The Villages At Central College

I recently shared that my husband and I are searching for a new home, and one of the neighborhoods we've looked at is Village At Central College.  We love the Westerville community and the house we toured would be the perfect fit for our family of five. 

It's still crazy to me that we are a family of FIVE!! As amazing as that is, it means that we need more space in our home...like right now!!  Our wishlist includes 4-5 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms, a playroom, an office for my husband and I, a nice sized kitchen with an island, top floor laundry, and storage.  I know it may sound like a lot but we currently live in a three bedroom 1.5 bathroom house and it's taught us that we need to be really picky with our next house.  I would also love a formal dining room but that's a want not a need.  

The Village At Central College fills a lot of our wishlist.  I felt like we could live comfortably in this house.  Between the mudroom and large walk in pantry to the upstairs loft and top floor laundry we would be set.  The house we toured had 4 bedrooms plus an upstairs bonus room that was similar to a family room with the formal living room downstairs.  Where it was located, my kids could make a mess the night before and when I wake up I wouldn't even have to walk by it until after I had my coffee.  Hide that mess away!! The bonus room also had a closet which would be perfect for toy storage. 

The master bedroom had a huge closet, a gorgeous bathroom with a tub and shower and plenty of storage. The other three bedrooms were great in terms of size and closet space.  My kids were with us on this tour and wanted us to purchase this house as is.  They LOVED the decor.  Mary Cook Associates did an amazing job on the train room and the super pink room that my six year old is obsessed with.  Not kidding they ask us everyday when we are buying this house. :-) 

Let's talk about light!! M/I does an amazing job at making sure there is a lot of natural light coming into the home. Something our current house is lacking.  

Aside from the beautiful house the community is great, Hoover is really close by, as well as a few other parks, and I hear that there are plans to develop land nearby for a park.  We also really love exploring Westerville and all of the local businesses.  

15 of My Favorite Places In Westerville

One of the best parts about living in Columbus is all the different communities that surround us. From Dublin, New Albany or somewhere in between. Each one of them brings something unique to our community.  I've been touring M/I homes in Westerville  I was inspired to explore Westerville and try some of the new places I have never been and visit some of my favorites again.  I've put together my top 15 things to do in Westerville. Do you have a place you would add to this list? Tell me in the comments.  

To Play

1. Inniswood Metro Park - I can't even count how many times we've had family photos here.  They also put on the best events during the summer.  

2. Hoover Reservoir - PERFECT place for a picnic with the family and some sightseeing.  I also love climbing the stairs solo for a good workout. It's also minutes from one of the Villages of Central College - which I adore.  

3. Alum Creek - picnics, swimming, boating...you name it they've got it and it's beautiful there. 

4. Everal Barn and Homestead - speaking of beautiful - this homestead is so fun to visit and explore, run around outside, and if you stay tuned here or on their website they sometime host kid friendly events that are a lot of fun. 

To Eat

1. Uptown Deli and Brew - The perfect place to work/eat or take the kiddos to for lunch. 

2. Asterisk Supper Club - Afternoon tea in uptown Westerville? Yes, please. 

3. Antonio's Pizzeria and Restaurant - They have the best cheesy garlic bread around.  Enough said. 

4.  Northstar Cafe - This has always been a family favorite but the new location in Westerville is amazing.  Perfect food and perfect location. 

*3 out of the four are really close to a beautiful new community in Minerva Park 

To Shop

1. The Gemma Shop!! My FAV store in all of Columbus.  You have to get there one weekend. You will be so happy!! Watch my Instagram feed to see what new pieces I'm wearing from The Gemma Shop. 

2. Columbus Running Company - I'm a runner so this is one of my favorite stores in Columbus. 

3. Pure Roots Boutique - Shopping local is made easy in Westerville with this super cute boutique. 

4. Polaris Fashion Place - Polaris does an amazing job at offering a lot of kid friendly, family focused events year round. Plus the stores here are some of the best. 

For Kids

1. Goldfish Swim School - You know I love it here. ;) 

2. ZenKidz - Super cute, cozy, play cafe. 

3. Naturally Curious Kids - I love shopping local and I really love buying my kids educational toys. Here I can do both. 

4. Westerville Community Center

5. Legacy Train Depot - A hidden gem, for sure. 

To Relax

1.  Hair Artists

2. Meza Wine Shop

Eat Pak'd and GIVEAWAY

Life around here has been chaotic to say the least, so I have been loving having Eat Pak'd as my go to resource for healthy and easy lunches for my older two kiddos.  Eat Pak'd provides families with healthy, kid approved meals right to their front door through a subscription service.  Imagine no meal prep, no clean up, just a few clicks on your computer and a nice cold delivery at your door.  SO EASY!!!!

I am really picky when it comes to what my kids eat, I want to keep it GMO, organic, hormone free as much as possible and Eat Pak'd feels the same way I do and they keep their lunch packs filled with yummy and healthy food for kids of all ages.  The Paks are designed by nutritionists and then created by chefs - they take such care of all the meals they send out and make sure to limit sugars and sodium as often as they can.    

Freshness: One thing I was concerned with was how the food could stay fresh all week when it had to be prepped and then shipped.  I am pleased to say that we can eat them all the way through Friday with no problems.  The Paks are created the day they are sent out and they are sent in a cold, insulated box.  

Price: Let's talk about price - you're getting healthy food delivered to your door with very little work from you. Sounds too good to be true? I promise it's great AND true.  They are also very affordable. You can get 12 Paks for $72, which makes it $6 a pack.  They also have other options if you don't need 12...you can order as little as 5 or as many as 12.  You can also use code "614MOM" for $20 off your first order of 5 Paks (That makes it $16.30 for your first order) 

In February I hosted the Eat Pak'd Launch Party at Firefly Play Cafe in Clintonville and shared my love for Eat Pak'd with some of my favorite Columbus bloggers.  You may have seen some Paks on their feeds.  Check out some pictures from the event and be sure to head to Eat Pak'd and use code "614MOM" to give Eat Pak'd a try! You won't regret it.  

Scroll all the way down to the bottom to enter to win TWO FREE Weeks of Eat Pak'd 4 Pak Service.  :) 

Thank you to Amy from Beloved Photography for great shots of the entire evening.  

Beautiful New Community in Minerva Park | M/I Homes | 614 Mom

My husband and I are obsessed with searching for a new home, we spend hours on Zillow, spend our free weekends (haha - do those even exist?) attending open houses, and I have a Pinterest board (or two) filled with inspiration, so when M/I reached out to me about visiting their new communities in Westerville, I of course said YES! 

The first community I went to is a brand new community in Minerva Park.  I've always loved this area so I was really excited for the tour of the house and to get to see the entire neighborhood.  The house is beautiful, the entire team at M/I put a lot of work into every detail and it shows. I especially loved the loft and the mudroom.  That may sound silly because we are mainly focused on the kitchen/dining areas, bedrooms, and bathrooms when looking for a new home. Don't get me wrong those were all amazing but the loft and mudroom really stood out to me.  While I do cook, sleep, and lounge in my house - we also live in our home.  We make messes, we play, we dance, we dance outside in the rain, we play in the mud, we really truly LIVE in our home and this house in Minerva Park gives you the freedom to live in your house while keeping a sense of calm.  Muddy shoes?  98357 bags being brought in from that vacation?  Toys all over the place?  The mud room and the loft have you covered.  It might be because we don't have either of these in our current house that really had me excited over the potential these rooms offer but I thought having both would be pretty awesome with three young kids running around.  

I also loved the kitchen the beautiful counter tops and the window above the sink - little details that really help make the house feel more like a home.  I can imagine washing dishes or making a snack and looking out that window to my husband and kiddos playing in the backyard.  How sweet that moment would be.  

I could go on and on about how beautiful this neighborhood is and how amazing the house is but I think I'd rather let the pictures speak for themselves.  

After my tour I called my husband I told him that we had to go to the grand opening two days later, I knew he'd love the house and exploring with him is always so fun.  

M/I is dedicated to making communities not just houses and they did just that in Minerva Park. From the cozy curves roads, walking paths, and green space this is a true community.  You would be very lucky to call this area home.  

Locker Soccer

A few months ago my little guy saw some guys practicing soccer as we drove past the park.  He immediately started asking a million questions (like most 2 year olds do) and through his questions he found out that his daddy played soccer and loved it.  Like a lot of young boys, his dad is his number one hero, and learning that he played soccer was the most amazing thing he had heard all week.  Owen started showing interest in playing soccer immediately.  

In typical Eryn form I started researching soccer programs for young children and digging into what makes each program different.  For Owen's age (3 years old) I was mainly looking for a program that was play based with great coaches.  Through all my research, I found that Locker Soccer was the one program that stood out.  They came highly recommended by women in my mom's group and I loved what I heard from the staff about how their programs runs.  Bonus - the program is indoors so they run year round.  I don't like to change things around a lot so if I put my kids in a program I like to stay there and not bounce around so a year round program was a huge bonus for us. 

We started at Locker Soccer in December of 2016 - every Saturday at 11:20 we were on the field passing a soccer ball around with our little guy at 11:25 we headed off the field and Owen went to huddle with Coach Mike and Coach Allie.  It made for the perfect Saturday. 

Coach Mike is incredibly patient with all of the kiddos he has running around the field.  He keeps them engaged every second and while we were new to the season it was clear that the other parents knew him well and loved him.  There was a moment that Owen wasn't listening and was just running around on the field while Coach Mike was speaking with the other kids as a group. It looked to me like Coach Mike didn't notice so I went up to the net and tried to get Owen's attention so he would go back to the group. Coach Mike looked at me and said "He's fine mom, I've got him." He did notice that Owen wasn't with the group but he was giving him the time to explore for a minute before getting him back with the group.  It was in that moment that I knew we had picked the right program for us. 

We spent many Saturdays taking our guy to soccer, warming up with him, watching as he made new friends, and laughing at just how adorable a bunch of three year olds are playing soccer together.  Owen would come home and talk to us about his friends, his coaches, and then ask his daddy (not me or his sister) to go play soccer with him.  

Owen now loves soccer for more than just knowing that his daddy used to play but because Locker Soccer has taught him about the game. He loves running around the field kicking the ball, playing sharks and minnows, and seeing Coach Mike and Coach Allie.   He can't wait for Spring Season to start. Stay tuned for updates on how he progresses and how the program changes as he gets older.  

Baby Elizabeth

Oh my sweet baby girl.  

Baby Elizabeth is here and we are so in love. I have been living in this newborn bliss for the last three weeks, snuggles, nursing, kisses, baby coos, the sweet smell of baby, ahh! I never want these moments to end. As a mom of three I know all too well that time moves so quickly and I need cherish every moment and that's exactly what I've been doing. 

She arrived much differently than expected, at first my doctor thought she would come WAY early, I was even put on some medicine to try and stop this from happening...eventually she took me off the meds and said she was comfortable letting baby girl come on her own.  The meds worked though - to the point where I agreed to be induced.  All was set, I was to be induced on Monday at 5am.  The control freak in me loved that I had a date and time I could count on. I knew when I was going to meet my baby (unless she came earlier, of course). 

On the Sunday, before my induction,  I started having really intense contractions I labored at home all day, went to my inlaws for dinner, left our kids with them, went home and got the house ready for the chaos about to hit. Around 11:30pm I went downstairs where my husband was working and told him I was scared...I felt like this was really happening like right now but I had an appointment in 5.5 hours, could I wait it out and just show up for my appointment?  That's what I wanted to do.  My mind was going crazy...I had no idea what to do.  After a few really intense contractions I decided it was time.  My husband and I gathered all necessary/last minute items and added them to the hospital bag, hopped in the car, nervous and excited. 

I got all checked in, met my amazing nurses, met the beautiful sweet angel who arrived to give me the epidural (ended up not loving him as much as I had hoped...more on that later), and got ready to meet my baby.  10 hours, a lot of laughs between my husband and I, a few tears, lots of support from my wonderful nurse Ashley, later I was holding my baby girl.  

I have been living in such a sweet, peaceful bliss ever since. 

We had plans with Amy from Beloved Photography for her to meet us at the hospital a few hours after Elizabeth was born to capture some of those super sweet moments from her first few hours of life. I really wanted the first few moments of Emmalyn and Owen meeting their baby sister, baby toes, and Riley holding his baby girl just hours after meeting her for the first time photographed.  I am so so excited to have these photos to cherish for the rest of my life.  I'm also excited to share some of them with you.  

Did you have a Fresh 48 session or a birth photographer at your birth?  Tell me about your experience in the comments. 

Day In The Life | Beloved Photography | January 2017

I've never been one to sit still, I always have something I'm aiming for, a new goal, a new adventure I'm planning, something on my to do list, and generally it is something I love about myself.  I love that I am always striving to be a better person and not settling into the same old habits and getting myself into a rut.  However sometimes this need to always be doing something makes me miss the moment I'm in.  For example, I don't really love our house at the moment...the main bathroom makes me crazy, the color of the carpet upstairs is gross, and I want to update the trim in the entire house, don't get me started on the landscaping the previous owners left us with....the list could seriously go on forever.  It wasn't until summer of 2016 that I learned to start loving my imperfect house and embracing this season in our lives.  We have two beautiful kids and another on the way, our marriage is strong, we are healthy, and we are still young. We are building our careers, creating memories with our kids, and I refuse to focus so much on what needs fixed and miss what is right in front of me.  

My friend Leah from Columbus Birth & Parenting posted some amazing pictures that she had taken of her family and I was immediately inspired.  Her photos were all just a day in the life - I don't remember seeing one posed photo in all that she shared.  I immediately reached out to Leah to get the contact info for the photographer who did this for her and reached out to chat a bit. I really enjoyed getting to know Amy over the phone.  We spoke for about 45 minutes and it was all so natural, I felt like if I was going to let anyone into my imperfect house to capture some very real moments, with the people I love the most, it had to be her.  We decided to schedule for a weekend day so that my husband would be home and we wouldn't have to be anywhere - it was seriously effortless.  My house was the very basic level of clean (not mom level clean - but also not gross), I was in my normal sweatpants, the kids dressed themselves like usual, and we just hung out like we normally do on the weekends.  There were a few moments that my kids weren't sure what to do - I wanted them to play like a normal day but they didn't want to miss out on any action because they really loved Amy so I had to encourage them to take her to see their toys.  Even with that I still feel like Amy captured them playing naturally in their rooms like any other day. 

I don't know about you and your family but my husband is not a photo guy, he gets stressed out over spending money on something that may or may not turn out because the kids are being divas, which to be fair our kids are.  Any fan of Friends on here? Both of my kids (and my husband) have a total Chandler smile when a camera is put in front of them. You have to be a really skilled photographer to get a genuine smile out of any of them.  However this documentary style photography was totally meant for my husband - he got to play video games and Legos with the kids in jeans and a t shirt while getting his picture taken and his wife was happy.  It was like a triple score for him.  

Let's get down to the pictures - Amy with Beloved Photography captured such amazing moments for us, from the kids helping me with dinner, to the crazy contraption E came up with using two horses and a guitar, and O loosing PieFace Showdown.  I'll let you see for yourself - and if you're interested in documentary photography I highly recommend you speak with Amy. She has such a passion for this type of photography and is happy to just live life with you.  She mentioned being happy to hop in the car with us and take photos wherever - a trip to Target, school drop off/pick up, she's good with it all.    Enjoy our photos and share your thoughts in the comments! Would love to hear if this is something you would feel comfortable doing.  

CrossChx Saved My Sanity!

December hit my family hard, I had to see a few specialists due to this pregnancy, my son got a peanut stuck up his nose, both kids were hit with pink eye, stomach bugs, and anything else you can name.  I also sprained my hip! Yes, seriously! The biggest pain with all of this, other than having sick kiddos and being in pain myself, was all of the paperwork that I had to fill out at every appointment.  At ONE appointment I counted 10 different times that I wrote my name, 5 times I had to put the same medical history, 5-6 times had to state that my appointment was not accident related, and the list goes on.  The theme here is repetition.  I was in serious need of something to streamline the process.  Luckily, I had just heard of CrossChx, a Columbus based business who does just that.  

CrossChx is an app (available for Iphone and Android) that allows you to plug your medical history in one time, in a very easy way and then let you just scan into your doctors appointment without any fuss.  Best App Ever! I don’t know about you but I find it really difficult to fill out 10 papers per appointment per patient while my kids play jungle gym in the waiting room.  My kids aren’t the only ones that do this, right?  What is it about the water fountain that makes them want to suddenly take a bath?  Just mine? Okay.   Let’s move on.  

What I love about CrossChx is how easy it is to use and how I can plug in each family member, add a photo to make it easy, my insurance card, emergency contact, and then easily scan my device when I check into my doctor’s appointment. You can also easily keep track of your prescriptions in the app. If your doctor isn’t set up for an easy check in (first tell them to get set up for it because it’s amazing and easy for all sides) and then you can share with them your unique URL and privacy code that they can pull up on their computer and quickly pull and print all of your info.  See - easy for both sides.  

If you are anything like me, you have one concern with putting all of your health care information on an app - PRIVACY! I would be lying if I told you that wasn’t my first thought.  You may find this hard to believe since I run a blog and share a lot of information on social media, but I am a very private person. My husband makes fun of me daily because of it.  I actually spoke at length with the wonderful guys at CrossChx headquarters about this and the assured me that they take this very seriously.  The QR code that you use to check in changes every few seconds which means its never the same and impossible to copy.  They aren't looking at your medical history to sell you anything - they just want to help streamline a process that hasn't been updated in years.  With the advancements in technology why are we still having to fill out SO many papers at every appointment? Thank you CrossChx for solving a problem and creating such an amazing solution for all of us.  You can download the CrossChx app here.  

Do you have this app?  What do you think? 

PreciouStatus at Foundations Learning Academy

I don't know about you but when I started my infant in daycare (almost 6 years ago) one of my biggest fears was missing out on some of the everyday things like diaper changes, feeding schedules, random smiles, the cute way she'd grab her toes, the list could go on - this was in part because I was being sentimental and also a control thing as well as a care thing. I wanted to make sure she was healthy, eating enough, having enough wet diapers, etc.  Yes, with my first born I had a journal where we wrote down every detail from every single diaper change.  I just wasn't sure if this wonderful teacher taking care of 4 other babies besides mine would have time to give my child the love and attention I wanted her to have while still keeping me informed and doing this for all of the babies in her care.  

I recently learned about an app that Foundations Learning Academy in Hilliard has implemented.  PreciouStatus -  it allows the caregivers at Foundations Learning Academy the ability to keep the parents informed throughout the day on everything from how much their child ate, to diaper changes, potty training updates, other items that you'd find on the normal daily sheet at pick up as well as other alerts and then of course pictures! :-) What could be better in the middle of a hard work day than to see your baby (of any age) smiling at daycare. This app also works for multiple kids and you can customize it with their names and pictures and go to each "folder" to view different kiddos.  The app works on any smart phone and is of course free for all parents at Foundations.  

I know I would have loved this when my girl started daycare, the peace of mind it would have given to me would have been so nice.  If you haven't checked out Foundations Learning Academy yet you can read more about them on the blog and then head to their Facebook page to learn more and get their contact info.  

A Little Bit of Honesty....

DISCLAIMER!!! This post is something that has been weighing heavy on my heart over the last several months and I really want to take some time to share some of my thoughts on the subject.  I love being a mom, I love sharing my favorite kid spots, I adore my family, and I love all of your families even though I haven't met them all.  I take great pride in what I write and I only ever want to give you quality pieces. If we go somewhere "new and trendy" but I feel like I was let down - I simply don't share it with you.  That business could have been having a bad day, short staffed, or whatever.  My goal is not to hurt businesses but to help the families of Columbus and I believe to do that I need to be totally honest is everything that I share.  I hope you'll read this and understand where my heart is and not simply think that I'm complaining because I'm not.  I just feel like some of these things need to be said.  I would love your feedback.  

Being a mother doesn't define me, but it is also a title I wear very proudly.  I am a lot of things woman, mother, wife, friend, daughter, entrepreneur, and many more.  I have found through numerous engagements that people are quick to judge the mothers of this world as if we no longer care about anything other than motherhood.  I have been known to through back a few shots of Patron and dance the night away since becoming a mother, I can carry on conversations about world events and I enjoying reading books other than Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  At the same time I can talk in detail about the struggles of the tantrum stage, I won't blush when you tell me about that time your son started talking proudly about his penis in public, and I am happy to share my thoughts on the best places in Columbus for kids.  I am well rounded, as most of us are.  

Truth be told, I find being classified as a "mom blogger" very limiting. It's easy to assume that because this is 614 Mom, that I won't discuss anything other than kids. NOT TRUE!  However I am not ashamed to be a mom blogger - I actually love it a great deal.  I get to share some really amazing things with the moms of Columbus and the families visiting Columbus and that is something I don't take lightly.  614 Mom was founded on the fact that while we are moms, we are humans too.  It's the foundation on which 614 Mom was built and I plan to stay true to the 614 Mom brand as we grow. 

I just hate the thought that Moms are these really uptight women who only focus on their kids. Moms are strong. We are devoted, loving, strong humans and we kick ass. I have some serious goals and some wild dreams that I am currently chasing and having kids will not change that. I adore my children and I know that while I can't spend every waking moment with them, I am doing my best for them and for myself.  Finding my true happiness is extremely important because if I can't love myself and love where my life is headed then how can I be a great mother?  

This post is filled with thoughts that have weighed heavily on my heart over the last few months and I just feel like it needs to be said.  I am so proud to be a mom, a wife, an entrepreneur.  I am chasing my dreams and I hope you'll chase yours with me.  Tell me what are some of the things you're working so hard on while also juggling motherhood?