Next time I try to convince myself that my greek + italian heritage is going to pull through, smack me.  My irish side showed itself last night after an over 80* day out in the sun with the kids and sun burned shoulders to show off.  The freckles are out and I am SO happy to have warm sunny days with my loves.  What the heck is it about the stinky sweaty summer smell on a kid that never gets old? When you can spike up their hair from their sweat and use an entire wipe scrubbing dirt off of their palms.

I love it so.

It is amazing what a little “we have nothing to do” time can do for the soul.  Two hours of just wondering around the park.  Gawking at the baby ducklings and staring in amazement at the water snakes, a quick sprint following after watching them slither onto the shore.

They are at their best when I just let go.  Leave the errands and laundry behind.  In these very moments it is SO very hard not to feel lazy.  Even though I chasing them, playing with them, I feel guilty not doing things around the house.   But look at those faces, forget about that damn house!

“Oh, you wanted a normal picture mom!? Nice try!”

At our local park you can fish and take a canoe ride … this summer is sure to hold many adventures.  The canoe thing I’ll have to warm up to.  I went for boat rides all the time on Chautauqua lake as a kid …. but that boat had a motor.  I need to know I can reach land, alive.

Those are my sunglasses by the way, honestly anything of mine becomes theirs.  There is not one meal I can make for myself without these little rascals consuming 70% of it.

These trees right now are insanity.  Every car ride the boys and I chat about the ones we want to plant in our backyard one day and have picnics under.

It was a beautiful, hot and sunny day.  My shoulders are red and smothered in coconut oil and I feel like I accomplished nothing.  It is exactly how I need to start spending my days with these littles.

Oy Vey you guys! Got a pen? A lot has been going on around here, all good though, but it has definitely pushed me away from the computer and straight into never-enough-time-in-the-day mode!

Friday was such a crazy day! Brody had his first field trip to the zoo.  Which of course involved his first bus ride and an entire day away from home.  I did not think I was going to worry much, until he actually departed.  What is it about trusting other people with your kids can be so scary?! Of course, his teachers are amazing and the trip was a total success, Brody even says that he wants to take the bus next year which cracks me up because we live blocks from the elementary school.

Owen had such an amazing week last week.  My lack of blog posts was mainly from how busy I was at home.  We started experimenting more with Owens allergies (FYI, do not do this until you talk with your doctor!) We had a gut feeling he was ready to start nibbling on some dairy products when we noticed him sneaking bites of his “no no” foods and was fine.  I still cannot believe I am about to type this … a few string cheeses, greek yogurt cups, first slice of REAL pizza and an ice cream sandwich later (!!!) we are so surprised to say that Owen is indeed growing out of his dairy allergy.

It was beyond nerve wrecking watching him take small bites of these tester foods — asking him time and time again if he was itchy or not.  I stood on guard ready to pounce, and all I got was a beaming boy, grinning from ear to ear, raising his eyebrows up and down saying “mmm”.  We will not be doing cows milk – but anything processed with are allowing him to have in moderation so long as we are with him.  AH, it really is an exciting milestone for our family!

On Friday we were totally caught off guard by our landscapers showing up one day early.  No complaints here though, moved the cars and let them go to town.  You guys, 2 days is all that it took for them to completely demolish our backyard, reshape our mulch beds, level off the grounds, put grass seed down and hay.  It looks amazing and our entire yard smells like a farm from all of the hay, I love it.

This is what I came home to.  They got straight to work, I was so glad to say goodbye to this disaster of a backyard.

By saturday morning we had a flat landscape ready for seeding! I can’t wait to show you guys the pictures! Already our yard looks even bigger, and if all goes well we will have grass in about 4 weeks!

On Saturday, my darling cousin Gina had her bridal shower.  Gina and I were attached at the hip as children.  I adore her!  Her soon to be hubby is such a lucky man, and they truly could not be any better for one another.  Goosebumps and teary eyes that day – and an amazing reason to get dressed up and have cocktails at noon.  And yes, chambray and a flowy skirt do indeed go together.  At least for girls like me that feel like dressing up fancy is just too far out of their comfort zone! Gina + Sean … I love you guys, and wish you both a life time of love!

Last but not least (sorry Gina, your bridal shower paragraph followed by a picture of beans!) But this very baked bean recipe is so good it will leave you to ignore every other side dish at your bbq for a bowl full of these little guys.

3 cans of bushs original baked beans

3 peppers diced, any color you prefer

garlic powder, salt, pepper, dashes of worcestershire, 1/4 cup brown sugar dollop of Dijon mustard.

Yes – a vague recipe.  Do not stress.  It is so simple – saute the diced peppers in olive oil for 3-5 minutes on medium high heat with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add all three cans of beans, along with about 2 tsp of garlic powder, dashes of worc.., brown sugar and dijon mustard.  Stir well and cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes.

The dijon gives these beans an unexpected tang and the peppers add gorgeous color and texture.  Make them stat!

Well, that was the most random post I think I have ever written.  But I wanted to catch you up on a bit since my absence last week left me far to busy for home projects! On the schedule for today though is a grout makeover …. Oooo you guys, this is going to be a good one!!

Chicken Coop for the soul.  <—- Like what I did there ?

It is true.  My dreams are made of beach vacations, winning the lottery, growing boobs and chicken coops.  I have always wanted to raise chickens.  Maybe not just chickens in particular, but I have always wanted to raise farm animals.  This city girl is surely streching her imagination seeing as I live in a development.  Cows, horses and pigs are not going to fly (ha. pigs flying) in my neighborhood, nor in the size of my yard.  But you know what will!? You’ve guessed it – CHICKENS!

It has been about 3 years of me chatting Dan’s ears off about wanting a chicken coop.  He constantly laughed me off, knowingly that I am the dreamer and consistently coming up with the next thing I am going to do.  But these little wings of mine kept flapping their way closer to the dream while I decided to keep my mouth shut about it as often as possible.

Chickens, in Cleveland? Why the hell not.  If the chance of having a farm is the equivialint of winning the lotto I should bring a small slice of the pie to the backyard.  Backyard chickens are what this mamas dreams of made of.  I want to have a few (maybe 4-8) feathered mamas nestled in my backyard, free to roam and call their coop home.  The benefits are obvious.  Free range eggs, in my backyard for my littles to run and grab each morning.  Responsibility – the boys will learn to take care of these little ladies from day 1.  Most of all, the experience.  How amazing would it be to tend to these chicks, call them our own, love them up and teach the boys a basic life lesson of where food comes from and the importance of learning about it all.

Wham. Bam. Thank you Ma’am.

This darling shabby chic chicken coop  literally made me squeal.  I do not care how much chicken poo I have to clean up.  If there was enough square footage I would buy my own apartment in there.  We could chat about their eggs that they’re laying on the daily, and how mine are slowly growing old as I approach my 30’s.  It will be delightful.

Research is KEY.  There is SO much to learn about this entire process and I will not skip a beat.  Making sure that not only I, but my entire family is well informed to raise these babies with TLC.  Making sure they are healthy and thriving.

So.  The process is as follows ….

We are getting our landscaping done this next week or so (dependant upon this lovely C-town weather).  We will get a coop, set the pretty thing up in the backyard.  It has to be 100 feet away from the neighbors houses, which thankfully will not be an issue in our yard.  We will get baby, I mean DAYS old chicks and they take 4-6 weeks to become fully feathered.  In that time, they will live inside our house in a very warm spot and we will take good care of them until they’re old enough to go to the great outdoors.

I really could not be more excited that Dan agreed and that this is going to really happen.  Seeing a dream come true like this is SOoOOoo thrilling on so many levels! Call me the crazy chicken lady, I do not care.  I cannot wait for my kids to experience this.  Get their hands dirty and learn learn learn.

We will be sure to keep you updated, as always.  Be sure to check out my pinterest and follow me there to see fun things I am posting about this process!

xoxo abby

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Every girl has their addiction.  Unfortunately I fall guilty under three categories.  Shopping, starbucks and showers. All 3 of those S’s I take very seriously and will gleefully shut out life as I dabble into them.  Shopping has always been a form of therapy.  Retail therapy is no joke, shopping makes me happy.  Showering is obviously a necessity.  Taking a scolding hot shower, filling up our entire bathroom up with steam and basking in its sweetness far past the 7 minute range is probably not.  And last but not least, my other half, Starbucks.  How much of your body is made of blood? Mine is half wine half matcha.

Matcha?! Have you not heard of the powerful motherload earth has handed to us?! It has been around for hundreds + hundreds of years.

I have been drinking Green Tea Lattes from Starbucks for about 2 + years now.  On the daily.  It took me 2 years of convincing to have Dan start drinking it.  He was always grossed out by me slurping down a green milky substance on the dizzle.  I, however, enjoyed every last drop.  Green Tea Lattes from Starbucks consist of a few components (based on what you like milk/sweetner) and Matcha powder.  The holy grail your soon to be new favorite drink.

I have had SO many people ask me about my drinking ritual (not my wine) and after all this time drinking it, it truly is starting to get the attention it deserves.

What is matcha? Well, I am glad you asked.  It is concentrated green tea – highly concentrated for that matter, 10x the nutritional equivalent of a cup of green tea.  This powder is made from crushed green tea leaves.  That is it.  Bada-bing.

I have not had coffee in years, literally.  It bothers my stomach and gives me the shakes.  This jitter free fix not only gives me the boost I need, but makes me feel amazing knowing what I am drinking is a power house of a superfood.  (And no, not like when I tell you to drink red wine b/c its good for your heart.) This really packs a punch.

When you wake up like this ……

Literally snapped that this morning you guys. Ha.  I was snug tight in between Dan and Owen last night … both deep sleepers and I tossed and turned.   I turn to matcha to get my day to the right start!

The benefits you ask? Gosh, you guys are so flattering being so interested in what I have to say.

Detoxifies

Boosts metabolism/burns calories

Antioxidants out the wazoo

Cancer fighting properties

Calming affect, yet makes you super alert

I could go on and on ….

Here is a fantastic article about it all HERE and a super funny/true  HERE

So for all you haters (jk) staring at my green milky substance, just know that I am sharp as a whistle, calmer and more alert, fighting cancer and burning calories all at the same time.  I am a matcha ninja.

I finally jumped ship on Starbucks and ordered a big ol’ bag for me and Dan to share through Amazon.  Since he is jumping on board with me with my drink of choice I figured I would keep our  his wallet full without handing over money to Sbucks.

How I order it at Starbucks…. Iced Venti Soy Unsweetened Green Tea Latte

How I’ll make it at home … vanilla soy milk + matcha powder = same thing, less $$$

This is the one I ordered and it literally just got dropped at my door step 2 days later.  Owen graciously picked it up on the porch in his underwear.  Oh, were so classy.

HUUUMMMPPPP day! Wahoo! Anyone else feel relieved on Wednesdays, knowing that you are only two short days away from T.F.I.G.  I’m going to reference Sam Smith for a second, and I know I’m not the only one.  We’ve had a busy week here.   Wanna recap?

Monday: usual kids in school morning.  consisting of a drop off, target run, pick up and lunch at home.  followed by a not so typical moment of having your kid poop in a cup for lab tests, only to be trumped by getting blood work done hours later.  shockingly, unlike times past, brody rocked it like a pro.  dan held the target bag, which inside held a plastic container with a deuce the size of chipotle burrito.  maybe that is why brody did not freak out during the tests – he simply was far too proud of his masterpoop  masterpiece.

Tuesday: yesterday was a real hoot, i tell ya.  dan was out-of-town for business and i was determined to have a relaxed day with the kiddos.  i nailed it.  i made a vow to myself and the hubs that i would not swipe the debit card for anything else but groceries.  i actually stuck to it, which is the equivalent of seeing 8 rainbows and a pig flying all at the same time.  to top the day off just right the boys and i took off to our favorite playground and rocked the joint like it was 1999.

Owens face is the best — so unsure.

brody hardly ever looks at the camera now.  which drives me crazy, but I’ve come to the conclusion that he gets a real kick out of me giving up so he can just move on.

we sent a quick picture to daddy.  quickly i realized that i may need to invest in a teeth whitening kit – i looked at the picture 20x hoping it was the lighting. (it is not.) and shortly after that the 45* temps kicked in and we were on our way back home.

Wednesday: does anyone else say Wednesday in their head as they spell it? just like this – wed-NES-day? today was a ball full of fire and a sure sign i was ready for the hubs to come back to us.  School programs and 2 grocery stores and a total of 1 hour in the car by myself left me nothing better to do than to make weird videos of myself and send it to family + friends.  instagram, you are a friend to me so you got lucky and i shared with you.

It is now 3:45.  I have eaten my daily peanut butter sandwich for lunch.  The kids are exhausted from running around with me.  The house is quiet as they watch some weird show on YouTube where it consists of watching a mario brothers game be played.  Normally I would shut it off but I just had to give myself a minute to sit, and type, and bother you all with this nonsense.

I love nonsense.

(This is my you’ve been warned face)

It has been 11 years since Dan and I met.  If you can put your mind into the gutter for a bit that is 11 years of sex.  Yes, I said it.  And yes, mom, aunts and any relatives reading this, you may not want to continue, but it’s a topic that I feel is so important.

If you’ve hung around me long enough, rolling in the hay, shaking up the sheets and other strange sayings are said all the time.  It is just a fact.  I have a tendency to crack jokes about sex all the time.  I think I just love making people squirm.

I have had SO many conversations with women in relationships that are concerned about their sex lives, or have the fear of what will come.  Whether they have been together for months or for years – there is always that subtle ever-growing fear of losing the spark that fuels their sex/romantic life.

Over 11 years I have learned quite a bit about business in the bedroom.

 And I will tell you one thing that has remained so true over the years — 99% of keeping that spark alive happens outside of the bedroom.

Let’s face it.  Sex doesn’t always happen.  You may find yourself going through waves of love-making, scoring days after days on the calendar.  And others, you haven’t even removed the cap on the marker to strike a day out.

What I have learned over years of being in a committed relationship is just that – remain committed to finding other ways to love your spouse.  Not every moment of every day is going to feel just like the script from the movie the notebook.  Dan and I show our love to one another in so many different ways and it really has taken years to learn and develop new ways to show our affection to one another.

For instance –

I am a girl who loves a good hug, kiss or wink throughout the day.  Call me needy – but those little moments make me feel like a million bucks.  Dan cracks up when I tell him how I need at least 5 hugs a day.  Randomly walking up to him and telling him, “It is time” like I am in the lion king movie.  But, he gets it.

Dan is not nearly as PDA as I am.  So that is where we differ. He is a behind closed doors kinda-of-guy, and that is okay.  I’ve learned that he shows his affection through things that to me, at first, seemed anything but romantic.

For instance –

Cleaning out my car.  Taking the kids to bed after a crazy day when all I want to do is sit and drink a glass of wine and read a book.  Suggesting a morning out by myself at Home Goods while he plays around with the kids.  These very actions are his ways of being romantic.

It took me a while to catch onto this.  And it took just as much time for Dan to get more comfortable being a little more smoochy in public with me.  We have both learned to step outside of our comfort zone.  Pay attention to the little things that make each other feel loved and special.

It is crucial in a relationship that even when sex is not on your timeline, or even close to being in your energy tank — to make sure you are doing the other things to make your hunny feel your love.

So on those nights when you have a crying kid in your bed all night long  sick.

 Or when one of you are up all night with work.

 Or when day time sex just seems like a joke when you have kids at your side 24/7.

 Remember those simple things you can do day to day to keep the romance alive.

Appreciate what your spouse has to offer.  Whether it may not be how you would do things, realize that they are doing their best.  Always leave wiggle room to attempt to provide what the other one needs –

And most importantly, your focus should always be to make one another happy.

I’ve been choked up all day.  Fighting back tears since Brody’s doctors appointment this afternoon.  A routine, step by step check up that he goes through since being diagnosed last March.  Checking in on weight, blood pressure, appearance, symptoms and medicine maintenance.  Last March our world turned upside down when a little scare turned into a bigger one once an endoscopy + colonoscopy was performed on Brody.  JUST turning 5 years old, we learned he had Ulcerative Colitis.

This disease was extremely foreign to me, even for a girl was has IBS.   For months I pronounced it UlcerVAtive.   Dum Dum Mommy was overwhelmed, under educated and uninformed.   After a week in the hospital and spending the next 3+ months pumping his body full of steroids to repair the damage to his colon, we were feeling optimistic.  He had multiple Iron treatments done, check ups galore, stool samples and the steroids did their job! Wahoo!

Since then, we have maintained his medicine – recently getting the pass to take him off, to see if he was totally “healed” and could go a longer amount of time without medicine.  We made it nearly 3 weeks until his symptoms started to creep back up. Now we are on a different medicine, stronger dosage and it seems to be going well.

I find many moments where I feel up to my ears in emotions.  I want to fix him.  Make him feel healthy and okay all day everyday.  When in fact, it is not the reality.  We mistaken his meltdowns and tears for being emotional, when in fact he may be having a tough belly day and not know how to mention it.  We think he is super sensitive, and forget that that characteristic is one (of many) directly linked to kids with U.C.  We have come to learn unlike our thoughts last year – that not one direct food affects his stomach.  We would think diary or fried foods — come to find we were just digging too deep.  He is doing great on a well balanced diet.  He is super active, plays sports all day long, we cannot keep him inside!

Last Easter he was puffed to the max full of steroids – I still find it so hard to look back at pictures from this time last year.  He doesn’t even look like himself.

One year later, this string bean has lost every ounce of steroid pudge and looks like a little man.  6 years old this kid! Holy head spin.

We found out today that indeed he needs more testing done.  We were told at first that without any symptoms, we would just maintain his  medicine.  Now, his doctors are chosing to do further testing because preventing/catching something early is key.  I totally agree.  Just made me sad that we are going to have to make him go through those icky iv’s and procedures again.  (Insert super frowny face).  I asked his doctor how common this is, to be 5 with this disease, and she replied that there are up to 3 new diagnosis each week now with IBD (irratiable bowel disease) in Pediatrics at Rainbows.

I have spent this past year learning as much as I can.  Trying to walk this path with Brody, Dan and I both have.  Trying to keep in mind all that he needs without babying him or making him feel “different”.  It’s hard to make friends/family/people in public understand it all – because they see a lot of the emotional side that can come out of him lately…. We just ask for patience and understanding.  Dan and I both are learning day by day how to deal with the ins and outs that come with this disease, and often enough we feel completely clueless.

We know a few things for sure.  He needs love.  He needs confidence.  He needs community.  I know this journey is just beginning, but I hope to raise more awareness of this disease in our community.  You can learn more here – 

Bmac – you are one tough cookie.  Not many  5 year olds have to go through the tests and procedures you do.  Swallow horse size pills 2x a day and worry when your belly hurts.  Know that Mom, Dad + Owen love every last drop of you and will be by your side through it all! I promise you will get better my buddy – One day at a time!

Someone take my temperature! Finally, I think my cabin fever is gone.  Today it is 71* and the sun is shining down and I am one happy girl.  Nothing beats getting the kids ready for school and running out to a car that has not been warming up for 20 minutes.  Jackets off, smiles on their cheeks and our Monday is off to a fantastic start.  Thank you universe, we needed this!

This winter has been a pain in the butt.  Freezing bitter temperatures that made even snow days impossible to leave the house.  It was the longest winter ever and I am so grateful it is behind us!!

You know the scene in Old School with Will Ferrel where he is streaking?

I’m not kidding an ounce when I tell you that this weather brings a streaking urge outta me.  Haha…. Dan will come rolling home from work and have to pull me in the car if this gorgeous weather keeps up.  Neighbors, beware.

With this sweet warmth follows dirty shoes, sweaty stinky boys and my favorite – hours of endless play outside.

The boys are both in the zone with wanting to dress themselves.  Owen is addicted to his “circus shirt” he painted at school.  With each wash it is getting smaller and smaller, by July I may have to frame it.

Just weeks away from our landscaping journey is to begin.  We have to resort in the meantime to playing in the driveway.  Not safe at all.  Mom of the year right here.

Owen the other day noticed a mole I have on the back of my neck.  A detail I am sure you can live without – but he touched it and was so curious “Mom – nice tadpole on your neck!”  Gosh – I love this stage.

Brody is growing by the second and his personality is becoming stronger with it.  At the grocery store he had to use the bathroom – in which I always escort the rugrats to the ladies/family restroom.  Brody was full of attitude that morning and stomped his way to the bathroom yelling ” I’m going!!! (proceeds to yell at me louder)  MOM!! I’m going to be a MAN today!!!” Full of rage he  marched into the mens room alone.  UGH.

The new windows are in and the crisp white trim has me seeing stars.  And of course showing my type A personality how badly the siding needs painted.  We have every single window open in the house right now as I type and you guys, the breeze is orgasmic.  Seriously, each window opens with such ease.  Our old windows I would crack open and proceed to hop onto a counter to gain more leverage to push it open another inch, if I was lucky.  Closing time I would have to call Dan in to handle it.  They were junk.  These new beauties are SO worth the $$.

Now that the windows are done, we have about 14 faux wood white blinds to sell.  They are 2 1/2 inch panels.  Our new windows are making me crave change – so if you are interested email me at

thethomehome@gmail.com 

We purchased them for $55 + a piece, selling them for $40.  Crisp, clean and keep a room looking bright!