Can I Be Frank?: January 2009

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The White Stuff

Yes, this is my third post today. Can you tell we're snowd in?

We knew there was going to be a snow storm today, and Glenn correctly predicted that school would be called off. We got the call around 5:45 this morning--a mere 15 minutes after I got up, got dressed for exercising, and came downstairs. Could they not have called a little earlier so that I could have stayed in my nice warm bed a teensy bit longer? And no, I did not get back into bed after the phone call. I already had my shoes on for heavens sake. Those go on and off once a day, that's it. So I did my time on the treadmill, and then the morning was free for swimming at the rec center.

It snowed all day long. Hard and fast. I ditched my plans for some afternoon shoe shopping and we stayed inside. Around 3:00 I thought I should go outside to do a little shoveling before Andrew's 3:30 piano lesson. But when I got to the end of the driveway and saw how much snow was there, I realized we would not be making it to piano today. All of us headed back outside to tackle the enormous shoveling job.

The snow tunnel that leads to our front door

Andrew went down to help Grandma shovel

It took us about an hour and a half. The snow was so heavy, and there was nowhere to put it! We now have our own little bunny hill ski slopes lining our driveway. Glenn showed up at 4, having spent two hours trying to get home. They had completely closed 480.

Emma was our busiest and hardest worker. She really stuck with it.

While we were outside, we did get to see a couple little peeks of the sun, which was nice. And which means the snow has stopped -- for now. Thank goodness.

I, for one, am planning on the schools being open in the morning. We are running out of snow days here....

Technol - Oh Gee!

Dad, this one's for you...

I thought I had everything worked out. The long phone calls to customer service, the discovering that we live in a DSL black hole, the decision to switch to cable internet, the waiting for for the service guys to come hook us up. Last Thursday, the internet problem was solved.

And then...

We started to wonder if there might be a problem with the satellite. It started Thursday, recording the first few minutes of a show and then switching to the NASA channel. Not good when I'm trying to distract myself with an Ugly Betty episode while on the treadmill. When my dad called Saturday morning to get the scoop on the internet situation, I offhandedly mentioned the TV glitches, casually chalking them up to the cold weather or snow. But by Saturday night, we had nothing. Nada. Just this...

And so it began again. The long calls to customer service, the discovering that Direct TV has a much better (and cheaper) package and that Dish wasn't too concerned about keeping us as customers, the decision to switch to Direct TV, and now, again, the waiting for the service guys to come hook us up.

We have been very happy with satellite TV and didn't necessarily want to change providers. But they were not willing to work with us (translation: give us what we wanted - a free upgraded HD box). And Direct TV had a slick ad in Sunday's paper, luring us to their side with 100 hours of HD DVR recording and an incredibly low monthly rate (which over the first year will save us hundreds of dollars). Dish lost us as a customer over a measly $75. See ya.

In the mean time, we are waiting until Monday for the new equipment. This is a challenge for us marathon TV watchers. But our brilliant brother-in-law, Daryl, wondered if we might be able to use our cable internet connection to make a little cable television connection. And what do you think Glenn did with that idea? Oh yeah, he ran with it. It was not too long until we not only could use the internet, but also watch cable on two different TVs. I don't understand it all, but somehow, we aren't going to miss out on too many of our shows. (See, this is where the internet comes back into play!)

And it is quite fortunate that the kids had today off. They are watching their beloved So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol finales (from last year, yes) and other shows they have recorded one last time before we lose everything Monday.

And next Monday everything better be solved. No more phone calls or discoveries or decisions or waiting. I want to watch 24 without commercials next week.

Hail to the Chief

Since November, Emma and Leah have been participating in an extracurricular activity called the "President's Game," which is put on by the gifted programs in the area during presidential election years. The girls have been doing research on U.S. presidents (#27-43), organizing the information into a binder, and then competing in a quiz or trivia competition. This required several early morning meetings, lots of late nights looking at web sites (kind of hard when the internet is down) and delving into reference books (thank you, Uncle Nate and Great-Great Grandma Brooks). These two put a lot of hard work into preparing for this event.

The first competition was held in Rocky River between three schools. I got to go with the kids and watch. A teacher would read a clue about a certain president, and if the students knew which president it was with the first clue, they earned 3 points. With the second clue they earned 2, and if they needed a third clue they received one. It was fun to see the kids' reactions once the president was revealed. There were some groans, but the best was hearing "Yesssssssss!"

We didn't know the results of the competition until yesterday. Little Miss Leah just happened to be the TOP SCORER among ALL the Parkside students with a score of 21 points! (I think the total points possible was 24.) Isn't that wonderful? I am just so proud of her--hard work pays off!

Emma was close behind with 19 points. And here's the kicker: For the county competition (which was supposed to be today, but we are home with another snow day), each school is allowed to send 15 students. Parkside had 17 students who wanted to participate. At the one meeting I couldn't attend, the other parents and the teacher decided to draw names to see who would go, instead of having the top 15 scorers go. They thought that would be more fair. Huh? And guess who happened to be one of the two kids who could not go to the next level. That's right--Emma. I knew that was going to happen. So you're going to have a kid who scored one point go instead of Emma? That ain't right. Life lesson #385, right? What a bummer. I told her no matter what, she was one of the top scorers, and no one can take that away--she should be very proud of all her hard work.

It's a satisfying feeling to see your kids succeed at something they work hard at. I am proud of both my girls and glad they got to have this confidence-boosting experience. And for Leah---on to the county competition! (If we can ever get out from under all this snow....)

Monday, January 26, 2009

Brick wall, meet my head

I've been doing this for almost 11 years. And you would think by now, I'd have it down. Something would have clicked, all the bugs would have been worked out, it would become like clockwork. But still, after more than a decade of children, my house looks like this:

I just don't know how it happens. We spent all Saturday morning (and then some) doing chores. We were out of the house practically all day yesterday. And five days a week, the kids are gone more than seven hours. It's just me here--am I really that messy? What do I do all day?

Over the years I have come up with organization and storage strategies in the hopes of tackling the clutter. The children have ample space for their clothes. There are baskets and boxes and shelves. I frequently ask the kids to fill a grocery bag with items from their room to just throw away. Yet still, I am overwhelmed by the clutter.

But I am not giving up. Oh no--I will keep trying, inch by messy inch, to get this house under control. My latest endeavor was the front closet. This is where the children keep their backpacks and mittens/gloves/hats/scarves. The rickety shelving system I had put in just wasn't cutting it. The backpacks are too big, the cubbies too small, and this led to never being able to close the closet door (one of my pet peeves).

I needed a custom closet solution. Enter Glenn. My handy hero.

Really it was quite simple. Just two shelves that run the length of the closet. Wide enough for big backpacks. That's all I needed. I think Glenn was ready to run with an elaborate shelving set-up, but I reigned him in and he built just what I needed:

Simple, yet satisfying. I love that I can close the door. At least for now. The backpacks are currently out of the house, and we'll see what happens after the afternoon rush.

My expectations are kind of low. In hopes that they might actually be fulfilled. A decade of effort without much to show for it has kind of jaded me.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

The audacity of hope.

So yesterday I found myself at the end of a very busy week. Days 4 and 5 of a five day weekend (like Thanksgiving without the yummy food), visiting teaching, activity days (which I was in charge of), a Primary presidency meeting and inservice to prepare for, two days of subbing at the preschool, a meeting with the art teacher about the art show in May, a Cub Scout pack meeting (I was in charge of the obstacle course), and a lesson on the birds and the bees for Andrew by his classmate and subsequent meeting with the principal and teacher.

All of these activities were broken up by quiet evenings with some good TV. Something to look forward to all day during the hustle and bustle. But I was so exhausted I kept falling asleep. Even during Lost. The first new episode in who knows how long, and I was sitting up! Pathetic.

So...I was looking forward to Friday afternoon. Finally. Nothing scheduled. Some quiet time for Mom. A soft couch, a warm blanket. Prime nap time.

And I couldn't sleep.

You have got to be kidding me.

Now it is Saturday afternoon. Inservice is over, the kids have (finally) finished their chores and are settled in front of the TV watching a Smurfs DVD, the grocery shopping is done, and it's freezing outside. Prime nap time.

Let's give this thing another shot.

He shoots...

....he scores!

Andrew made his first basket in his game today!

And wouldn't you know, it's the one time I didn't have my camera. Figures.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

I am back.

Through a series of unfortunate events, we have been internet-less around here for the past three weeks. Not by choice, mind you, but it was how the fates would have it. I checked my email and quickly consulted my Google Reader at various locations around town, but was not able to update my blog. And for those of you who wait with baited breath for each update and do not feel complete without your daily dose of my daily life--please accept my sincerest apologies.

Without the high-speed distraction, I had to sow my wild oats in the real world.

We had a couple of these:

And we finally finished this:

On the snowy and cold weekends we made (and heartily consumed) this:

Popcorn made on the stove...what a novel idea for my kids!

There was plenty of time for this:

And we tried to avoid being impaled by one of these:

It was wild there, for a while. I still found myself glancing at the computer everytime I walked by, wondering if there was a new email or blog post. But eventually, that did go away. And in some ways, being disconnected simplified things. I couldn't look up a recipe I was thinking of, but I could clean my kitchen counters. And sink. Or family room. I wasn't able to check the morning headlines, but I could sit at the table to eat breakfast instead of at the computer. And read. Or talk to the kids. The internet connects us with the world, but distances us from the responsibilities and relationships right in front of us.

And so, while I am extremely grateful to be back online (very helpful when you're the PTA corresponding secretary, for example), I hope to remember that my virtual life does not always need my utmost attention. Maybe then my nephew will make it to the bathroom on time. And Andrew will do his homework and checklists like he should. And I can keep the house from looking like this:

Who am I kidding. I could get rid of internet, television and phone, and the house would still be a pig sty. That is the real real world.

It's good to be back.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Reality Bites

I spent far too long in the dream world of sweats, sleeping in, and stuffing my face.

I made some futile attempts at exercising here and there, hoping to offset the thousands of calories I was consuming. And at one point last week, once the crowds had died down around here, I thought I might hop back on to the healthy train a little early. Get a head start on the new year and all its accompanying resolutions. That lasted a day. Still too many cookies and kids and laziness.

Yesterday it was all over.

I was up before dawn, sweating it out on the treadmill. Today I went back to my early morning exercise class after a three-month hiatus. I have not consumed any refined sugar or white flour in the past 36 hours. And it kind of stinks.

But, just like with high school or college, we have to move on from our glory days of revelling and gluttony. It's in the past now, fun to reflect on now and them, but in our wisdom and maturity we know it can't last forever.

Time to grow up and face reality.

And maybe - hopefully - be able to button up those jeans again.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

A shift in the universe

No pizza and movie night for us this Friday.

What?!?! I can hear you exclaiming.

What's wrong? Is someone sick? Is everybody ok?

Not to worry, we're all fine. Just a little pizza-ed out (is that really even possible?) for the week. So we decided to go a little nuts and switch it up with Nate's homemade sliders, some flavored brats, and fries. Delish!

Aunt Missy "topped" off the evening with a surprise--ice cream sundaes!

And, oh yeah, we still watched the movie. We're not that crazy.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Champions on Ice

Trying something new is a great way to start off the new year. We tried ice skating for the first time, something I have been wanting to do with the kids for a while now. Halloran Park on W. 117th in Cleveland has an outdoor rink that is only $1 per person--including skates! So for the price of a movie ticket, all six of us got to skate for two hours.

We started off a little rocky...there were some tears,

a little bit of this:

...and a whole lot of this...

...but Brooke got a cone to push and Emma and Leah got their confidence up, and soon--no walls necessary!

As we were leaving, the first thing I heard was "When can we do this again?" Now I have something in my back pocket for the loooong weekend we have coming up in in a couple weeks. I am proud of the kids for sticking with a tough new challenge and turning it into a success!

Party on...

When the Franklins, Flemings, and Ryans left at 10:30, the celebration did not stop. Oh no. The kids wouldn't let it! By 11 we had all quickly changed into jammies and settled on the couch to watch the ball drop and to witness Robbie Kneivel jump over a volcano in Vegas. It was an action-packed hour, what with Ryan and Dick, the Jonas Brothers and Jesse McCartney, and Robbie and his fear-inducing graphics of what would happen if the slightest thing were to go wrong with the jump. It left us with some explaining to do.

Emma's reaction to the JoBros

With a few minutes to go until midnight, and all four kids still going strong, we broke out the glasses and sparkling cider, ready to toast the new year.

Start spreadin' the news! It's 2009!

Happy New Year from the Franklins!

(...and that about sums it up...off to bed!)

Let's get this party started...

We got to have the Flemings here through New Year's Eve, so we had send them off in style. Another round of pizza and wings, some dancing and singing, a little foosball, Zack's brownies, Emma and Leah's cookies, an intimidating puzzle, and of course...the Wii (Santa's best investment ever!).