mom life – Mom on the go in Holy Toledo

What is it like raising teenagers on your own?

January 23, 2023January 24, 2023momonthegoinholytoledo

Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. Lately, my days are moving fast, too fast. I’m up at 5, work on the blog, head to work, sub float, teach, make calls during lunch to switch the considerable amount of obligations over to my name since the divorce, teach, then it’s more work, errands, kids’ lessons, classes, gym, etc., followed by dinner, homework, grade/prep, then just lather, rinse and repeat for the remainder of the week. I practically feel like a robot. However, it’s the in-between moment, in between all the responsibilities and obligations of work, running a household, paying the bills, etc. that the really intense moments and life lessons occur. Often at the most inconvenient of times. But when has parenting ever been convenient?

3 Things We Need to Normalize in 2023

December 11, 2022momonthegoinholytoledo

New year resolutions? A single word to look to for the entire year? How do you celebrate the new year? Often individuals see the new year as an opportunity for a fresh start, a way to welcome the prospect of personal growth and development. With this philosophy in mind let’s see if we can make a diligent effort to normalize a few behaviors and habits in 2023.

What’s the worst that can happen?

November 29, 2022November 29, 2022momonthegoinholytoledo

What’s the worst that can happen? It was the summer of 1995, I was 15 and we were on a family whitewater rafting adventure. It should be noted that at the time I was not the adventurous type. I preferred to play it safe. My goal was to sit in the back of the raft and give the illusion of me “grabbing the rapids”, as the guide so eloquently put it. That is until I somehow found myself in the front of the raft. Yep, that’s right, me, Miss play-it-safe who wanted nothing to do with this boat ride was suddenly seated front row of the rapids. Meanwhile, the rest of my family seemed cozy taking the side and rear seats of the raft. As the distance between the raft and land increased the sweat began to bead on my brows, my hands started to tingle, my heart was leaping outside my chest, and my best defense mechanism was to just play possum. I sat there oar in hand, dumbfounded, thinking, what’s the worst that could happen? And then I envisioned the worst. I could fall out of the raft. I could hit my head on a rock. I could break a bone, or you know, die! To say I wasn’t prepared for what happened next is an understatement.

Being Healthy Doesn’t Need To Be Expensive – And Here’s Why

November 17, 2022November 17, 2022momonthegoinholytoledo

A lot of people think that it costs money to be healthy, but it doesn’t. In fact, if anything, being unhealthy is more expensive than being healthy. After all, junk food isn’t cheap. You can easily stock your fridge with fresh produce for a fraction of the cost of filling your cupboards with junk. Exercising is free, too. People seem to think that it’s necessary to pay for an expensive gym subscription in order to get fit, but that’s not at all needed. You can easily exercise at home.

Getting Your Body & Life Back: Health Tips to Help Fight Your Addiction

November 6, 2022November 21, 2022momonthegoinholytoledo

The first step to getting your body and life back is acknowledging your problem. Too often, people are in denial about their addiction and refuse to seek help. But admitting that you need help is the first important step to recovery. If you’re struggling with addiction, it’s time to get help. These health tips can help fight your addiction and give you the tools you need to start living a healthier, happier life.

Working on a Computer a Lot? Try These Tips to Protect Your Eyes

November 2, 2022momonthegoinholytoledo

Nowadays, it’s difficult to find a home without a smart device inside of it, and despite the fact that these devices have many positive impacts on humans, we must also be aware of the negative effects they have on our health. Since we know how particularly it can affect our eyes, we should do something to save them as much as possible. Here, we will try to provide you with some advice to help you deal with this aspect of the issue.

New Year’s Resolutions: Organize those piles of papers

December 22, 2021momonthegoinholytoledo

Ever walk into your home and instantly begin to have heart palpitations due to the overwhelming amount of crap and random unidentifiable odors? Life with kids is amazing, but it can also be overwhelming…being responsible for the kids, work, and the household is exhausting. Ever notice that the majority is often random piles of paper, what is up with that? Unfortunately you can’t even light a scented candle to get rid of the stench due to the fear of an instant inferno. So, what to do?

“This post is part of Twinkl’s New Year Campaign, and is featured in 20+ New Year’s Resolutions For Families”

8 Tips to Help Moms make Time for Themselves

September 27, 2021November 18, 2021momonthegoinholytoledo

Get adequate sleep, workout, eat healthy, etc. “Place your oxygen mask on first”. As moms we know what we NEED to do. And boy is everyone quick to remind us, doctors, friends, family, etc. But have you ever noticed that no one really tells you how? HOW are we supposed to make time for ourselves when some of us are running the equivalent of small virtual town within our homes, with remote learning/virtual schooling, working from home, in addition to doing laundry, feeding kids, getting groceries, & keeping the world turning? Here’s your HOW….

Ladies Night Out: Ugly Dress Party

February 5, 2018momonthegoinholytoledo

“They’re all going to laugh at you…they’re all going to laugh at you!” that scene from the 1976 American supernatural horror film, Carrie, suddenly popped into my mind. Maybe this is a bad idea!? What if I’m the only one who shows up? What if everyone shows, but, I’m the only one dressed like a weirdo? Maybe we shouldn’t meet in public? Those were the many thoughts racing through my head just moments before I hit the create button on the event, Ugly Dress Party!

INVITATION READ….

Moms Night Out: Ugly Dress Party

Are you prepared to laugh your asses off ladies? You know that ugly dress you keep shoved in the back of your closet and you don’t know why you didn’t donate it years ago? This is why! So you can take it out for one more night on the town.

How it Works:

Come dressed not to impress! Feel free to wear one of those “you can totally wear this again” bridesmaid dresses, old prom dress, etc. Don’t have an ugly dress? Make a dress ugly (add weird layers or accessories), hit up eBay (80s prom dresses) or thrift store, you can find them for cheap “shocker”, lol! Be sure to really bring it….hair accessories, shoes, etc. because there is a title on the line, Queen of the Ugly Dress Award! Yep, there will be prizes!!

Where: The Heights, 444 N Summit St. Toledo, OH 43604

When: January 18, 2018 @ 6:30pm

We will enjoy drinks, dinner, & fabulous conversation, so be sure to budget your money & time accordingly.

Call up that sitter, remove the mothballs from that dress, & be prepared to bring it!

Neale Donald Walsch said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”, and boy was he right! Life hasn’t felt that exhilarating in a long time! The Ugly Dress party was a success. I will admit, it did feel a little strange walking into a public restaurant wearing what we were, but I think we added a bit of liveliness to the atmosphere and maybe even helped some tables with a conversation starter, lol!

All the ladies brought it, so much so that it was hard to decide on a Queen of the Ugly Dress award so we had some help from the wait staff. And while yours truly was awarded the “most confused outfit award”, we had another mom who really committed head to toe to the event; we are talking hair and all!

If you are looking for something fun, outside the box, end of your comfort zone type of experience than hosting a Ladies Night Out: Ugly Dress Party will not disappoint! Feel free to copy the invitation above and send it out to all your girlfriends. Do remember to change the date and if you feel uncomfortable making a spectacle of yourself in public you could always host the party at someone’s house…though, I know our group would rather make a spectacle of themselves in public than have to clean their house for a party, it all boils down to priorities, lol!

Dear Diary…..Why We Can’t Promise our Kids the Moon

November 16, 2016momonthegoinholytoledo

Dear Diary,

~~Monday~~, ~~Tuesday~~ Wednesday, November (something) 2016

What to Expect When You’re Expecting said nothing about this!! Last month it was turn a pumpkin into a horse’s head (literary pumpkin decorating), this month its turn a cake into Saturn (Boy Scout Bake-Off), lol! Talk about asking for the moon! So last night we got to work…and right when we were covered in sticky rice krispies & frosting the youngest came running in blood everywhere from a bloody nose, “I might be dying” she sobbed, phone rang, darn dog took off with marshmallows, 5^th grader was yelling for a charger because the iPad was dying and with it, our 3^rd grader’s dream of having a Saturn cake. His immediate reaction was denial, quickly followed by doors slamming, then some crazy ideas on how we could make a ring….”mom I just want to put a ring on it!”….”you & all the single ladies, son”, lol! Then the water works, finally followed by acceptance, yep, we went through all 5 stages of grief in that one exhausting hour. And here is the big reveal of his Boy Scout Bake-Off Saturn Cake……

Our 3^rd grader grew a lot last night, he learned that sometimes you shoot for Saturn and land on the moon…a.k.a. life is 2% what happens to you and 98% how you react. He still isn’t necessarily over the moon (see what I did there? ;)) Could I have rushed out at 10pm with all 3 kiddos in tow to get more marshmallows? Sure, but the authorities might have been called in on account of all the blood all over my youngest face, clothes, etc. 3rd grader’s red eyes, and puffy face from crying, and my 5th grader yelling about what a horrible mom I was because I let it die (the iPad)…yep, that scenario would not have ended well for me and what would my son have learned, that mom will always fix “it”? Instead he received a good lesson in resilience, coping when things don’t go your way, and persevering…all valuable life skills that should be learned at a young age. Was it easy to watch him go through this experience, not particularly, but life wasn’t meant to always be easy, nor was parenting. It is so important that we don’t promise them the moon when they are kids. That we allow them to make their own mistakes and learn how to react appropriately when life happens….and you might just be surprised how far they will go if you let them grow. They might shoot for the moon and far exceed their own expectations and end up orbiting Saturn and it’s gosh darn ring system! 😉

I love how multifaceted parenting becomes with each passing year. Coffee cheers to choosing joy, to seeing the humor in otherwise stressful situations, accepting all life’s challenges, allowing our children the opportunity to grow when life happens & loving our kiddos to the moon and back!