What's more precious to your family than memories? It's a cliche that time never stands still, and children grow up fast, but a good photographer can capture the moments you'll want to remember forever. Jennifer Mott has made her photographic skills available to Toledo area families since 2007, specializing in wedding and family photography, and she's won a devoted fanbase with her distinctive professional style. Now Mott has found a new home, moving from Grand Rapids to a studio in a commercial house on Front Street in Perrysburg. The building's charm has become a part of Mott's art. "I've got it set up with different rooms for different things," she says. "One room is set up for newborns, one for younger kids. I do some family stuff in the bedroom upstairs. There's a cool little side yard where I did some Christmas sessions in front of the old garage doors — they're kind of like old stable doors." Mott has come a long way from her roots — she was trained as an electrical engineer, and worked for Owens Illinois — but she's found fulfillment in the creative life. She favors a candid, natural style with bright vivid colors, perfect for preserving the moments you never want to forget. See her work at www.jennifermott.com. 126 W. Front St., Perrysburg. 419-297-3589
Bringing the memory home
Active prevention
April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and Lucas County Children Services is making bold moves to ensure the public is taking strides to eliminate the affliction. On Wednesday, April 11, Wear Blue to Work Day calls the community to unite against child abuse by encouraging those in offices, schools and organizations to wear blue to work, photograph their fellow supporters and post the images on Facebook or email them to [email protected]. To receive Wear Blue to Work Buttons call 419-213-3254. Wednesday, April 18, will continue the month’s events with We Care About Our Kids: Community Forum on Child Sexual Abuse from 6:30-9pm at the University of Toledo’s Scott Park (200 W. Scott Park Dr.) Campus. The forum will introduce area representatives of child safety organizations to parents and discuss the best ways to keep children safe and shed light on investigative and prosecution processes. For more info on the free forum call 419-729-0245 or 419-244-4053 ext. 303. Lastly, the LCCS Child Memorial will be held on Wednesday, April 25, from 11:30am-12pm to remember local children who lost their lives to abuse or neglect at LCCS Offices (705 Adams Street).
A home in the middle
Collaboration will be the guiding principle when St. Joseph Maumee Preparatory opens in Fall 2012. The parish-based school on Broadway Street will partner with Central Catholic High School to offer a project-based learning experience for students in grades six through eight. Technology—in the form of iPod Touch units for each student and access to Mac notebooks—will drive the curriculum, and students will collaborate with one another to learn academic content and develop their own critical thinking skills. Co-curricular activities will be available to the students, as will high school credit for some eighth grade classes. St. Joseph's pastor Father Keith Stripe is pleased the school will offer service learning activities in the parish setting, and notes that the older students will be part of the Life Teen Edge Night program, which offers experience-based learning for young Catholics. For more info visit www.sjmprep.org or call 419-893-3304. 104 W. Broadway. www.stjosephmaumee.org.
Eat it up
The state of Ohio has the twelfth-highest childhood obesity rate in the nation. In response to this staggering statistic, ProMedica and the Imagination Station have partnered to offer the science center's newest exhibit Eat It Up! opening on Friday, April 6. The highly interactive exhibit features the latest technology to engage audiences on the topics of nutrition and human physiology while explaining the importance of how healthy choices affect the body. For more info visit www.imaginationstationtoledo.org. 1 Discovery Way. 419-244-2674.
Tropical in Toledo
Lately, my kids and I have been experimenting with making fruit smoothies at home. We’ve tried an array of concoctions that included milk, yogurt, ice, assorted fruits, juices, etc. Sometimes I land the perfect combination; other times, well, not so much. So when a friend of mine raved about the smoothies at Tropical Smoothie Café in Maumee, the kids were begging to go.
Locals Julie and Bill Munson opened Tropical Smoothie Café in 2007, and three sons assist with managing the café. It became so popular they are opening a second café in Rossford (also near Meijer). The Munson family are the proud owners of the only two Tropical Smoothies in northwest Ohio.
Island getaway close to home
My brood loves the beach and all things tropical. Upon entering the café we immediately loved the atmosphere. There were bright splashes of color everywhere and large tropical island paintings adorning the walls. (You can’t help but smile around decor like that.) The friendly staff only added to the ambiance.
I said to my husband, “I feel like I’m back in St. Martin.”
“You have a very good imagination,” he replied.
Okay, so maybe it’s not quite St. Martin, but we loved the island feel. Reading more about the restaurant online, I found their goal is having an atmosphere that reflects a tropical vacation — mission accomplished.
They also strive to provide fresh, tasty food and smoothies with a healthy appeal. We were a bit overwhelmed by the selection at first glance. Thankfully, the employees were very knowledgeable, helpful, and patient with us as we worked our way through the menu.
Too good to be so healthy
The menu offers a total of 28 mouth-watering smoothies and four kid smoothies. They are categorized as “supercharged,” “indulgent,” and “low-fat.” For 79 cents more, you can add supplements to your smoothie such as whey, soy protein or multi-vitamins. All smoothies are prepared with turbinado, unless Splenda is requested. Turbinado sugar differs from granulated sugar in that it is made at an earlier period in the processing method of the sugar cane. Because it receives less processing than regular sugar, some say it is healthier than granulated sugar, and it has slightly fewer calories. Most smoothies are simply fruit, ice, and turbinado. According to Ms. Munson, each 24 oz. smoothie is equivalent to 3 to 4 servings of fruit.
As for the rest of the menu, they offer an array of unique toasted flatbreads, sandwiches, wraps, and salads. I made sure my family ordered varied sandwiches, wraps and smoothies so we could conduct a taste test around the table. Flavors were bold, fresh, and everything was enjoyed to the last bite and the last big slurp.
The Thai chicken toasted wrap was light yet filling, and my daughter enjoyed her king caesar wrap. The wasabi caesar roast beef sandwich on toasted ciabatta (with pepper jack, lettuce and the spice of wasabi caesar dressing) was another excellent choice. Other tempting selections include a hummus veggie wrap (accented with pesto, parmesan, provolone and crunchy veggies), chipotle chicken club flatbread, and a turkey guacamole sandwich just to name a few. Forget about coffee and donuts — Tropical Smoothie is open for breakfast too, and offers morning creations that are available all day.
Sandwiches ($6.79) and wraps ($6.49) are served with fruit or chips. “I think some of the things people are tickled about is that we offer fruit, not just chips,” said Ms. Munson. She acknowledged that kids have more varied palates than people realize. I will attest to that — my oldest has truly had her fill of chicken tenders and cheeseburgers. She is always happy to try something different on the menu.
We were delightfully surprised to learn that kids eat free on Sundays. My sons loved their 12 oz. smoothies (they are STILL talking about them) and two cheese quesadillas. Also on the kids’ menu are turkey and cheese or ham and cheese wraps, chicken caesar salad, and cheese pizza. They offer a choice of chips, fruit, or a cookie with each meal. Complete kids meals are regularly $3.99 and $4.99, but items may also be purchased a-la-carte.
Bottom Line: Any time of year is a great time to enjoy a fruit smoothie and a taste of the tropics. At the Tropical Smoothie Café you’ll enjoy fresh flavors that fill you up but won’t weigh you down. Your kids will flip over the smoothies (and they don’t even need to know they’re good for them, too).
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
1385 Conant St. E
Maumee, OH 43537 (near Meijer)
419-893-2100
www.oh07.tropicalsmoothie.com
Mon.-Thur. 7am-9pm
Fri. 7am-10pm
Sat. 8am-10pm
Sun. 9am-9pm
Karen Zickes is a mom of three active children and freelance writer who resides in Holland, OH. She can be reached in c/o [email protected].
Sending help, and hope
The grief of losing a child can be debilitating and bleak. For Nick and Jenn Hall, it was a call to action.
In 2009, the Halls’ twins Reece and Graham were born prematurely. They lost Graham when he was only 45 days old; Reece was released after four months in the neonatal intensive care unit. The Halls, who live in Perrysburg, started Graham’s Foundation (named after their son) soon after. They wanted to use their personal experience to help other parents of extremely premature babies, those born before 29 weeks or weighing less than three pounds, practically and emotionally.
Their cause is one that touches many American families. In the United States, more than half a million babies are born prematurely each year. Premature babies — those born three weeks or more before the due date — have multiple health problems and require longer hospital stays. Parents of preemies are typically unprepared for the challenges that lay ahead, the Halls said.
“The biggest impact is psychological,” said Nick, co-founder of Graham’s Foundation. “You are unable to bond with your baby. You go home from the hospital at night, but your baby stays.”
One practical measure of support are the care packages for parents that the foundation sends to NICUs across the United States and Canada. In their first year, they sent 300 packages. Last year, they sent 10,000 packages. Delivery of packages is coordinated through a volunteer ambassador who has established a relationship with a specific NICU. Currently, there are volunteer ambassadors in cities as far away as Chicago, San Francisco and New York.
Volunteers also assemble the care packages, which include snacks, journals and inspirational books, preemie clothes, hand sanitizer and single-use cameras. Donations for the packages come from business sponsors, both local and national, and individuals donating on the foundation‘s website, www.grahamsfoundation.org.
Emotional support can be found on the foundation’s Facebook page, which has 4,400 members. The website includes a blog and links to other blogs by parents of preemies, books on premature birth and caring for preemies, and medical equipment websites. In 2012, they held the first Parents of Preemies Day, an annual event on the second Sunday of March, to recognize parents of preemies and the professionals and organizations that support them.
Graham’s Foundation is developing new ways to support parents of preemies. In the future, Hall hopes to send ‘transition home care packages,’ because bringing a preemie home is both gratifying and overwhelming. Parents have to create a new normal in a nursery that now looks like a mini-NICU. He would also like to start a more formal peer-to-peer mentoring program for parents to learn from the experience of other parents of preemies.
“I’m proud of the partnerships that we’ve formed, but the real measure of success is how many parents we have helped and encouraged. It’s all about having an impact,” said Hall, who is also sales director at PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services. “I was able to leverage all of my skills and professional relationships and channel them into an area that is personal. We can all surprise ourselves in what we can accomplish.”
The Fourth Annual Golfing for Graham’s Foundation is Sunday, Aug. 5, at Stone Ridge Gold Club. Check-in is at noon, and the event starts at 1:30 PM. $100 per person or $350 for a foursome. Purchase tickets online at www.grahamsfoundation.org.