A “Toasty” Weekend

July 1, 2018 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

We had a HOT weekend here in Cleveland – it was 95ish or so degrees both days and humid. Or as FW says, “toasty!” So, we had to find some ways to keep 2 kids entertained and stay cool.

Friday night started off with a walk to get some ice cream at a nearby ice cream shop. It’s about a mile walk there (FW didn’t make it the whole way there or back on foot).

FW enjoyed sharing ice cream with both of us.

Also, this little lady turned 1 month old!

Saturday morning tarted orly – B and his dad were going to chop down a tree in our backyard. It was starting to grow and invade our neighbors’ house so they asked us to do something about it.

FW joined in – he watched over the chopping with donuts:)

And made sure the ladder was safe to use.

Then, we took a little family walk. It was HOT out so we didn’t make it too far.

That afternoon, B had plans and was out of the house for a few hours. It was my first extended time alone with the two kids … and to be honest – it was hard! They got along for some time, but there were a few meltdowns from both of them at some points.

When B came home, I was READY to get out of the house. It was past dinnertime and FW (and B) were hungry. So, B went with the kids to pick up pizza, and I went for a short run. It was 90 and humid and I’m so out of shape from not running after giving birth, but it felt SO GOOD to be outside and moving!

And, my favorite local pizza – plus wine and soda! – for dinner.

Sunday morning, we watched some World Cup and went for a walk before it got too hot. We walked to some local lakes where FW likes to watch the fish.

The afternoon included trying to keep cool – hanging out in the AC, watching some World Cup inside, and relaxing on the porch. A perfect weekend for the summer!

Some questions for you:

Did you get out and run in the heat this weekend?
Do you have AC?

I’m linking up with the weekly wraps.

Mother’s Day Weekend

May 13, 2018 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

For some reason, this year Mother’s Day weekend, felt a little different than past years. I felt much more like a mom this year than I ever have before. Yes, it’s technically my second (or third, depending on who counts) Mother’s Day, but for some reason, I feel much more deserving of the title this year. Maybe because I have a toddler who runs around and calls me mom? Maybe because I’m (as B calls it) 1,000 months pregnant?

Anyway, being a mom is HARD, but some weekends are just great. And this was one of those weekends. It was definitely a weekend where I loved being a mom!

The weekend started actually with Muffins with Mom at school. I got to stop by FW’s classroom on Friday morning before work for breakfast!

And it was a pretty gorgeous day, so after work that night B, FW and I went for a short walk around the neighborhood. FW loves running!

Saturday started with some flowers to celebrate Mother’s Day 🙂 Call me basic, but I will ALWAYS love a nice bouquet.

Saturday morning ALSO started with a 5k! There was a race starting a few blocks from our house, so we decided to do it. I haven’t done a race in FOREVER and I knew it was going to be a lot of walking and VERY slow running, but I’m so glad we did it. (Disclosure – B pushed FW in the stroller while I ran)

FW’s favorite part was likely the muffins afterwards 🙂

After the race, we walked back to the house and did some baking! FW helped mix things up.

These were the “muffins” we made. The recipe was for muffins but I’m not too sure what makes these muffins and not cupcakes …

And then, FW decided he was tired and wanted to nap. On me! It’s been a while, and it was actually kind of a nice way to spend an hour.

Later that afternoon, we went to the West Side Market to pick up some groceries.

And then Rising Star for some coffee. FW enjoyed his chocolate milk 🙂

And then B made us pizza for dinner! We haven’t had homemade pizza in FOREVER and it was a nice change.

Sunday morning, FW didn’t wake up until around 8 – which was a great Mother’s Day gift! After he woke up, B and FW took a trip to get me a Mother’s Day specialty – a cassata cake doughnut. These are some of the only doughnuts I really enjoy and it’s mainly because of the quantity of frosting and cream.

This photo doesn’t do it justice.

After breakfast (doughnut and some fruit/yogurt per my request), we took a long walk. More than four miles while FW slept in the stroller.

We saw some geese and baby geese on the walk – it was a cute thing to see especially on Mother’s Day!

And then, FW got to spend some time at the nearby playground.

For dinner, we joined B’s family per our Sunday night tradition. B ended up making the whole family dinner and it was delicious – we had two different types of fish, grilled eggplant and an arugula salad.

Baking, a race, a long walk and cassata cake doughnut – for me, that is the perfect Mother’s Day weekend!

Some questions for you:

Do you like doughnuts? What kind?
What makes something a muffin vs. a cupcake?

I’m linking up with the weekly wraps.

9 Reasons Why 2016 Was Pretty Great

January 5, 2017January 2, 2017 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

ringing in the new year

2016 wasn’t that bad for us.

If you are anything like me and my friends, your Facebook feed has been full of reasons why 2016 was the worst year ever and people beyond ready to welcome in 2017. I even saw this trailer for a fake horror movie about the year:

And while not everything went as hoped in 2016, I can’t complain toooooo much. Why? Well, one big reason – FW. But 2016 was a pretty good year and when I was talking with B about how the year had gone, it was easy to come up with some reasons why. Here are 9 reasons*:
1. FW was born! FW was born in June of 2016, so the year can’t be considered all bad 😉

This was taken in the hospital when we were about to take him home!

2. I had a healthy, relatively easy pregnancy. I was pregnant for about half of 2016 and I was able to remain active, walking and running, throughout – and I am so grateful of that!

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A wedding a week or so before FW was born
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A morning walk the week FW was born

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5k race at 39 weeks pregnant

And yes, I had the same pose in all the above photos. There’s not much you can do with your arm when your belly sticks out so much!

3. B got a new job! While his commute is a little worse, he is so much happier at his new gig and I’m so proud of him for all he is accomplishing.

4. The Indians were in the World Series! No, we didn’t win. BUT I did get to go to a game in the ALDS AND Game 7 of the World Series and it was great.

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5. The Cavs became NBA World Champions and B and I got to celebrate – both the night of them winning (we went out and partied with all the other Cavs fans to celebrate) and then the parade, the day before FW was born. 20160619_230123(0)

6. Great travels. We kicked off the year with a trip to Mexico City (I can’t wait to go back with FW!), got in a trip to Boston for our 5 year anniversary and spent a weekend in Columbus after FW was born.

boston ❤

Mexico City!!

Columbus!

7. Great friends. I felt so much love this year from so many great friends. I had a wonderful baby shower with so many of my great friends in Cleveland, had another great year part of Ladies Craft Beer Society (I love these ladies!), and even was visited by some other great friends – my BFF Jane came and visited before FW was born and Katie and Caitlin visited shortly afterwards.

Me and Cuoghi – she threw me the best shower!

some of the Ladies Craft Beer Society at my baby shower.

Jane was excited to see me and touch the belly 🙂

girls night out with Katie and Caitlin!

8. I got to spend another year as a Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Ambassador. I’m so grateful to represent the Cleveland Marathon and even though I was just about 9 months pregnant, I’m so glad I got to be part of the group again and run the 5k/10k Challenge Series.

Cari and I before the race! We both did the 10k

with my fellow ambassadors

9. We got a new car! I didn’t realize a new car could excite me so much, but I LOVE our Subaru so much. We got it over the summer and I am loving using it this winter!

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I know many of us are looking forward to having 2016 behind us – and while I had a great year, I’m pretty excited to see what 2017 has in store for us! I have a feeling it’s going to be a pretty eventful year.

Questions for you:

What’s something good that happened to you this year?
What are you looking forward to in 2017?

*yes, there are 9 reasons. Not 10. Why? Because 9 is a pretty awesome number, because I’m recovering from a sinus infection and that’s all my brain could handle and because I’m joining with the Thinking Out Loud linkup where there are NO RULES except write what’s on your mind!)

Beer Is Good For You

July 18, 2016July 17, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 11 Comments

It was another truly beautiful weekend in CLE. It was SO good to have B around – his first week back at work went smoothly for all of us, but it is so so much easier and more enjoyable for all of us with him around.

So what did we do? Well, in no order … (seriously, no order. This is not a summary of Friday through Sunday- trying something new here)

We took a walk and enjoyed great views like this one:

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I wore FW around – I’m liking this baby wearing thing!

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We hung out with this little guy. I’m sorry in advance to all of you who follow me on Snapchat or Insta (@koskim on both) – for the abundance of baby snaps, videos, etc. I can’t get enough of him. 20160716_180553

And this one. He is just too cute after his bath!

bathtime

B and I enjoyed some delicious food and drink. It only took me 3 days to finish this iced decaf 🙂 20160715_082908

And I drank a whole half of this grapefruit beer. Baby steps. And speaking of babies – did you know beer is GOOD FOR YOU when you’re breastfeeding? Yes, it’s obviously in moderation (as in, I drank half of it …) but I read it on the internet. It’s GOOD FOR YOU. 20160716_203044

We tried out a new pizza place Friday night – it was pretty good! 20160715_195551

I made French toast Sunday morning while B and FW hung out. Fact: Monk’s apple cinnamon bread makes amazing French toast.

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Saturday night called for Buffalo chicken salads. 20160716_210407

Patio drinks are the best. Don’t they just taste better when they’re outside on a summer day? And it’s a lot easier to take a baby with you to a bar if you sit outside.

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We got in cute photos with the little guy like this one.

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And a family photo. 20160716_193058

We checked out what downtown looked like now that the RNC is in town. Check out the layer of barricades going down the street? The republicans AND media have invaded – you see CNN grill in the background? As of a few days ago that said “Hairy Buffalo.”

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Twitter, Bloomberg, MSNBC and Washington Post have all taken over our former neighborhood. 20160717_124257

And as usual we enjoyed a great family meal Sunday night at B’s parents. No photos – but imagine a RARE steak (#postpartumeats) and peach cobbler. YUM!

Well, here’s to a good week! Wish me good luck without B here during the days. I hope FW is getting used to life with just me during the days and will be a little less fussy this week.

Some questions for you:

What’s something you’re looking forward to this week?
Meat eaters- how do you like your meat? Rare? Well done?

Per usual, I’m linking up today with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.

It’s Been One Week … (Yes, we had that baby)

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 17 Comments

One week ago, our lives changed completely. We went from being just B and me to being a family of three. FW was born last Thursday afternoon. He and the whole family are healthy and doing well (despite lacking some serious sleep).

I’ll spare you all the super detailed details, and in true fashion of how we shared we were expecting, here are some of the FAQs:

Okay, we want to know – boy or girl?!

It’s a boy!

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When was he born?

FW waited until after the Cavs win and parade celebration and came into the world June 23, 2016. Just like his mom when she was born, he was 2 days late (I was due on Jan 21 and born Jan 23).

About 24 hours before he was born, his mom and dad were at the Cavs parade celebrating the city’s win!

What were the basic details – height, weight, etc.

He’s just a little guy! 6 lb. 12.5 oz and 19.5 inches. OR 19 inches. It depends on who you ask.

This was taken in the hospital when we were about to take him home!

Why haven’t you posted any photos of him or any blog posts yet? Is everyone okay? Was he born with 3 heads?

Ha, he was not born with three heads. He has one head, with hair (I LOVE BABIES WITH HAIR!), and is perfect and cute in every way (yes, I’m biased). I’ve been sharing plenty on Snapchat (follow me at @koskim) and will start to share more on other channels as well. And honestly, every time I go to write a blog post, he is awake and I can’t stand not looking at him so I put the computer down and go chill with him. He is sleeping now (it’s daytime – he loves sleeping during the day), and I thought it was time to officially introduce him to the world. So here you go – gratuitous baby photos await!

He even poses in his sleep

How are you feeling? How is he sleeping?

Judging from what I’ve been told and what I’ve heard from friends, I had a reallllly easy labor. So I’m feeling pretty good for just having a baby. BUT I’m tired. Let’s just say that FW likes sleeping a lot – during the day. At night, well, we’re still teaching him about that.

When was the last time you ran? Are you going to start running again?

I ran/hobbled a mile (before taking a walk) the day before FW was born. IT was a slow and not-so-comfortable mile! And now I need to wait until after 6 weeks to start exercise. It’s rough. Luckily, I’ve felt good enough to take some walks with B and FW, but I can tell that 6 weeks are going to last a while!

on our first walk outside with him

Have you had any visitors?

Yes! My parents came in town the minute they heard I was in labor and were here last weekend. B’s family has been by a few times AND he’s gotten a chance to meet a few coworkers. His social calendar is pretty full these days 🙂

hanging out with the grandparents

meeting the cousins!

Are you still going to live downtown?

Yup, still getting this question – and yes, we’re still in our apartment. We converted the guest room into a nursery and B made this amazing space-saving changing table that is built up to the wall so it doesn’t take up floorspace and FW is loving living downtown. We’ve given him a few tours of our neighborhood and took him out to his first downtown meal this week – we enjoyed some tacos outdoors in the Flats!

showing FW the Flats

FW along the water

Seeing the food trucks at Walnut Wednesday

Are you going to be a mom blogger now?

Umm, sorta, but not really? I know that’s not a real answer – but I’m going to still blog the way I always blog, about things I know. Baking. Cooking. Running. And now that being a mom (it’s so weird to say that) is part of who I am, here we go – mom blogging awaits! I imagine that I’ll have some more mom-focused blog posts or a mom-spin on my posts moving forward, but when I get back to running in a few months there will be posts about that. When I get some more sleep and can bake and cook again, there will be posts about that. And as I adjust to live as a mom, I imagine there will be fewer posts at times as I enjoy every minute of life with baby!

out to lunch with mom and dad

Joining up today with the Thinking Out Loud linkup. Because I’ve had writer’s block and it seems appropriate that this post be a flood of thoughts!

Warning – there may be typos in this post. My brain is a little tired from the lack of REM sleep … (as if there weren’t typos in the other posts on here)

Weekend with Mom

April 18, 2016April 17, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 13 Comments

My mom came and visited this weekend! Both of my parents were supposed to visit, but my dad came down with a sinus infection and my mom decided to still drive out by herself. I’m so glad she did! Even though she was only here for a little over a day (Friday night through Sunday morning), we had such a great time and did a lot. Seriously- I had SUCH A GREAT time. It’s going to be hard to wait another month to see her!

We started out with dinner at one of my favorites Friday night, Taza.

look at all this Middle Eastern goodness!

mom and i at dinner

Saturday morning started with breakfast at Phuel.

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Plus my last free coffee for a while at Starbucks. Now that they’ve changed their rewards program I don’t think I’ll be benefitting anytime soon 😦

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Followed by a walk to the Cleveland Tea Revival for some tea.

Iced berry hibiscus = perfect for the warm weather we were having!

And then to the West Side Market and the walk home.

Practically 8 months pregnant!!

That afternoon we got pedicures – the same color (OPI’s “She’s a Bad Muffuletta”).

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And to the bakery for a few treats.

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Then it was time for the Indians game! B got us suite seats through his work and we joined his family for a WINNING Indians game! (They were playing the Mets so my even though my mom was sporting an Indians t-shirt, I’m sure she was just a little disappointed – we’re from NY and the Mets are the team she rooted for growing up)

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After the game, I convinced B and my mom to go out for ice cream. Like seriously, my mom was tired, B didn’t feel like getting off the couch and I pulled the whole “I’m pregnant and want ice cream” and it worked. Maybe I should’ve been doing this the whole time?

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Sunday morning we had a quick breakfast with my mom (courtesy of some of the treats we grabbed at Bloom) before she headed out. It’s always so sad when my parents leave, and this time no exception. It took me a little while to recover.

picture of the muffin from Bloom

But when I did, B and I headed outside to enjoy the gorgeous weather. It may have been 50 downtown, but it was 70 in Rocky River and we went for a run in the Metroparks. I had a hard time at first, but once I stopped comparing myself to my non-pregnant runner self and started to enjoy the weather, the scenery, etc. I had a really good run. 20160417_114700
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I will be sore on Monday (because that’s what happens when 7.5 month pregnant me runs now), but it was so worth it to get outside and feel good about myself.

That night we celebrated Mary’s dinner with B’s family and it was the perfect night to be outside before dinner.

shrimp and grits!

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Amazing what a difference one week makes – it was 20 degrees last Sunday and 70 this week! I’ll take 70 any day 🙂

Some questions for you:

Did you have amazing weather this weekend as well?
Favorite ice cream flavor – go! I love anything with vanilla and chunks. Especially cookie dough or peanut butter or heath bar!
What’s your idea of a perfect girls weekend? the above – good food, pedicures, walking and some outdoor time.

I’m linking up today with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.

A Relaxing Birthday Getaway To Vermont

July 31, 2014July 30, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Sunday was my mom’s birthday! She’d kill me if I told you how old she is, but since it was a somewhat milestone celebration, my dad, brother and I wanted to do something special. She is definitely not a surprise-party person (she’d probably also have killed me if I had planned one of those) but she does enjoy the occasional surprise. So, between my dad, brother and I myself we managed to surprise her with a weekend getaway to Vermont.

Being from NY, Vermont is only a short drive away (hour or so) and growing up we often spent long weekends at the various inns, B&Bs, and so on in the beautiful state. Unfortunately, the inn that we so often stayed at was booked with a wedding for her birthday weekend, but we managed to find another great Inn (the Inn at Ormsby Hill) not too far away in Manchester. So we booked the Inn, made Saturday night dinner reservations, and waited hoping that she wouldn’t find out. She knew I was coming home for the weekend and spending three days home (Sat-Mon) but that was it.

I got in from Cleveland around 11 pm Friday night and just relaxed with my family before heading to bed somewhat early. Saturday morning I got in a quick run, and then it was time for the surprise. During breakfast, we handed my mom a birthday card. Inside the card was a picture of the Inn. She was confused, obviously. She didn’t know why the photo was there or what the picture was of. After we explained everything to her, she was pretty much in shock. She had no idea that we had planned her weekend away and even had planned a quick meeting in her office Monday morning (that she was able to postpone).

Me and the birthday girl!

What a great weekend in Vermont! Not only was she surprised but we had a wonderful time relaxing, reading, drinking wine, trying Vermont cheese, sight-seeing and eating. My flight back to Cleveland got delayed a day – and while somewhat an inconvenience, it meant spending an extra day with my family and celebrating my mom.

Breakfast at the Inn. This was a polenta egg bake and it was amazing.

Another Inn breakfast. We all had our own minim omelets!

Another Inn breakfast. We all had our own mini omelets!

So easy to relax with chairs like this.

We drove to the top of the Equinox.

Great view from the top!

Beautiful parents before dinner

Dressed up for dinner in downtown Manchester

We also drove to a museum that ended up having a bunch of land and tons of crazy buildings (including a boat!) on site.

We also drove to a museum (the Shelburne) that ended up having a bunch of land and tons of crazy buildings (including a boat!) on site.

The Shelburne also had a merry-go-round

Enjoying some local Vermont cheese.

Thai for dinner one night

Surprise! Birthday candle @ the Thai restaurant

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful woman I know … my mom!

Some questions for you:

Any July birthdays? I feel like everyone I know is born this month! Okay maybe not everyone. But quite a few people!
Have you ever been to Vermont? What’s your favorite place to visit in the state?
Have you ever had a birthday surprise? Or surprised someone for his/her birthday? How did it go?

Wordless Sunday

May 13, 2012May 12, 2012 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

No weekend recap or Sunday Funday post today – I’m taking the day off to travel back to Cleveland. But first – celebrating Mother’s Day with my mom!

To My Mom, for Mother’s Day

May 10, 2012May 10, 2012 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

Earlier this week I was treated to a delicious dinner and night out, courtesy of Treat. While we were there, we were asked what we wanted to be treated to on Mother’s Day. Since I’m not a mom, I started to think – how would I like to treat my mom?

My mom and dad were married almost exactly 30 years ago (Happy early 30th anniversary!). A few years after that, I was born. And my mom’s life was never the same. I’m sure I changed her life in so many wonderful ways – but I know that it times it wasn’t easy. I wasn’t a bad kid or a problem child (I don’t think so, at least) but I know times weren’t always peachy. Come on – remember your teenage girl years? Now imagine having to be a mom to that? See what I mean? Exactly!

pretty awesome old photo of my mom, me and my brother

So mom – thank you! Thank you for all these years – for everything! If I had all the money in the world, here are the ways I’d treat you:

A year’s worth of pedicures.
Fresh, homemade pasta, delivered to your door on a weekly basis.
A whole lotta Tiffany jewelry, because why not?
Fresh flowers, delivered every week.
Wine of the month club – but in the smaller single glass bottles, so you and Dad could share them.
A personal dog-walker, for the rainy or snowy days that you don’t feel like taking Queenie out.
An apartment in Cleveland, so you’d be able to visit whenever you wanted.
An apartment in NYC, so you’d be able to visit your family (or getaway!) whenever you wanted.
A private jet, so you could pick me up and I could join you for those pedicures 🙂

What would you add?

Sorry mom (if you’re reading this) – I’m not actually getting any of those gifts for you. BUT – my bags are packed, my flight is booked and I’ll be seeing you this weekend to celebrate with you!