weekend

Weekly Mantra //

October 10, 2016 by Rachel 3 Comments

This week is Ari’s last week as a threenager. That’s right — next weekend Ari turns the big f. o. u. r. I can’t believe it! I have a(n almost) four year old! How!?

I’m totally grateful to have had a semi-relaxing weekend with Chad and the kiddos. Saturday, Ari and I had a Lowe’s Build and Grow workshop (again) and then I took the kiddos to Sarah’s Vineyard for a playdate (and wine date!) with my friend Gretchen and her boys.

Girl time with Gretchen was way, way, overdue! Each of us having two crazy kiddos + the normal hustle and bustle of life have just gotten in the way. But we picked right back up where we left off last time I saw her. — That’s the beauty of great friendships, right!?

Loved spending time with my dear friend @rubbersoulyogi05 this weekend. And this pond at the winery was the perfect setting to catch up‼️ Repost of Gretchen’s lovely words and photo. ? ・・・ No mud, no bloom. We can thrive & find happiness in any situation, if we choose. ???✌?️ #choosehappiness #unleashyourpotential #lyt #yoga #akronyoga #33OM #rise #floaton #wineaboutit

A photo posted by Rachel (@itsahero) on Oct 10, 2016 at 9:52am PDT

It was also my first time at Sarah’s Vineyard — and it is totally beautiful (minus three drunk adults who decided to yell at our boys… HUGE props to the staff at SV for telling them to get lost!).

Post-girl date, Chad & I actually had a date lined up for ourselves! Another awesome friend (my tribe is awesome!) volunteered to take the kiddos for us so Chad and I could go celebrate my birthday. And guess what we did? Well, Chad dropped me off to get a haircut while he went into TJMaxx to try on some clothes! Ha!

But really, then we did go out to dinner. We were even home early enough to all get some sleep! We had family pictures scheduled bright and early Sunday morning. We shall see how those turn out… ha!

Girlfriend was SO NOT feeling her first (real) photo shoot. I was trying to get her ready to smile and I ended up with this face… ?? Oj well! Hope our photog got better shots?

A photo posted by Rachel (@itsahero) on Oct 9, 2016 at 4:20pm PDT

I’m super content for a Monday. I just am. Perhaps it’s because Remy is napping; perhaps it’s because she also slept last night; or perhaps it’s because I cleaned last night and I’m not rushing around today. Who am I kidding… it’s because of all of these things! Oh, and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee!

I really wish for a smooth week ahead.

Happiness is Autumn weather and toddler snuggles. Seriously. We’ve had so much of both over the last week. I love it. ♥

Weekly Mantra:

(via Marvelous Mom Tribe)

Have a good week, friends! xo

Weekend Wrapup //

September 27, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Guys! [Yes, I realize I start a LOT of blog posts with “guys!” But, to be fair? I actually say that a LOT in real life.] This weekend was mostly the bomb dot com.

Let’s recap, shall we?

Saturday was set to be such a wonderful day, weatherwise. I mean, perfection of Fall. For serious.

Chad stayed home with Miss Bea while Ari and I went to Lowe’s for their monthly Build and Grow Workshop. Normally, these workshops go like this: we check in, grab our kit, and Mommy builds while Ari tries to wander away.

But this time was different. This time, Ari was super interested. So interested, in fact, that he actually used the hammer to nail his boat together.

I’m amazed at how much this kiddo has learned in preschool. It’s especially apparent with his ability focus and follow directions. He did great building his boat at @loweshomeimprovement Build & Grow workshop this morning!

A photo posted by Rachel (@itsahero) on Sep 24, 2016 at 8:22am PDT

I credit his new found concentration from preschool! I mean, it has to be, right!? That’s truly the only thing that has changed. So, thank you, Miss Shannon and the YMCA preschool for helping Ari concentrate and focus his way through building an amazing wooden tugboat toy!

Afterward, I took Ari home and picked up Miss Bea. She and I went to the local Hike + Bike trail to go for an interval run. Yep, you heard right! For the last 3.5 weeks I’ve been back to running! (More on that in a post this week!)

Girlfriend did great, considering! I mean, she loves the stroller. And she loved it for the first 25 minutes of our run. And then? Not so much… she fussed and fussed and fussed. Until she fell asleep. Thank goodness she fell asleep — OMG. And even though my run was over, I continued to walk until she got a decent nap in.

Post-run, we went home and played in the park with Ari. I seriously count my blessings every single damn day that we have a park (and playground!) in our backyard!

And then — yes even after this amount of excitement! — we ended up at our local celebration for our First Responders! Ari was able to climb into a SWAT vehicle, see a SWAT camera, witness the jaws of life, and get his very own bicycle helmet.

So, basically, a little boys favorite things. Right!? But for serious. It was the perfect way to wrap up our day.

And on Sunday, we did nothing except nap and clean. It was perfection. And it rejuvenated my Mama Soul, friends! For reals!

Weekly Mantra //

September 19, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

This weekend was a freaking roller coaster. Friday night Chad and I went on our second date since Remy was born. It was really nice. And super nice of a dear friend to watch the kiddos while we went out. But guess what? Our “date” was only an hour long — and not for lack of trying! We even ate slow! But we were both so exhausted that we just headed home to pick up the kiddos afterward.

On Saturday we went to our friends’ daughters birthday party! We all had the best time! The kids were so tired that they actually slept for a half hour on the way home (that never happens). And seriously we were all in bed at 7:30.

But Sunday was a whole other story. Sunday was a cluster-f. There was an old-timey festival we wanted to take the kiddos to — Yankee Peddler. We left the house in the morning with all of our necessities for the day. Well, Ari had other plans. He legit lost his s**t shortly after we got there. He was a straight up nightmare toddler. And it was exhausting.

Of course, Remy was being an angel. I was wearing her in the Ergo the whole time. And at one point, I went to find some shade to feed her. Well, as I was walking to the shade, a HUGE bee landed on her and I dodged it, but my foot slipped and I fell. Yep. I fell. While wearing her. And I rolled. But I put my arm around her and shielded her from the fall. However, my body HURTS now. Big time. And neither of us got stung!

We left. I cried. I was so frustrated with the whole situation. And my toddler. ?

And, this week I’m seriously headed for (another) breakdown. I kinda have a bit too much on my plate, work-wise this week. I know, I know… I’m not even working full-time. However, this week I’m working ALMOST full-time. And bringing the kiddos with me. We are all going to be worn out. Heck! I already am worn out and the week is just starting!

That being said, I’m grateful to have a job where I can bring my kiddos with me and not have to worry about childcare!

I’m content with our current almost Fall weather! Just the slight cooling off that we’ve had has been glorious! ?

I wish and hope that this chiropractor appointment we have for Remy helps her. We’ve been waiting ages to get her in (ok just three weeks). Girlfriend needs some help with sleep!

Happiness is a good meal and a happy family.

Weekly Mantra:

In a week that’s sure to be full of craziness, I need to remember to count my blessings and just, well, BE HAPPY.

the weekend + our first day of school.

September 10, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Guys. GUYS. I have a preschooler. My heart hurts and is, simultaneously, so overjoyed. What are these feelings!? Ugh!

OK, so this weekend was, simply, lovely.

Saturday Miss Bea woke up early (of course), and we ended up taking a nap by 8am. We woke up just in time to get ready to go to the Akron Zoo as they opened. Surprisingly, the zoo wasn’t busy at all. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! Zero humidity. No warmer than like 80 degrees. Just absolutely amazing.

We met up with some friends and their two kids. Ari gets so excited whenever there are “friends” for him to play with. The girls, just a tad bit older than him, quickly took him under their wing and helped to escort him from exhibit to exhibit. I wore Remy in the ErgoBaby and she was content.

It was great catching up with friends we haven’t seen in nearly ages (it’s Chad’s best friend from high school — we’ve seen him since high school lol. But it’s been about a year).

We all went to bed at 7:15pm Saturday night and it was glorious!

Sunday was completely low-key. I mean, like, everyone took naps, and I went on a trip to Target. That’s it.

But Monday we woke up and went to the apple orchard. Honestly, I keep remembering “our last family outings” and they were basically a year ago. Sure, we’ve done things here and there over the last year; but since I was pregnant and Remy was born we’ve kinda been in hibernation mode (thanks to sickness and then a super awful baby). So it feels like we were *just* at the apple orchard when, in reality, it was a year ago…

We walked through the orchard, tasted peaches and apples, and eyed up the pies. We ended up getting home before it got too hot and spending the rest of the day napping and prepping for our first day of school!

That’s right. Tuesday was not only my first day of teaching gymnastics to the preschoolers at the Y for the Fall, but it was Ari’s very first day of preschool! He’s going to preschool at the Y two days a week. And each day during his class he gets swim lessons built in! Bonus!!

We’re officially at the “super sassy toddler” stage. This was the best picture I got (after many, many, attempts) at his “FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL” pic!

A photo posted by Rachel (@itsahero) on Sep 7, 2016 at 9:28am PDT

Dude had no reservations whatsoever. And was totally in teenager mode when it came to me asking for a picture. Insert toddler eyeroll and refusal to smile!

I didn’t cry nearly as much as I expected to as I dropped him off. Then again, I didn’t really have an opportunity to. I was so busy getting the gym ready for classes myself! When I picked Ari up after preschool he had, like, zero to report. Seriously? Such a threenager!! “How was school?” “Good.” “Anything exciting happen??” “No.”

It turns out, he did go swimming (and he liked it!) and he sang a new (to him) song! So see? Exciting things did happen in preschool. He just failed to report them — initially!

Aaaand now this blog post is coming during yet another weekend. Ugh. I just cannot be caught up on life. Or sleep. Or my DVR. 🙂 But for serious, friends… have a good weekend!

FriYAY //

June 24, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Today is the only day that I don’t have to work for the next seven days. So I’m ‘taking it easy.’

For those with kids, you understand that ‘taking it easy’ means: running errands; fitting in a workout; cleaning the house; doing loads and loads of laundry; and (fingers crossed) getting both kids to nap.

And coffee. There will be coffee…. 🙂

I’d be lying if I said this week was anything other than … challenging. Yep. Let’s use the word ‘challenging.’ There have been many, many, tears. Remy has been a wreck, I have been a wreck, and Ari has been confused, to say the least.

So yeah…

Happy Friday, friends!

Weekend Wrap Up //

June 15, 2016 by Rachel 1 Comment

It was another one of those weekends. The kind of weekend that makes my heart pitter-patter. I went to bed SO full of happy on Sunday night. Seriously. I was just… happy!

My mom and dad arrived around noon on Friday. We got them settled in and then headed to lunch over at Retro Dog. Retro Dog has long-been one of my favorite fast-casual spots. Well, because, it’s hot dogs. Obvy. But it’s not just any hot dogs. It’s Sahlen’s Hot Dogs… a freakin’ Buffalo tradition!

Seriously, friends. These natural-casing hot dogs are amazing. And my dad feels like he needs to go to Retro Dog every time he’s in town! Which is totally fine by me.

It turns out Fox 8 was on-site filming a segment for New Day Cleveland. The owner knows us (because we share a strong love of hot dogs, root beer, and Buffalo).

The owner came right up to me and said “Oh my gosh this couldn’t be more perfect timing! They don’t believe that our best customers happened to *just* walk in!” and threw us a Retro Dog shirt to put on Ari!

The camera crew came over to film us and Ari started cheesing in the worst way. Seriously, THE worst. They said they are going to use the footage, but seriously it’s of Ari shoving hot dogs in his mouth and making funny faces at the camera. Ha!

Post-Retro Dog we headed out to get Ari a new pair of shoes. I know that sounds lame, but it seriously made him SO happy! And we were even able to squeeze in a quick swim at the wading pool with Mimi and Poppy!

Friday evening we all headed out to dinner and then to bed early. Thank goodness!

Saturday morning was rough. Remy had a really rough night and I was desperate for a break from her. I ended up powering through the morning, some way, some how.

My mom and I took Remy to the Freedom Trail and went for a run. Meanwhile, Chad, Ari, and Poppy went to Lowe’s for their Build & Grow workshop. Afterward we all met up in Kent for lunch at Fresco Mexican Grill. Think Chipotle, but locally owned and wayyyyy better. That’s Fresco!

We also had a chance to walk through Haymaker Farmers Market! It was our first market of the season and it was a beautiful day for it! Ari and Chad shared a popsicle from PopSmith (rhubarb or something?)… and we walked and enjoyed ourselves.

Oh, and we stopped by the newly-opened Peace, Love, and Little Donuts!

They had a super impressive spread of little donuts! And the most impressive part? Was the fact that they made these beauties right in front of us!

When we asked Ari which flavor he wanted, he replied that he wanted just plain ol’ chocolate. Kiddo! For real?? But we made sure to get a bunch of different flavors to try out. And they were all delicious! My dad (half-) joked that he was going to go get a dozen just for himself. He didn’t (this time), but he likely will next time he’s in town.

And Saturday evening we headed to Mimi & Poppy’s hotel for a quick swim in the pool. I mean, Ari wouldn’t stop asking to go for a swim in the pool at the pool. Of course, when we got to the pool, he was terrified to go in (I knew he would be). I somehow convinced him to come in with me and he did great!

Post-swim we headed back to the house for a cookout. Chad made amazing burgers and cucumber salad while Ari played in the backyard with Poppy. Mimi snuggled Miss Remy Bea and finally got her to settle down (thank goodness for Mimi!).

Everyone passed the heck out after that kind of day! And I was lucky enough to have had a chance to sleep next to a very lovey toddler instead of the very-clingy baby! No, she didn’t take a bottle; but Chad just brought her in once or twice to feed, and then took her right back out! I was so grateful to have had that time with Ari (and a bit more sleep!).

I definitely needed every second of that.

On Sunday my mom and I cleaned the whole house. Well, almost the whole house (Ari’s room is a disaster area. For reals.). Because I was hosting a little in-home shopping party for some girlfriends!

We had so much fun sipping sangria (even if I did forget one fairly important ingredient!), snacking on finger-food, and shopping LuLaRoe!

Mimi left in the middle of the party (but not before purchasing seven — yes SEVEN — items!) to go home to Kentucky [insert sad face]. But after the party the kids and I picked up right where our busy weekend left off!

I decided to drag the kids on a solo trip to the Keyser Barn for their first of the summer concert series! While it was a short trip (thanks, Remy, for that meltdown), we did have some fun!

And with that, our weekend is totally, completely, wrapped up! So much fun!