Getting Schooled

I'm a little off this week. I kept thinking that Wednesday was Monday, so now that it really is Friday, it's kind of a nice surprise to realize again and again that the weekend is here. And it's a long one at that.

The kids are gone again and I am sitting here listening to the dryer and the birds and the traffic outside. Only auxillary noises. The silence is what I am most grateful for when it comes to having the kids out of the house. Someone told me that noise sensitivity is due to a magnesium deficiency, but I think it is due to a decade of living with "The Loud Family."

We've been on a roller coaster around here. The kids were on cloud nine when they got home from school on Wednesday. Andrew said he was so glad he's not a kindergartener because they only go to school a half day, but then he tells me that the school day felt like "a whole day and half of a night." Leah was all abuzz when telling me about the inner workings of an intermediate school, then declares that she's "summer sick." When asked to explain, she said, "Have you ever heard of being homesick? Well, I'm summer sick." Emma gigglingly told us about her crazy French teacher and the French rapper they listened to in class, and then yesterday turns into one of Jane Austen's tragic heroines, stomping around the house, sighing dramatically, wronged at every turn. I think Brooke is the only one who came home saying, "My teacher is amazing" and continues to be on a third grade high.

We knew there was going to be an adjustment for Andrew. All the kids had a hard time starting first grade, and Andrew is no different. I just didn't realize how fast and furious it would come. He was angry (at what, I don't know) for most of the afternoon and evening yesterday. We had been invited to a pack meeting at church, and Andrew loves to go to those because he can play with the big boys. Unfortunately the meeting didn't start until 6:30, and I knew pretty early on that Andrew would need to be in bed by 7:30. So we had to cut out the pack meeting. And sure enough, by 7:50 when Glenn got home, Andrew was OUT COLD. Lesson learned.

In just over an hour, I get to find out how this abbreviated first week of school wound up for the kids. The house will no longer be silent, and in fact the noise is sure to intensify even more, as if the kids are trying to make up for lost time. I better go take some magnesium supplements.

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig!

One down, 177 to go!

And now we know the smoke detector works...

Burning the aforementioned healthy snack was not on the list.

Today I will...

- hear four alarms going off before 7 am.

- make a hot, healthy breakfast.

-keep encouraging Andrew to finish the picture he was supposed to draw for the first day so that he can eat breakfast (yes, we forgot to do this until late last night...are we starting off on the wrong foot already?).

-take the traditional standing-by-the-front-door-with-your-hand-on-the-doorknob pictures.

-say my standard "I'll be here when you get home" goodbye.

-watch Brooke enjoying her role of oldest Franklin kid at Holly Lane, and reassuring Andrew that she'd show him where his classroom is.

-hear my ten year old girls tell me it's ok to take the camera to their bus stop.

-watch my kids board their buses two by two.

-take a deep cleansing breath.

-sit in and relish the silence (until Porter gets here).

-trust that my children are safe and happy while they are away from me.

-do my Visiting Teaching.

-think about the kids and wondering if they are getting to where they need to be ok.

-watch a vintage 90210 episode.

-make a healthy after-school snack.

-be watching for the kids to come home in a flurry at 2:39 and 3:41 pm.

-sort through mountains of papers and forms, most of which will end up in the recycling bag.

-hear all about the new adventures of recess and lunch and lockers and teachers and friends.

-spend my afternoon pacing back and forth between the kitchen and dining room, making sure everyone is staying on task.

-grill a yummy pork roast for dinner.

-try to make the chaos of after-dinner chores, lunch making, backpack packing, and shower taking go just a little bit more smoothly than it did last night.

-get everyone in bed early, and then crash with Glenn.

-cry if I think about any of this too much longer.

The last hurrah...

Aunt Missy called us for an impromptu trip to the beach today, and we had to take advantage of our (read: the kids') last day of freedom. We went to our new favorite beach at Rocky River Park. The weather was perfect and the waves were high.

Say goodbye to summer.....

A Mother's Dream Come True

After coming home from running yesterday to lots of fighting and bickering, I half-heartedly tried to get the kids to get themselves together while I went upstairs to shower and get ready for the day. I did not have much hope that anything I had said had even been heard, let alone heeded. I took my time in my room, both relishing the few moments to myself and avoiding the mess that awaited down below.

I finally could drag out my alone time no longer. I headed downstairs, ready to dive into the pile of dishes in the kitchen sink. But as I walked down the hallway, there was no pile to be seen! My two wonderful ten year olds had taken it upon themselves to clean the entire kitchen AND vacuum the kitchen floor. Without (technically) being asked. Isn't this a scenario that mothers everywhere dream about? Well yesterday, for one brief moment (until the kitchen was messy from lunch), it was my reality.

The dream continued later on that day when Emma and Leah thoroughly cleaned the fish bathroom of their own free will. Leah told me that they had decided to get to work on their Faith in God award and one of the things was to write down five things they could do to help around the house. And apparently carry them out. It sure was a red-letter day for this mom!

It's eight o'clock...do you know where your children are?

I know where mine are...IN BED!!!!! (Go Amy, go Amy, it's your birthday...insert picture of me doing the cabbage patch dance here.) With school starting Wednesday, we had planned to get back in the habit of an early bedtime tomorrow, but we had a few respect and charity issues today, so we moved it up a day. You can tell I'm really broken up over it. The 3 girls are still reading, and probably will be for a while, and Glenn is still in with Andrew, but I am DONE! Now on to making myself a huge yummy salad and vegging in front of the TV. PaaaAAAR-TY!

iroc, uroc, OROC!

I found out about OROC (OutRun Ovarian Cancer) through my morning exercise class. The teacher is on the committee or something and a bunch of people were talking about the 5K race. Melissa and I have not done a 5K in a LOOOOONG time, so we decided to sign up. It both started and finished at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame downtown, so Nate and Glenn and all the kids came with us as well.
There was lots going on in front of the Rock Hall, including tables with free goodies, music, and magic tricks!The race started at 9 and took us around the streets of downtown Cleveland. I would say it was a lovely race, but the first mile and a half was uphill with a strong headwind! We kept a good pace, though, and I settled in fine until we reached Huron (I believe) and there was some sort of fried food smell that was making me want to retch. Thank goodness we got past that quickly and moved on to East 4th--the coolest street downtown! We've been there before when we saw Brian Regan, but I forgot how cute it is....lights strung between the buildings, outdoor seating--it reminded me of New York. It provided a nice distraction for the second mile.

No, I did not take this picture while running.

The end of the race had a little bit of a downhill stretch, so we took advantage of that and made it to the end in under 32 minutes. I think that is a pretty good pace, all things considered! And there is nothing better than seeing loved ones at the end, cheering you on!

Almost done....
Hey! Why is this little kid beating us?

Jill--you better get ready for the Race for the Cure on the 13th!!

While we were out roaming the streets, the kids got to decorate some cookies, courtesy of Eat'n'Park.

Laser Tag

Yesterday I took Emma and Leah downtown for their first laser treatment. I have to say, it was a great experience. Everyone was so nice and helpful, supportive and encouraging. They took us back right away and got the numbing cream put on the girls' faces. We had our own little room to wait in so we didn't have to go back out front. We waited about 30 minutes and then we were ready to go.

They took us into the procedure room and Emma climbed up on the table. Leah had to wait for her turn behind a curtain. We all put funny goggles on and then the doctor came in and started the procedure. She explained what she was going to do, and then started in. Emma flinched every time, but she said it didn't hurt. I think it was just a reflex from the sound and sensation. Emma was a real trooper and did a great job. Leah was next and did just as awesome. Even thought she flinched as well, she also said it didn't hurt at all. The doctor and nurses were so impressed with both the girls.

I'm kind of impressed with myself, too, because I actually did not tear up at all! I thought about it, especially while the procedure was happening, because I could not see the girls' eyes, so I was not totally sure how they were handling things. Both Emma and Leah took everything in stride (they didn't even want the latex glove filled with ice cubes afterwards!) and I knew there was no reason to get choked up. Not that that has stopped me in the past, but hey--there's a first time for everything!

Anyway, I am proud of Emma and Leah. To look at them you can't even tell anything was done! But I know it is preventing possible problems in the future, so I am so glad we did it. We go back for the next treatment on October 17.

Color Me Oriented

Today was Parkside orientation! I took Emma and Leah up to the school and the big event was getting locker assignments. And then trying to figure out how to work a combination lock to open those lockers. I knew the girls would be using lockers, but for some reason I never thought about how they would need to get into them. Like by remembering a combination. Something I still occasionally have nightmares about. You know, the whole forgetting-the-combination fiasco? Yeah, it still haunts me.

Of course, I immediately transfer my phobia to my children and have visions of them stressing out and crying and freaking because they can't get their lockers open. But I kept my concerns under wraps and watched how after a few tries they had it down pat. And these two have minds like steel traps, so I am sure they can't even conceive of forgetting their combo. The school also encourages students to come back over the next couple days to become more familiar with the whole locker situation, so come Wednesday, the official first day, it will be smooth sailing.

We met their home room teacher, who is very nice and very young. I was grateful for both. While I had nice teachers growing up, I don't think I ever had young teachers. Every single one of them could have been my mother if not my grandmother. Which really has no bearing on the nice factor, but I also like young. Maybe a bit easier for kids to identify with? Whatever the case may be, I think we are in for a really good year.

I sat through the little 20 minute presentation and this town crier had a hard time keeping her composure. Surprise, surprise. When they put an overhead of the daily schedule up on the screen, my first thought was I need to write this all down. But then I realized that this is Emma's and Leah's schedule, not mine. They are responsible for getting to where they need to be when they need to be there. And I looked over at them and was again struck by how they are growing up. It was scary and exciting all at the same time. I was able to hold it together until I was relating everything to Melissa, when I just couldn't hold it in anymore.

Another milestone reached....sitting up, walking, talking, riding a bike, and now, at the age of ten--using a combination lock. My, how they grow.

Dancing Rocks! By: Brooke

Hello! As you all know, I just took a dance class. It was at Bay Village. The dance studio was called Emjaez dance studio. Now I am going to do a real dance class. I'm really excited. I might do Jazz and I might do Ballet. I did Jazz before for a week and Ballet one day. It's hard to decide.

I have to go now. See ya folks.

This is Brooke Franklin speaking. See ya later, peeps!

Crunch Time

We are squeezing in as much as we can in these last few days until school starts! Grandma Franklin suggested one final cousin sleep over, so that meant two whole days with the Ryans! Monday began with a visit to Play-in-Bay playground, where the kids like to play hide n' seek and spy games. That afternoon we headed to the pool.

That evening Glenn and I dropped off the kids and headed out to the movies. We finally got to see The Dark Knight. I may have enjoyed the movie a lot more if it weren't for the guy who walked into the theater with his approximately 9 year old daughter and 11 year old son. I was pretty bothered by this and kind of slipped into "mom mode" which skewed my whole opinion of the movie. I just kept thinking about how those kids should not be seeing what was on that screen! I appreciate all the hype the movie and Heath Ledger's performance got, and it was a good story and all, but it was very, very dark. Glenn loved it. And after, without any suggestion from me, he took us to Mitchell's for ice cream!

This morning we decided to check out Liberty Park in Independence. It came very highly recommended by the Chatty's, who have been there twice in the last two weeks! It was a beautiful park, and the kids enjoyed it, but our kids are just a bit too big to fully appreciate how great the park is. Some of them were almost as tall as the buildings in Safety Town! They did spend a lot of time on the merry-go-round, however. (I think Tyler was regretting this move by lunchtime--he did not feel well at all. Thank goodness it passed!)

Tyler and Andrew spied the baseball field and were drawn to it like a magnet to steel. Those two just cannot pass a diamond with out a couple of runs around the bases and a quick game of "air baseball."

We then moved on to one of our favorite Franklin/Ryan activities--letterboxing! I could try to explain it to you, but the website sums it up best:

Letterboxing is an intriguing “treasure hunt” style outdoor activity. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like parks) and post clues to finding the box online on one of several Web sites. However, clues to finding some of the most highly-sought boxes are passed around by word of mouth. There are about 20,000 letterboxes hidden in North America alone. Individual letterboxes usually contain a log book, an often hand-carved rubber stamp and may contain an ink pad. Finders make an imprint of the letterbox's stamp on their personal log book, and leave an imprint of their personal stamp on the letterbox's logbook.

Around here, most of the letterboxes are hidden in the Metroparks, and the one we found today was in the Brecksville Reservation. I had never been to this park before, but just like all the others, it was beautiful. The kids' only complaint was that the letterbox was too easy to find! We ended up finding it pretty quickly and hiked the rest of the 3/4 mile trail. Along the way we climbed stairs and crossed bridges, and Tyler honed his "vertical tree crossing skills." (Did I get that right, Ty?)

And that, as far as summer goes, may be all she wrote. Tomorrow is Parkside orientation, and from then on it's all downhill. T minus one week until the big day! I'm glad we got these last few fun activities in before hitting the books once again.

Passing the Torch

1984...The year I turned ten, the year I sliced my ankle open and had to get a tetanus shot, the year I watched Mary Lou Retton win gold at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. That was the year my love affair with the Olympics began, and ever since then I have been an avid spectator. Throughout the years I have loved Greg Louganis and Brian Boitano (back then, who knew?), watched Nancy Kerrigan cry "WHY?" over and over again in shock, admired Kerri Strug for sticking her vault landing with an injured ankle, and wondered why Marion Jones had such amazing performances (only to realize the answer later). Now, 24 years later, my enthusiasm for the Games is still going strong. And all the hype surrounding some guy named Michael Phelps and a couple of girls named Shawn Johnson and Nastia Luikin only added to the excitement.

I now have two children who are the age I was when I watched my first Olympic games, and thanks to that miraculous little invention called "digital video recording," I have been able to share those late-night Olympic feats with the kids. The first major event we showed them was the men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay, and it was so much fun explaining what was happening, how the Frenchies said they'd crush the US team, and what it all meant that USA came out victorious. I had seen it live the night before, but it was still just as exciting the second time around.

From that race on, the kids have been fully invested in the Summer Games. In fact, we watched the women's gymnastics all-around competition for pizza and movie night last week! I loved watching the kids singing along to the national anthem as I tried (unsuccessfully) to hide my tears (for the second time that day, by the way--I teared up watching Today Show highlights that morning!) seeing the Americans get the gold and silver.

I am proud of our country and the example that these athletes set for our kids. I am happy to be able to point out the good sportsmanship shown to other competitors. I am grateful that my kids see how hard work pays off, how much you can achieve if you set your mind to it, how even though you train your hardest for a gold, you are still a great person with a silver, bronze, or maybe even nothing around your neck.

I hope the kids look back at the 2008 Beijing games as being their first Olympics and that they find some sort of inspiration from the greatness we have seen so far. Someday, they will remember Phelps, Luikin, and Johnson as their childhood Wheaties box champions. And they can tell the tale of real American heroes to their children, just in time for the Summer Games of 2032.

Dancing Queen

Last week Brooke participated in a week-long dance camp at a local studio. She was over the moon about this and loved every minute of it. It was a jazz class, so there was a little freestyle involved--plus, she got to dance to some Hannah Montana. We are now in the process of deciding which class and studio to sign up with for the fall. If we could just get her over the "stage fright" she insists she has, I think there would be a real force to be reckoned with here! Watch out, Broadway!

Remember the part about the freestyle?

* Please keep in mind these pictures were taken through a very small two-way mirror. Not the best quality, but you get the idea!

Cleveland (Clinic) Rocks!

As many of you know, my husband and daughters have a genetic disease called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). It is a very rare and unpredictable disease which can cause unexplained growths, or tubers, in various parts of the body. Most commonly afflicted are the brain, kidneys, heart, and eyes, and there are also various skin manifestations as well. The severity of the disease varies from person to person, and in our family, we are fortunate to have a fairly mild case. The most severe was an operation to remove a tumor from Glenn's brain in 1994, but fortunately the surgery was the end of it, and there have been no further complications.

The tricky thing with TSC is that many doctors have never heard of it before, and therefore do not understand the best ways to treat it. There are several screening tests that need to be done on a regular basis, and then, of course if something comes up, there are right ways and wrong ways to handle it.

We began addressing the girls' TSC issues in 2005 when Emma had a typical TSC growth on her her big toe. The pediatrician was pretty frank with us and said that she was not comfortable enough with handling TSC. After a referral to an orthopedic surgeon to take care of Emma's toe, she referred us to the genetics department at the Cleveland Clinic, who referred us to one of their neurologists. Lots of referrals going on here, right? We finally ended up with a neurologist by the name of Dr. Ajay Gupta. Dr. Gupta is the coordinator for a TSC "clinic" within the Cleveland Clinic system, with specialists in all areas affected by TSC, and we are so glad we found him.

We have found that Brooke and Leah do have small lesions in their brains that need to be monitored, but at this time do not seem to be growing or changing. They do not affect the girls in any way. Their other organs are fine, but Emma and Leah do have some skin manifestations that need to be addressed, so Dr. Gupta referred us to the dermatologist for the TSC clinic. Dr. Vidimos happens to be the head of dermatology at the Clinic, so I was pretty confident that our needs would be met, but still I was a little worried. When your children are affected by something like this, you want someone to step in and take over, someone who is knowledgeable and trustworthy. We had found that in Dr. Gupta--I am completely confident in his care. But then here we are, needing to see yet another doctor, and I just didn't know how she would respond. The problems that Emma and Leah have are on their face, and I wanted thing to be handled and handled well. Would I need to pull out my notes from the TSC conference I went to three years ago (I brought them with me just in case), or would Dr. Vidimos know what to do?

Our questions and concerns were all taken care of today when we headed downtown for our appointment. Not only was Dr. Vidimos extremely kind, she knew exactly what she was dealing with and how to go about taking care of it. Again, this disease is unpredictable, and while the skin lesions are pretty unnoticable to the untrained eye, everything can change once puberty hits, and this is what I wanted to nip in the bud now, or at least have a plan of attack. Dr. Vidimos offered just that, without me even needing to ask. The girls will actually be having laser treatments, which will hopefully take care of the current issue and prevent any further growths. She is also taking care of the insurance approval and letting Dr. Gupta know what the plan is. Not only that, but she is getting us in next week, when in all reality her schedule is booked through January. This is quite fortunate for us as we will not have to deal with school yet!

I just breathe a huge sigh of relief knowing that we are in such capable hands. This should be a given with doctors, right? I mean after all--they are getting paid the big bucks. But when it comes to a little-known disease and your children, I am just that much more apprehensive. I feel so fortunate to be living so close to the fourth best hospital in the country. I can rest assured knowing that our medical needs will be met with the expertise required.

I'm tellin' ya...Cleveland is THE place to be!

It's not the clothes that make the man....

.....it's the clothes that make the mother lose her mind!

Yes, friends, it's that time of year again. Amidst shopping for school supplies and last minute trips to the pool, we at the Franklin household are once again going through the kids' clothes. You think Michael Phelps has it hard trying for eight gold medals in Bejing? Try swimming through this tangled mess of shorts and T-shirts. Let me try to break it down for you.

First, we must go through the clothes that are currently in use. Or that are currently in the drawers, because not all of these clothes are getting worn. Which is why we are going through them. The children have to try on these clothes to see if they have outgrown them, or if we can get a few more months (weeks?) of wear out of them before the weather changes. We must also take into consideration the condition of the items as well. How ratty have they actually become? Can they be passed off as new back-to-school outfits? Or do they look like they have been slept in, wadded up, and tossed on the floor?

Once this process is complete (and please keep in mind that everything I am detailing for you is times 4), the clothes are then folded neatly (just like they are every week from the laundry, so why they are shoved into the drawers is beyond me) and replaced in the drawers. It is amazing how much room there is in these drawers when clothes are properly folded, a concept yet to be grasped by my children.

Now we must decide what to do with the discarded items of clothing. We must ask ourselves why the child will no longer be wearing it...is it stained and beyond help? If so, it is placed in a bag designated for whichever charity organization calls me first asking for donations. Has the item simply been outgrown? At this point, the clothes are set aside for Brooke or some other unsuspecting family to use. Brooke now has more clothes to try on, and we can only be grateful that she views this as simply getting new clothes and is not questioning the source, if you catch my drift. Even Leah made the comment that Brooke was "lucky" to automatically be getting new clothes. There is one bright spot in this dismal chore.

So, now that we have assorted bags to be given away lining the hallway and neat drawers with extra space, we can now move on to the three full bins of clothes that I have been collecting over the past months. I have always purchased things on clearance and put them away until the season warrants. We must now go through these items to see if they fit (there is a cool Nike basketball jersey that still comes down to Andrew's knees!). Once we have determined fit, we then need to decide if the item will be incorporated into the child's wardrobe, or if we will continue to hold it back until next spring. The reasoning behind this? There is a delicate balance between making good use of perfectly good clothes and having some new things for back-to-school. And when Brooke inherits about ten nice shirts from her big sisters, some of the new things can wait. You can see that this process requires some actual brain activity as well.

There are a couple environmental factors that contribute to the overall mood while working on this task as well. To begin with, it is important to make sure you are not allergic to anything in the room you are working in, i.e. the pet guinea pig's alfalfa hay. Because spending any extended period of time in close quarters with said allergens will lead to excessive sneezing and head aches, never good when trying to work. Secondly, one must also remember to be dressed appropriately. Clothes with an elastic waistband rather than an actual button go a long way towards making a more pleasant experience. The ability to stretch and expand is crucial.

To top it all off, once everything seems to be done (which it isn't, by the way), we then have to remind ourselves that we will be doing to very same thing in about eight weeks with the pants and sweaters. Steer clear of any brick walls at this point, because this is where the head banging begins.

So there you have it, a step-by-step dissertation as to why I will be having a huge bowl of ice cream tonight. Now where are my pajama pants?

How the Other Half Lives

And by other half, I mean the other half of Cuyahoga County, a.k.a. The East Side. Yes, folks, my children and I crossed the Cuyahoga River today and ventured into unknown territory.

It all started with a Food Network Challenge. The kids love to watch these, especially when they have to do with cakes. The last one we watched featured a Cleveland bakery--The White Flower Cake Shoppe. The competitor did a really good job, considering it was her first challenge. We looked up the bakery, and of course--it was on the east side, Beachwood, to be exact.

Somewhere in the back of my mind an idea started forming that maybe we could go to this now-famous cake shop. But the east side? I just didn't know. You just don't cross over around these parts. It's been said that Cleveland is where the midwest meets the northeast...and I am definitely more of a laid-back, minivan, Target, mild snow storm kind of gal than a sophisticated, SUV, Nordstrom, snow belt kind of gal. But it's always good to try new things, to step out of your comfort zone, to have an adventure.

So today we headed east. Our first stop was Preston's H.O.P.E., a park we found out about on and Ohio Adventures blog. Looks fun, it's free--let's try it. It was a ton of fun. There is this whole little village with two levels to run around in, great for hide-and-seek. We turned it into a game where the kids were trying to hide from me and my camera. We all got really into it and I was laughing so hard it brought tears to my eyes. We were there for about an hour and a half and did not fully explore everything, so we will definitely have to go back. (And guess what? All the mothers there looked just like me. What was I so afraid of?)

The next stop was just up the road a bit, at La Place mall, home of the White Flower Cake Shoppe. There were some gorgeous cakes on display there. I thought it would be more of a bakery with a bigger selection, but it is truly a cake shop. There was one little display with little decorated cakes that cost $15.99 (uh, no) and wedding cake slices for $5 (that's a little better), but then we spied the cupcakes for $2.95 a piece. That's the ticket! We each got one, and can I just tell you--it was divine. Two kids got the cookies n' creme cupcakes, two got the s'mores cupcakes, and I got a red velvet with cream cheese frosting. I have never had frosting as heavenly as what was atop that tasty morsel. To. Die. For.

The final stop on our tour was Legacy Village, again--a place that has always seemed so intimidating. We drove through once to see what all it was, and lo and behold, it's just like Crocker Park! In fact, Crocker Park is much bigger! I can do this, no problem. We hit up the Joseph Beth Bookstore (a typical eastside name there), Heather's Heat and Flavor (for some hot sauces for Daddy), and La Gelateria (for some gelato, duh). Yes, I know we just had a major cupcake, but it was gelato and it was good. After that we headed back to the security of our home turf.

All in all, it was less than 30 miles away--a mere half hour, and we got an afternoon full of fun new experiences. While I definitely saw some hoity and some toity, it was not the foreign country I feared it would be. We may be venturing back someday, but don't worry, I am forever loyal to my westside peeps.