My Life

Happy Birthday, GM

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

I can’t believe our baby boy is one. 

I of course remember so vividly the day he was born, coming two days early as a surprise (his birth story is here), and arriving so differently from our other children had. And he is still showing us just how different he is from his older brother and sister. 

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In so many ways, he has been easier. He goes with the flow. We take him to his big brother and sister’s sports practices and games, events, and out where we go.

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He slept through the night earlier than our other kids (THANK YOU!), so much so that sometimes I get up in the night more because of his siblings than him.

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He has also been harder – he is on the go so much more than I remember FW or LM being. He is constantly moving. He is always climbing. He wants to put everything and anything in his mouth (which FW honestly never did). He wants to chase his siblings, and who could blame him?

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And he we love him so much. WE love him. My heart couldn’t be more full than when he wakes up in the morning and his older siblings immediately dote on him, give him good morning hugs and kisses. And seeing his face light up when they enter his room to play. 

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Yes, having three kids is HARD and TIRING. But we are so happy with our new addition. What a year it has been!

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Happy birthday, GM. We love you!

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Weekend Update: Summer Fun in the CLE

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We had a great weekend! So much so that I’m bringing back my weekend update post series. Who knows, maybe I’ll keep it up?

Friday started extra early – I wanted to get in a little longer run than usual, so I headed out early and was able to get in 7 miles. I was able to catch the sun rise, which is beautiful this time of year!

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And then, thanks to working from home, I was able to enjoy lunch on the porch with LM And FW.20220715_132019

Friday night the weather was gorgeous – not too hot, not too cold – so B and the big kids decided to camp out in our backyard! This meant some card games in the tent, roasted marshmallows and then sleeping outside (GM and I stayed inside).

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The kids had a blast!

Saturday morning brought another run, this time I took out GM in the stroller and he used it for a nap, too, which was fine with me.

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That afternoon, we had tickets to the Guardians game. It was Christmas in July and they were selling Christmas Ale in festive cups! So I had to try one.

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Our regular season ticket seats weren’t available, so we say high up in the stands. It ended up working out, because it was HOT and we stayed in the shade.

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And we brought home a win! We’ve been to 3 games so far this season and they’ve won each one.

Sunday morning brought some showers, so I got out for a solo 5 mile run before staying inside most of the day. After a trip to the grocery store, GM, LM and I made some muffins together.

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I’ll have to share the recipe – they are pumpkin, banana, white bean muffins, similar to these that I make often.

Sunday night brought dinner at B’s parents’ house, where the cousins got to play together. It’s always nice to see everyone all together, especially the kids – they all get along and are similar ages, so it’s fun to see them growing up together!

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And with that, the weekend was over. But this week is going to go by fast – I’m taking off Friday to celebrate GM’s birthday — he’s turning 1!

When Weeks Don’t Go As Planned

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

Some weeks just don’t go as you planned for them to go. If you asked me what this week would look like a little while ago, I would’ve said some outdoor runs, normal workouts, and kids at school every day.

That didn’t happen. Instead, we got SNOW+COLD+SNOW DAYS+STOMACH FLU.

 This week began with us getting hit HARD with a ton of snow. Like 12+ inches! Meaning, I was not running outside. The sidewalks weren’t shoveled, roads weren’t plowed, and I don’t know when it will melt because we have so much. So these days, I’m just grateful for my treadmill to keep me sane.

At least it looks pretty and my kids love it, right?

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The week also included a snow day (after the massive day of snow) and stomach bugs for 3 members of our house (thankfully not me or LM were hit …yet!). So, I’m grateful I got in any runs at all with all that chaos. 

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Winter Is Here

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

I’ll try not to complain every single week from here through the end of March; however, I hate winter running. 

Now that that’s over with, I’ll say that I ran almost every day this week (yay!), but only one run was outside. Every other day was on the dreadmill, at o’dark thirty, when it was either icy or just too cold (for me) outside. Thankfully, I was able to get in a few outdoor walks during the day, which made all the difference in my moods! So even though I was stuck on the treadmill, I found myself getting in at least a mile walk outside a few days in the (cold) sunshine with at least one of my kids. They don’t hate winter like me, and I’m trying NOT to instill the bad attitude in them!

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Every Day I’m Treadmilling

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

Well, winter finally arrived in Cleveland. It was a cold, dark and we had our first real snowstorm. I know it’s January, but I’m still not ready for it to be like this. I prefer 30+ degrees and dry ground for me to run on. I  decided to ignore the elements this week, and instead of running outside, I stayed indoors, did some kettlebells, did some abs and ran on the treadmill.

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Happy Holidays – Weekly Run Down Edition

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas! I can’t believe Christmas is OVER, and I’m trying not to feel the pang that often hits me after the holiday season. Instead, let’s focus on all that has been wonderful and all that is running-related!

This week, I kept up my unplanned running streak, so much that I may decide to complete the Runner’s World #rwstreak and run every day through New Year’s Day. What do you think? Should I keep it up?  

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Warm Holiday Season

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

Man, is it really nearly the end of December? 

While I’m ready for the holiday season, some time off of work and with the family (and no school for the kids!), it doesn’t feel like the holidays. I’m not going home for Christmas this year (thanks, pandemic) and also,  it has been WARM! That’s right – I was able to run in capris twice this week because it was in the 40s-50s even before the sun came up. And I loved it!

This week, I got in an outdoor run nearly every day. The weather was just that good!

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Weekly Run Down: A Good Week

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

Looking back at this week in terms of running, I can say it was a good week.

I got in 4 outdoor runs, 3 indoor runs (thank you, treadmill!) and I felt pretty good.

I’m still not getting any faster (thanks, postpartum running, breastfeeding and lack of sleep for that), but I’m not injured, I’m still getting in my miles, and overall, I’m feeling good.

 

(This is one of my favorite versions of this song – I believe I first heard it in an episode of Luther)

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Weekly Run Down: December Is Here

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

December is HERE! And with that, we actually had some great weather this week. I was able to get outside half of the days and run outside. And one day, I managed to run in capris because it was in the 40s!

I wouldn’t mind if it stayed this mild all winter. We had some snow on Sunday, but it melted and stayed dry the second half of the week, which made my runs outside that much better. And with that, I wrapped up my November with about 109 miles run.

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Here’s how the week went:

 

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Weekly Run Down: 2nd Annual Turkey Trot

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

Was Thanksgiving really 3 days ago? It feels like only yesterday that I was counting down the days to see my family and celebrate the beginning of the season. My parents came into town for a few days, and it was great to see them and enjoy some turkey and quality time together. 

Speaking of turkey, this year also marked the second annual family turkey trot — instead of doing the large downtown race (which I do enjoy), me and my brothers- and sisters-in-law did our own run around our neighborhood. It’s a fun tradition, and works out perfectly since we all live so close to one another. My oldest brother-in-law and his son started out by running from their house. Then they picked up my sister-in-law and her daughter at her house (about .75 mi away), then they picked up my other brother-in-law and his dog at their house (about another .5 mi away), and then they picked me, B and my younger brother-in-law at our house. Then we ran a little ways around dropped everyone else off at their houses. It was the perfect start to my Thanksgiving morning!

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