Tag: Park

Lost & Found Friday

Lost & Found Friday

momonthegoinholytoledo

Have you ever found yourself lost in the everyday routine, responsibility, obligation, etc.? Dropping off children at school, after school activities, picking up kiddos, doing homework, mending emotional and physical boo-boos, giving all your patience and guidance to redirecting a toddler or preschooler to a more appropriate approach, uttering “use your words” for the umpteenth time, dealing with sibling quarrels, maintaining a household, meals, and more is precisely what I signed up for when I became a mom.  Those are my main, daily, priorities. I also feel that the behavior I model for my children is more impressionable than the words that come from my mouth. Thus, I feel that it is of utmost importance that my actions reflect the actions and attitude that I hope my children will one day adopt as their own. But I have to be honest mine have not.  Over the past few days I have had trouble finding that ever so popular complaint that we moms have, BALANCE!

It dawned on me yesterday, Friday. We had just said goodbye to our little toddler princesses and guests who attended our Mega Blok Party (so much fun, will be vloggin about it later) and we were tidying up when I received a phone call.  We had planned on Sponsoring Pizza & Movie Night with our Playgroup at a Local family shelter, The Beach House. We had everything in order, pizza, pop, brownies, cookies, etc. it was organized to a tee and then I received the call a couple of hours before we were supposed to pick up the pizza and head to the shelter, the voice on the other end simply expressed that we needed to cancel due to an issue at the shelter but we would still be on for the following month.

The first thing that entered my mind was that my kiddos are going to be so disappointed; they were looking forward to going down to The Beach House to serve. My second thought was crap, we already ordered all those pizzas…perhaps there is another charity/shelter we could sponsor dinner for? Never in my life did I think I would have to have a backup charity/shelter…I mean who doesn’t want free food? But I didn’t have long to think, I had moms I needed to notify and kiddo to pick up from school. Thankfully we were able to cancel the order…special thanks to Tammy and Marco’s Pizza (and Ashleigh’s hubby) for being so understanding and all the moms who signed up to volunteered their time and/or beverages/desserts.  Then it dawned on me, how often does a charity/shelter pass up food? Was I receiving a sign or message?  A sign/message to slow down…stop running from one activity to the next and filling your schedule to the max…even with good intentions…just, slow down. So I did just that…..

 

After picking up our eldest from school we headed to the park where I would leaf (totally intended), my worries behind. I totally cleared my mind of all the  nonsense…the rumors of this person thinking I don’t like them…me not living up to other mothers’ standards… (When truth is told, I am just running on empty, exhausted, I have spread myself thin) I have literally scheduled every minute of my days. Exhaustion had me contemplating every aspect of my life… where I once had confidence insecurities were surfacing. While trying to be the best everything I could be for everyone else I lost something very valuable, me!

FOUND….

Walking, sitting, playing, eating, and running in the park…not having to rush off to this activity or that obligation freed me.  The clean air, sunshine on my face, joy in my children’s voices, colors of Fall all Freed me from the shackles of routine, time, rumors, insecurities, and the nonsense that had clouded my confidence. Removing yourself from the online world, unplugging, and just being for a while allows you to have time with you….that is where I found something valuable that I have LOST…ME!

Last night I had the gals over from our Moms’ Timeout show to plan upcoming shows.  I felt so rejuvenated, more like me than I have in the past month, it is amazing what a little bit of time away from “the crazy” can do for your soul.

 

Have you ever lost yourself in the hustle and bustle of motherhood? How could you tell you were lost, was it a single incident or a collection of activities that clued you in? How did you find yourself again? Or perhaps you have already found balance, what do you do to maintain that balance? Do you have a certain ritual you do or hobby that helps you stay connected with you?

Playdate sponsored by Rudi’s Organic Bakery (Post also includes FREE Custom Sandwich Box info)

Playdate sponsored by Rudi’s Organic Bakery (Post also includes FREE Custom Sandwich Box info)

momonthegoinholytoledo

God knows moms have enough to worry about when it comes to the health and wellbeing of their children.  That’s why I am thankful for Rudi’s Organic bakery. 

The best things in life are free. Free from (anything bad like) synthetic ingredients, chemical pesticides and fertilizers. When we say organic, we mean it. Our products are USDA Certified Organic, which tells you that at least 95% of our ingredients are organic. This is good for you, your family and the environment. (Source:http://www.rudisbakery.com/)

So, you can see why moms don’t have to wonder what’s inside Rudi’s bread. I believe we have an unwritten code as moms, if we have come across an amazing product, technique, or the like we need to share that with other moms.  And share we did…..

When you come across a product like Rudi’s, that gives moms peace of mind, a celebration is in order. So we got out our Pom-poms and then headed to Health Foods by Claudia to purchase our Rudi’s organic bread (they offer Rudi’s entire line of bakery products and a slew of other amazing organic products, I highly recommend Health Foods by Claudia. And, good news, if you aren’t local they are launching their e-store soon, check it out) and invited over all our playgroup friends.

We packed the house, literally! We welcomed 14 magnificent moms and 16 amazing little kiddos.  We decided to keep it simple and a bit traditional. While Rudi’s offers hot dog buns, hamburger buns, rolls, tortillas, wraps, bagels, English muffins, and sandwich flatz we decided the best way to introduce Rudi’s was the most practical way, the way in which moms often utilize bread, the good old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The PB & J is a staple in most of our moms’ lives. Whether it is packing a lunch for school, meeting up at the zoo, going to the park for a picnic, the easy to prepare, climate controlled, and fan of most kiddos is the PB & Jelly. But we added a twist. The kiddos had the option of making their own sandwich. They could select the Rudi’s bread they wanted, spread the PB and J, and then select a fun cookie cutter shape.

To accompany the PB & J moms brought grapes, cheese sticks, yogurt, carrots, apple sauce, juice boxes, milk, etc. to share.  The moms in our playgroup are so amazing; they are so kind, compassionate, and considerate of others and this was definitely apparent at our play date.  Most moms might think I was nuts to have 14 moms and 16 kiddos in my home especially since it is on the market and there is a chance that a prospective buyer might want to see our home the next day. But not me, the moms in our playgroup are such good moms; it is evident and reflected in their children’s behavior. They are also great friends; they did so much between bringing food to share, helping set out food, and clean-up that I actually got to enjoy the play date too.  Thank you Playgroup-in-Toledo moms for being such wonderful moms and great friends; I am truly blessed to have each and every one of you in my life.

After lunch we finished up our play date with a trip down to the park. What better way to conclude a well-balanced meal than with some activity. The kiddos had fun playing on the playground, swinging, and chasing after bubbles until their little bodies couldn’t go any more. Then it was time to head home where I hope all the moms got to have a little bit of a break while their children napped.

As if the bread, cookie cutters, playdate, park, etc. weren’t enough!  The kiddos also received a Let’s Doodle Lunch sheet that allows them to create their own masterpiece and then submit that to Rudi’s and they will place that custom designed masterpiece on a sandwich box for the kiddos. AND, and each child has a chance for their custom design to be the Official Rudi’s Sandwich box!  Sound like fun? Wish your kiddos could participate? They can!! Click here to get your kiddos art work on a sandwich box for FREE! ( Also, May1-31st, Rudi’s is running Get a dollar, Give a dollar, you can get $1 off coupon and Rudi’s will give a dollar to the celiac organization of your choice)

All of us moms agreed that Rudi’s was delicious and the kiddos seemed to enjoy the bread too! However there is the issue of the price and yes, if we are being totally honest it does cost more than non-organic breads.  However those non-organic breads contain preservatives and additives that do not contribute to a healthy well-balanced meal.  As moms we know that our children are what they eat. I know I have witness the effect that highly processed food have on my kiddos. They are often lethargic and left craving more highly processed food and that is a road I do not want them going down.  I would rather spend a few more dollars today for healthy, organic food for my children then spend thousands years down the road trying to fix organs that processed foods have damaged. My children are worth it! Are yours?

Please share your thoughts. Have you ever tried Rudi’s organic bakery? Would you? What is your take on organic foods?

 

 

The Case of: Shouldn’t we be somewhere by now? Doink Doink (Snapshots of our day)

The Case of: Shouldn’t we be somewhere by now? Doink Doink (Snapshots of our day)

momonthegoinholytoledo

Ever feel like you spend a lot of time in your car traveling around town, picking up and dropping off children, often  traveling no more than 10 miles from your home, and yet all that time and brief trips add up but you always arrive back where you started? Don’t you feel like you should be somewhere by now?  Where does the time and mileage go?

I decided to solve this case through the use of snap shots. Each time we enter our vehicle the Law & Order Doink Doink will appear to indicate important evidence in this case.

So here we go…

And so it begins, our trips, albeit short trips, in the car. We are off to story time at the Library. I have all 3 kiddos because our school district has a delay start. Thankfully we had a little bit of time to relax this morning our typical departure time is 8:40am.

Doink Doink

 

She loves story time! Songs, bubbles, dancing, stories, and more! It is a ½ of toddler bliss!
La pièce de résistance bubbles!
Back in the car! We need to go drop off our eldest at school. She had a delay start this morning. We do not have bus transportation so I often joke that I am the bus driver.
And we are off to the park on this unseasonably warm day.
She had a blast!!
Nothing like picnicking in the Park in the winter!!
It got up to 66 degrees, unseasonably warm for Northwest Ohio.
We had a blast at the park, now it is time to head home.
Once home from the park it was time to clean up from breakfast. I should have at least soaked this one, oh well, thank goodness for vinegar.
Crap, I forgot to wash my daughter’s Girl Scout smock. It’s not like it hasn’t been sitting down here for the past two week!! Why? Why do I do this to myself, do I like the rush that comes with, well, rushing? Truthfully, a little, yes. It’s like I am in a game show and I don’t know if I will make it before the buzzer goes off. The procrastination leads to anticipation that becomes addicting and so the cycle continues. And yes, in case you were wondering I did get the task accomplished before the buzzer. WINNER!!
Nap time!! This is also when mommy does a little dance time in honor of nap time!!!
The running around at the park helped, he is actually sleeping. Thank you God, I need a few minutes to myself in order to maintain my sanity, or what is left of it.
Time to prep dinner; I would love to kiss the person who invented the Cock-Pot, now that is a pure genius!!
Me time! Time to catch up on some of my favorite blogs! Let’s see what’s going on at Table for More, Allie is due like any minute with baby 3, maybe today is the day! Is blogging, writing and reading blogs, the new reality Soap Opera time? Hmm……
I try to take at least 10 minutes a day to workout. Which usually involves me doing standing sit-ups and, yes, I hate to even admit it but I have a shaky weight thing, there, I have come clean! My motivation is usually a DVR Dr. Oz show. Most of his shows involve weight loss, getting, healthy, and such. Not today, today was Pro Anna movement which entailed a lot of pictures of Anorexic women.
This is one of the images they showed. This is a woman’s hip bones, it was so sad. She is literally dying to be thin.
After viewing and listening to those women’s stories I ran to the kitchen with my shape-up shoes on and grabbed a cookie in honor of them. So much for my motivation!
It is nice to have a snack ready after school. Sweet Potato sticks are one of the kiddo’s favorite.
It is time to wake up, freshen up and go pickup our Kindergartener.
Nice incentive for being early to pickup, everyone get a few minutes to read, or in our preschooler & toddler’s case look at a book.

 

 

We are arriving home with all 3 kiddos with just enough time to freshen-up, have a quick snack, and grab her Girl Scout smock and go!
It is time for that after school snack. These go quick! So quick that it is difficult to capture in a picture, the toddlers had is that blur in the corner.
I ran upstairs to go potty (that sounds real distinguished) and came down to find that our toddler had changed shirts, misplaced her pants, and was now wearing a hat. Seriously!?! We have to go, now!
We are all back in the car to drop off our eldest at a Girl Scout meeting. Thankfully we have an awesome neighbor, and friend, who’s graciously offered to drop her off after meetings. Thank you Sue!

 

 

 

 

Once home it is time to get things ready for tomorrow. Finish laundry, go through papers, clip coupons, plan menu of meals for next two weeks, answer questions about light sabers and dinosaurs (Really!?! I an extensive knowledge of things like architecture, food, clothes, furniture, and how to get food out of clothes and furniture but unfortunately my knowledge is lacking when it comes to Star Trek and Dinosaurs) and read Dora the Snow Princess 8 times.
It is time to clip and organize coupons and finish meal planning which has been made so much easier thanks to Rachel Ray’s meal planning inserts from her magazine. Simply keep all the inserts in a file and go through past ones to plan for future meals (you can substitute certain ingredients in order to meet your dietary needs).
Our little Girl Scout arrives home with this awesome St. Patrick’s Day craft. How cute is our little Lepracon? She always has so much fun at her meeting, her Leaders and mom helpers are amazing.
This is one of those slim pickings meals, you know the ones, when you are trying to squeeze out one more meal before you have to go grocery shopping. This meal contains 4 ingredients, high fiber whole grain bread, one can of cream of mushroom soup, four skinless boneless chicken breasts, and green beans. So easy and full of fiber and protein, could you ask for more? (Well, I guess you could, someone else could so the dishes).
Before we eat dinner and our eldest goes to CCD (school of religion class) we read out of our MagnifiKid, The flight from Egypt, and do the Jelly Bean prayer.
I am back in the car, for the last time (fingers-crossed), to drop of our eldest at CCD. My hubby does pick-up at 8pm, thank goodness.

 

 

 

Based upon the evidence provided and after carefully and thoroughly analyzing that evidence we have come to the conclusion that…..that…you should most definitely be somewhere by now.