Its a Hero

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A { For Real } Mother’s Day Wish List

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In case you live under a rock, Mother’s Day is coming up this weekend. And since that fateful October day several years ago, Mother’s Day has taken on some serious meaning to me. Yep, Moosh made me a Mommy and, much to my amazement, I’m forever a changed woman!

That being said, I stand by my oh-so-many of my first year Mommy requests. And I’ve expanded upon them a teeny, tiny, bit.

And in the spirit of honesty, here’s what this Mommy really wants for Mother’s Day this year (… and literally every Mother’s Day from here on out):

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  1.  A Spa Day. I mean, like a full-on spa day; a no kids, no responsibilities, nothing-but-pampering, kind of spa day. For whatever reason, massages alone tend not to relax me. I’m always thinking about my to-do list. But the one time I had an actual spa day (which just so happened to be my wedding day), I was incredibly relaxed.
  2. A Beer Flight. Like, in an actual restaurant/brewery. Tasting, smelling, drinking it all in. Give me all the hops!
  3. Lots of Macarons. The elusive macaron. Pretty much the only cookie I haven’t even attempted to master. And they just so happen to be my most favorite of all of the sweets!
  4. A Yoga Class. It’s been a shamefully long time since I’ve practiced yoga. Pre-Remy Bea pregnancy, that’s for sure! And I need some hot, sweaty, breathing-in-unison, class time. I know as soon as I get back to it, I’ll be addicted to that post-yoga high.
  5. A Hotel Room, A Bath Robe, + Room Service. No one else. No people. No talking. No questions. Nothing else. Just me. And the quiet. And the TV. And the wine. Is that so much to ask!? Ha!
  6. The Day Designer Planner. Mine was, tragically, “lost” during our car break-in incident last year. Bummer. Mega bummer. I’m a stickler for my planner and I haven’t yet replaced my old one with a ‘good’ planner. And I’m a planner snob (and a beer snob. and a cookie snob. and a coffee snob….). And nothing comes close to competing with this planner!

In all seriousness, this *is* my wishlist. But also? As much as they drive me nuts, I cannot seem to stand being away from my children. Sigh. Such a double-edged sword, this motherhood thing!

In reality, I’ll be surprising my husband with an early birthday gift on Sunday instead of celebrating Mother’s Day… Because I totally forgot that the day I was planning fell on Mother’s Day! Ooooopsie!

manifesting // 2013

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This year we rang in the new year in serious new-parent style: Thai takeout, movies on the couch, and snuggles with the babe + husband. Oh, and PJs before 6 PM. Yep, crazy and wild night.

But it gave me just a few more hours to think about the year ahead. I’m still figuring out my new role as a mom and a wife.

I’m not going to lie — it’s been an adjustment. And it’s been difficult to remember who I am, other than new mom and wife. So for 2013 I’m going to rediscover myself.

Instead of resolving a list of items for 2013, I’m going to manifest them! Sounds so much better, doesn’t it? 🙂

Manifesting these intentions for 2013:

  • Get my pre-baby body back.
    Between hitting the gym + yoga classes, I know I can do this. It’s just a matter of making the time, so I’m going to start scheduling it in my calendar; making it a non-negotiable.
  • Keep myself + my family healthy.
    To Chad and myself, this really comes down to clean eating. And the clean eating really just means cutting out processed foods and keeping it ‘simple.’
  • Start a 1/2 marathon training regiment.
    I really want the runners high that comes with distance running. And run some races. None in particular [I don’t want that kind of pressure]; but just make sure I run a couple of 5ks.
  • Be more adventurous.
    Try new foods; put myself out there more with new experiences + people; sing karaoke;  and stop being afraid of failing.
  • Immerse myself in my yoga practice.
    Participate in 4 yoga workshops/events this year. These workshops/special events are not only challenging physically, but are usually really emotional experiences for me. And I’ve missed that over the last year. So this year I’m making it a point to attend a few.
  • Smile more.
    Be happy. Let go of resentments and fear. Be a mom and wife that is present for the big and the small moments. Be conscious of letting things roll off my back instead of letting things people say/do get under my skin.
  • Get creative.
    Write it down. Journal, blog, art journal, and craft.
  • Be a person that my husband, baby and myself can be proud of.
    Strive to be the best me at every moment. I may not make myself proud all the time, but I’ll be trying.
  • Slow down.
    So much of our lives are scheduled and busy, busy, busy. I want to make a conscious effort to slow down and enjoy life; to truly be present and not stress when things feel too ‘fast.’

Not huge goals. Realistic and attainable intentions for 2013!

Here’s to a joyous and fabulous 2013!

 

June Dreams & Goals.

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The last few months my one and only goal was to survive and be healthy. But now that it’s June, and I’m well into my second trimester {almost the third!}, I’m feeling more like myself. I’m definitely not feeling 100% pre-pregnancy, but I’m feeling like a human again. Which is nice.

These next couple months will be heavy on checking things off of our to-do lists. I know that there is lots to be done before October 9th {and that October will be here before I know it}.

Reflections of May:

  • Had a very relaxing birthday celebration for the mister. We went to dinner {he decided on a place that I have been having some cravings for — isn’t he just the sweetest!?} and spent the night at home relaxing.
  • Celebrated our first month of marriage. And decided that other than it being “official” now, not much had changed. Which is great. I loved our life together before. It’s just now that I’m his wife 🙂
  • I spent a good deal of time crafting wedding related projects.
  • My name has officially been changed to Mrs. Rachel L! I  changed my name with the social security administration and my drivers license! I’m so excited to {finally} be Mrs. L! 🙂
  • We had 3 doctors appointments with our OB! The first was because of some pain, so it was unplanned. But the pain was deemed normal and we were sent on our way! The second was our scheduled 20-week appointment; and the third was our ultrasound.
  • I found a yoga class that really works with my body during this pregnancy. Unfortunately, I’ll have a scheduling conflict with it for the next few months.
  • Swimming at our gym became my new go-to exercise. It’s easy on my hips and joints, and also gets in some much needed exercise.
  • Family time. We spent a lot of time with family: his family, my sister, just the two of us {and pups}. It was lovely.
  • Finished planning our post-elopement reception. Parts of this have been fun; but honestly, I could not be more happy that our reception is very laid back.
  • Started our Bradley Method Birthing classes! Only 11 weeks of classes to go!

June Dreams & Goals:

  • Stay active. Go to yoga. Go for a regular swim.
  • Celebrate the end of my second trimester and beginning of the third!
  • Finish at least 2 or 3 pregnancy books. I kind of slacked on this last month.
  • Stay focused on housework during the weeks. There’s just too much to do on the weekends to have to waste time catching up from the work week.

That’s it. I’m keeping it simple for June. 🙂

May Dreams & Goals

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Is it seriously May?! How did the last 4 months fly by so quickly?

I’ve slacked on the monthly dreams & goals the last few months, but it feels good to be back to regular blogging.

May Dreams & Goals:

  • Practice at least one Power Yoga class a week.
  • Celebrate Chad’s birthday. And make it special.
  • Finish planning our post-elopement “reception.” We have a lot of planning to do! The only thing we’ve planned is the date and the location. Nothing else. Nada And just two months to go!
  • Start taking ballroom dance classes. Believe it or not, this actually has nothing to do with our wedding reception. In fact, we aren’t going to be ballroom dancing (or probably any sort of dancing) at the reception (yeah, it’s going to be super non-traditional; like everything that we’ve done!). We’ve had these planned for a while; just put it off for as long as possible (thanks Groupon!).
  • Read a couple more pregnancy books.
  • Finish up our baby registry. who knew it would be so overwhelming!
  • Be more present when I’m at home after work.
  • Celebrate our one-month wedding anniversary! I’m going to embrace these last few months we have as just the two of us!
  • Find out the gender of this baby I’m cooking!
  • Be present!

What dreams & goals do you have for this amazing month!?

Hello, November!

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November Dreams and Goals:

1. Make wine at the Grape and Granary here in Akron.
2. Make the annual trip to the Fabulous Food Show at the IX Center in Cleveland.
3. Get crafty! There are a lot of fall/winter-ish things I want to get done before the holidays are in full swing!
4. Take one bubble bath a week. It’s so necessary. I love being able to decompress with a bath bomb and a glass of wine.
5. Bake, bake, bake. And cook, cook, cook!
6. Get Oscar Puppy to the dog park before the end of the fall.
7. Stay positive throughout the month.
8. Order Christmas cards!
9. Don’t let any of the Groupons or Living Social deals expire without using them! 
10. Get a mani-pedi.
11. Read. Since our cruise I haven’t finished another book.
12. Work out a LOT.
13. Host a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner!
14. Enjoy the month.

August Dreams and Goals.

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So it’s safe to say to say that July Dreams and Goals kinda fell by the wayside. I could make excuses about being busy, but honestly, I just couldn’t. I just couldn’t blog. I couldn’t have one more responsibility. 

And the point at which I step away from my blog {and all blogs} is when it stops being fun.

But I started to come back around towards the end of July.

August Dreams and Goals:

1. Go to the Vintage Ohio Wine Festival.

I really, really, wanted to do this last year. But I just couldn’t swing it. This year, it’s a go! I’m so excited to try some delicious Ohio wines!

2. Support my BFF at her bridal shower!  

Her big day is quickly approaching, and so the festivities begin! 🙂 Can’t wait to see everyone shower her with love {and gifts} at her shower this weekend.

3. Finish planning my BFFs awesome bachelorette party! 😉 

And unfortunately, you’ll get few details from me before the big day because she reads this blog 😉 Sorry, C! Other than what we discussed, it’s top secret!! 🙂

4. Practicing sitting in silence. 

 And meditating. I figured it can’t hurt, right?

5. Continue working out 6 days a week. 

Making it hurt in a good way! 😉

6. Continue doing yoga six times per week. 

I’ve been rather consistent with this lately. And I need to keep it up!

7. Continue to eat meals from home rather than going out to eat. 

Must do. Even when we eat at ‘healthy’ places, I know it’s still not as healthy as it would be at home.

8. Host a blog sale. 

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but the time has finally come! And there will definitely be some good finds! 😉

9. Make 2 recipes from Babycakes: The Classics. 

I’ve had this cookbook for about a month now. And it’s just been sitting there. Part of the problem is that I don’t have any of the GF (Gluten Free) ingredients at home. I really should have them, so I best just go and purchase them.

10. Wrap up cruise loose ends. 

Like booking the hotel. And excursions. Oops. Haven’t done that yet.

11. Spend time with family. 

This should be easy considering we are going on a min-vacay with them near the end of the month.

12. Take Oscar to the dog park. 

Since I never did this in June, I should probably do it now while it’s still nice out.

13. Attend another outdoor yoga class.  

For my fellow Ohio yogis: come to Practice on the Preserve hosted by Cleveland Yoga on August 14. You can find more information here!

14. Focus on my goals. 

Reevaluate my Day Zero list and my 2011 thus far. I really haven’t done this yet. Need to make it a priority!

What are your goals and dreams for the fabulous month of August?