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2013 // a (blog) year in review.

December 31, 2013 by Rachel 1 Comment

January // 

Chicken Tacos - itsahero dot com2

Slow Cooked Spicy Chicken Tacos — Which honestly feels like the last time I cooked! Just looking at these instantly reminds me of how delicious (and easy!) they were!

Tales From A Working Mom // Why I Choose To Pump — As silly as this may seem, this was really my ‘coming out’ post as a new natural mom. I haven’t really used the term ‘natural mom’ on my blog before, but it’s always been super important to me and to Chad to raise Ari sustainably and in the most healthy and natural way. Which meant breast milk. Which usually means breastfeeding. But I couldn’t do it (try as I might & try as much as others did to convince me that with a little more effort, it was possible).

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My Husbands Life-Changing Guacamole Recipe — There are few things I find more sacred than avocados (and guacamole). So when my husband perfected his guacamole recipe, I had to share it — you know, in the same way that people feel the need to spread the word of Jesus?? I feel that way about his guac recipe. #TrueStory #NotSorry

February // 

This Weekly Mantra — For the simple reason that I talk about chicken wings and say the word vagina in the same blog post.

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Red & White on Thursday Night Wrapup — Because it was: 1. Our first night away from Ari; 2. SO much fun! 🙂

March //

My first real post on being a little crunchy granola (about green cleaning products) — This barely scratched the surface of how crunchy-granola we are. Expect more crunchy to come in 2014! Ha!

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Ari’s 5-Month Update — For the picture alone. Dang, this kid has changed!!

Bullshit Supermom — Although I feel like I’ve found my groove a bit more since March, I still overall feel this way. Too much pressure is put on moms (and dads) to be perfect. And not enough people realize how much EXTRA pressure this puts on families.

April // 

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Ohio City Date Day — We ventured out to Ohio City for a day of wandering, eating, and shopping. The weather was perfect and we were home early for an evening to spend with Babycakes. Looking back, we felt out of our element to not have Ari with us. But it’s gotten easier since then.

May // 

Taking The Plunge — I joined Weight Watchers & I started to lose weight in a healthy way!

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Ari’s First Cleveland Indians Game — It was one of the hottest days of the year, but we made the most of it and made it to nearly the 5th inning!

June // 

You Are Not Your F*in Khakis — Such a great reminder to think about as we close 2013. Nothing matters but family and loved ones happiness.

July //

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Exploring Locally at the Cleveland Flea — It was my first experience at the Cleveland Flea and I soaked it up! It brought me back 3 or 4 more times since! The local vendors and new (to me) local foods!

Poise In Parma Guest Post — On fitness attractions between Akron & Cleveland! Great to get the perspective of a fellow yogi and fitness guru.

Stylish and Affordable Workout Clothes — My Target vs. Lululemon saga. Hint? Target wins for price! But I dream of Lulu.

August // 

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Weekend Wrap Up — The one where I went to Yoga Rocks The Park with Poise in Parma and Lilly Handmade Chocolates!

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Crafty With Wine — My first experience with Wine & Canvas! SO much fun and I have a decent piece of art to show for it. Ha.

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On Being A Boy Mom — When I found out I was pregnant with a boy, I was terrified. It turns out that I cannot imagine ever being the mom of a girl!

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The Color Me Rad 5k — It was the first race I’ve ever ran with someone. Gretchen and I were team Sons of Mother Runners! 🙂

September // 

The Earth Delights To Feel Your Bare Feet — A reflection of my desire to stop being a people pleaser.

Our Trip to Akron Childrens Hospital — Not necessarily a good day, but by far our worst day of 2013. So glad that we learned about Ari’s egg allergy sooner than later!

BelieveInCLE

Our Busy Weekend — The #BelieveInCLE event, another 5k, a late night snack at Hodges, another Cleveland Indians game, and another painting via Wine & Canvas! One of the best weekends of the year. 🙂

October //

Birthday Weekend Wrap Up — A trip to see Sweeney Todd at PLayhouse Square, dinner at Momocho, and a bit of pampering! For the win!

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To The Love of Our Lives On His 1st Birthday — Reflecting on Ari’s first year.

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Operation Mama Gets Her Groove Back — That time I cut all of my hair off.

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Ari’s Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday Bash — A lot of planning ended up paying off!

November // 

A Few of Ari’s Favorite Things — A list of our baby 1st year must-haves!

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One-Year Photo Shoot — My fave pictures of ALL time.

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Another CLE Flea Weekend — Brewnuts + Masons Creamery = YUM!

December //

Blogger Date At Charles Scott Salon — Manis, pedis, and dinner with girlfriends!

Filed Under: Akron, another year, cleveland, Cleveland Indians, life, links, lists Tagged With: ari davis, bloggers, love list

a few of Ari’s favorite things //

November 16, 2013 by Rachel 6 Comments

Moms-to-be & new-moms!
I have been waiting ONE year to tell you about the products #BabyAri and I have learned to love and the baby items we simply cannot live without!

Newborn Must-Haves: 

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Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets. 
You might think “Dang! These things are expensive and cannot be practical or worth it!”
But the truth is? You will need these blankets. No other swaddle blankets will work.
The Babies R Us blankets?? Not big enough. These blankets?? These are perfect. In every way.

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The Nap Nanny.
I knwow this product has been recalled, and I’m not advising against the recall.
But I can tell you that this thing is a life-saver.
The first time Ari ever slept at night, it was in this thing.
He was too tiny for it, and we wedged him in with a blanket;
but it was the start of a new chapter — the chapter of sleeping again!
So if you can find a used one on Ebay, DO IT.

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Infantino Sash Mei Tai.
Vacuuming with a baby = bliss!
Seriously. this is the perfect snuggle-up carrier.

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Bright Starts Portable Swing.
Ya know how those fancy Crade and Sway swings look SO awesome??
Well, they suck. Majorly. Big time.
Ours broke within 30-days of use. And apparently they have a record of doing that.
But our sitter uses this one and Ari LOVES it.
Next baby?? I’m getting this.

Nursing Mamas:

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My Brest Friend.
This is the ultimate nursing pillow.
I thought the boppy would work, but it didn’t.
This pillow helped support his head and body
so that I could focus on trying to get my little guy to latch.
It was my “third arm” when I needed it!

LansinohNursingPads

Lansinoh Nursing Pads.
I registered & received two sets of Lily Pad reusable nursing pads.
But they itched like a mother trucker!
I wanted to love them. I really did. But they are not practical.
You leak, you itch.
Some things were just meant to be disposable. So invest in these, please!

Medela-Pump-in-Style-Advanced

Medela Pump In Style Breastpump.
Sighhh. My saving grace!
It’s no secret that as an exclusively pumping mommy, I need a pump that would be the best.
And this was. I loved it. Completely worth the cost.

For Mom:

netflix

Netflix.
Because you will be up at UnGodly hours with zero on the DVR.
Because your baby will want to sleep on you in uncomfortable positions.
So you need Netflix. Now.

Babies of any age must-haves:

New Diaper Designs GROUP

Honest Diapers.
Fragrance and chemical free.
Adorable designs. Environmentally friendly!

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My Pal Scout from LeapFrog.
This toy is a lifesaver!
We programmed it with Ari’s “favorites” + his name! Scout seems some catchy
(and annoying)
songs, but is totally worth it! It’s a distraction and snuggle partner for baby.
I’ve seriously bought THREE of these for different friends who have had babies recently!

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The Tinydiner Placemat.
I didn’t register for this item, but I got it during my shower. I thought “really?? Will we actually use this??”
But truthfully, it’s been a lifesaver. I don’t ever freak out when we’re in a restaurant, because this suctions to the table,
throw some puffs/pieces of food onto the placemat, and he goes to town!

YoGabbaGabba

Yo Gabba Gabba.
This was the one thing that made Ari stop crying while he was colicky.
It’s our baby crack. Love it. Hate it. Live with it.

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Cart & Highchair Cover.
This is actually the exact cover we have. And it is awesome!
We use it every single time we make a Target run (which, let’s fact it — is at least three times a week!).

thredUP-15-dollar-credit-free-stuff

ThredUp.com.
Baby clothes are expensive. And if you want cute ones that you don’t spend HUNDREDS of dollars on,
this is the place to buy them.
ThredUP.com is a resale site of brand name baby/kids clothes.
We have found the most amazing winter coats and Gap sweaters on this site!

For Mama + Daddy:

Go-the-F-k-to-Sleep

Go The F**k To Sleep.
The book.
Cause everyone needs a comedy to read when their kid isn’t listening and is screaming for hours on end.
Get it. For real.
That is all.
Ha.

Filed Under: Ari Davis, babies, Baby., children, family, goodies, life, links, mommyhood, Oh baby!, parenthood Tagged With: ari davis, family, links, love list, motherhood, oh baby, tales from a working mom

love list //

November 12, 2013 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Things I’m loving as of late…

love-list-itsahero1

1.  This tote from AlwaysDesign on Etsy.    2. This Macbook Pro case from PochetteGavotte on Etsy.     3. This card from LittleCanoe on Etsy.     4. This sketchbook from SomeOfMyOrange on Etsy.     5. This fun necklace from BirdieNumNumShop on Etsy.     6. These awesome gold vinyl wall decals from UrbanWalls on Etsy.

  love-list-itsahero2

1. This awesome rug from Zulily.     2. This DIY gold mason jar crafting project via LilyShop blog.     3. These adorable (and eco-friendly!) new diaper designs from Honest Diapers.     4. The Fox Says printable from GroopDealz.

What are you loving right now? 

Filed Under: etsy, links, lists, love list Tagged With: etsy, links, love list

Baby Ari’s Yo Gabba Gabba 1st Birthday Bash!

October 21, 2013 by Rachel 8 Comments

ygg
TGIO! Thank goodness it’s over! Ha ha! But seriously, I planned and planned for that party like it was my job! The weather was terrible, but that didn’t stop us from having a great time.

1st birthday set up 1

 

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I’m short on words today because I’m beyond exhausted (still). Sorry (#notsorry) this post is a bit heavy on the pictures!

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I made the DJ Lance Rock Boomboxes by taping print-outs from Nick Juniors website to individual animal cracker boxes. And I made the Muno chocolate covered pretzels myself.

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And the yellow popcorn boxes were purchased from WholesalePartySupplies.com. The characters were printed out from Nick Junior and glued on. Lots of hours went into these projects!

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I ordered his smash cake (above) from Pure Delite. It was vegan + gluten free! Also made with half the sugar of a traditional cake. My mom made all of the cupcakes, which were also gluten free, but not vegan. I figured if Babycakes was going to eat cake, it better be the most healthy cake possible!

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I bought the yellow pails from WholesalePartySupplies.com as well. The Plex eyes were printed from the Nick Jr website, glued on by yours truly! Chex mix = Plex Mix for the win!

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I purchased the PDF for these name tags from etsy shop Reddish Orange and printed them at Staples. If you’re familiar with Yo Gabba Gabba, you know the “Hi My Name Is Rachel… and I Like To Dance!” Ha!

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I bought the popcorn from Metropolis Popcorn here in Akron. They have tons of flavors and I am obsessed! Of course I had to get something colorful for the party, but I don’t actually think the kids cared either way. Popcorn is popcorn, right?? 🙂

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And yeah, I may have made my husband dress up as DJ Lance Rock for the party (found at WholesalesPartySupplies.com). I even found a striped shirt to “dress up” as Brobee! Ha!

Most perfect 1st birthday ever! I know he’ll never remember it, but I always will. Just like I’ll always remember these first 12 months with Ari, forever and always. And during the party I was proclaiming “I’ll never do a party like this again!” who am I kidding!? I totally will!

We were so grateful to all of the friends and family who came out to celebrate with us!

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Filed Under: Akron, Ari Davis, birthday, crafty, cupcakes, desserts, family, fun, life, links, mommyhood, Oh baby!, Ohio, parenthood, party, pinterest Tagged With: akron, ari davis, celebration, crafty, etsy, family, life, motherhood, oh baby, ohio, pinterest

October Link Love //

October 10, 2013 by Rachel 1 Comment

Fall is my most favorite time of year. The weather is perfect, pumpkin drinks are in abundance, and there is so much to do!

Here’s a bit of what’s on my radar right now ::

  • Alicia from Poise In Parma is hosting a giveaway of a local shirt from GV Art & Design. The giveaway is only open through tonight, so hurry! Alicia also has a discount code if you’re looking to place an order on their website (which I will be doing!).
  • This Saturday is the last outdoor Cleveland Flea of the 2013 season! I cannot wait. We’ll be downtown on East 4th for Ari’s 1-year photo shoot with Julie from Je T’Adore Photography in the morning, so a stop by The Flea is definitely in order! Perhaps even an Ohio City family lunch date afterward?? OK, that might be pushing it.http://lifeinthecle.wordpress.com/2013/10/06/my-hair-spiration/
  • Heather from Mile26andMore.com is such a rockstar with her Advocare challenge! Such an inspiration! And this mama looks fantastic after her 24-day challenge! But let’s face it, this mama was in amazing shape even before the challenge! 🙂
  • This post from my dearest Charlene about her recent hair-spiration, courtesy of Charles Scott Salon!
  • This post from Maria of the Daily Downward Dog on learning to love your Chair Pose! As someone with a serious love-hate feeling towards Utkatasana (chair pose), I can completely appreciate this! And I’m certain that if you’ve ever smiled through something (anything) uncomfortable, you will too!
  • Don’t forget to check out Sweeney Todd at the Hannah Theater at Playhouse Square while you can! Use code PR6 for $10 off each A Level Ticket.
  • Orange. Whiskey. Marshmallows. Sayyyyy what?? Yep. Check them out.

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  • Harness Cycle in Cleveland does a “Run The Bridges” run every Wednesday. And every Wednesday I wish I’d driven to Cleveland to run with them!
  • Last, but not least, MyMemories.com is offering a FREE download of My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Suite Version 4.0 for ONE WEEK! Just use code FreeTreatLO88 ! It’s only available for the next 7 days, so download it fast! 🙂

Filed Under: Akron, bloggers, cleveland, etsy, explore locally, fun, giveaway, goodies, links, love list, Ohio, yoga Tagged With: akron, bloggers, cleveland, discounts, explore locally, giveaway, hair and fashion, links, love list, sponsor, yoga

get fit! // fitness goals

May 10, 2013 by Rachel 6 Comments

I’m big on lists. And goals — big and small.

So I’m sharing how I am holding myself accountable.

and offering myself little rewards throughout my “get fit” journey!

1. Fit back into my old pre-baby jeans. This is a big one. I’m tired of wearing maternity & postpartum clothes. I miss my old J.Crew jeans. Sigh. Reward? New pair of Lululemon yoga pants.

2. Go back to a C-cup. You may think I’m crazy, but baby weight gain + nursing = giant tatas. And I’m over it. Like, a thousand percent over it. Reward? New bra from Victoria’s Secret.

3. Run for 30 minutes straight. Used to be easy-peasy. Now I’m working myself back up to it via the Couch to 5k program. Getting there! Reward? I Run This Body shirt from mile-posts.com.

I-Run-This-Body-Shirt

4. Work out 7 days straight. This is kind of self-explanatory. I used to work out everyday. I know it’s not possible to do 7-day a week workouts all the time, but just one week would be nice. Reward? These pub glasses I’ve been lusting over for ages now.

Hello Fizz Pub Glass1

5. Run my first timed 5k race since Ari was born. It’s been a longggg time since I ran an actual race. Reward? This Run Like A Mother shirt.

 

How about you? Do you have any fitness goals or other life goals you’re working on?? Do you set mini-‘rewards’ for yourself when you achieve them?? 🙂

Filed Under: fitness, links, lists Tagged With: fitness, health, links, list, running, workout

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