Its a Hero

Live Happy

Motherhood is hard — Find the joy.

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I’d be lying if I said I’ve been my best self lately. So much of my time has been spent correcting my children and then losing it by screaming and then feeling incredibly guilty. I realize this is a season we’re in — I have a very defiant (strong willed?) two year old and a 5 year old with a serious listening problem.

Add in a 31 week pregnant (aka exhausted) mama, and there’s pure chaos and rage.

So yeah. I haven’t been my best self. But I’m trying. I acknowledge those moments, sometimes apologize to my kids, and we all move on. There’s a learning curve for sure.

But as I scroll through my photos on my phone, I also see something that I often overlook — JOY.

My kids are happy. And, most of the time, I am too.

Here’s what our life looks like in pictures as of late (in completely candid / unfiltered photos):

 

Looking at these moments brings me so much joy. Knowing that THESE are the moments in which my children will have memories — not the ugly times we’re all throwing fits. So snap those pictures and remember those happy moments, friends. xo

May Goals // Striving For ‘Good Enough.’

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I don’t know if it’s just you, but when I saw all of those “It’s Gonna Be May,” memes, all I could think was, “Wait. Where did April go!?!” I know I was crazy busy with work in April (meaning, I worked practically every single day), but I still don’t really understand how the whole month seemed to vanish before my eyes!

I also feel like every new month is a brand new start. A chance to put everything in the rearview and just give those new goals a go. So instead of dwelling on what I didn’t get done in April, I’m setting myself up for greatness in May!

Things I Will Try:

Curbside pickup for groceries. I will admit, I tried this once last month because I *had* to get something for Ari’s preschool party and we were having a particularly rough couple of days. I used a free coupon to waive that cost and I learned to click the “do not allow substitutions,” when submitting my order (they will find something that may be similar in product but not similar in cost — lesson learned!). But it is a timesaver and keeps my kids on a tighter schedule. So I’m going to give it another couple of shots.

To get more sleep at night. I’ve been in this neverending cycle of stay-up late to get things done, but be too exhausted to make it all day without a nap with the kids. I prefer to be human during daylight hours, honestly.

Things I Will Keep Up:

Weight Watchers + my fitness regimen. See, I started back up with WW last month and finally am feeling human enough to put my YMCA membership to good use. It’s amazing what having a baby who (sorta) sleeps can do for a gal! So here we go!

Fabletics. I ordered a pair of workout leggings to just give them a shot. I freaking love them, ya’ll! I’ve had issues with buying workout gear in the past — the fit is either too loose or too tight; but these Lisette High-Waisted 7/8 Capris… are… amazing!

They are fitted but without feeling like a stuffed-sausage and they are beyond comfortable! Beyond! So I urge you to try Fabletics if you’ve been skeptical to give them a shot. Heck, I’m tempted to get another of this exact pair this month!

Things That Are Good For Me:

I’m going to commit to taking at least 5 yoga classes this month. Yep. That’s right. 5 yoga classes means just one a week, but an extra class thrown in for good measure. I know this is good for my mental and emotional well-being.

I will spend at least 3 hours away from my children in one day. Things that don’t count — 1. being at work; 2. after the kids go to sleep.

Plant some flowers. Last week I found myself doing some unexpected yard work… and it felt awesome to see progress AND be outside! I bought a couple of flowers to plant and they just make me happy. So I’m going to plant a few more. At least, that’s the goal!

Things That Are Good For My Family:

Spring cleaning. I have a goal to go through our bedroom, all of the clothes, the laundry room, and sort the kids clothes by the end of the month. In my mind I feel like I could just knock it all out in an afternoon; but the reality is, it’s a lot of work.

Try two new recipes in the InstantPot. I haven’t been great at trying new recipes as of late, and I really, really, want to expand my horizons.

Keep up the hustle. I’ve been taking on as much work as possible between the YMCA and blog-work; and I plan on keeping it up.

Things I’m Looking Forward To:

Going to a Derby Party at my sisters next weekend. Sadly, my mom (who lives in Louisville) won’t be in attendance; but the rest of the extended family will be! And after a really long 7 weeks away from my sister, I’m really excited to see her again!

Attending a family wedding at the Columbus Zoo. Like, how cool is that!? A wedding at the zoo! We get to be up-close-and-personal with the animals and everything!

I realize that none of these goals are lofty on their own, but honestly? they are perfect for me and my little family!

So tell me — what goals have you set for yourself this month??

The Little Mermaid, Retro Dog, and a Pi(e) Day Celebration // A Wrap Up

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Yesterday, after staring at my planner for what seemed like hours, I was amazed to see that we’re nearing the end of March. Amazed because it seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Remy Bea’s first birthday — but it was two whole months ago!

Every single day with little kids feels like the.longest.day.ever. Everyday is jam-packed with commitments, errands, and the mundane; but somehow, we blink, and another week, month, and year have passed.

A dear friend of mine recently told me she thinks I’m crazy for keeping my schedule as jam-packed as it is; that I leave very little room for ‘down time.’ But also, that she commends me for keeping my kids active and involved in things — whether that be karate, playdates, or weekly trips to the art museum!

And this past week was no different. Well, minus one little thing:

I sent my husband on a Guys Trip to Wilmington, North Carolina to golf for 5 and a half days.

He had a blast, and we did a great job at surviving! 🙂

Here’s what we’ve been up to in the last week:

  • I took Ari to see The Little Mermaid ballet at the Akron Civic Theater. Despite my child’s affinity for all things Disney and all things artsy, he was bored. Cotton candy helped. Eh, win some, lose some, friends.

 

  • Before our ballet excursion, Ari and I went on lunch date at our favorite spot — Retro Dog! I know I’ve talked about Retro Dog previously, but it’s seriously one of our favorite spots. They serve hot dogs, burgers, fries, onion rings, custard, and beer from Thirsty Dog Brewing. The couple that owns it is originally from Buffalo and their hot dogs are a Buffalo staple — Sahlen’s!
  • Ari’s karate session ended with a bang — or a HIYA! But not to fret, T-Ball starts this week. (PS. I’ve been informed that of all of the local leagues, we signed Ari up for the most intense and most serious league in our area. Ooooops. Makes sense since they have two practices this week alone… for t-ball….).

  • Pi(e) day was a success! Thank you, Sweet Mary’s! Your French Toast Pie did not disappoint!
    PS. Can it be Pi Day every day!?!

  • After months of false starts, Miss Bea finally started (and kept) walking. She’s taken steps before — up to 8 in a row — but this was the first time she just kept going. And she hasn’t stopped! Hooray!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlMlR7iYRpc]

  • One of the highlights of my weekend was getting a fabulous bright yellow cup from Starbucks. It made the gloomy weather completely worth it.

Guys. We survived. We survived!! Yes, we missed Chad; but we did relatively okay with being a single-parent household for a few days. It proved, both, that he can get away and have fun, and that we could do it — that we could keep on a schedule and power through whatever the week throws at us.

And this week I’m ready to take on my own happiness, ya’ll. Here’s my Weekly Mantra:

TGIM, friends! Don’t stress this Monday — embrace it!! xo

Red & White on Thursday Night // Recap

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Last week Chad and I legit skipped our way out the front door to attend the 20th anniversary of Red and White on Thursday Night — a food and wine event to benefit The Arthritis Foundation.

I’ve said before that this event is truly our favorite event of the whole year. It’s something we continuously look forward to, year after year. In prior years, Chad and I have entered together, but split up and gone in different directions.

This year was so different. It was clear — more than ever — that we truly needed this night to reconnect with each other, at one of our most favorite places. So we made it a point to stick together nearly the entire time!

We headed straight to the VIP Lounge when we arrived, which was more glorious than ever! Dante Boccuzzi and his team were serving up the most delicious sweet potato and shrimp skewers!


I’m honestly not even a big fan of shrimp, generally speaking. But these were beyond amazing, ya’ll. Chef Dante is just amazing.

After eating several of the shrimp and sweet potato skewers, we refilled our wine glasses with red wine and headed over to the VIP dessert table, which featured this incredible creme brûlée from West Side Bakery.


Here’s my moment of truth: It had dairy. AND I ATE IT! Honestly? It was absolutely worth the cheat. Truthfully, one of the only reasons I ‘cheated’ with dairy at this event was because it’s hard to tell if something has a bit of dairy in it or not. That being said, I totally passed up cheese and pizza and other just plain ol’ cheesy things. (Le sigh…)

The rest of the event was spent meandering around, trying new-to-us wines and sampling foods from some of our favorite local restaurants!

Some of my personal faves from the night were the tacos and guacamole from BOMBA Tacos & Rum, the bacon-wrapped-dates from The Twisted Olive, and the goat-cheese and berry donut from Hudson’s Restaurant!

And my all-time favorite wines from the night came courtesy of Filia Cellars in Wadsworth, Ohio! This local winery stood out amongst it’s competition!

All in all, it was another perfect event. We ate, we drank, and we reconnected in a way that we truly needed to do. Thank you, again, to the Arthritis Foundation for inviting us to attend this event!

Remy Bea’s Winter ONEderland //

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Monday my last baby had her first birthday. I know! I still can’t believe it! Well, over the weekend we celebrated little Miss Bea turning the big O-N-E with a small party. (Note: It was really hard for me to throw a small party. We just don’t know how to do “small” parties in my family! But I feel like I showed a decent amount of restraint this time around.)

Her party theme was loosely based on a “Winter ONEderland” theme. But mostly? I just wanted pink and gold. Whatevs to everything else.

Her pink smash cake was completely dairy-free and made by Moi! But the other cake was made by Mimi!

I think we pulled it off alright. Eh, in the end, I tried. And everyone seemed to have a good time. That’s what matters most! Right?

Oh! And I had this poster made for her party, and I *swear* I took a photo of it hanging up; but I cannot find that photo anywhere!

PS. What is it with kids wanting to be RIGHT IN the pictures!? My kid has been guilty in the past, too. And, in this case, it was cousins! RIGHT in my camera shot every dang time! Ha!

All in all, it was an absolutely perfect afternoon. I honestly wasn’t stressed — which is a first for me and birthday parties! If I could have, I would have invited every single person I’ve had in my life for this last year. No joke. I will forever be grateful to my village (and that includes every person — even random strangers — who have done anything kind or helpful for me in this last year).

And thank you, too, for being a part of our journey — for supporting us from afar; for offering advice; and for just sending love and positive vibes our way. We made it!! Cheers to this next year! xo

♥ ♥

That time I decided not to post about Remy Bea turning 11 months.

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Guys, I’ve had a draft for Remy Bea’s 11 month update in process for, like, weeks. And… well, I just can’t. Because other than her being a lot more mobile as of late, not much has changed.

Actually, here’s what has changed since her 10 month update:

  • She is eating even more than before, which I didn’t think was humanly possible. I’m surprised this kid isn’t a tank, seriously.
  • But she hasn’t gained any more weight than her 10 month update (which makes her — still — very small).
  • And she’s almost walking. I say almost because this chick is way too lazy to walk. She can walk along furniture and her walker, but she knows that when she needs to get from Point A to Point B, it’s much faster to crawl and hustle.
  • Oh, and she’s still not sleeping. Like, at all. And it sucks.

It really, really, sucks.

I can’t even put it more eloquently than that. My mind is fried from 11 months of not sleeping. Words… sentences… metaphors… they all escape me. The only word that makes sense is ‘sucks.’ And it, well, sucks.

But I’d be lying if I said that there’s something that I have learned over the last 11 months. And that is that those fleeting good moments? They are really, really, good.

For instance, last night I had a ‘sleepover’ with Ari. This amazing little four year old man (yes, man, because he is such an old soul), restored my energy. No, not because he slept particularly well; but because sometimes you need to snuggle a four-year old all night. And sometimes you need to hear “Mommy? I just really, really, love you.”

Besides telling me he loves me a whole lot, he also told me that he’s going to marry me tomorrow (and followed it up with a kiss on the nose and the forehead — melt my damn heart!). ❤️

Babies are cute, y’all. But that’s pretty much as good as it gets until they can speak. Until then it seems like an endless cycle of: cry, look cute, cry, smile to restore your faith, cry again, poop all over you, cry, and giggle. And then cry again.

Perhaps we have the perfect combination of a ridiculously miserable baby and a ridiculously sweet toddler. Maybe that’s why a little time with Ari can feel so restorative. He’s the yin to her yang; He’s the calm to her crazy.

Don’t get me wrong: this child can still drive me bonkers, too. But it’s the kind of bonkers I can handle (aka – the toddler variety). And I’m sure we’ll get to that point soon enough (probably as soon as I hit “publish” on this post); but for now I’m basking in the awesomeness that is a night filled with toddler smooches, movie night snuggles, and an occasional foot in the face.

Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope someone looks at you today the way that Ari looks at me as he kisses me on the nose. ??