julie, Dax’s mom, realized that her son will never see another Christmas…one of the most magical times of the year for a child and the child in all of us. What the community does next is heartwarming and beyond amazing.

After viewing The Heart of Christmas guess who is now cherishing those fingerprints all over the window…the legos sprawled across the floor…little shoes by the front door? Guess who has suddenly found the time to sit down and have a snack with her children and inquire about their days while gazing into their eyes as opposed to running around completing daily chores? This mom! Thank Dax, Julie and Austin, their community, St. Jude’s, Matthew West, and everyone who contributed to The Heart of Christmas…thank you for reminding me what is truly important everyday, not just on special occasions. And I thank God for my family, my sweet babies and their health, and I pray for all the families out their who have a loved one near the end of their lifetime.

To learn more about the Locke Family, Dax, and the what you can do to help please checkout The Dax Locke Foundation.

This is the perfect film to give your loved ones this Christmas because it is more than just a movie, it is a reminder that life is short and how important it is to treasure the time we have and they will thank you for it, trust me!

To be entered into the giveaway for The Heart of Christmas DVD (retail value $27.97)

Like Mom on the go in Holy Toledo Facebook Page
Like Sling Shot Pictures Heart of Christmas Facebook Page
Comment in the thread stating you have done so and share a favorite Christmas tradition in your community, family, or house.

Winner will be randomly selected Oct 22^nd.

Thought I would leave you wiht this Video by Matthew West based on Dax’s story

Tuesday’s Tip: No more Kittens losing their Mittens

October 16, 2012momonthegoinholytoledo

It is that time of year again; time to get out the hats, mittens, and scarves. This also means adding at least five minutes to your departure time in the morning which can wreak havoc on your child’s attendance record if mommy doesn’t plan accordingly. Not to mention, mommy doesn’t want to have to walk into the school’s front office and explain why her child was tardy while wearing her robe under her short pea-coat. That is just an embarrassing moment for all parties that are involved, the kiddos, the secretary, and mom.

: Eldest daughter’s hats & mittens

So to save everyone for any embarrassing situations at the school’s front office this winter here is a handy tip to help shave off at least a few seconds in the morning. Keep a small baggy or jar filled with clothes pins next to your winter weather basket (this is where you store the hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves and the basket should ideally be next to the front or back door. This minimizes the trail of melting snow throughout your home). This way when the children get home from school or come in from playing outside they can simply grab a clothes pin and pin their mittens or gloves together. Thus there will be no more scavenger hunts that involve retracing your child’s steps from the day before in hope of finding that other mitten during the morning chaos.

: Toddler’s

Added tip: Moms always color coordinate your kiddos mittens, hats, and scarves. Sometimes your children can wear the same mittens or hat from last year but perhaps they outgrew their coat. If each child has a specific color scheme this can make purchasing a new coat or winter item effortless and you don’t have to start from scratch purchasing all new winter gear each year.