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Red Lobster: Where Moms Vacation!

February 19, 2013February 20, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

At 7:30am every morning like clockwork my 5 yrs. old son asks the same question, “What’s for dinner?” Seriously!?! And to think I was pretty impressed with the fact that I was able to come up with something for breakfast. Meal planning is exhausting. I added it up the other day and it turns out, between breakfasts, lunches, and dinners I prepare over 950 meals a year, give or take a few. I am sure many moms are feeling the same exhaustion and pressure. The pressure to prepare healthy meals that the entire family will enjoy and not get stuck in a meal rut is overwhelming. I am not getting paid enough for this gig! After all I am no Giada, Sara Snow, or Rachel Ray (by the way, that girl is a genius, who else could make money off a garbage bowl?).

So, what’s the solution? Go out to eat, of course! But, the cost to go out to eat can be just as overwhelming. It seems like a family of five practically has to apply for a loan in order to go out to a nice sit-down restaurant. And if you’re fortunate enough to be approved for that loan the thought of taking 3 young kiddos out to a restaurant is enough to bring even the most prepared mother into a full fledge panic attack. A mother’s mind floods with all the ‘what ifs’…what if the baby won’t stop crying…what if the toddler pees her pants, or worse, poops!…what if she throws a tantrum…what if your husband’s boss is sitting next to you…then upon witnessing the madness determines your husband clearly can’t oversee a firm if he can’t even control his own family, and fires him right on the spot… all because you wanted to go out to eat! Yep, as ridiculous as these ‘what ifs’ may sound these are the crazy questions and scenarios that run through my mind.

Okay so hypothetically speaking, let’s say you have bypassed the ‘what ifs’ and have been approved for that loan, next challenge, the menu? Why is it every restaurant, no matter what ethnicity assumes you want to feed your child fried chicken strips, French fries, pizza, or grilled imitation cheese sandwich!! Why must they fry everything? Shoot, at one restaurant we went to the children’s menu actually had fried mac & cheese. Perhaps the restaurants are in cahoots with the pharmaceutical drug manufacturers. Because at the rate they are frying everything there will be a need for a child’s Lipitor! Why can’t they have healthier options for children?

Pardon me as I step up onto my soap box….

I just want a break! I want someone else to plan, prepare, and cook the meal. I want someone else to serve, clean, and cater to my family’s needs so I can enjoy my meal while it is hot! I want affordable and healthy menu options! And lastly, if possible, maybe someone else could entertain the children. Are all these demands possible? I suppose if my husband took on another wife, but I am not down with the whole sister wives thing (the show is very entertaining this is true, but the lifestyle is not for me). Perhaps there is another option that can meet all these demands that doesn’t involve polygamy? Two words, Red Lobster!

I ~~vacationed~~ ate there last week and it was A-Mazing!

I was surprised to find that Red Lobster offers so many family friendly and affordable options. In fact, nearly 60% of the dishes on the new menu are under $15 – making Red Lobster a perfect destination for a family dinner out.

Additional menu highlights include:

•The $7.99 weekday lunch special – Weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., certain lunch sandwiches, salads and soups are just $7.99. This offer includes four varieties of lunch entrees – like the new Spicy Shrimp Tacos and Wood-Grilled Burger – three types of salads and a soup & salad combo, all served with Red Lobster’s signature Cheddar Bay Biscuits. (Hello….can we say future mommy and me lunch date?)

•Also, 5 for $5 ‘til 6 – Guests can enjoy select appetizers for $5 from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Selections include new menu items like the Sweet Chili Shrimp and Southwest Chicken Pizza, and Spicy Buffalo Chicken Bites, among others. At select locations, $4 wines and $3 beers will also be available (void where prohibited by law). (Yep…putting that down as a Moms Night Out!! WooHoo!! And yes, our nights end very early)

•Seasonal specials, like the current 30 shrimp for $11.99 and the upcoming Lobsterfest. (More like Lentfest…am I right fellow Catholics?)

•As well as lighter menu options (under 500 calories) as part of there LightHouse menu. (For all you Mommas who have been sticking to your New Year’s resolutions)

And a kid’s menu that is beyond fish sticks. (Take that Lipitor!!)

Are you salivating yet? No!! Well then take this……and I got to eat them when they were all warm right out of the oven!

I ordered the Mahi Mahi with shrimp and Broccoli that wasn’t smothered in salt or butter, it was awesome! I did almost lose the Mahi Mahi to ketchup that my toddler so graciously wanted to share, but I caught it just in time!

Red Lobster met ALL my demands; even occupied the kiddos with the activities on the kids menu, score! The experience was so relaxing, the food was so delicious, and it was an all-around memorable family outing to which the only word that really does it justice is, vacation! So, think twice before you book your next Carnival Cruise, Red Lobster is definitely the way to go!!

Disclosure: Red Lobster provided me with a gift card to try out their new and improved menu. No additional compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.

Looking for a Career that Correlates with Motherhood?

February 15, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

Let’s be totally honest, after you become a mom the entire world seems to change. You find yourself worrying about and questioning things you never even cared about before. Such as, I wonder if that could fit up a toddler’s nose….is that made of ceramic or plastic…will it bounce or shatter? Your wardrobe changes too. You now base your outfit on what will hide spit up more effectively. And you trade the stilettos for shoes that offer more solid grounding, for those days when you are balancing everything but the kitchen sink! Motherhood forces us to evolve, bend, and reevaluate our priorities, to metamorphose from our former non-mommy selves. So why is it that most moms think they must remain stagnant in their career or go back to school? After all if we can be the CEO of our families we can surely find a way to cultivate the perfect career around our existing talents, skills, and most importantly, our families, right? Yes we can!

But we could use a little help which is why I was so excited when I was given the opportunity to review Use What you Know: A Business Idea Guide for Moms, by Joyce Brewer, an Emmy-award winning TV journalist. It is, in one word, Brilliant! Joyce does a wonderful job of getting to the point, sharing great examples of other moms’ success, keeping your attention, and even walks you through the process. And no, you do not have to ship your kids to another house in order to complete the book. It is an easy, effective, captivating, and motivational guide that will have you thinking, why didn’t I do this sooner?

So, before you go back to school, apply for a loan, or start interviewing live-in babysitters you owe it to your pocket-book, your family, and yourself to read Use What you Know: A business Idea Guide for Moms. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the answers you find in the book! I know I was!

Wordless Wednesday: Valentine’s Day Treats

February 13, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

I realize everyone is very busy today with Valentine’s Day preparations, the beginning of Lent, and just the daily grind. So I am keeping the reading to a minimum and I am making this post toddler friendly, translation, lots of pictures!

Preschooler’s Valentine’s Day treats….

My little helper…

1st Grader’s Valentine’s Day treats….

Look who sneaked a cookie…first she stole my heart and now a cookie!

These are for my Valentines….fruit dipped in chocolate with flax-seed sprinkled on it, yum!

Can’t forget our 4-legged Valentines….aren’t these the cutest!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Krispy, Peanut Butter, & Chocolate No Bake Treat: Perfect Fat Tuesday Fix!

February 11, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

No matter what you call it, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, in any language it is an excuse to eat all that good crap that is really REALLY bad for you!

A tradition in my family when I was a child was to indulge in the classic polish Paczki on Fat Tuesday. I am keeping that traditional alive in our household too, or at least attempting to. The Paczkis I purchased had an unfortunate accident.

See, I purchased them on Friday with the intent of sharing them with the family on Tuesday. But, well, there was an accident. They accidently ended up in my mouth. So, instead of breaking the tragic news to the kiddos I did what any self-respecting momma would do and I hit up my pantry for a replacement treat (Death of the Paczkis by means of mommy’s mouth was not a conversation I was ready for at their young, delicate, ages).

So, after raiding my pantry for what seemed like eternity (I got sidetracked and ended up cleaning it out. I tossed a lot of expired items, wiped down the shelves, etc. If it wasn’t for me eating all those Paczkis my pantry would be an ever-loving mess right now.) I did finally come across enough ingredients to produce the sugar spike in the kiddos systems that would hopefully be comparable to, if not better than, an actual Paczki. Here’s what I found…..

Ingredients:

1 bag large marshmallows
6 cups rice krispies
3 tablespoons of butter

Filling:

1-1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

Topping:

½ bag chocolate chip morsels melted in double boiler
½ cup smooth peanut butter melted

And here is what I did with all those ingredients….

Directions:

In mixer add powdered sugar, peanut butter, and butter. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Melt butter on range in large pot. Add bag of Marshmallows and stir continuously until melted. Slowly add cups of krispies cereal to melted marshmallows stirring continuously. Once all ingredients are thoroughly mixed remove from heat.

Pour half the krispies and marshmallow goodness into a bunt cake pan (THIS IS IMPORTANT: spray pan with cooking spray). Grab the peanut butter mixture and place over the krispies and marshmallow mix. Then place remaining krispies and marshmallow mix over the peanut butter mixture. Then place in the refrigerator for an hour or freezer for ½ hour.

Remove bunt from refrigerator or freezer, place upside-down on cake pedestal or plate, remove bunt pan, and voila! Now admire what a wonderful job you did! What an amazing mom you are.

Final steps! Melt the chocolate chip morels in a double boiler and drizzle over the cake/treat. Melt peanut butter and drizzle over the cake. Grab a napkin and remove the drool from your face. Place treat in refrigerator for a few minutes until the chocolate and peanut butter hardens.

Final step….and this is the most important….pour a cold glass of milk and cut off a slice of this…

The kiddos were pleasantly surprised by this delicious treat and their blood sugar seemed to spike nicely, similar to a Paczki. Perhaps next year’s Paczkis will have a similar fate?

What is your go to food/foods for a Fat Tuesday fix?

Moms’ Timeout Show: Valentine’s Day Treats & Crafts

February 3, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

Here are a few more fun Valentine’s Day gift ideas that are 100% fat-free…..

A few years back I made this fun Lovopoly game for my main man and Valentine, my hubby. It is so cute because you customize the entire game to your life. The game I made includes where we first met, our children’s birthdays, where we honeymooned, etc. It is such a clever gift that is sure to surprise any Valentine. Click here to start making one today.

Here is a fun way to ensure that you and your hubby have set dates for the rest of the year. Click here for more info.

Customized books are a classic choice for the little Valentine’s in your life. Your kiddos will lose their minds when you start reading these books and they realize they are the main characters! My kiddos simply adore their books, click here to customize one to your little Valentine today!

Photo books are another great Valentine’s Day gift for all your Valentine’s, young and old. Why not make a special book for your hubby that includes pictures and events that were special for just the two of you? Make a fun book of special events that have happened over the years for your little Valentine’s. Make your own recipe book for a friend…the possibilities are endless, have fun and get creative. Make a book with photos of all your toddlers favorite things like, mommy, daddy, their toddler bed, favorite stuffed animal, etc. Have fun!

Trivia:

At the beginning of the show Alison is mimicking a scene from a movie, name that movie!

Tuesday’s Tip: Schedule time to serve your Community

January 29, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

Like the little black dress (LBD) is the staple for any wardrobe, gratitude should be the staple attitude. In this day and age it seems like many would prefer to be self-serving as opposed to serve others. As parents it is important that we break this cycle. How do we break the cycle? As Ghandi said, “be the change that you want to see in the world”. Model the behavior you would like to instill in your children. In the book Raising Unselfish Children in a Self-Absorbed World the author Jill Rigby suggests a few ways in which unselfishness can be taught:

•Refusing to overindulge your kids by helping them develop patience and teaching them responsibility

•Teaching empathy and understanding

•Helping them understand the importance and necessity of forgiveness and how to ask for it and accept it

•Cultivating generosity

•Nurturing gratitude

•Spending time together as a family

•Helping out in your community

I realize that as parents we often have the best intentions of helping out in our community but sometimes it just doesn’t make it on the calendar. So, we need to make it a priority, just like we place the PTA meetings, soccer games, dance class, piano lessons, etc. on our calendars we need to also include serving the community. It need not be something to time-consuming, you could make brownies with your children and drop them off with a thank you note to your local fire station, have kiddos help you go through the pantry and fill up a bag to donate to a local food shelter, volunteer at a local Ronald McDonald house, etc. You could do something different each month or the same things every month but the key is to schedule it on your calendar as you would any other priority. Make community service and gratitude part of your family’s routine and it will become a part of your children’s life.

It can also be fun to get friends involved. This also increases your chances of following through with your plans, similar to having a workout buddy, have a family you volunteer with and chances are you will be more accountable.

This year we started, Sponsor Pizza and Movie Night with our playgroup. Every other month our playgroup donates and serves pizza, pop, juice, dessert, and donates a movie to our local Family Shelter. The experience has really taught my little ones the virtue of patience and service, to put others before themselves, to serve those residing in the shelter the food and dessert, to make sure others are provided for before themselves. It has also taught them to be thankful for what they have, their home, their bedroom, their toys, etc. It has been a positive experience and I look forward to serving many more meals.

Please share ways that you have incorporated service into your life and/or family’s life. How did you find the time?

Filling the Freezer: Easy and Budget friendly Italian Cuisine

January 23, 2013January 4, 2014momonthegoinholytoledo

Every few weeks I try to prepare a few dishes that I can place in our freezer. It is always comforting to know on those crazy days when I simply don’t have the energy to cook, when our kiddos have events in the evening, when unexpected company joins us for dinner, or when I, or my husband, have a meeting in the evening that there is a meal already prepared in the freezer.

A couple of weeks ago I prepared Italian inspired cuisine to place in the freezer that definitely came in handy! I prepare Baked Ziti, Veggie Lasagna, Manicotti, and Meat Balls. Which were each very easy to prepare and were budget friendly so I instantly thought, I have got to share these with other moms! So without further ado….

Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

1 box of ziti or penne pasta
1 Egg
½ cup chopped onions
1 jar commercial spaghetti sauce (whichever kind is on sale or you prefer)
2 cups Mozzarella
1/3 cup grated Parmesan (to be used after it is baked)

Directions:

Follow directions on box of ziti or penne pasta to boil. Once the pasta is boiled, drained, and then place in pan 13 x 9 pan that is freezer friendly. Beat 1 egg and pour over pasta, mix it. Sautee onions then mix onions, spaghetti pasta, and 1 cup of Mozzarella together.

Pour mixture over pasta and mix so that sauce covers all the pasta. Sprinkle remaining Mozzarella over the top. Cover with aluminum foil. Label, date, and add directions with a permanent marker (this makes it effortless for your hubby, sitter, etc. to pull it out of the freezer and prepare).

Enjoy!

I know we did. The Baked Ziti I made was enjoyed with my in-laws who came over to celebrate my birthday.

Manicotti (image above)

I joined a cooking club in November and this Manicotti dish was one of the meals we made. It was so delicious that I have added it to my fill the freezer regime. This is a dish I have managed to master after preparing a few times. At first it can be tricky stuffing the Manicotti but after some trial and error I am sure you will find your own technique.

For the Manicotti recipe click here to be directed towards Lilly’s Kitchen Lab.

Our Manicotti dish came in handy the evening I taped Moms’ Timeout.

Italian Meat Balls

These are perfect for Spaghetti night or meat ball subs. Meat ball subs are one of my hubby’s favorite lunches. If you freeze these in Ziploc bags you can divide them in serving sizes so that you can simply grab 3 meat balls to heat up with sauce and place on a sub with some Mozzarella.

Ingredients:

1lb of ground meat (turkey or beef)
½ cup chopped onions
2T bread crumbs
1 egg
2tsp Italian Seasoning
2 cloves of garlic minced

Directions: Mix everything together in a bowl and then form into 2inch balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (make sure they are cooked through). Let cool completely and then divide into bags per your meal plans.

Enjoy!

Like I said, my hubby adores meat ball subs thus; these went to a few subs over the past few weeks. I love the fact that he can have a hot meal for lunch and I don’t have to cook.

Veggie Lasagna / Lasagna Roll-up

This is by far my personal favorite! I like to prepare these as roll-ups because they are much easier to serve though it does take a little longer to prepare but I think it is worth it. For the Lasagna recipe and some yummy bread to accompany it click here.

And last but not least, make this fun, put on some music, (I prefer the Lumineers ) and grab a glass of wine while you prepare…try some Julia Child lingo…make it fun!

Bon appetite!

http://raisinghomemakers.com/2013/homemaking-link-up-107/

http://www.semihomemademom.com/

Moms’ Timeout Show: Debunking Diets and More (Giveaway)

January 17, 2013February 1, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

Here are a few more links that we found interesting that also address why diets don’t work.
4 Reason’s Why Fad Diets are Bad for You

Diets Damage Health, Shows Biggest Study Ever

5 Deadliest Diet Trends: Pills that Really can Kill

A healthy lifestyle can mean having your cake and eating it to, in moderation mind you. So we would love to encourage a healthy lifestyle and give one lucky follower a $10 gift card to Panera.

To enter the Giveaway:

Like Mom on the go in Holy Toledo facebook page (please like from your personal facebook page and not a business, only the personal pages count)
Follow on twitter @mamaof3onthego
Post a comment expressing you have done both and include a question for the moms on Moms’ Timeout. We will answer all questions in March’s segment so be sure to tune in!

Winner will be randomly selected Feb. 3rd

Tuesday’s Tip: Upcycle Underwear Packaging

January 15, 2013January 16, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

We are getting ready to potty train our toddler. And I refuse to start the process until we have accumulated at least 30 pair of panties/underwear. This might sound like an abundance of panties/underwear but our method for potty training is cold turkey, or as I prefer to call it 3 days of Hell (when potty training a little girl) and 5 days (when potty training a little boy). So the question is what to do with all those panty/underwear packages?

I always try to repurpose packaging, wrapping, old items etc. and give them a new life and underwear packaging is no exception to this rule. I have found that they are great methods to organizing kids’ small toys and/or accessories, such as Barbie clothes and shoes (I get so sick of stepping on Barbie shoes), small Legos (another item I dread stepping on…those things are vicious), Mrs. Potato head’s accessories (I know they can be stored in the butt, lol! That sounded horrible, let me rephrase, stored in Mrs. Potato head’s butt, but for some reason we are always losing her bottom piece….I really hope you have a clue about what I am referring to otherwise I might sound a little nuts, haha.), and there are so many other ways to get organized with panty/underwear packaging.

For some more fun ways to upcycle items checkout 50 Creative Ways to Repurpose, Reuse and Upcycle Old Things.

What do you upcycle?

Teaching Feelings: Identify, Cope, and Respond

January 12, 2013February 15, 2013momonthegoinholytoledo

Why a lesson on feelings?…..

Our toddler is at that age where she is becoming easily frustrated when she cannot complete tasks, especially when her older siblings can. Also, most recently, she basically lost her mind and sheer panic took over when she met Santa Clause. I asked her how she felt when she met him and she said, “not happy”. Which was a valid response, but, it occurred to me that her understanding of feelings was limited to happy, and, not happy. Thus, it was definitely time to identify and discuss feelings.

Now our preschooler on the other hand is an old pro at expressing his feelings. If he is frustrated because his new toy won’t work, or he can’t unbutton his shirt fast enough he will use his words to express that. But it is what to do with those feelings that can be difficult for him at times, he could use a few good coping strategies.

In addition to identifying feelings and coping strategies the ability to respond to others’ emotions and feelings accordingly is essential to being able to empathize. And empathy is so very important for building relationships, including relationships with siblings. And lately there have been a few cases in our home where someone was responding inappropriately to another siblings feelings.

So, due to the reasons I explained, I tailored this lesson to our toddler and preschooler’s needs. In some cases our preschooler was receiving a refresher course, but who can’t use a refresher especially when it comes to feelings?

Identify Feelings…

I decided to introduce our toddler to feelings by means of one of her favorite learning methods, a story! She simply adores story time at the library and is always requesting a book be read to her at home. So I went through our home library and pulled out The Way I Feel, by Janan Cain. We had purchased it for our eldest daughter when she was 2 in order to help her identify and use her words to express her feelings. It worked then and it appears to be working now….

While reading the book I asked our toddler questions that coincided with the book, such as, how does her face look when she is happy? …She is frustrated, do you ever feel frustrated?…She is sad, how do we know she is sad?…Her arms are crossed and she isn’t smiling, how do you think she feels?

After we read the book I gave each kiddo a pile of magazines to go through and asked them to identify examples of people expressing the following feelings: Sad, Bored, Happy, and Angry

They had some difficulty locating an example of sad, which that wasn’t surprising since most articles, advertisements, etc. don’t focus on sad children or adults (of all times for an advertisement about depression or anti-depression drugs not to be present). So I allowed the dog, after all her does look a little sad.

Then I grabbed the mirror and we did some role playing. I asked the kiddos various questions and they then expressed the feeling they thought they would feel in each scenario. For example, I asked them how they would feel if they just found out they were going to Disney World. (Happy and Excited)

And then asked them to express how they would feel if they were told the flight was cancelled and they were not going to Disney World… (disappointed…I love how our toddler looks up to big brother to confirm that her expression is correct).

Then we took a few minutes and each child had the opportunity to illustrate their own expression and the other child then stated the feeling being expressed. (Our preschooler is illustrating anger and our toddler correctly identified the feeling)

She them immediately started laughing as a result of him expressing the feeling of anger which was a nice transition to a discussion on ways to respond to other’s feelings.

Responding to Feelings….

Learning to empathize is such an important quality in life and it is vital for building relationships. So in order to teach the children appropriate ways to respond to other’s feelings we simply had a discussion that included a series of questions. I asked them what they would do if someone was crying…should we laugh at them…How would you feel if someone laughed at you when you were crying?…What would you like others to do when you are crying? And then we ran through additional feelings in a similar manner.

Then we had some fun with expressing feelings! We played with Flip Flop Faces, Emotions in Motion! by discovery Toys (I used to be a Discovery Toys Consultant, they have amazing educational products!)

How we played…

Toddler version: Our toddler grabbed a bean bag and she matched up the color on the bean bag with the color on the bowl. She then threw the bean bag and it flipped the bowl to reveal the emotion being expressed. She then stated the emotion.

Preschool version: I tossed a bean bag to our son and stated the feeling indicated on the bean bag. He then made the expression that corresponded with the feeling. He then threw the bean bag and flipped the bowl to confirm his expression.

After emotions in motion the kiddos had worked up an appetite and we headed to the ktichen to fix lunch. The kiddos help make lunch, we had mexican pizzas….our son made a happy and angry pizza while our daughter opted for surprised.

With our lunch we had hot chocolate. I know what you are thinking, mexican pizzas and hot chocolate yuck! But actually it didn’t taste that bad together and I had my reason for giving the kiddos hot chocolate.

Coping Strategies…..

Hot Chocolate:

While waiting for our hot chocolate to cool I discussed how overwhelming feelings can be at time and how it is important to have a technique for coping with strong feelings (but I expressed this in kiddo lingo). Then I taught them a technique my mom taught me, the hot chocolate technique!

How it works: When a child is experiencing strong feelings, whether it be frustrations, anger, over excitement, etc. have them stop and be still for a minute and focus on their breathing, similar to the way adults take a few breaths to calm down. But, since children don’t really understand inhaling through their nose and exhaling through their mouth the hot chocolate image is the perfect way to express this. Have child imagine a cup of hot chocolate is in front of them, have them smell the hot chocolate (through their nose) and then have them blow on the hot chocolate (exhaling through the mouth) to cool it.

Code Word:

As to not embarrass your child when they are experiencing an influx of emotions use ‘hot chocolate’ as the code word for calming down and coping with their strong emotions.

This technique is extremely helpful in life; I even find myself using this coping strategy throughout the day when things become overwhelming.

Conclusions….

I have noticed a change in our household over the past few days since we had our discussion on feelings. Granted, the kiddos will need reminders to use their words to express their feelings, encouragement to use the hot chocolate method when emotions become strong, and discussions will continue whenever possible on empathy. I have found that the best method for expressing empathy to children is for it to be modeled and vocalized whenever possible. For example, the perfect time to engage in a discussion on empathy is when reading stories, watching television or movies, the characters always experience feelings, ask you kiddos questions, I promise it won’t take but a few minutes and the results will be well worth it!