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Cleveland Food + Brews — The South Side + the Best of CLE Party

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The last few weeks have been filled with exhaustion, thanks to a cold that we’ve been passing throughout the house and a baby that is teething; but in between the sickies and the sleepless nights, I wound up getting out of the house not once but 2 whole times for fun events with friends.

First came a blogger meetup at The South Side for Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky’s fall menu preview. Even though I was exhausted and a big part of me wanted to stay home snuggled up in bed with Mila, I decided to venture out. I’m so glad I did.

I was able to meet up with some of my favorite local bloggers and enjoy a night of wonderful conversation, laughter, and fantastic food.

Some of the new menu items include a Clam Bake (basically a clambake in a bowl), Garlic Rose Flatbread, Mushroom Arugula Flatbread, Tuna Stuffed Roasted Tomato, The Clevelander (fresh local kielbasa and sausage, a poached egg, butter beans, tomatoes, and kale), Roasted Tomato Hummus, and Sweet Potato and Sage Pierogi — to name just a few.

The food was creative, fun, and best of all delicious. My favorites were the calamari, hummus, short rib, maple sweet potatoes, our world tots, and the flatbreads.

Oh, and rumor has it that The South Side has a pretty killer Bloody Mary on the weekends. I’ll definitely be returning to check it out.

The next big adventure was the Best of Cleveland Party at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Our two VIP tickets not only meant that Chad and I could go on our first real baby-free night since Mila was born 4 months ago, but also that we could visit the Rock Hall and check out all of the 2018 winners of various food, drinks, and live music.

Winners included Sunoco Cafe (Best Hummus), B Spot (Best Burgers), Barrio (Best Tacos), Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream (Best Ice Cream), Rocky River Wine Bar (Best Wine Bar), Market (Best Bloody Mary Bar), and so many more!

We dined, we danced, we drank, and we explored so many pieces of music history. It was, by far, one of the most fun events I’ve been to in Northeast Ohio. Many thanks to Cleveland Magazine for putting on such an incredible event.

Sometimes a little bit of (extra) exhaustion is worth the fun, right? Absolutely, totally right. Thanks for being so awesome, Cleveland. You continue to amaze me. ♥ ♥

 

 

Celebrating SIX at CLE Social

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I can hardly believe it, y’all. But my first baby — my little #BabyAri — my little “Moosh!” — is six years old tomorrow. SIX!

I’m in disbelief that six years have flown by this quickly. Our little man has kept us on our toes from the moment he was born. And yet, somehow, he’s always been incredibly level-headed.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that my baby boy has blossomed into a pretty cool little dude. He loves pretty much everything — school, his friends, his family, video games, YouTube, LEGOs, blind bags, and being wild and crazy.

But when Chad took Ari to CLE Social, a local old-school arcade in Hudson, he had an absolute blast. And I just knew that this was the spot that we would have his 6th birthday party. I mean, it’s seriously 1000% ARI.

CLE Social is an arcade that features 30 classic arcade games, like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and two pinball machines. The coolest part of the arcade is that the only two games that accept quarters are the pinball machines. The rest? Free with the cost of admission.

They regularly host private birthday parties and private group parties, so they were totally able to accommodate my request for a small gathering of Ari’s friends and family.

We supplied the pizza, beverages, cake (Minecraft, of course), and decorations, and CLE Social provided the fun! But the kids weren’t the only ones who had fun. In fact, I think the adults had more fun than the kids!

Ari was honestly so excited and happy that friends and family came out to celebrate HIM. He is still grateful (and has thanked me daily) for a great party. And that’s just it — this kid has so much love and charm. He truly is a grateful child. He feels love by telling people how much he appreciates them.

So on this eve of his 6th birthday, I am grateful for him. I’m grateful for his kind heart. I’m grateful for his silly soul. And I’m grateful that he was the one to make me Mama. I will always love you, my little Baby Ari. ♥

 

 

 

Disclosure: Our party was complimentary from CLE Social, but all opinions herein are my own.

Favorite Fall Activities

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Fall is my most favorite time of the year — it always has been. Not only is it the season of my birthday, but it’s the season of my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving! The weather gets cooler, the leaves change, and pumpkin spice is readily available! Ha! 🙂

Our Fall has already been off to a great start! Here’s what we’ve been up to and loving lately!

Hayrides!

We went to a local Fall festival and the kids were super excited about the hayride through the apple orchard! Remy had never experienced a hayride and the last time Ari was on one was several years ago, so it was excitement across the board.

Remy laughed and smiled the whole time. Everything — the apple trees, the birds, even the far-off sound of a ‘choo choo’ — is more fun when you’re on a hayride.

Ahh, to be a kid again! ♥ ♥

Going to the pumpkin patch!

This is one of the things I love doing the most in the Fall and I’m happy to share my passion with my kids. Thus far, they seem all about it. I mean, who doesn’t love pumpkins!?

Ari has already mastered the fine art of picking his own pumpkin. The biggest pumpkin is the best, of course. Ha!

Swim Lessons at Goldfish Swim School.

Outdoor swimming may be over for this year, but a change in season is no reason to stop learning to swim! Remy is in the middle of her Mini 3 lessons at Goldfish Swim School in Hudson and we’ve seen huge progress with her abilities already.

The small class sizes of just 3-4 kids per instructor along with a fun curriculum has helped her love of swimming grow by leaps and bounds! Even during the one lesson where she cried and cried (for zero reasons), the teachers were so gentle and loving — they even had her smiling and laughing by the end of class!

Goldfish Swim School offers a state-of-the-art facility featuring hairy drying stations, swimsuit dryers, private bungalow-style changing rooms, a glass-walled viewing area, and 90-degree water for the kiddos. Teachers offer weekly feedback and help closely monitor the development of each child to maximize their swimming success.

Remy is so proud of what she’s learning —  flutter kicks, wall holds, and even holding her breath underwater. But most of all she’s having fun and keeping her Summer skills active year-round!

Fall Food + Beer.

One of the best parts of this season, at least for me, is all of the delicious food and drinks. Apple pie, pumpkin spice lattés, apple butter, pumpkin ales… the list goes on and on.

Basically, if it has apples or pumpkins in it, I’m here for it!

I mean, have you ever had an apple cider donut!? They’re delicious.

And we’re nowhere even close to Thanksgiving yet. So basically the best is yet to come!

And, of course, Halloween Parties!

I know it’s still a bit early in the ‘season’, but we’ve already been to one big Halloween party and look forward to at least two more!

My little Ninja, Skye from Paw Patrol, and little unicorn (held by Tigger) loved dressing up and playing games. Ari was especially into it. Like, extra. Ha.

He can be seen here eating all of the sugary goodies off the candy apple bar and then followed it up with an enthusiasm for apple-bobbing that I’ve never seen in another human before in my life!!

This kid, man. Freaking hilarious! I think he’s found his passion. And his passion is 1000% Halloween.

What are some

of your favorite

Fall activities !?

 

 

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?

 

Friday Favorites

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I’ve been struggling to keep my head above water this week. Truly, nothing extraordinary has happened; I’m just feeling the weight of the end of pregnancy. Between pregnancy insomnia, chasing the kids, and pregnancy exhaustion (thanks to that insomnia and lots of jabs to the ribs), I’ve been a terrible homemaker this week.

As we sit here,  there are three large loads of laundry piled up on the living room furniture — in plain sight so that I will fold them and put them away — that have been sitting there for a couple of days; dishes are piled up in the sink; and our floors are in desperate need of the vacuum.

Despite all of the craziness, here’s my current favorites from this week!

Favorite on Netflix: We may or may not have binge-watched the new crime docu-series Evil Genius this week. Although it was no Making a Murderer, it was still really good. And super freaky, considering it happened not far from where I grew up — but I had no idea that this even happened until this show! Was I living under a rock!? No, I was just in college.

Favorite read: This article titled What if All I Want is A Mediocre life? It really struck a chord with me. Especially the part about being a mom. In the age of the ‘pinterest mom’ I strive to be just mediocre. Not kidding.

You know why? Because a while ago I realized I wasn’t happy when I was being a ‘pinterest mom’ — and my family noticed — and they weren’t either!

Favorite listen: As per my norm (I’m a creature of habit, y’all), my favorite listen this week was a This American Life episode! Check it out here.

Favorite ride: For the last week I’ve been driving around this incredible Mazda CX-9! We recently turned in our lease of a small SUV and I was really curious about trying this Mazda. I have to say — this car was a game changer, y’all! First of all, it has optional third row seating. Also? All the bells and whistles — between the huge navigation system, to in-dash speedometer with traffic sign recognition, Bose sound system, and the lane-keep assist — were awesome on a little mini-road trip we took!

The kids loved it as much as I did!

Favorite sip: This week was brought to you by… coffee. Copious amounts of coffee! But seriously. I know I generally drink a LOT of coffee; but this week I literally could not have functioned without it. I was a zombie. Not sleeping at night; not able to nap during the day; and did I mention that we transitioned the kids to bunk beds last weekend?? Yeah, that’s been buckets of fun.

So it should come as no surprise that my favorite drink of this week was the Triple Threat Latte from Nervous Dog.

Favorite eat: As I mentioned before, I’ve kinda been a trainwreck on the homefront this week. If it weren’t for my husband being off from work Monday and Tuesday, I swear my children would have eaten spaghetti o’s everyday for lunch and dinner.

But, alas, he was home to save us! And instead, we ate a delicious dinner Bibimbap — which is basically a Korean dish of rice, veggies, and beef.

Favorite link: Just another shameless plug — but my latest blog post for Cleveland Plus went live a couple of weeks ago! Check it out here.

Favorite place: I feel like I don’t say this enough, but I truly love working at the Riverfront YMCA. My fellow coworkers and the members are like an extended family for us. And this week, Ari celebrated his last day of preschool at the YMCA. He’ll be heading off to kindergarten this Fall!

So we celebrated with friends this week and said goodbyeeeee to preschool! It was such a bittersweet moment for all of us!

One of my favorite places will always be the YMCA. It’s a good thing we’re still going to be there everyday 😉

 

What are some of your favorites

from this week !?

 

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!