random

tuesday randoms //

September 15, 2015 by Rachel 1 Comment

Even though it’s been roughly 90+ degrees and humid out, I’m happy to see that Autumn is right around the corner! The arrival of Pumpkin Spice Lattes can only mean one thing, right? I love seeing the Halloween decorations out in stores and other signs that the seasons are changing.

It feels like as the seasons change, things are going to start getting real! First we have my birthday at the beginning of October, followed by Ari’s THIRD birthday (holy smokes!), then Halloween, followed by Thanksgiving, and shortly thereafter is Christmas, and then New Years Day, and then the arrival of Baby Girl. HOLY SMOKES. Bring it, life! 🙂

I’m playing in my husbands College Football Pick’em league for the second time. The first year I played I beat every. single. person. My strategy? Go down the spread and choose “Win. Lose. Win. Lose.” and randomly assign confidence points. And after just one week in this year? I’m in the lead by thirty freaking points. 🙂 And yes, I’m totally rubbing it in his face already.

This weekend was so beautiful. It rained nearly the entire weekend, which made it ABSOLUTELY LOVELY. Bonus? I felt amazing! We pretty much just stayed indoors and watched movies & ate comfort food (I’ve been on a MAJOR soup kick as of late).

I may have spoken a tad bit too soon by saying I felt “great.” No sooner did I schedule yesterdays blog post did I end up throwing up pretty much nonstop. Yet again. Ughhh. Seriously, pregnancy!? OVER it. I can’t tell if I have a bug or if the hyperemesis hasn’t quite run its course. Either way, I’m discouraged.

Before I came down with this pregnancy plague again this weekend, I cleaned the house from top to bottom! And I even made my favorite Nutella Mascarpone Fillo Dough Bites! It’s been a couple of years since I made them, but they are just as delicious as I remember!

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. 🙂

link love //

March 28, 2014 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Calm.com // If you’re struggling to find a way to meditate or wind down, this is amazeballs.

Simple Science Fitness // Regardless of what ‘meal plan’ (I hate the term ‘diet’) you follow, this is a dumb-it-down, it-is-what-it-is, explanation of the science behind gaining weight, losing weight, or maintaining your current weight.

Because I totally love Jennifer Lawrence // I know so many people hate her, but she’s adorable and funny. And real.

So here:

[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny4FtbBd6hI/]

I Heart Cleveland‘s Giveaway for 2 Tickets to Rock The Catwalk at the Cleveland Museum of Art Atrium // The event is on Thursday May 1st at 6:30PM in the beautiful Cleveland Museum of Art Atrium! Tickets are $125 a piece, but you can win them on the I Heart CLE Blog!

Thug Kitchen // Because OMG this exists?!

Hahahahaha! Hilarious AND sounds delish!

I Love Wednesdays //

March 26, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

My new shift not only provides me with some extra morning snuggle + playdate time with Moosh (#BabyAri), but I also get Wednesdays off.

PEOPLE! — A WHOLE DAY in the middle of the week… for me & Babycakes! Yayyyy!

We’ve definitely been keeping ourselves busy on our day off.

Workouts. L-O-V-E getting a workout in at the gym while Ari plays at the gym sitter for about an hour. Plus, after I finish my cardio, Moosh + I play in the indoor playhouse! He loves it. So do I!

Date night. OK. So technically we’ve only gone on one Wednesday date night. But it’s totally nice to have that option in the middle of the week. Cause let’s face it — we never ever went out on a Friday or Saturday. Ever. We’re much more inclined to go on a date in the middle of the week. We prefer that weekends are for pajamas. 🙂

Doctors appointments. Not having to use personal time/sick time/vacation time for a doctors appointment!? WIN! We’ve taken Moosh to the allergist, myself to the eye doctor and several other appointments, and then also appointments at home! Perfection.

Races! That’s right. There is a Wednesday night race series in the area. You bet your butt I’m going to run them!

Catching up on life. Most people don’t have off on Wednesdays. Which means I have a bunch of time to do with what I ~~want~~ need. Having a day in the middle of the week to keep our lives together is super helpful. Usually I end up cleaning the entire house from top to bottom.

What do you like to do on your day off?? And what would you recommend me and Moosh do on our day off?! Suggestions, please!

Saturday (or Sunday at this point) Randoms //

March 9, 2014 by Rachel Leave a Comment

My days with #ToddlerAri (formerly #BabyAri) have been jam-packed with awesome. One of our favorite things to do is to hit up whatever fun, free, local event is happening! This week we visited the Akron Art Museum (again) for their Free Thursday event

I cannot wait for farmers’ market season to start! I miss getting fresh fruits + veggies, locally sourced, in a fun outdoor environment!

There are TWO posts you should see right this very second:
1. The Cleveland Home + Remodeling Expo ticket giveaway.
2. My post on the Pretty Muddy blog about running dirty + eating clean!

This post from West Coast Mama blog about struggling to stay positive in the day-to-day mundane of life is such a great reminder for all of us. I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal since the beginning of the year. Each day I write something, regardless of how simple and unthrilling it is, down in my ‘gratitude’ notebook. But sometimes it’s just hard. #BeGrateful, y’all.

Saturday Randoms //

January 25, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

Yesterday Chad left for a boys weekend, of sorts. Which means this mama had the night to herself! And what did I do?? Go wild and crazy, of course! That’s right… I cleaned the house AND kept a fire going… all while watching trashy Real Housewives on the DVR. Wild and crazy, right!?

I had plans for today but we kinda got snowed in. #BabyAri and I left this morning to run one errand and it ended up taking nearly an hour round-trip. In.SANE! It was crazy dangerous and I had a few mini panic attacks. But we made it back. Just in time to put Ari down for his morning nap. Once he fell asleep, I had to work on starting a fire (my first!) and getting my car up the driveway (which took an hour…).

Ari was hilarious today. He had a few naughty moments, which warranted time-outs. But every time he went into time out, I would avoid looking at him. And then I look over and he’s smirking and thinking it’s HYSTERICAL. Which made me laugh and then time out was just a waste…

I found a hidden bottle of sparkling rosé in the pantry tonight. I not-so-elegantly paired it with a few homemade Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookies that Ari and I made earlier. It was a lovely end to this crazy snow day!

I spent 2.5 hours and $200 at the eye doctor yesterday. It was painful (in many ways) but I’m super excited to have my annual eye exam behind me. And excited that I’m getting a new pair of glasses (first pair in 10 years!) plus gas permeable lenses — which are new to me! As someone who’s worn soft lenses since she was 12, this is a big change! When I told my eye doctor that friends would say “oh no, I get it — my eyes are real bad….” he said that they had nothin’ on me! Ha! Are you eligible for lasik?? I’m like the only person on the planet that isn’t. He said I’m eligible for visual prosthesis in my late-40s, early 50s. That’s right…. Eye transplant. LOL. So yeah, I’m blind, folks. And a hundred bucks says I’m more blind than you. #IWin #ButILose

Ari loves to vacuum with me. I swear if the kid could talk he’d say that the highlight of his day was getting in the Baby Bjorn and vacuuming with me. Ha!

I didn’t have a chance to paint my nails during my doctor extravaganza yesterday, so I painted them today during Babycakes first nap. Not perfect, but good enough for a first shot!

I’m actually kind of nervous about my first day in my new position on Monday. I mean, I’m ready but I’m nervous. Weird!