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Five End of Summer Bucket List Items

July 7, 2020 by Rachel 33 Comments

After the Fourth of July, it always feels like summer comes barreling to an end and before we know it, we are back in the grind. That is why I made a vow to make sure my family takes full advantage of the rest of the season by coming up with an end of the summer bucket list!

Visit a Farmer’s Market and Make Dinner as a Family

Farmer’s markets are so fun to visit! I love browsing the different stands, seeing all the unique goods, and teaching my kids about new food. I also love knowing that I am feeding my family fresh, locally grown food that helps support Ohio’s economy. To make a fun experience even better, we plan to take the food selected by the kids and cook dinner together as a family. My apple galette recipe will be a perfect dish to serve at this dinner!

Go to a Drive-In Movie

I can remember my parents taking me to drive-in movies each summer when I was younger. I thought it was just the coolest thing to watch a movie in our car. This summer is the perfect time to introduce my kids to the drive-in movie experience. We haven’t been to a movie in months, so this will be extra special!

Get Some Ice Cream and Pay-It-Forward

One of my favorite things to do, summer or not, is getting ice-cream. For some reason, ice-cream just tastes better when someone else scoops it for you. Am I right?! But, do you know what is even better than ice-cream? Making someone else’s day! Next time we get ice cream, we will pay-it-forward and treat the next person in line with a sweet treat. I can guarantee my kids will enjoy the giving, more than the ice cream.

Ambush Your Kids with a Surprise Water Fight

My kids love when we play with them! They’ll love it even more if we surprise them with something totally unexpected like a water fight. We’ll fill balloons and buckets of water beforehand and ambush them when they least expect it. It will be a blast!

Actually Rest and Relax

Summer is supposed to be the time of year when things slow down so we can relax and enjoy each other’s company. With so many responsibilities, it is sometimes hard to remember to enjoy this slower season and live in the moment. We are going to make a pointed effort to rest and relax intentionally during these long summer days.

I hope the end of your summer is blast!

Tell me – what is on your end of summer bucket list?!

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Summer Lovin’ // our summer in photos

July 12, 2019 by Rachel 16 Comments

Oh, HI! I didn’t mean to take a 10-ish day break from writing, but I have THE BEST excuse…

… we’ve been doing ALL THINGS SUMMER!

Oh — and we got a puppy. Because obviously, I make the best decisions. Ha! Her name is Lady and she’s a 12-week old terrier mix we adopted from a local shelter. The kids adore her and I am desperately trying to break her of her nipping habit.

But in addition to the puppy, we’ve been keeping busy with all things fun. From going to the library, to hitting up the splash pad, and everything in between.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not trying to keep my kids “busy” all Summer long. We have LOTS of downtime, too. We have quiet time at least once a day (whether it be in the form of naps or iPad or books).

But those spaces in between? That’s where the memories are made. They might not remember the details, but they’ll remember the fun. They’ll remember the fun of their first trip to Waterworks; they’ll remember the milkshakes and the popcorn; they’ll remember they caught goldfish (and named them Goldie + Jonathan).

And I’ll remember their smiles and contagious laughter. And it will be enough to get us through until the next Summer. ♥ ♥

What are you doing

to make the most

of your Summer?

Taking A Moment To Find Myself // My 3rd Postpartum Journey

May 13, 2019 by Rachel 13 Comments

I needed this Mother’s Day in ways that I cannot even convey to you. Just Saturday, I was a broken down mother — exhausted from the grind, full of self-doubt and self-pity. But late Saturday evening, I purchased a pass to Balance + Brews at Royal Docks in Canton.

Balance + Brews is a group of local yoga teachers that do pop up classes in craft breweries throughout Northeast Ohio. I’ve been meaning to show up for a class for years, but there was always a reason I couldn’t make it. In fact, this time I almost self-sabotaged — I almost decided not to go because I was afraid of going alone. But I bought the ticket anyway. I committed.

And as I was driving down the highway completely alone, blasting music from my college days, I realized… I needed this. I honestly cannot tell you the last time I went further than Target (which is about a half mile) in the car without a child.

And then to have a meal completely alone? It just sealed the deal for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my children. But the weight of always being “on” has really taken a toll lately. It took me until Sunday to realize just how much I missed being with my most authentic self. And in those moments of ~~screaming~~ singing Thursday songs at the top of my lungs, I made a vow to make myself a priority. Starting now.

So to all of the mama’s out there who are struggling to find their new identity, I see you. If you can, go ahead and take a drive, blast that music, and remember who you are.

And Happy (Belated) Mother’s Day.

My Name is Rachel… and I’m Suffering from Postpartum Depression + Anxiety… Again.

May 1, 2019 by Rachel 5 Comments

My name is Rachel…

I am a mom.

I am a runner.

I am a supporter of local businesses.

I am a coffee addict.

I am a fan of craft IPAs.

I am a lover of yummy food.

…and I am a postpartum depression and anxiety survivor.

Lately, it’s been a bit hard to talk about, which is unusual for me. But there have been many days where I have really struggled as of late.

The feelings came on much later this time around. I got really comfortable with the idea that I would be spared this time around. I was wrong. And that’s okay.

See, I really want to be all of these things WITHOUT also having the PPD/A, but (at least for now) it’s a part of my life. Personally, I know I’ll get through this. I know I’ll survive. But for now, I’ll be dealing with this unwelcome guest — the one who comes and goes as she pleases; the one who shows up at unexpected moments; the one who lingers for longer than I’d like. But I’ll get through this. I’ve been through it twice before and I’ll get through it again.

If you are struggling with postpartum depression and/anxiety PLEASE seek help. And if you want someone to talk to or cry to, shoot me a DM. ❤️

You are NOT alone!

Remy Bea // Three

February 5, 2019 by Rachel 11 Comments

One day I’ll be the mom that is on top of everything. This is not that time, friends. Hence, a belated birthday recap for my middle child — the one who keeps me on my toes — Remy Bea.

Remy Bea turned 3 on January 23rd. I’m in disbelief. Absolute disbelief.

It seemed like just yesterday that she came bursting into our world — faster than expected and with a full head of hair!

Since that day, she’s been full of spunk and sass. Her first year of life made me literally question whether or not I could survive my battle of postpartum depression and anxiety. It was really, really awful and I was not in a good place.

But soon after her first birthday, we settled into a routine that was — dare I say it — enjoyable! Her spunk and sass went from “threatening” to hilarious. She was an absolute joy!

Thank goodness, right?? Well, that joy of a child made me so brave in my pursuits of motherhood that I decided to have a third. And at some point between getting pregnant with baby number three and her arrival, Remy Bea turned into a full-fledged terrible two-year-old.

Over the last year, we’ve been learning a lot about one another. I know that she is incredibly strong-willed — which I keep reminding myself will suit her well through her adolescent and early adult years.

She is smart and brave and funnier than most other people I’ve met. She will light up a room with her smile and tell you exactly what is on her mind. She will steal your snacks and convince you to share your food with her. She will sing you her favorite songs and encourage you to ‘try your best.’

And I love every part of her — every painful, every stubborn, and every wonderful part of her.

Happy (belated) third birthday, Remy Bea. I love you a bushel and a peck. ♥

2018 // That’s a wrap!

January 2, 2019 by Rachel 10 Comments

This blog post is coming to ya 3 days late, thanks to a healthy dose of laziness at the holidays! Ha! At least I’m being honest.

But also? I’ve been doing a lot of extra reflecting over the last couple of days. And my emotions are straight up all over the place.

I truly expected 2018 to be SUPER hard. I started the year pregnant with baby number three and fully anticipating that this child would send me down a deep dark hole of PPD and PPA. It turns out she didn’t. In fact, I’ve kinda been flourishing and finding myself kicking butt at this mother of three thing.

We ended our night in perfect ‘parent-of-3-kids’ fashion — with an 8:30pm Netflix countdown with party hats and sweet tarts. And followed it up with a parents-only movie night in our NEW home, with a bottle of champagne, and homemade lobster rolls.

So while our 2018 came to a slow and quiet end, I looked back through my camera roll to see all of the amazing things that transpired since last January.

January

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A post shared by Rachel L (@itsahero) on Jan 8, 2018 at 5:01pm PST

I met up with some great local bloggers for a little networking and brainstorming. It really kicked off my year in a big way by getting the creative juices flowing and reigniting my spark!

February

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Visited NASA Glenn Research Center with a special group of influencers for the State of NASA address. We got a behind the scenes look at some really cool aerospace technology.

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Later in the month I covered the Cleveland Auto Show on behalf of Toyota!

March

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We spent most of the month having fun at Cafe O’Play with the kids (thanks to a Winter family pass!). It wore the kids out and allowed me to get some work done at the same time!

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Oh – and Chad and I had a much-needed date night at Hilarities at Pickwick and Frolic, complete with a Barrio dinner-date beforehand!

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April

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This was a pretty big month for us. We had (secretly) known about the gender of baby number three for a while, but we finally revealed the news to our friends & family! Baby number three was officially a GIRL!

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We also celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary with little fanfare. And, by little, I mean none! Ha! But that’s what happens when you’re pregnant with your third baby, right?

May

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This, the month before my due date, I spent as much time as possible loving on my existing two babies. Lots of small adventures were had.

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Oh, and I had some maternity photos done.

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And met up with some fabulous bloggers for glass blowing at the Glass Asylum.

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And then again for a photoshoot meetup at Borrow Rentals.

June

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I swear to you I spent this entire month just ready for Mila to arrive. In any spare moment I had, I was walking. Usually with the other two kids in tow.

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The kids also enjoyed a LOT of swimming!

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And then, of course, the arrival of Mila Rose.

July

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We adjusted to life with another little.

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But I still managed to make it out of the house with all of the kids! Like Mila’s first trip to the Cleveland Flea with me and Remy Bea!

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And her first trip to the LEGO Store with Ari!

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Oh, and we had amazing newborn photos done.

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Then visited Edgewater Park Beach.

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And I took a yoga class with some fellow bloggers at Sibling Revelry Brewery. Mila came, too, although she spent most of her time in her car seat. Ha!

August

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My first baby went off to his first day of Kindergarten!

September

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I spent my first week completely solo with all three kids. I survived while Chad went away on his business trip AND I even managed to sneak out with just Mila to see the Infinity Mirrors by Yayoi Kusama exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

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Remy and I went out exploring our local Akron neighborhoods.

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And we visited the apple orchard when Mimi came to town!

October

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Ari turned SIX!

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Chad and I went on our first truly solo (no Mila!) date night to the Best of Cleveland party at the Rock Hall.

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And we had a fun Halloween photo shoot with the girls!

November

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I got to check out the new indoor putt-putt course at Punch Bowl Social in the Flats!

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The Big Kids went to Kringle’s Inventionasium to see Santa’s workshop!

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And we decided to purchase our forever home!

December

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We closed on our new house!

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…and between moving and getting settled, we celebrated Christmas.

Seriously I could not be more grateful to all of the people who made 2018 the best year yet. I may not have taken a fancy vacation or gotten a big new promotion, but I had the most fulfilling year to date! It was full of everything that is most important — family, friends, lots of love, memories, and delicious food.

Cheers to 2019!