My Life

Sick Kids and Cold Weather

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

As you can see below, I had pretty low mileage week tbis week. For a few reasons.

First, it got cold and snowy and icy and I opted to run inside on the treadmill. All the runs this week were on the treadmill and I’m still getting used to running on the treadmill sonI can’t seem to go more than 2 miles without stopping.

Second, the end of this week brought little sleep. One night, I literally didn’t sleep because I was worried about a sick toddler and felt the need to listen to him breathe. Earlier this week, FW landed at the doctor’s office, with a barking cough and trouble breathing – croup! So we knew that some of our plans for the weeken would be put on hold.

But there was still stuff we had to get done! Luckily, after his meds and some sleep, FW was feeling alright enough to help us with dropping off food, gifts and grocieries for our annual adopt a family program.

It’s a lot of work, but I’m always so glad we are able to be part of this annual tradition.

After drop off, since we were in the neighborhood, we decided to ger some coffee (for B), kombucha (for me), and chocolate milk (free for FW).

And then we popped into the West Side Market. It was a bittersweet visit- we were saying goodbye to some of our favorite stands. Two of them were closing – Rooted in Cle and Basketeria.

After the Market, we grabbed a quick lunch at Boaz. FW feastes on hummus and pita and LM tries her first hummus as well! I think she liked it.

It was a low key afternoon and evening, including some raking, nap time for the kids and dinner at home.

Sunday morning included some pancakes (made by B, but not pictured) and a stroller run with FW. We got in 4 miles and it was 40 degrees, which felt AMAZING. I don’t get in many stroller runs when it’s winter because of the cold and snow, so I really appreciated getting out there.

The afternoon went by quickly, and included attending my nephew’s Christmas pageant and then a baby shower. It was a pirate-themed shower with tons of cute decorations.

And then we finished with dinner and festive fun at B’s parents’ house.

All in all, a good pre-holiday weekend and a pretty good week of runs!

Some questions for you:

  • How do you find time for running when life gets in the way?
  • Do you work out in the morning or evening?

I’m linking up with the weekly wraps

Staying Indoors This Weekend

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

It was a COLD weekend here in Cleveland. I’m usually pretty good about running in the winter, as long as it isn’t too icy, but when I saw the temps were “feels like 14” and even colder, I just couldn’t bring myself to get outside. So that meant some treadmill runs and a bunch of other indoor fun this weekend.

Here’s how the week in general looked:

Friday started with a 3.25 mile treadmill run before the house got up. LM was starting to get restless while I was running, so I ended up getting in 2-ish miles, stopping, walking a bit, and starting again after she went back to sleep.

Friday also included some indoor running – for FW, not me – at the history museum. He got to run around and play in the children’s room.

Saturday morning included some baking – we made some toffee to bring to my Ladies Craft Beer Society meeting.

Not your usual LCBS photo – instead of beer and crafts, I got a photo of some of the kids playing. Don’t worry, there was beer AND crafts, just not photographed.

Saturday also included some grocery shopping.

And B made dinner! Some pasta and shrimp. I love seafood, but we hardly ever eat it because B doesn’t love it, so it was a nice treat.

Sunday morning I opted inside again. It was sunny but FRIGID when I woke up. I did a 20 minute run, checked on the kids (who were hanging out with B) and then got in another mile.

Then, FW and I made muffins. He is becoming quite the kitchen helper and I love it!

The weekend also included a trip to Target for our annual adopt a family shopping trip. Every year, B and I organized a local adopt a family program and pair up local people with families to buy for for the holidays. We buy gifts and groceries for the families. It’s a fun tradition, and I can’t wait until the kids are old enough to understand what we do. And after shopping, it was time for dinner at B’s parents’ house.

We were decorating their tree, which FW enjoyed. He’s definitely getting in the holiday spirit!

Some questions for you:

  • Are you running outdoors or indoors these days?
  • Do you like decorating for the holidays?

I’m linking up with the weekly wraps.

Things to Do With a Kid Downtown

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Don’t get me wrong – I love our new house in the ‘burbs and all that our new little city has to offer – but I do miss our lives downtown. There was always something to do, always something going on, and it was great walking everywhere (especially to work). And even after we got married and had kids – yes, there was still kid-friendly stuff to do!

Are you thinking of living in downtown CLE with kids? Or just looking for stuff to do with kids downtown? Here are some of the ways we had fun and the things I loved to do downtown with FW:

1. Take advantage of all the free attractions

When you’re a kid, there are so many things that are exciting — and the best part is, so many of these things are free! For example, FW, loves just watching trains, trolleys, buses, boats, etc. These are all things you can see— and ride— downtown. There are several trolleys that ride around downtown for free and you can hop on and hop off whenever you want. Also, FW LOVES looking at pretty much any vehicle, especially trains and boats and airplanes. The best place to do this? Walk down to Voinovich Park. On the walk, you’ll cross over train tracks. At the park you’ll see planes landing into Burke airport as well as boats in the water. If you walk down to the Flats, you’ll also get a glimpse of boats and trains. Walk along the waterfront path near FWD Night Club and you may even be able to catch not only a boat along the water, but also a train cross the bridge. Public Square is also a great, free place for kids. Not only can you watch the buses, but there’s also green space to run around, a splash pad in the summer, ice skating in the winter and plenty of year-round events.

2. Be willing to spend some money

In addition to the free attractions, there are other things to see and do right downtown. Some of the attractions that cater to children include:

3. Know the child-friendly restaurants

My husband and I lived in two apartments downtown, one near East 4th Street and one in Playhouse Square. Both areas had restaurants we’d frequent with our baby and toddler. Some of them include Winking Lizard (they have a kids menu AND a lizard that kids may enjoy checking out), Masthead Brewing Co. (they have high chairs and quick food, which is perfect for kids; it’s also loud, which is great for blending in with your loud baby), Corner Alley (they have games for older kids) and Hofbrauhaus (they have a giant enclosed patio with a playscape and live music). During sporting events or at night, these places can become not as friendly, so we stuck to them mostly during the day. Around the Flats, there also were so many places great for kids because they’re near the water (see above: cool views of boats and trains and bridges) and casual. Some of our favorites include Coastal Taco and Dante’s Inferno. Both are casual, have games for the older kids to play, and are on the louder side, so a screaming child may not get noticed.

There are so many great places to eat downtown, and the best part is, so many of them are child-friendly, especially if you go earlier in the day. If you’re not sure, definitely call ahead and ask.


4. Frequent the family-friendly events

All year long, Cleveland is home to child-friendly events. Most of these are events that people from all over Northeast Ohio attend. Some include:

Whether you’re looking to spend money or not, there’s so much to do in downtown Cleveland year-round. We loved our time living there with our toddler and hope you are able to enjoy some of the fun activities we loved, as well.

Do you live downtown with your baby or small child? OR do you spend a lot of time downtown with your kids? How do you keep them entertained?

A version of this post was shared on NortheastOhioParent.com.

Pre-Turkey Weekend

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

It’s THANKSGIVING WEEK! Though I’m not going back home and seeing my family this year (womp womp), I’m still excited for the holiday and spending time with B’s family. FW loves hanging out with his cousins, and well, I love stuffing 🙂

This weekend was another nice weekend at home. I got in a few runs – outside AND inside – and as always, we had some good food. Here are some of the highlights:

A run outside to kick off the weekend. It was cold and wasn’t my fastest run, but it was good to get outside early while everyone was fast asleep.

Friday we celebrated Thanksgiving a little early — at FW’s school! They had a Thanksgiving lunch celebration for the kids and their families.

It was fun to stop by in the middle of the day and grab a quick bite to eat with him.

Friday night we ordered in – Aladdin’s Lebanese food. It’s nice when we can all eat the same thing, but because FW is such a picky eater that rarely happens. He does love their pita quesadillas with fruit, though!

Saturday morning included some dancing.

Followed by cookie baking (with a toddler and baby).

And then naptime.

While LM was napping, I was able to get in a short treadmill run. I did 1.5 miles running, then stopped and got water, walked a bit and did about 1.5 miles more.

After naps, it was time to head outside for a little walk! We all bundled up.

We walked over to my friend Emily’s house to drop off some cookies and FW got to play with her son, Jack. The two of them are about 6 months apart.

That night, B made us some pizza. I LOVE his pizza and this batch was especially good.

Sunday morning we did some more baking. This time, FW and I made lentil, banana and zucchini muffins.

The day also included some indoor playing.

And a short stroller run with the family. FW fell asleep while we were out.

Th rest of the day flew by! It included not only dinner with B’s family, but also a haircut for FW!

At last, he can finally see again!

Questions for you:

  • Did it start to get cold near you?
  • How do you feel about running in the rain?
  • Have you run with a stroller?

I’m linking up with the weekly wraps.

Tuesdays on the Run – Outside All The Time

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

Happy Tuesday! Last week was pretty good in terms of runs and I’m proud of the fact that every single run I got in was OUTDOORS!

It’s getting darker and colder, which means it’s time for me to hibernate – or at least hit the treadmill more often. Or dreadmill. I’m not a fan of the super cold and though I’ll eventually get used to it and be able to run outside, at this point, I am not ready for it! Plus, it’s much harder to get in a stroller run when it’s in single degree temps.

But this week, everything was outside. Including my LONGEST run since LM, which was on Sunday. And it was a gorgeous Sunday for a run!

Here was how the whole week looked:

None of the other runs were quite as picturesque, but I am happy to be back in the 20s for mileage!

Some questions for you:

  • Were the fall colors out in full force near you?
  • What weather is too cold for you to run outside?

Linking up with My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs.

If Life Gives You A Broken Oven … You Go For Some Runs (And A Walk)

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

What a weekend. It was cold (we saw snow flurries on Saturday!) and semi eventful. Why? Well, Saturday our oven broke. In the middle of cooking dinner (baking pizza dough) for B’s family. So that changed up some of our Sunday plans. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s a little look at the past few days:

Thursday morning, I got in a semi-short run (3.11 miles) outdoors. It was chillier than it has been but it wasn’t too cold for me to get outside. B and I both had to be at work early, so I knew I only had 30 minutes or so to get in a workout after feeding LM.

Thursday night, B and I went out on a date night! We saw A Star is Born and then had dinner. Dinner didn’t start until 10 p.m., so needless to say, Friday I was tired! But look at this beer – it came with a toasted marshmallow!

Friday night was not as I intended. We ended up having to take LM into the dr because of a bad cough that was giving her a hard time breathing. She’s okay, but it’s so hard seeing babies sick – she hasn’t been herself and clearly is hurting 😦

Saturday was when the said oven incident occurred. BC was playing Clemson, so B invited his brother (who went to BC also) and the rest of his siblings and a few friends over to watch the game. We had planned on cooking pizza for everyone when the oven door just fell off. And when B tried to put it back together, we discovered that pieces had disintegrated!

We decided to order in instead, and still got to watch the game. FW hung out with his cousins and stayed up until half time.

The game didn’t quite end as I would’ve liked but it is always fun hosting people in our house. Our apartment was always too small to have to many people over.

Sunday, after the oven incident and some other things that were happening, I just had to get in a run. I knew it would make me feel at least a littke better. So while B and FW were at Home Depot, LM went down for a nap and I got in few easy treadmill miles.

Then, when FW was napping later I couldn’t help myself and got in a few more miles. I mean, look at the weather – it was so nice out! And running really does keep me sane.

We also were able to get on a little walk. It was chilly, but felt good to get out as a family. And it meant we had a relatively active weekend!

After that, it was time for dinner with B’s family. We celebrated B’s dad’s birthday and FW got to hang out with his cousins again.

3 runs, 1 walk and a broken oven … that about sums up the past few days!

Questions for you:

  • Has a major appliance you use broken down? What did you do?
  • What temps make you decide to run inside?
  • Have you seen A Star Is Born? What did you think?

I’m linking up with the weekly wraps.

Tuesdays on the Run – Up with a Baby Then Out for a Run

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Tuesday, Tuesday, gotta write a running post on Tuesday … (sung to the tune of Rebecca Black’s Friday – is that in your head? You’re welcome!)

Anyway, this week was an okay week in terms of running. I ran 5 of the 7 days, but Tuesday’s run was pretty stellar. I ran my longest pre-work run since LM was born, mostly because she got up at 4 a.m. and wouldn’t go back to sleep for an hour so I just went for a run and had more time than I usually do.

Other highlights of the week? We had a super rainy week, though, so I’m impressed that I made it outside all those days. Luckily, if it was raining in the mornings, it was just a drizzle or mist and was still 40+ degrees so it wasn’t to awful. I can’t stand rain and cold runs – I just can’t get warm after those!

I also got in a Sunday stroller run, something I haven’t done in ages. I had a few errands to run before the day, which included picking up a prescription about a mile from my house, as well as returning a library book and buying bread, so I decided to run with FW to do all of that. It was fun to literally run errands with him!

So here’s how the week looked:

Almost 20 for thr week! And fingers crossed the weather is nicer this week and it’s not cold and rainy in the mornings.

Some questions for you:

  • Do you run in the dark outside?
  • Do you run the same routes or vary it up?

Linking up with My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs!