girls nite

Key to the Cure // Wrap Up

November 6, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Before I get into this wrap up I wanted to very quickly give a shout out to one of my favorite local charities, Shoes and Clothes for Kids (SC4k). The mission of SC4K is to provide disadvantaged kids in Greater Cleveland with brand new shoes and clothing. What might surprise you is that two of their most requested items are socks and underwear. It’s so easy to take simple things like these for granted, but many kids in our community are wearing hand-me-downs, giveaways, throwaways – and some just go without.

To get people to think about this topic, they created a catchy video. Take a quick minute and check it out:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdgGqUKW9nA#t]

Right now they are running a crowdfunding campaign to help increase sock and underwear donations! Even better? They’ve received a challenge grant of up to $15k! That means your donation will be MATCHED!

If you are able, please consider donating to the campaign here.

Alright, so, a few weeks ago I had the privilege of attending another charity event, the Key To The Cure event at Saks Fifth Avenue at Beachwood Place! My girlfriend, Carli, and I decided to say buh-bye to our boys for the evening and head out for a night of fun.

Saks Fifth Avenue of Beachwood Place teams up with the Cleveland Clinic each year to host a shopping extravaganza! It’s a chance to give shoppers the opportunity to support women’s reproductive and breast research by offering a percentage of their sales go to the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center from October 15th to October 18th.

Guests were encouraged to purchase presale tickets to the event kickoff, which was the event we attended on October 15th, for $75 per person. Included in the event ticket was a $50 tax deductible write-off, a $25 Saks gift card, live entertainment, and food and drinks supplied by the amazing local talents from the Taste of Cleveland restaurants!

Carli and I arrived and were a tad bit overwhelmed at first. There was a LOT of food. Like, a lot. And, even though I knew I would be sick later, I wanted to eat all of it. We did a quick circle through Saks to check out all of the food offerings (duh. I’m pregnant), before diving in.

The food was amazing. Many of the offerings were from restaurants I have already been to; others I was experiencing for the first time (though we had meant to try them… that whole toddler thing keeps us home a lot as of late). Society Lounge provided cocktails for the evening (and I may have sipped on the most delicious Moscow Mule I’ve ever had), and wine was also provided for guests. I honestly can’t even remember who had the best food (but it was probably Lago).

Oh and I made sure to eat as many delicious donuts as my belly would hold, thanks to Peace, Love and Little Donuts. 🙂

At the end of the night, we waddled our way upstairs to the childrens department (because let’s be real — when a mom is given $25 bucks to spend, she chooses to spend it on her kids, not herself). I bought baby girl an adorable sleeper (that I would have normally never spent $25 on… let’s be real). So thank you, Key to the Cure, for the “free” $25!

Overall, it was an awesome night. I would love to experience the evening again, but this time not pregnant (Umm, HELLO Moscow Mules and see ya next year!)! If you missed it this year, keep an eye out for it October 2016! And see ya there!

Palm Breeze + Mommys Night // Review + Sponsor

May 3, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

We’ve had less-than-tropical weather here in Ohio as of late. In fact, our “Spring” has been full of a wintery-mix. I, for one, am over it. So I recently threw a party with some girlfriends to bring the tropics to us!

Because let’s face it — any excuse for a girls night AND a pretend-luau is a fantastic idea!

First things first — Palm Breeze sparkling alcohol alcohol spritz was readily available in all of my local grocers. While I picked up my other party supplies (which let’s face it, was 100% made up of cheeses), I could easily pick up Palm Breeze for our party.

My mommyfriend/girlfriend and I pretended it was a fun night on the beach with palm trees and sea breezes… and, let’s face it, … no kids around. AHH! Usually I’m a red-wine drinker; but the flavor — and fizzyness! — of Palm Breeze, which is a malt beverage that comes in two flavors, Ruby Red Citrus and Pineapple Mandarin Orange, was a welcomed change! And just what this mama needed after a long week of curveballs.

Our impromptu luau wouldn’t have been complete without a lot of girl talk, a bit of Palm Breeze, and a handful of giggles. Ok, let’s be real — a LOT of giggles. There’s something to be said about relaxing with friends and enjoying a little bit of fake luau on the deck in Ohio! Ha!

Although we attempted to avoid talking about our children, all roads (and conversations) lead back to the toddlers. It was inevitable that we chatted about our daily struggles and the joys in all of it. This is how moms are spontaneous: we get together after the kids go to sleep with every effort to avoid mommyhood and are easily distracted by tall tales of small boys who jump off of couches and are obsessed with all things dirt.

So our “wild” night consisted of mommy-chatter and delicious Palm Breeze malt beverages. And cheese. Obvy.

Perfection! Everything about this night was perfect! Thank goodness for tasty beverages and for girlfriends! Am I right?!

To all of my friends near one of these major cities, RSVP to a Girl’s Night Out hosted by Palm Breeze and Blo Blow Dry Bar.

D.C. RSVP here.

San Diego RSVP here.

Austin RSVP here.

Dallas RSVP here.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

better late than never // our weekend wrap up

April 29, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Friday //

My BFF from high school, Carli, moved down to Akron over a year ago. As mucha s we SAY we’re going to get together now that we’re living down the street from each other, we just haven’t been able to as much as we’d like. ‘Cause life happens, y’all. But Friday night we had a date! We planned on hitting up The Office Bistro for a glass of wine and dinner, but the hostess was incredibly rude so we just left. (Note: this is not my typical experience at this restaurant; but her attitude completely justifies us leaving without a second glance).

I told Carli that I had had great experiences with Craft Beer Bar, right next door. Sure there was beer (hey, Bodhi!); but there was also an incredible spread of food.

I will say, Shawn and Dustin did not disappoint! Dustin was insistent that we try some of their new menu items and pretty much force-fed us. Ha! The potato pancakes (in the upper left hand corner) are not yet on the menu, so we were lucky to get a “sneak peak.” And they were delicious! As soon as we were completely full, thanks to the Bacon Queso (upper right), Poutine (lower right), and the Mac and Cheese (lower left), Dustin came out with yet another surprise — an orange creamsicle ice cream sandwich. I honestly don’t know the menu name for this dessert yet because I was in a serious food coma by the time it came out.

While we were out I got a call from my husband that he had a work emergency, so I quickly rolled home — ha! — so that he could run out to Cleveland for a night of work. Unfortunately, he was out ALL night and didn’t get home until 6am. I swear if we didn’t have events scheduled for Saturday, my poor husband wouldn’t have gotten out of bed. And I don’t blame him one bit.

Saturday //

We had a bit of a lazy morning. Between Chad working all night and Moosh sleeping in bed with me, we were all kind of exhausted. We did manage to make it to Crafty Mart, a local artisan and maker show located in downtown Akron, in time for Chad to go to a kombucha-making workshop with the Bearded Buch!

We’ve been fans of the Bearded Buch for a while now; and Chad has been itching to make his own Kombucha at home; so a workshop with the ‘buch guru himself?! Hecks yes!

While Chad was in his workshop, Moosh and I walked around Crafty Mart where the first stop was the Akron Art Museum! The art museum is one of my favorite places in Akron, so the fact that they open their doors for these local vendors to showcase their craft just is that much more awesome.

But it was definitely one of the most popular Crafty Mart locations. And my dearest, dearest, Crafty Mart — as a patron, the one piece of advice I would give you is that as this event grows (which it has!), please locate this event in one single location! 🙂

But one of Mooshie’s fave places is the Akron Art Museum. He ADORES this place. We bought a few things and headed over to Musica, a local music venue. Musica. Oh dear Musica. You are a beautiful location. I would love to see a show at this venue. Scratch that. My early 20-something-year-old self would love to go to a Taking Back Sunday show at your venue. Cause this gal finds herself in PJs by 6pm these days, let’s be real.

I didn’t get any pictures at Musica because it was way too crowded. Way too many vendors in such a tiny space. I think this does the vendors a disservice because people, such as myself, aren’t lingering nearly as long because they are getting quite claustrophobic. After one purchase, we popped out into the alley for some air.

Post-Musica, we ended up at Summit Artspace. It’s a little “off-the-beaten-path,” that’s for sure. It’s a spot I’d heard of in passing, but I didn’t really KNOW what it was.

Apparently this spot is one of Akron’s best kept art secrets. I’ve likely heard of it in passing, but I had no idea that it was a space where local artists have their own little ‘shops’ inside to showcase their art. It’s fantastic to have this, but sad that I had no idea it existed up until this point.

But back to the art and the vendors… I was majorly impressed with the fact that this space was a bit more open. Plus, they borrowed an idea from the way the Cleveland Flea is set up and had vendors on one floor and food and drinks on another (just like the last holiday flea). A HUGE thank you to Nuevo (remember that amazing mod mex restaurant we went to for our anniversary??) for providing tacos á la carte (along with amazeballs guacamole and homemade chips!), Thirsty Dog for the beer, and Stray Dog Cart for the ‘dogs and the (free for kids!) cannolis!

This is exactly what we needed to ‘rest’ until we were ready to do more shopping. I hope next time there are even more food/beverages available.

After Chad was done with his Kombucha workshop I took a terrarium workshop with Land Of Plenty. It turned out beautifully and wasn’t nearly as difficult as I imagined it would be!

Sunday //

I was supposed to go to an event in the early afternoon, but after such a busy busy Saturday and severe lack of sleep, I decided to stay at home with my boys and get things done instead. It was just what we needed. <3 Sometimes you’ve just gotta listen to your body/family. 🙂

It was a wonderful weekend, but unfortunately our week has begun with a sick Moosh, hence the not getting this post up until mid-week! Sigh. Blog fail; parenting win.

The next weekend is just around the corner…

a much needed girls night // wine + canvas

January 27, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

Yesterday was downright awful in most ways. I was up all night Sunday with a stomach thing, courtesy of a gone-bad batch of sour cream (ugh). And then I spent the whole day with the bathroom door open + a toddler that kept yelling “Mommy – Osckie messy!” about the dog as I was incapacitated in the bathroom. (False alarm – the dog was fine. Turns out ‘Oscar messy’ meant that Ari just wanted to ‘clean’ Oscar with baby wipes. But there was definitely a moment of panic from the bathroom when I thought all hell had broken loose.)

Turns out all hell broke loose later. I had paid & registered for a local Wine + Canvas event, but I was feeling downright awful Monday morning. They require 48-hours advance notice for cancellations. So I went. But when I left the house (determined not to get sick), I got a flat tire. Like, right away. Insert major frowny face. I’m so over my car right now. Ugh.

I ended up taking Chad’s car to the wine + canvas event, but it put a serious damper on my evening.

… and then I made a pretty picture.

I called my friend Cristin when I was running late and I asked her to please order me a glass of much-needed wine. The end result was this painting. I honestly couldn’t remember what painting we exactly agreed to paint, but I didn’t care at that point. It was a wonderful release. <3

So yeah, today I’ll be spending approximately $800 on tires; but ya know what? my husband + my friends rock in a major way. And so does being crafty. That is all, y’all. Happy Tuesday… cause it’s not Monday.

long overdue update on life lately //

September 11, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

Guys. Life has been crazypants lately. Complete and utter crazypants. Wasn’t it just my super single week while the boys were in Denver?? Seems like it, but time is flying by. In fact, I spent most of my super single week cooped up at home with a stomach bug. It was the exact opposite of awesome. At one point I actually considered calling a co-worker in the middle of the night to come pick me up and take me to the ER.

Other than sneaking in a couple of weekday runs and an overdue yoga practice at One Love Yoga in Kent, I kinda flew under the radar. It’s amazing because before Ari, I would totally crave alone time. I have no problem going out by myself to a movie or to dinner; but having both my boys away from me just felt wrong. It very quickly grew old.

That week happened to be my aunt’s first week as an empty nester. So we decided to do a girls night out to dinner at L’Albatros in University Circle. It was so much fun — and the food was incredible. We shared the Chicken Liver and Fois Gras Mousseline for an appetizer and I ordered the Grilled Sausage Platter (both below) for my entrée. I was in foodie heaven! I was a bit nervous I wouldn’t like the chicken liver and fois gras, but it was so, so tasty!

Other than that, on Sunday before I picked Moosh and the mister up, I stopped by a very rainy Taste of Hudson to grab a bite to eat. In honesty, rainy is an understatement. It seemed like a monsoon that day. But The Taste of Hudson was still hustling and bustling! It was great to see. Yes, I would have enjoyed taking the boys; but I knew after I picked them up from the airport, they would be in no shape to go anywhere (I was right).

Other than my super single week, life has been crazy busy with illness. Chad ended up getting sick 24-hours after coming home from Denver; Moosh ended up sick just a few days later. And we’ve been dealing with it ever since. ER visits, doctors visits, follow up appointments… all the rage in our fam as of late!

Oh – and running. There’s been plenty of running going on, too! So you could say our life is pretty exciting. Ha!

get fit! // fitness update

September 26, 2013 by Rachel 2 Comments

Weight Watchers //

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve started WW on a really strong note… but I’ve actually slacked near the end of each of the last two weeks. I’ve been out of town on fun adventures. Fun adventures = food, drinks, and slacking on the tracking! I didn’t even weigh myself last week. So when I weighed myself this morning, it was 2 weeks since my last weigh in.

And given the carbs, the beer, the oh-so-amazing food… I gained a pound since my last weigh in. It’s not ideal. And even though I’m a bit blah about the whole thing, I know why and I’m taking steps to change it.

It doesn’t help that I’ve been fairly sick for the last couple of weeks. In fact, this semi-gluten intolerant mama has had to eat more than her fair share of bread/crackers because she’s been throwing up (thank you, antibiotic. ugh). Oh yeah — and I’m on an antibiotic for my freakin’ double-ear infection and sinus infection. Ugh.

After a day at home, some chicken soup, and lots of sleep, I felt a teeny bit better. After a few days on the super aggressive antibiotics, I gave them up for a homeopathic method. I was down for a couple of hours each time I took it (twice a day)… it got to the point where people kept asking me if I was pregnant!! Ha! [PS. I’m NOT.]

Workouts //

I’ve been working out as much as I have been able to. I was tempted to work out when I was super sick — desperate to fit in a run — but I avoided my urge. I rested. And I rested some more. And it worked. I’m already feeling better!

I did manage to fit in 3 (short) runs and a power yoga class, but it never feels like ‘enough’. Ya know??

Food //

I haven’t been eating crap. In fact, I’ve still been avoiding it. I’ve been focused on eating local foods. But sometimes those local food makers are so. flippin’. dangerous! And so so good. So indulgence is “necessary.” Or too hard to resist.

When I say “indulged” I really mean: 1) split a fried chicken + mac entree with my sister on a girls (plus Ari) night out; 2) nibbled on a soft pretzel with Ari [he ate most of it]; 3) we bought a lot of ‘occasional’ treats, sampled them, and put the rest in the freezer.

Looking ahead //

The root of my issue is really mental. Alright, alright… hold your laughter! Not in that way! 🙂

I’ve just had issues balancing life (go figure). I desire a good night of sleep, spending meaningful time for my husband, and having enough energy to work out. But that doesn’t always happen. I did end up running while I was in Columbus. Which was a feat in itself considering my sister and I spent the night before playing board games and drinking Columbus Brewing Co Bodhi. But we ran. And pushed Babycakes in the jogging stroller (ugh!).

But this week I’m purposefully taking it easy. I’m recovering from sickness PLUS I have the Akron Marathon Relay Saturday. (PS. I’m SUPER nervous for that race!)

I’m still working to get to my goal. I just need to continue to find that balance between work/life/workouts. I’m too used to the pre-baby/pre-marriage state of mind… you know, the one where I could get up at 2:30am, workout, and not worry about anyone else? Well I still have that same motivation, it’s just not a reality to apply it. At least not 100%. And that should be OK; that should be enough.

We’ll see what this week has in store! 🙂