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Maplewood Boutique Fashion Show 2019

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I am zero percent fashion blogger, but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed @maplewoodboutique’s Spring/Summer Fashion Show on Sunday!

All of the outfits were super cute (SO many jumpers! ?) and I was obsessed with every single accessory (I’m looking at you, amazing purse that I had to physically stop myself from purchasing —  but only ‘cause I’m still in the diaper bag season of life, y’all).

EXTRA bonus?? Incredible brunch fare from the @squarescullery and donuts + cronuts from Crest Bakery.

It was so great getting out of the house for a few hours and enjoying the company of friends while supporting our local female-run businesses.

We sipped, we brunched, and we shopped! The Trailhead at Cascade Lofts is GORGEOUS! The event space is incredible and if you’re looking for a local place to have a wedding or shower, this is IT!

How was your weekend?! What Cleveland or Akron spot did you visit??

2018 // That’s a wrap!

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This blog post is coming to ya 3 days late, thanks to a healthy dose of laziness at the holidays! Ha! At least I’m being honest.

But also? I’ve been doing a lot of extra reflecting over the last couple of days. And my emotions are straight up all over the place.

I truly expected 2018 to be SUPER hard. I started the year pregnant with baby number three and fully anticipating that this child would send me down a deep dark hole of PPD and PPA. It turns out she didn’t. In fact, I’ve kinda been flourishing and finding myself kicking butt at this mother of three thing.

We ended our night in perfect ‘parent-of-3-kids’ fashion —  with an 8:30pm Netflix countdown with party hats and sweet tarts. And followed it up with a parents-only movie night in our NEW home, with a bottle of champagne, and homemade lobster rolls.

So while our 2018 came to a slow and quiet end, I looked back through my camera roll to see all of the amazing things that transpired since last January.

January 

 

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I met up with some great local bloggers for a little networking and brainstorming. It really kicked off my year in a big way by getting the creative juices flowing and reigniting my spark!

February 

 

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Visited NASA Glenn Research Center with a special group of influencers for the State of NASA address. We got a behind the scenes look at some really cool aerospace technology.

 

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Later in the month I covered the Cleveland Auto Show on behalf of Toyota!

March 

 

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We spent most of the month having fun at Cafe O’Play with the kids (thanks to a Winter family pass!). It wore the kids out and allowed me to get some work done at the same time!

 

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Oh – and Chad and I had a much-needed date night at Hilarities at Pickwick and Frolic, complete with a Barrio dinner-date beforehand!

 

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April 

 

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This was a pretty big month for us. We had (secretly) known about the gender of baby number three for a while, but we finally revealed the news to our friends & family! Baby number three was officially a GIRL!

 

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We also celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary with little fanfare. And, by little, I mean none! Ha! But that’s what happens when you’re pregnant with your third baby, right?

May 

 

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This, the month before my due date, I spent as much time as possible loving on my existing two babies. Lots of small adventures were had.

 

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Oh, and I had some maternity photos done.

 

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And met up with some fabulous bloggers for glass blowing at the Glass Asylum.

 

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And then again for a photoshoot meetup at Borrow Rentals.

June 

 

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I swear to you I spent this entire month just ready for Mila to arrive. In any spare moment I had, I was walking. Usually with the other two kids in tow.

 

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The kids also enjoyed a LOT of swimming!

 

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And then, of course, the arrival of Mila Rose.

July 

 

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We adjusted to life with another little.

 

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But I still managed to make it out of the house with all of the kids! Like Mila’s first trip to the Cleveland Flea with me and Remy Bea!

 

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And her first trip to the LEGO Store with Ari!

 

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Oh, and we had amazing newborn photos done.

 

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Then visited Edgewater Park Beach.

 

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And I took a yoga class with some fellow bloggers at Sibling Revelry Brewery. Mila came, too, although she spent most of her time in her car seat. Ha!

August 

 

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My first baby went off to his first day of Kindergarten!

September 

 

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I spent my first week completely solo with all three kids. I survived while Chad went away on his business trip AND I even managed to sneak out with just Mila to see the Infinity Mirrors by Yayoi Kusama exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

 

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Remy and I went out exploring our local Akron neighborhoods.

 

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And we visited the apple orchard when Mimi came to town!

October 

 

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Ari turned SIX!

 

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Chad and I went on our first truly solo (no Mila!) date night to the Best of Cleveland party at the Rock Hall.

 

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And we had a fun Halloween photo shoot with the girls!

November 

 

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I got to check out the new indoor putt-putt course at Punch Bowl Social in the Flats!

 

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The Big Kids went to Kringle’s Inventionasium to see Santa’s workshop!

 

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And we decided to purchase our forever home!

December 

 

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We closed on our new house!

 

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…and between moving and getting settled, we celebrated Christmas.

 

Seriously I could not be more grateful to all of the people who made 2018 the best year yet. I may not have taken a fancy vacation or gotten a big new promotion, but I had the most fulfilling year to date! It was full of everything that is most important — family, friends, lots of love, memories, and delicious food.

Cheers to 2019!

Life Lately // a Balancing Act as a Mom of 3

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Oh, hi! I promise I’m not just over here having babies and leaving you high and dry. I’m also living a relatively normal life — or at least trying to!

Here’s what we’ve been up to recently:

Bottoms Up Yoga at Sibling Revelry Brewing. 

I jumped at the opportunity to meet up with some fellow Cleveland bloggers for an afternoon of yoga, beers, and laughs, courtesy of Bottoms Up Yoga at Sibling Revelry Brewing!

I brought my mom, Mimi, with me so that she could hang with the big kids while I brought Mila in with me. I mean, she’s a newborn and sleeps most of the time anyway — and this was a class with a bunch of gals I know really well anyway!

Well, she started making those newborn grunts while sleeping in her car seat. I spent most of the time rocking her car seat in between downward dogs before I just gave up halfway through our flow and stepped out.

I ended up ordering some food and sitting down with a flight of IPAs to wait for the class to finish and for Mimi to arrive back with the big kids, so it all worked out in the end.

Sometimes you've just gotta put yourself out there and try to do something fun, even if the end result looks different from what you planned Click To Tweet

Sometimes you’ve just gotta put yourself out there and try to do something fun, even if the end result looks different from what you planned, right?!

The Cleveland Flea.

I’m not a big shopper. I’m just not. But one of the events I most look forward to each month is the Cleveland Flea. Perhaps because it combines my love of Northeast Ohio with my love of finding unique items and food? Yep, that’s probably it!

Well, the last Flea I brought both of the girls with me on a little girls day out. We ate donuts from The Vegan Doughnut Company and walked around for a bit before we settled into a cozy spot for some relaxation and people watching.

Remy is such a social child and she really loves to be given a little space to explore, so I let her do her thing for a bit while I fed Mila.

Work.

I’ve been back to work for weeks now and it’s not all that bad. Mila is with me at all times and the bigger kids have the chance to play and get some energy out for a bit in a different environment. I start teaching cycling again in just a few weeks so our schedule will get even busier, but I’m anxious to get back into the swing of teaching again!

Prepping for Kindergarten.

Ari starts Kindergarten in a week. I’m so excited for him and anxious at the same time. Our school shopping is nearly complete and I have his teacher and room assignment! The only thing we have left to do is attend orientation!

It’s safe to say I’m going to be a complete wreck those first few days. I don’t know if I’ll actually cry, or if my anxiety will just go into overdrive. I know for certain he is ready. He’s so excited and hasn’t even muttered a word about being nervous.

Food Fridays al Fresco at Cascade Plaza.

So many amazing things have been happening in my city over this last year. There are so many events happening on a daily basis (oftentimes at the same time), I’m bummed I’m not able to make them all. Such is life with three kids, I suppose!

But one of the events I knew we had to make it to was Food Fridays al Fresco, which happens every Friday during lunch in Cascade Plaza in downtown Akron. Basically, a bunch of food trucks, backyard games, and live music smack dab in the middle of a weekday!

I was adventurous enough to take all three kids out to this while solo-parenting. It was an adventure, but they had fun running around the big, grassy, plaza.

Edgewater Beach, Cleveland.

While searching for new places to take the kids, a friend suggested going to Edgewater Park and walking along the beach. It was a gorgeous day so I thought, why not?

The water was closed due to rough current, but the kids only really cared about the sand anyway. We walked and explored and played before giving in to the heat and heading back home.

Northeast Ohioans are lucky to have so many adventurous places to explore. This was just the tip of the iceberg for us and I cannot wait to continue taking my kids on these little adventures.

 

In reflecting on all that we’ve been up to lately, I can confidently say that adding a third baby changed everything and yet changed nothing. We’re still doing our thing. We’re still living our lives. We’re still having fun, and working, and playing. It just looks a little different.

In what fun ways

have you been

exploring lately?

 

Getting Creative in Cleveland

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Despite being very pregnant, I’ve set some fairly decent goals for myself over the last year. One of them is to put myself in front of the camera more frequently. It’s hard, I think, as a mom — without a lot of time for herself — to feel ‘put together’ enough to step in front of the camera. Well, I know it’s true for me. Especially since my mid-section has been rapidly growing for the last 9 months.

But in an effort to stay true to my goals, I’ve been putting myself out there. And when an opportunity came up to meet up with fellow blogger babes at Borrow Rentals in downtown Cleveland, I took it! Not only have I been craving some time with my fellow lady bloggers, but being around creatives tends to jumpstart my creative a bit and kick it into high gear!

I’d never been to this spot before, but the pieces were gorgeous! For someone who is hosting an event, I can see why it’s the go-to spot for items like tableware, vintage pieces, and large furniture!

For me, the best part of the day was chatting with ladies I either hadn’t seen in a while, or had never met in real life before. And the gorgeous Katie Logsdon was there to document the whole thing!

I was feeling very, very, uncomfortably pregnant that particular Saturday. And I tried not to let it show, but it was… difficult. It’s a good thing there were snacks and cookies to hold me over!

PS. Aren’t these pastries and cookies from Annie’s Signature Sweet’s the cutest!? Best part is — I found out she holds private baking classes for groups! Her lemon lavender cookies were to die for!

Since I wasn’t feeling particularly awesome, I decided to hop in front of the camera rather quickly. I am not going to lie — I am completely unnatural in that situation where there are loads of other people around and I have to smile for the camera. But Katie put me at ease!

I’m just sad that I jumped out to head home for a nap before getting this group shot!

It was such a fun afternoon, despite being uncomfortably pregnant. And I’m so grateful to the people who made this event happen — especially Katie Logsdon and Borrow Rentals for their services! And thanks to everyone for slowly but surely helping me to get more comfortable in front of the camera, rather than just behind it!

 

Explore Ohio // Glass Blowing at the Glass Asylum

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I’ve been so busy nesting for Baby # 3 that I’ve barely had a moment to breathe. But last week I decided to take some blogger friends up on some plans and meet them for a fun night of laughs, food, and glass blowing at The Glass Asylum in Chagrin Falls.

Getting acquainted!

We were greeted with open arms by the owner, Chris Crimaldi, and welcomed with adult beverages (yes, I had a glass of wine). I browsed the shop and watched the artists work while chatting up friends from near and far that I had not seen in ages!

I was immediately amazed at the detail in the pieces — flowers, vases, wine glasses, beer mugs, and more. We were encouraged to begin thinking of colors to work into our piece. I am notorious for being awful at what should-be simple decisions. Right then and there I decided to go with the ‘party mix’ of colors, AKA every color so that I don’t have to pick just one! Ha!

too many choices!

party mix!

As we settled in to learn about the history of The Glass Asylum,which is celebrating its third anniversary, we snacked on some amazing foods from M Italian, which is located in the same building.

Pizzas from M Italian

delicious salad + fried ravioli from M Italian.

Pizzas, fried raviolis, salad, and calzones galore!! Not to mention a nice plate of meats and cheeses from Jim Alesci’s Place! I was in pregnant lady HEAVEN!

Italian desserts from Alesci’s!

After a brief safety run-down and a short history of Chris, a trained electrician by trade, coming to glassblowing, it was time to get started.

the artists during our safety rundown.

Y’all, the fire for glassblowing is HOT. The ovens, known as glory holes (no joke), are on pretty much nonstop with the exception of July, August and September — because it’s just too darn hot! But the guys (and gal) of The Glass Asylum don’t seem to mind.

My big ol’ pregnant belly – getting my colors!

When it was my turn to go, I was assigned to two of the staff members, who are all trained artists, for help. I told them my idea — a multi-color beer mug — and they helped bring it to life!

Into the glory hole!

One of the coolest parts of this process was all of the science behind it. As I worked with the artists, they carefully explained what we were doing and WHY we were doing it — which is something I absolutely LOVE about learning anything new.

Pulling apart the top of my mug.

The entire time they were walking me through it, I kept thinking, “Dang, Ari (my 5 year old) would LOVE this!” It turns out he’s a bit too young to do it himself, but I am going to take him in to see the artists work and hear the explanation anyways. He’ll totally nerd out about it.

I’ll be picking up the finished product today and I could not be more excited! Here’s how it looked before the cooling process:

my mug.

Look at all of our creations! They are GORGEOUS!

Oh – and shout out to Kate of the Greatest Escapist for snapping a photo of us! And thanks to The Glass Asylum for hosting this incredible event!

Lady Bloggers.

Want to experience the art of glass blowing for yourself?

Contact The Glass Asylum online or call (440) 394-8483 to inquire about an event or experience of your own!

2018 State of NASA

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Oh, hiiiii! I’ve pretty much been dead to the world for the last two weeks thanks to a little bug called INFLUENZA. Ugh. But I’m happy to report that I’m almost fully recovered (pregnancy + the flu = a long road to recovery).

But I didn’t want to step away without sharing my experience from my recent trip to the Glenn Research Center for the 2018 State of NASA address!

I left my kiddos with their grandma for the day while I ventured up for a long day of nerding out in Cleveland where we were greeted with an address from the Deputy Director of NASA Glenn Research Center, Dr. Marla Perez Davis. She spoke to us about the advancements that the center has brought throughout its history.

After hearing more about the history of the center we went to the cafeteria for some lunch and some shopping (duh, gift shop!). I passed on this baby outfit, but darn it!, I really wanted it for baby # 3! 🙂

From there we listened to the 2018 State of NASA address from Robert Lightfoot, Acting Administrator of NASA, located at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. It was really interesting hearing about how the 2019 Fiscal budget will have long-term and long-lasting effects on the legacy of the space program.

From there we started a grand tour of NASA Glenn. First up was the Electric Propulsion Lab. Guys… I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t way, way, over my head.

But that’s OK. Because, well, I’m not a rocket scientist. But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the work and passion these people put in to testing propulsion! And I was in awe of the mere size of the facilities! They run 24/7/365! It’s incredible!

Next up was the Graphics & Visualizations Lab. Now this? This is some nerdy stuff I could really get behind! Think VR technology for NASA testing. And I jumped right into a VR experience on a supersonic jet!

I have to say, for someone who has always struggled with vision issues, VR does not suit me well. It just makes me dizzy. But it was still really cool — and likely the closest I’ll ever get to supersonic flight. 🙂

Next up was my personal favorite — the supersonic wind tunnel. Yes, we stood inside the 8 x 6 wind tunnel where they test supersonic flight!

Standing inside of the tunnel made me … a little claustrophobic.

But it was still quite an experience. And it’s something I totally can appreciate and understand. Kind of. 🙂 From there, we all parted ways, but it was so great to connect with some of our other local (and not-so-local) bloggers again.

Huge thanks to NASA and to Glenn Research Center for hosting us for the NASA Social Event!

Want to visit NASA Glenn for yourself? Check out their full lineup of monthly tours here.