Costco – Mom on the go in Holy Toledo

Why Costco? (Giveaway $190 value!)

May 21, 2015June 10, 2015momonthegoinholytoledo

Fact, my 4 year old jumps up & down at least 8x a day! She will pretty much start jumping for any reason, like seeing a bird, not wanting to go to bed, because it is Monday, etc.

Fact, I am an adult. Fact, I do not jump up & down 8x a day. Fact, I do jump up & down like my 4 year old daughter twice a month. There is only one thing in this world that makes this 35 year old woman jump up & down like a preschooler flaring limbs about, and that is, a trip to COSTCO!!!

I am getting excited just thinking about our next trip!! Why? Why would a grown woman be so excited to go to Costco? (In no particular order)

1. Samples- Um, hello! Who doesn’t love samples? I adore the fact that you can try it before you buy it especially when you have a picky eater at home. Thankfully my pickiest eater accompanies me so she can sample too! Another added bonus of the samples is it gives my 4 year old something to look forward to in-between isles & the food occupies her mouth for lapses of time so I can actually enjoy a moment of silent (so wrong, but, so true! Haha!)

2. Cost- Total disclosure, Costco is where I get half my wardrobe. I know it sounds silly but they have comfortable, modern, classy, even fashionable outfits & they cost WAY less than the department stores! They also have clothing for men too…great picks for Dads (wink, wink, Father’s Day is coming up!) and then there is the kids’ clothes, books, toys, etc. I buy all birthday & baby shower gifts there (jigs up on that one! haha!). And I also fill up the gas tank before I leave since it is always cheaper than the other stations (Costco is literally my one stop and shop for everything place!)

3. Quantity- I think this one is a no brainer!! Haha!

4. Quality- Sometimes people have this idea that if you buy more it somehow makes the quality less and that could not be further from the truth when it comes to Costco. The quality of their food is amazing. I am a huge fan of their produce. My favorites are the Organic Spinach (I often buy two…I am a spinach freak!), strawberries, melons, peppers, and I could go on and on. What I like most about Costco is if you do get home and realize you purchased say, a bad melon, they will happily exchange it. The customer service is amazing!

5. Selection/Variety- We recently made a HUGE change in our house, we stopped eating cereal and have cut way back on all breads/grains. I was afraid that maybe I wouldn’t be able to shop Costco anymore and Costco is this Kat’s meow (too much?). Thankfully what I found, once I stopped honing in on all the stuff we couldn’t get anymore, is that Costco offers a nice variety of foods for all diets and lifestyles. Checkout all the goodies I purchased at my last visit!

6. The people- Last but certainly not least, the people who work at Costco are the nicest!! They are always so sweet with my daughter…her second favorite part of Costco is the smiley face she receives on the back of our recipe. The cashiers are always so kind and friendly. In fact I have even befriended a few…maybe I spend too much time there? But they don’t talk back to me, they listen, it is like a mini vacation for moms. Lol!

There you have it folks, Costco is a mom’s mini-vacation destination! Haha! It will have you jumping up and down like a 4 year old in anticipation for your next trip! No joke!

And Guess What!!! I have some exciting news to share!! Costco will be giving birth to a new store in Perrysburg, OH June 11^th 2015!! As far as I know it is a drug free birth…hopefully it won’t be a water birth but if it is just bring your umbrella! 😉

Join today & receive Costco cash card!!

While they are managing their labor pains they are giving you a shower!! When you give birth to a store that’s how it works, they give you the shower, lol! They are showering one lucky follower with ALL these goodies valued at $190!!!

So, whats in the bag? These amazing Kirkland Signature items:

Organic Maple Syrup
Variety Snack Nuts
Surface Wipes
Dried Blueberries
Almond Butter
Coconut Oil
Himalayan Pink Salt
Albacore Tuna (8pk)
Jelly Belly
Macadamia Nut Clusters
Paper Towels
Steak Strips
Unsalted Fancy Mixed Nuts
Organic Salsa
Peanut Butter Pretzels
Body Lotion
Chocolate Covered Almonds
Apple Sauce (24pk)
Microwave Popcorn (44pk)

To enter the giveaway:

1-Like Mom on the go in Holy Toledo on Facebook

2-Follow @mamaof3onthego on Twitter

3-Like Costco on Facebook

4-Comment stating when you’re taking your next trip to Costco

Giveaway is limited to individuals who live in Toledo and surrounding area (within 30 miles)

Winner will be randomly selected June 10th @11:59pm

Disclosure: I was given 3 sweet Kirkland products for my family and the BIG bag of goodies to giveaway! No additional compensations was received and all opinions expressed are my own.

How I Survived the Umpteenth Snow Day

January 25, 2014momonthegoinholytoledo

The kiddos had yet another snow day today! That means that with Monday being Martin Luther King Day, Tuesday a Teachers Work Day, and Wednesday a delay start day, the children have gone to school for a grand total of 10 hours this week. That paired with the fact that today was the 24^th of January and as of today they have only attended 7 days of school has me longing for Spring. Don’t get me wrong, I love hanging out with my children. But the activities we do on these frigid snow days have to be indoors; it is just way too cold for them to play outdoors and the wind-chill only exasperates the situation. So what’s a mom to do?

How I survived the Umpteenth Snow Day

Started it off by saying a little prayer….

Prayed for patience. A LOT OF PATIENCE

No Mother Left behind….

No mother should have to survive a snow day alone. Haha! Called a friend and made plans to do something (it wasn’t a level 3 so it was legal for us to be on the road) we normally wouldn’t do, something indoors of course. Like visit the local cupcake shop. Cake in a Cup Baby!! Mmmm…

Surprised my mom…

Why not drop in for a visit and bring a few friends? Nothing like a surprise visit!! My mom is the best. We did just that, we totally surprised her by stopping by. She is a school counselor and her district had a snow day too. So, on her snow day, when she didn’t have to see the 500+ kids in her school building she received a surprise visits from 2 mommas and 5 kiddos. Did I mention my mom is the best!?!

Know thy limits…..

Initially my 3 year old and I were excited to attend a birthday gathering at Chuck E Cheese for lunch. Well, once school was cancelled I knew that I would be pushing my limits with my already fleeting patience at Chuck E Cheese. Let’s just say I am almost certain that my crazy would have officially shown had we gone to Chuck E Cheese. I can do one 3 year old at Chuck E Cheese by myself. I cannot do 3 kiddos in 3 different directions asking me a magnitude of questions while other kids climb on things, scream, and big animals perform catchy, yet annoying, songs in the background.

Never underestimate the power of Costco…

I don’t know what it is, maybe the samples, the anticipation of what‘s around the next isle, or maybe it is just being bestowed the privilege of holding onto the receipt as you exit in hopes of receiving a smiley face? But Costco is an exciting trip for the kids. My kids love it! And today was no exception. They discussed who would hold the card on the way in, rushed to each sample, begged for all the sugary processed crap, visited the restroom twice, and we even managed to buy a few items to get us by these next couple of weeks (Yes, we got the bread and the milk. Haha!) So all-in-all it was a very successful trip!

Costco continued…side note…

I have to be honest, since we started shopping at Costco I have a hard time going out to eat. In fact in the last month I have been out to 3 different restaurants and ordered the salads. I was disappointed in the quality, quantity, and price of each one of them. Why go out when I can make 5 of these fabulous salads for only $9.99 (the price of one salad at a restaurant)?

Just Dance….

Looking for a great indoor activity that will have kiddos burning off some of that bottled up energy? Want the kiddos to sleep great at night? Looking for something fun to do on a Friday night? Just Dance!

After dinner we had a blast taking turns with the newest version of Just Dance! This version is much better than the last. The variety of songs is superb and the kiddos get a kick out of the different characters…including those from the popular Disney movie Aladdin. Which just so happened to be our 3 year olds pick every time. Haha!

Yes, even Momma got in on the action…the dog clearly thinks I am nuts. lol!

After dancing for a couple hours the kiddos were tired and asked to go to bed. Score! Haha!
All in all it was a good day. We filled it nicely. I think the key to survival is having a variety of activities, keeping in touch with family and friends, and Just dancing!

Were you stuck at home today? How do you survive snow days? Please share…I could use some ideas, looks like we might have one or two more in the near future.