Swim Season Finale

We ended our first year of summer swim team with three meets last week! Emma and Leah have had a great time and it has been awesome watching their confidence grow in so many different areas. We are proud of all the hard work they put in every morning at 7:30!!

Swim Friends! Leah, Francesca, Kate, and Emma

The North Olmsted Meet was Mommy's first chance to be a timer!

Ready for some action!

The final meet was the Championships at Westlake Rec Center. We had to be there at 6:30 am and silly me--I forgot my camera! Maybe I was too busy thinking how EARLY it was on a Saturday! The girls both swam two relays (our goal for next year is to have fast enough times to swim in an individual event) and the 100 free relay was SO EXCITING!!! Emma went had the first leg, and was the first swimmer to the wall!!! Then the second girl jumped in and we fell to third place. Leah was next and she brought us back into second place!!! (Insert mother's screams here.) The final leg unfortunately brought us back to third, but I was so proud of my girls and the effort they made. It was a good lesson in teamwork!

Emma and Leah will continue swim lesson throught the school year and will be ready for those 50 meter races next summer!

Third Time's A Charm

We tried in April and it was freezing cold. We tried again in June and got rained out. So this time we were determined to stay for an entire game. Unfortunately, even though the weather held, the Indians were out of the game in the top of the first inning. This was supposed to be Fausto Carmona's big comeback after being injured, and everyone was excited. But the Twins scored 6 runs right off the bat (so to speak). Everyone, including a certain little boy I know, was pretty deflated after that. We got a homer from Andy Marte, and Shin-Soo Choo made some pretty impressive catches in left field (Mom, why is everybody booing? No dear, they are saying "Choooooo." Oh.), but it wasn't enough to put us over the top. But hey-- we achieved our goal of seeing all nine innings. And we all got free hats! Woo hoo!

Thanks for nothin', Fausto!
Hello, Mr. Sizemore!


A boy, a mitt, a rally cap, and a dream...

Is This Happening To You???

It might be if your name is GLENN FRANKLIN, who is turning 40 today! Does that qualify as middle-aged?

I would list 40 things I love about Glenn, but that would be one lengthy list. Let's just say that from this...

to this...

to this...

to this...

to this...

Glenn has led an exemplary life. He is a man of faith, a man of strength, a man of laughter, and a man of love. And even though I was 12 when he graduated from high school, and even though I've tried to convince him that he is not part of Generation X because he has a smallpox scar and I don't, and even though he gets all those references to 80's movies that I've never seen, I am so glad he waited for me to come around. He is "my one and only love."

Happy Birthday, Glenn--wait for me on the other side of that hill!

Bedtime Story

We don't read to our kids much. At least, not anymore. They are all independent readers now, and the days of me sitting with 4 kids and piles of books are (sadly) long gone.

Over the summer our school has a reading program that requires 20 minutes of reading for 60 days. Not a problem for Brooke, who reads every night before bed. Andrew, however, has never had the attention span of his sisters, and this independent reading has been a bit more of a challenge for him. He has done a good job, but last night he just wanted someone to read to him. So I told him to go pick out a book and Daddy would read it (bonus--time with Daddy!).

He picked out Strega Nona, and when the girls caught wind of this, they all wanted to listen. They love to have Daddy read this book. See, Daddy makes this book very funny. He does funny voices, especially a silly Italian accent for Big Anthony. The kids crack up at this. I mean, who wouldn't?

Do you see how clean our bedroom is?!?

We love this book. "Pasta pots" and "Simmer down, my pot of clay" are a part of our family's vernacular. But what is even better is seeing this dad read to his kids, and seeing these kids listen to their dad.

Home Improvement

This week I decided to get to work on some little projects I wanted/needed to do. First was a dresser that we inherited from the house's previous owner. It is very old, and was looking its age. Since it's pretty sturdy, though, I decided to sand it and re-stain it. I wanted a very dark brown finish, and it turned out redder than I had hoped, but it is nice and smooth and shiny and almost looks brand new!

Before....

...and after!

We also had been given a great bookshelf from my friend. It is exactly what Brooke's room needed, but it needed a coat of paint. Many coats, it turns out, as satin-on-satin is a slippery combination. But it matches the other paint in her room perfectly and looks great! Thank you, Jackie!

And finally--a surprise craigslist purchase! I knew that somewhere out there existed furniture pieces that matched our headboard. In fact, some friends of ours had the armoire in their living room years ago. I always wanted that armoire...something to tie some of the furniture in our bedroom together--it's a jumble hodge-podge of stuff. My previous craigslist searches had indeed turned up this very piece, but it was always priced waaaay out of our budget. Last week I saw two listed, one in Parry (who knows where that even is) and one in Parma--close but higher priced. I took a chance and made a low, low, lowball offer to the lady in Parma, and she took it!

I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am with this cabinet! It matches our bed perfectly, it hides the TV, it gives us extra storage, and caused us to rearrange our room in a great new way. I feel like the decor of the room has some purpose and cohesivness now, and I love it.

Sugar Rush

Last Monday for Family Home Evening, Andrew was in charge of the treat. We had a variety of things to choose from, including some candy that we had bought earlier that day (buy one, get one at Rite Aid!). There was also ice cream with some toppings Glenn came home with. I thought it would be one or the other. The kids run into the kitchen after FHE was done, and I hear them talking about what the treat is going to be--a combination of everything! Ice cream with crumbled Reese's Cups on top and the toppings Daddy got. There may have been some frozen cookie dough on there as well. Holy sugar, Batman!

Just before the diabetic coma...

A Cause Worth Fighting For

PETA, global warming, free trade. All the celebrities have one, you know--something to speak out against, a worthy cause to put your name and your money behind that makes people stop and think. (Or roll their eyes.) Well, I may not have a famous name or lots of money, but I do now have a cause.....DOWN WITH FULL-LENGTH MIRRORS!

I hate full-length mirrors and do not have one in my house. There is no need for me to see the entire length of my body. It only serves to remind me how short I really am and conjures up all sorts of feelings of inadequacies. There I am, feeling pretty good about my self, my clothes, my body. Sure, things (like my waist) could and should be better, thinner. But when you are only checking yourself out from the chest up, it doesn't seem all that bad.

I wish!

Then you go shopping. Not only are you needing to buy a size up from last summer (as if that wasn't bad enough), there it is--reflected right back at you, staring you in the face. Plus there is another mirror behind you to make sure you get a good view of the backside. Thank you ever so much. I did not need to see that!

How about a wall of mirrors? I started going to an exercise class Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the rec center. Love the class, do not love watching myself and my stubby legs trying to squat and lunge. I seriously think I am only two feet tall.

I am reminded of a lovely, uplifting song we used to sing at girl's camp....

I know how ugly I are

My face, it ain't no star

But I do not mind it

For I am behind it

You folks out in front get the jar- har har!

You see, without full-length mirrors, I can go along in a dream-like state, believing that I am long and lean. I do not have to be reminded of reality. If there is some physical flaw, if my clothes are just not right, well friends, I am sorry you have to see that. The view from up here is not so bad.

And I choose to keep it that way. So join with me! Women in the 60's burned their bras--I say we break our mirrors for the new millenium! Until your mirror can do this--

--there's just no use for it. Who cares if your slip is hanging out. What you don't know won't hurt you. So no more feeling frumpy! No more feeling dumpy! 1, 2, 3, 4, we won't use mirrors anymore!

P.S. The Down With Mirrors Coalition is now accepting donations.

Day of Rest?

Around here, Saturday is our chore day. Everyone has jobs to do. We do this so as not to have to do much work on the Sabbath Day. Yesterday, due to some behavioral deviations, we accomplished even more work than usual. Child labor laws were NOT in effect in this household, as those under the age of 11 weeded the brick patio, did intense organizing of bedrooms, mopped the hard floors on hands and knees (this one made me the happiest because I may be able to delegate from now on!), and cleaned out the refrigerator. The child who was in charge of this last task placed every item from the fridge onto the kitchen counter. In doing her very thorough job, she misjudged how much space was left on the counter and knocked a half a dozen eggs onto the floor, breaking every last one. I calmly told her to clean them up, which she did.

While this was happening in one half of the kitchen, another child was on all fours washing the other half of the kitchen floor. The little Cinderella-in-training was told to come back later to finish once the fridge was put back together. However, this last job was kind of forgotten, so while the floor looked like the egg mess was cleaned up, it may not have been done as completely as an egg mess warrants.

Fast forward to this morning...I come downstairs after my shower to a horrible smell. Heavens--what is that stench?!? Well, I had a pretty good idea. After sniffing out the fridge (just cleaned yesterday), dishwasher (freshly run and needing to be unloaded), and garbage (empty--my fav!), I settled upon the thin, invisible layer of egg whites smeared on the floor. No time to fix it at that point, as we still needed to get ready for and go to church.

Some three-odd hours later, I found myself, on my hands and knees, with a bucket of Pine-Sol and water at my side, an old diaper in hand, scrubbing away. My most hated chore, and on a Sunday. A day of "rest." Not exactly my idea of relaxation. But that's the fun of motherhood, right? Doing things you'd never thought you'd do, especially when it comes to food, sleeping patterns, bodily fluids, and cleaning. As a mom, you do what you have to do, when you have to do it. No matter what time of day or day of the week it is.

So the smell is gone, and the kitchen floor is very clean. Make that was. The kids just ate dessert and got crumbs all over the floor. But I'm not cleaning it up this time. Not today. Not in this sweatshop.

Swim Meet

Last night was a swim meet in Amherst, and we were all swimming--Emma and Leah in the pool, and I in the humidity. There was just as much water in the air as in that pool, I swear. Even when the sun went down and there was a slight breeze, you could still cut it with a knife. The guy sitting next to me thought it was "very pleasant" though. How annoying.

Since we had piano lessons from 3 to 4, that meant we left for the meet right after, and that meant there was no time for dinner. In the past I have packed a dinner for the girls to eat at the meet, but that just wasn't going to happen yesterday. So I dropped them off at the pool and went in search of a Subway.

I don't really know the city of Amherst, and it is pretty far away from anything I do know, so I stuck to the main strip. I saw McDonald's, Wendy's and Taco Bell but just was not in the mood for anything hot. Subway was nowhere in sight, but at the end of the business area I saw a Super Kmart with a big "Deli" sign on it. Unconventional, but it did the job. (By the way, I love anything "Super"--and would be in heaven if we had one close!) Sandwiches, grapes, gatorade, and cheddar popcorn for all!

Anyway, the girls did good in their races. They each had two relays and an individual event. This was an outdoor community pool and not as hi-tech as the Rec Center, so I don't know official times, but I think Emma was able to shave off another second off her freestyle time. Progress, progress!

Emma in the medly relay
Emma in the 25 free
Leah in the 25 fly

Leah in the free relay

Next week we have THREE meets! Tuesday is against North Olmsted, Thursday is a make up meet against Lakewood, and the the championships are Saturday morning. What a way to wrap up the season!

Team Mascot

While playing outside yesterday Andrew found his team mascot...a little grasshopper he named "Funky." The poor little thing was probably traumatized, but Andrew had some fun with him. Funky liked climbing up Andrew's arm, pooping there (yes, grasshoppers do poop), and then moving on to Andrew's head. Andrew really enjoyed this, but I jumped and screamed everytime that thing jumped and fluttered to the ground. Andrew just calmly picked him up and put him back on. This lasted just long enough for me to take some pictures, and then Andrew decided to let Funky go back into the wild. Thank you, Funky, for providing a few minutes of fun for a little boy.

Pardon the Interruption

I am taking a little break from blogging about our vacation to Utah and Vegas because I need one.

We were welcomed back to Cleveland with wonderful, cool weather....and then A LOT of rain. Did you expect anything less? Saturday it POURED but the kids wanted to go out and play in it. We said they could, and then noticed that they were pretty much just staying in the garage, a little too timid to actually go in the rain. So Glenn said he'd go out with them to jump on the trampoline. You might as well have told them we were going to Disneyland, they were so excited to have Daddy do something so silly with them.

I conveniently stayed indoors--I mean, someone had to take the pictures, right?

The dripping wet gang, smelling like outside. Hit the showers, troops!

The World According to Andrew

"Mom, is daddy your favorite man? Because he is my favorite man."

Sweat Test

My superhuman ability to sweat under any circumstances was going to be put to the test during this vacation. We all know my powers thrive in the humidity. But out West, as they say, "It's a dry heat." Could it be possible? Could the desert sun be kryptonite to my perspiration?

It seemed as though the dry air might triumph at first. Wednesday morning I got out of the shower and was able to actually dry off! I thought I may actually be able to escape sweat's evil grip, if only for a week. But then I saw the forecast for Las Vegas and St. George--record breaking highs of 100+ degrees. I began to lose some of my swagger.

The drive to St. George was comfortably air conditioned, as we watched the temperature gage in the van climb steadily into the three digit range. No problem, I thought. I will not let the heat get the best of me, not out here. But things took a turn for the worse, though, as we waited at a park to meet a friend for lunch. Even the arid climate was no match for my sweat. It took over and it wasn't long before I was soaked through, and stayed that way until we were in Utah County.

Still, I had hope, since I didn't feel like I needed a second shower 10 minutes after my first one. However, it all hit rock bottom during our hike up Mt. Timpanogos. Not many have seen me when I am completely at perpsiration's mercy, when it has a death-like hold over me. It is an elite circle, one I do not let many into by choice. Yet there are two new members of this unfortunate club--my sister and brother-in-law, Julie and Keith. As we climbed the trail I was powerless in hiding my true nature, a melted, dripping mess.

Back in Las Vegas, we took in the Strip. There were hundreds of people out and about, all shapes and sizes and colors and varying amounts of clothing. Yet of all those people in the crowd, I saw no one else as wilted and soaked as I. I fear I am alone in this, the sole human who turns to liquid in any kind of heat, humid or dry. There is no stopping my inner sweaty villian from rearing its ugly head at any given moment. I am alone in this journey. This is my fate. This is my destiny.

The Best Little Best Western in Vegas

We just needed a bed or two, a place to sleep on our way to and from our trip. Vegas has plenty of accomodations--isn't that all this place is? Hotels? (Oh yeah, and casinos.) But our main destination was not Vegas itself, so I wanted to avoid the Strip altogether. My criteria were:

-cheap

-free airport shuttle

-kids stay free

-free continental breakfast

That's all I needed. But sometimes you never know what you are going to get. I found a Best Western that was half the price of the hotel I had been eying previously, and it had everything else I was looking for, so we took the chance and booked a room.

When we got here late Tuesday night (and it was still 90 plus degrees outside) I was a little concerned, just because the room was SO small. With the six of us crammed in here there was not much elbow room. But (bonus #1) they had free internet! So I started working on the blog post that had been percolating during our flight. It was nice to get those thoughts down before the whirlwind that was to come.

We all slept well, with the 3 girls taking the second queen bed and Andrew sacking out on the floor, and the next morning we headed down to breakfast. We've had lots of hotel breakfasts before and they have run the gamut of quality and selection. I would have to say that this hotel had one of the best breakfasts we've had (bonus #2)! Fruit, danish, juice, croissants, french toast, cereal, milk (regular and chocolate) and(my favorite) a do-it-yourself Belgian wafflemaker! I mean, really--a meal at Denny's alone would have almost cost more than the stay here. I was very pleased.

We were ready to head out to St. George, so we got our gear and headed out. As we passed through the slot machine-free lobby (bonus #3), I grabbed the free USA Today (bonus #4) and we hauled ourselves to the Budget rental office next door (bonus #5) and picked up the minivan.

We had one more night here before heading back to Cleveland. Our plane didn't leave until 2pm, so Wednesday morning we took it easy. After breakfast we watched clips of "So You Think You Can Dance" on youtube (see bonus #1) and Glenn took the kids to the pool (bonus #6). So thank you, Best Western McCarran, for your hospitality, for the surprise bonus amenities, and for being such a lovely bookend to our fabulous vacation.

What Happened in Vegas....

Our first stop in Las Vegas was definitely going to be an In-and-Out Burger. We love that place and try to go whenever we are out west. It hit the spot and we were ready for the rest of the evening.

We headed to the hotel to check in, then were off for the once-in-a-lifetime (and I really mean that) visit to the Strip. I had done a little reading and talked to a few people for ideas of some kid-friendly things to do. We started off at the MGM where they had a lion habitat. Here is one description I read:

"Separated from the lions by only one and a half inches of glass, visitors can watch as these majestic creatures feed, play, groom themselves and sleep."

The key word here: Sleep. And you know how they said "lionS"? Well, there was only one. Laying up on this rock where it could only be seen by those over six feet tall. Good thing I am married to one of those people, and he was able to get a good picture for me. My favorite part was how you could walk through the habitat and right into a gift shop! That was special.

Hey- Mufasa woke up!

We worked our way through the maze of slot machines and craps tables out of the hotel and onto the Strip. New York, New York was the first hotel we saw. It was so much like New York City that it was like summer 2006 all over again.

We passed by all the illegal aliens handing out cards to girlie shows and stepped into the 4 story M & M's store. This was where the kids were excited to spend their money. But of course we had to look at all four levels twice before anyone could make up their minds on what to buy. By this time the pulsating music was beginning to get to me. The best part of the store was the A/C.
On down the Strip we trudged, past Paris (I have seen the Eiffel Tower, now Glenn and I don't have to go to France!) and across the street to the Bellagio. The fountain shows came highly recommended, and I have to say, it didn't disappoint.

Paris- been there, done that!

Waiting for the show to start

The fountains were amazing. If it weren't so darned hot, I might have waited 15 minutes for another show! But we needed some water in the worst way and it was a long walk back to the MGM where we parked. So back down the Strip we headed, through the sidewalk tunnels, walking single file, one aching foot in front of the other, till we were safely back to the car. It did cross my mind to get a little cold treat, but when I saw that a kiddie cone was $4.95, I realized we would survive. How nice to be back in our ice cold hotel room!

Now, I have a couple good friends who hail from Las Vegas, so I will choose my words carefully so as not to offend. And I realize that we were there during what was probably the hottest week of the year, and that the Strip is not representative of the entire city. So like I said, I believe this visit to Las Vegas was truly a once-in-a-lifetime visit, if you catch my drift. Let's just leave it at that.

But hey- Glenn got to see George Lopez in the bathroom of the Las Vegas airport!

Leaving Las Vegas....