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Life Lately + A Last Minute Gift Guide //

December 22, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

I’ve had grand plans of all of these amazing things I want to share with you before the holidays. But, realistically, my time management has not been great lately. Combine that with a sleep regression (thanks, Remy Bea) and the stomach bug? Well, that’s a recipe for dirty dishes and takeout every night.

So many-a posts have gone neglected.

That being said, there are a few things I want to share with you before we all get completely overwhelmed with the holidays.

  • Ari had his first Christmas program at school and it was every bit as adorable as you might imagine. He knew we were taking video and photos, so instead of singing, he was saying “cheese!”
    Melt my cold as stone heart!

fullsizerender-23
 

  • If you’re frantically looking for last-minute gift ideas, I leave you with these:
    • Book of the Month. A subscription book service that ships amazing hardcover books straight to your door.
      screen-shot-2016-12-19-at-8-46-57-pm
    • Wine of the Month club subscription — or, a few bottles for the wine-lover in your life.
    • ABC Mouse. Ari used this over the Summer and it was the perfect learning tool!
  • We were given a #JustBecauseCard at Chick-fil-A the other day. It was an awesome experience. And I still have butterflies from the whole experience! It turns out the movement was started by a local church. Even though we are not church people (at all), I’ve already had mega respect for this church. And this just elevated them even more.

 

After Ari’s Christmas program at preschool, Chad + I took the kiddos to lunch at Chick-fil-A. When we sat down and got the kids all settled, an employee hesitantly walked over to us and said “Someone asked me to come give this to you.” #justbecausecard • • It says “I hope this random act of kindness reminds you that someone notices and cares about you. It’s not because of anything you did or didn’t do, it’s just because you were created with incredible value and worth.” • • What an amazing message. ❤️

A photo posted by Rachel (@itsahero) on Dec 20, 2016 at 11:01am PST

  • For those of you trying to find the perfect wine to bring to your upcoming holiday party, run — fast — to Aldi. You heard me right. Aldi. Grab a bottle of their Flirty Bird Red Blend. It is incredible. No joke. And it’s less than $6 a bottle. Yep. You read that right. Less than $6 a bottle and an amazing wine!
    flirtybird

 

  • I’m still totally okay with cancelling Christmas obligations. Right now the only thing on my radar is getting through the next two work days, shopping for last minute gifts, and taking Ari to the movies Saturday morning. From there? We’re staying in. That’s it. Nothing else. Nada.

Filed Under: #MomLife, busy mom, children, Christmas, deals, gift, gifts for kids, goodies, mommyhood, money, money saving tips, parenthood, wine Tagged With: #MomLife, being a mom, busy mom, celebration, children, Christmas, gifts, gifts for kids, goodies, holidays, life, mommyhood, money saving tips, parenthood, pictures, wine

because it’s been a week now…

September 10, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

One of the main reasons I was so anxious to find out if we were expecting another little boy or our first baby girl, was because I want to either: a. pack all of our boy stuff up (I’m not ready to part with it yet), or b. look for all new awesome girl stuff.

Sooo obviously you know what I’ve been up to over the last week. The search is on! And as much as I truly adore boy clothes (seriously they are SO cute), there are some equally adorable girl clothes. Bonus? I tore through my bins of clothes to find the baby girl clothes I hid away about 13 years ago! 🙂

But here are some things on my “Baby Girl Wish List” right now (because let’s be real… it’s going to grow).

Hello World
This Hello World newborn gown.
From Etsy shop ShopVivaLaGlitter. 

feed me
This Feed Me + Tell Me I’m Pretty outfit.
From Etsy Shop Three Sweet Limes.

blanket
This Personalized Name Blanket.
From Jennifer Ann. carters

This completely unrealistic Faux Fur Vest.
From Carters.

goldleaf

This Gold Leaf Headband.
From Etsy shop WildJuniper.
And pretty much everything else in this shop.

Aaaand this is just the start of my wish list. I can see it just growing and growing over the next several months.

Filed Under: babies, baby girl, children, etsy, family, fashion, goodies, lists, love list, mommyhood, Oh baby!, parenthood, pregnancy Tagged With: babies, baby girl, being a mom, children, etsy, family, goodies, hair and fashion, links, list, love list, mommyhood, motherhood, oh baby, parenthood, pregnancy

a few of our favorite things // toddler books

May 28, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

I was honestly beginning to wonder if it would ever happen, his love for books and reading. He spent so much time loving ‘boy’ things like Thomas the Tank and Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and I wasn’t sure he would ever slow down enough to sit down with a book.

But something happened just after Christmas last year. All of a sudden he was hooked. However, just like his favorite shows and movies, he gravitates towards the same three books. Always. I have to say the kid has awesome taste. I happened to spend a bit of time in Barnes and Noble one day, just reading through the children’s books. I was incredibly impressed with the creativity!

Especially of these three books:

itsahero_mooshfavoritebooks
1.  Dragons Love Tacos  // Moosh thinks this book is hilarious. It’s a story about how Dragons love eating tacos, but they hate hot salsa. It’s adorable. And it combines three of Ari’s favorite things: food, dragons, and complete silliness. Now if he sees a taco he proclaims, “MMM! Dragons like tacos! I like tacos!” It’s the cutest thing ever.

2. Peanut Butter & Cupcake  //  This is my personal favorite, so I’m glad Moosh loves it too. While the author is not a children’s book author by trade, he is a photographer that has a series called “Bent Objects,” where he takes food items and turns them into people. So naturally, this makes a great children’s book.

The main ‘character’ is a piece of peanut butter toast. He just moved to town and he’s trying to find someone to play soccer with him. Everytime he meets someone he says “Hi. I’m new here and I’d like to play. Maybe now, maybe later, or even all day! I’ll make you chuckle deep down in your belly, and we’ll go together like Peanut Butter and… (insert name of whatever he’s introducing himself to). It’s freaking adorable. And yes, I recited that little poem from memory. I just love it so much. Moosh likes to go to the last page of the book and name all of the ‘people’ playing together. 🙂

3. Please, Mr. Panda  //  This book is short and sweet. Mr. Panda goes around asking all the animals if they want a donut. Most say yes… quite aggressively. So he in some way or another tells them that he has changed his mind and they are not allowed to have a donut. Finally he asks the question and one of them and the animal says “Oh please may I have one Mr. Panda?” and Mr. Panda says, “Yes, you can have them all. I do not like donuts anyways.” Ha. So cute. And Moosh doesn’t even know he’s getting a message in manners!

So yeah. Or go-to-books are adorable. However, we’re always looking to add to our collection. Any suggestions? What are your kids’ favorites?

 

Filed Under: Ari Davis, books, children, domesticity, family, fun, goodies, life, life with a toddler, lists, love, mommyhood, Moosh, parenthood, review Tagged With: ari davis, being a mom, books, children, domesticity, family, fun, goodies, life, life with a toddler, love list, mommyhood, Moosh, motherhood, oh baby, parenthood, review

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.

weekend2
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!

weekend3
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! 🙂

weekend5
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.

weekend4
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!

weekend6
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!

weekend1
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…

Filed Under: Akron, Ari Davis, cleveland, coffee, crafty, creative, crunchy granola, cupcakes, desserts, domesticity, drinks, events, explore locally, family, food, fun, girls nite, goodies, life, life with a toddler, links, live happy, love, marriage, mommyhood, Moosh, Ohio, parenthood, pictures, weekend Tagged With: akron, ari davis, being a mom, celebration, children, cleveland, coffee, crafty, domesticity, dude mom, events, explore locally, family, food, foodie, friends, fun, goodies, kids, life, life with a toddler, Live Happy, local, motherhood, night out, ohio, parenthood, pictures, weekend

and the coffee addiction grows.

April 15, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

I’ve been a self-proclaimed coffee addict since college. That lovely aroma of roasted beans brings me right back to those moments of studying for exams and rushing between class and work. Isn’t that how it starts for everyone?? Just trying to survive and stay awake for those critical moments?

Well, since then my taste in coffee has not gotten any less costly. In fact, my desire for good coffee gets stronger and stronger — pun intended. I’ve gone from traditional coffee pots, but I’m the only coffee drinker in the home, so for some mornings — the quick ones — it was useless to make a whole pot if it was going to go to waste. So I ‘traded up’ to a Keurig. Sometime last year my parents gave me the gift of Starbucks lattés at home in the form of a Verismo system. Life-changing! But still? Expensive. As a four-shot latté connoisseur, these at-home drinks can still be costly.

Enter my newest coffee toy: The French Press. Specifically this beautiful François et Mimi Vintage Double-Walled French Press! This beauty brews 34-ounces of strong, bitter, and caffeinated deliciousness!

francoisetmimivintage
I have to say that this french press came with fairly vague instructions. However, a quick “how do I use a french press?” YouTube search produced stellar instructions from a barista! Saved my day! I would have been pumping away at that French press… but it turns out, you’re not supposed to do that. Ha!

Getting the French press gave me a reason to buy fresh ground coffee from Starbucks; their Tribute Blend did the trick! I put about 6 heaping scoops of coffee grounds into the bottom of the press. Then I covered the grounds with boiling water and let it sit for 30-seconds. Then I added boiling water until just two-inches from the top of the press and let it steep for 5 minutes. And then I slowly pressed down on the plunger until I reached the grounds. Per the YouTube video, I poured the freshly-brewed coffee into a decanter so it wouldn’t remain with the grounds and continue to brew.

frenchpress_itsahero
The coffee was STRONG — which I LOVE! I loved how dark and strong the coffee was. The bitterness of a French press is not for everyone; but for someone who likes to drink their strong coffee sans cream and sugar, this is the perfect way to brew!

Bonus? This press not only keeps your coffee hot, but it’s dishwasher safe (!!!!)! Hello, MOMS! This is a major, major plus! Considering the two chores that need to be done daily are: 1. laundry; and 2. dishes!

Coffee snobs — I know the pour-over is another fan-fave! But how do you like to brew your coffee?

 

Disclosure: I was selected to receive a Francois et Mimi French Press for my honest opinion and review of this product. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. Thank you to Francois et Mimi and Tomoson for sponsoring this post. 

Filed Under: coffee, cooking, drinks, food, goodies, links, pictures, review, social media, sponsor Tagged With: coffee, drinks, food, foodie, goodies, lets cook!, links, review, social media, sponsor

Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow //

February 14, 2014 by Rachel 8 Comments

Last year I was all “Yay Valentine’s Day!” and this year I’m all “Yay – but OMG – I don’t have any TIME to make crafty cards!”

vday puppy chow11

So this morning I thought I’d share my go-to easy (and YUMMY!) Valentine’s Day Strawberries + Cream Puppy Chow recipe. It’s EASY! So quit looking at Pinterest for the cutest and most clever things you can do. Stick with easy. Real moms only have time for easy, anyways. 😉

You’re welcome. 😉

[gmc_recipe 5824]

Disclaimer: By no means is this a “clean” recipe. However — it’s not for YOU to eat… it’s for you to giveaway for other people to enjoy (if you’re concerned)! Ha!

 

Filed Under: crafty, desserts, domesticity, goodies, holidays, recipes, yum Tagged With: crafty, domesticity, goodies, holidays, recipes, yum

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