opinions

sunshine + mom-time

March 10, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Friends, ya know what makes postpartum life even more excruciating? Complete lack of sunshine. But the weather gods shone down upon us the last couple of days and blessed us with a 75 degrees in Ohio. In early March, nonetheless!!

This little family has had several really rough days over the last week. Like, 7 straight hours of overnight colicky screaming. Lucky for me, I have my tribe to keep me sane. Sometimes they straight-up force me to be sane… and for that? I am forever grateful.

Well Tuesday my tribe really rallied for me in a big way.

We [meaning the kids + I — gosh, that still sounds weird!] got a slower start to the day than I anticipated. Yeahhhh… I’m still struggling with how much time to allot myself to get ready in the mornings. But, alas, we made it out of the house… and headed to the Lego Store! Last week Ari was supposed to go to the Lego Monthly Mini Build (a free event that the Lego Store holds each month), but he was so sick. And he’s been so bummed ever since. In fact, everyday since, I’ve said “Guess what we’re doing today?” and he’ll reply with, “Going to the Lego Store?” Insert sad face. No, kiddo. Not that. Well, until this past Tuesday. And his little heart was so happy to get to build his Easter Bunny Lego! And I was so happy to see him enjoy himself.

I let him play for as long as Miss Remy Bea would allow (I was babywearing her and she started getting fussy) before we headed to Panera for lunch. Sure, I wanted to go somewhere a tad bit more ‘authentic’ to my lifestyle… but sometimes (aka – when you have two children in tow), my lifestyle is exactly Panera. Ha!

Then I dropped both kids off with my Aunt (whom Ari loving refers to as Grandma Dee!) and headed over to Massage Envy in Beachwood. I had never been before, but I desperately needed a nice, stress-reducing, massage.

I arrived at LaPlace about 30 minutes early so I made a snap decision to really treat myself! Mitchell’s Ice Cream is right there and, considering we do not have one anywhere near us in Akron, I was totally down for a scoop of Wildberry Crumble!

Linda, the manager of the Beachwood locations, welcomed me upon my arrival into the spa. I filled out a Massage Wellness Chart, which is the equivalent of new-client paperwork, and the receptionist was kind enough to bring me an ice water to sip (which was much appreciated after eating that ice cream!).

Before meeting my massage therapist, Robert, the receptionist then brought me back to the waiting and relaxation area. I honestly could have fallen asleep right then and there thanks to a whole new level of exhaustion lately. But just before I drifted off, Robert came to greet me and take me back to my room. He talked to me about my massage and let me know that literally everything was customizable — the temperature of the heated table, the pressure of the massage, the volume of the music, etc. He then advised me that he would step out of the room and I should undress to my level of comfort.

The room was welcoming and relaxing. And my massage was perfection! As strange as it sounds, I haven’t had a whole lot of discomfort since Remy was born… all of my discomfort was felt during pregnancy! Ha! But, it turns out, there was trouble brewing below the surface. In fact, my shoulders, neck, and back were a complete disaster. Completely full of knots. Yeah… I’m not surprised. I carry a toddler and a newborn around nonstop; plus we co-sleep, which means we sleep at awkward angles and positions.

I absolutely loved my massage and the conversation during it! Some people want complete silence during their massages, but not me! It’s totally therapeutic to chat during a massage! Lucky for me, Robert was not only a talented massage therapist, but also a great conversationalist! As a new parent himself, we had a lot to chat about! The hour flew by — which is both a blessing and a curse, right?

By the time I was done, I was not only relaxed, but I was ready to see my babies. Even just being away from two hours is enough to reset and refresh myself. I felt rejuvenated and ready to take on the world! So a huge thank you to Linda and to Robert for the amazing experience at Massage Envy of Beachwood!

If you would like to check them out, visit their Facebook page here and their website here! With an introductory massage starting at just $49.99, you can book a massage at any of the following Beachwood locations: Gates Mills, Lyndhurst, Beachwood, Mayfield Heights, Richmond Heights, and Cleveland Heights. Just call 216-593-0140.

Disclosure: I was contacted by Massage Envy to receive one complimentary hour massage. As always, my opinions and thoughts are my own.

unintended lessons for my toddler // AKA thanks, random stranger

December 22, 2015 by Rachel 2 Comments

Dear Old Cranky Woman at the Cable Store:

I wanted to say thank you for reminding me that while everyone else I ran into yesterday was sweet and kind, there are still people who will be bitchy to strangers for absolutely no reason.

While Ari and I were minding our business, waiting our turn, you decided to ask my shy toddler a series of questions. Easy questions, yes. Like, “How old are you?” to which, he responded, “free.” Which is shy toddler speak for “three.” After he politely said hello to you and answered your serious of questions, I repeated what he said, for clarity purposes (I recognize that young parents are generally the only people who can properly translate toddler speak… plus he was being shy so it was a near whisper).

After you asked a series of other questions, you said “Maybe you can answer instead of MOMMY doing everything for you.” I ignored you. ‘Cause ain’t nobody got time for that. And? See above.

But when my very well-behaved toddler asked to watch a movie on Mommies phone (after waiting patiently in his stroller for 15 minutes without so much as a peep), I decided to abide. I pulled up the sweetest and most educational show on Netflix, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Another patron noted that her niece loves Daniel Tiger! I told her that we’re watching the episode about Daniel getting a new baby sister, in hopes to prep him for ‘the big change.’

Dear, dear, old lady… this is where you piped in, “I don’t think he’s going to care about his sister when he has all the TV to watch!”

Dare I say it, but oh-so-typical, old lady judgy talk… just days before Christmas, at that! YOU, dear lady, are the exact opposite of the person I try to be everyday.

And although I owe you ZERO explanation, here is what you DID NOT see:

My 3-year old has a cough from his Reactive Airway Disease (aka toddler asthma). He’s not been sleeping well; thus, his parents have not been sleeping well.
Despite his cough (and his Mommy getting only 2 hours of sleep), we both awoke at 7am to tackle the day.
The very well-behaved toddler you saw had already endured a trip to the grocery store and a doctors appointment without so much as a peep! That was two hours before our encounter.
This was the single errand I was dreading, since it was to my former employer (albeit, not the location I worked) and I had just been “let go” several days prior, at 35 weeks pregnant.

So thank you, mean old lady. You served as an example for my child; an example of how rude and condescending a person can be; an example of how NOT to behave to strangers.

Lucky for you, I just brushed our encounter off without a word. Because, let’s face it, you would have thought my behavior to be “typical” if I had said anything rude to YOU. Right? “Typical young person being rude to the elderly.” But no. No, that’s not the case. Let’s just call it the Christmas spirit. Or lack of fight. Regardless, I hope whatever miserable existence you have for this week is nothing like our encounter. If it is, I feel very sorry that that’s the kind of life you lead.

Sincerely,

A stranger with a lot to be sad about, but the one you see with a smile. Also known as The Mom who is doing a damn good job.

Blogging // Authenticity // and the Truth

May 19, 2015 by Rachel 5 Comments

I created my blog years ago as a space and an outlet for me to share the happenings in my life with myself and a few people who may actually read it at the time. Over the years it transitioned from me being single and living in Syracuse; to Chad and I dating; to us living 6-hours apart and dating long-distance; then to us moving in together; and then to us getting married and starting a family.

Along the way it’s remained a place where I share my hopes and my dreams; my passion for creating a healthy lifestyle (while being completely honest with myself and the world about continuing to seek balance throughout the process); local events and happenings; and the everyday hum-drum of my life.

One thing that has changed over the last 7.5 years is opportunity. Blogging has created enormous opportunity in my life. I’ve met some incredible people in-real-life thanks to friendships created over the internet and social media — because I put myself out there. I’ve been around people from all different walks of life that I wouldn’t have met otherwise; and for that I’m incredibly grateful.

Blogging has also brought me a teeny bit of financial opportunity via sponsored and reviewed posts. And while that hasn’t quite been a life-changing amount of extra income, it certainly has helped. I don’t do them often and they seem to come in waves where I have months without an offer and then two at a time.

However, this is really and truly none of anyones business. In fact, the great thing about the internet and social media is that we are all free to share what we want. But we are also free to see what we want. We can follow whoever we’d like on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook; and we choose to follow those that we don’t align with. When you open a blog, follow a person on twitter, or engage in social media, YOU ARE PROVIDING CONSENT TO WHAT YOU ARE SEEING, whether you agree with the subject matter or not.

I received a nasty comment in regards to losing my authenticity of blogging with my recent sponsored posts yesterday. I have not yet approved the comment; but I’ve also not yet denied it. (Sidenote to people who leave fake or anonymous info: IP addresses don’t lie). It hurt. It shouldn’t have, but it did. The words didn’t exactly hurt; but the idea that someone would go out of their way to be nasty to another person? that is something that in my 30 years I have YET to wrap my head around.

Here’s the truth: I’m not always authentic. None of us are. But — dammit! — I try my hardest to do so. I put myself out there — the good, the bad, and the ugly parts that no one else has the balls to talk about. I’m a hard working mom. I’m a full-time employee for a huge company (to which I’ve been employed for the last ten years). I am a partner to my husband. We run a household together. And we try to work in some fun in our spare time. And in addition to that? I share parts of it here on my blog. Because each of us chooses what and with who we share things; each of us crafts an online persona; and that isn’t being inauthentic — it’s simply just a piece of our true selves.

So basically thanks for the perspective on my blog, commenter. 🙂

on hate, religion, and recent events: my opinion

January 13, 2011 by Rachel 5 Comments

Hate. Hate for each other;

hate for people you don’t know;

hate for an entire demographic of people.

I just don’t get it.

And nothing upsets me more.

Whether it be homophobes lining the streets

to scream obscenities about life, God, and marriage;

or a woman from a completely radical church

justifying the killing of an innocent nine-year-old girl.

{Tweet from @Dear Shirley, a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, explaining why a 9-year-old girl was rightfully gunned down in Saturdays shooting}

I truly do not understand it.

And it makes me terribly sad.

I’ve always been sensitive about these issues.

My mom tells me stories about how when I was a kid

I used to hide during recess

and cry to her when I got home, asking,

“How can all of these kids be so happy

when bad things are happening in the world?”

I agree, I didn’t have a very sheltered childhood full of rainbows;

I had to learn at a very young age that

very bad things happen and there is really no rhyme or reason for it.

More disturbing thatn the recent events in Arizona

{and it was extremely disturbing}

is the fact that hatred is so strong amongst some people

that they would go as far to say that

these people deserved to be killed.

I know that since this came out in the news,
they have decided they will broadcast from a radio program
rather than protest at the funeral,
but I’m still completely disturbed that protesting
would even be an option.

This blows my mind.
I haven’t been able to completely function
these last couple of days
because I am so distraught by the hatred that some people have.

Here I am:
I don’t believe in religion.
I’m not sure if I believe in a god.
But I believe in being kind and living by the golden rule.
I believe in equal rights and equality for all people.
I believe that marriage of all people,
gay or straight,
is a right in this country.

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And I would be seen as someone who is not a good person,
not only by this radical church,
but also by many people I know
who are against equal rights;
and gay marriage;
and who think I’m missing something in my life
because I don’t have god or religion.

But I believe in something stronger than religion.

I believe in being a good person
and acting to others
as I would want them to treat me.

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not all hot yoga is created equal.

December 1, 2010 by Rachel 2 Comments

When we vacationed in Denver last week, I was unable to fit my Jade yoga mat in my luggage, but managed to squeeze my Yogitoes non-slip mat-sized towel into my carry on with hopes that I would have the luxury of trying out a studio in Denver.

On Tuesday we drove passed a Core Power Yoga studio. I yelled for BF to stop the car so I could go inside and check out when classes were scheduled. The studio was beautiful. And the desk yogis were genuinely nice.

So Wednesday BF took me to the studio for an hour long ‘Hot Power Fusion’ class. Which is described, via their website, as follows:

Blend the best of both types of yoga offered by CorePower. A Vinyasa-style yoga practiced in a heated, climate controlled, environment that incorporates the poses from the Hot Yoga series systematically working the entire body, concentrating on the essence of every organ, bone, joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, blood vessel, nerve and gland. Inspiring, fun and uplifting music will be the background for this revolutionary class.

The type of yoga I have become accustom to is a Power Vinyasa Flow class. Particularly, the Baptiste Power Vinyasa. The yogis at Core Power Yoga assured me these classes were similar.

They were not.

There was little to no flow in the Core Power class. Single poses, followed by breaks in breathing, or the ujjayi breath, which {to me and my practice} is the main focus. The focus seemed completely on the bandha, or the practice of locking up the abdominal muscles.

Neither the heat nor the altitude effected my practice. This is probably because the class did not challenge me and I found the poses and sets to be, well… simple. Too simple. Especially for a place that considers itself to be a power studio.

All in all, the staff was fantastic. The teacher was, for lack of better words, different but interesting. The studio was gorgeous.

While this yoga studio and type of yoga works for some, I can definitely say it isn’t for me. This is neither good nor bad. It just is. You live and you learn. Trying this studio was part of my own growth into my own practice. A yogi lesson.

still caffeine free!

November 20, 2010 by Rachel 4 Comments

Yesterday I indulged in my first post-cleanse Starbucks beverage. It was a tall non-fat decaf pumpkin spice latte. It was warm and delicious, but not nearly as awesome as a regular non-fat latte.

Perhaps due to my water-only intake, I’ve been thinking a lot about caffeine in recent weeks. My body has felt so much better without it, that it’s led me to question the hazard effects of caffeine on our bodies.

I’ll definitely be doing a little bit more research on caffeine before indulging in any regular lattes.

Image and information source here.

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