the drop off

I have to admit that my physical activity has taken a serious hit since running the Cleveland Marathon in May, and I have one thing to blame – my kids’ baseball. As soon as the marathon was completed, we started full swing into baseball and softball season. I am spending about 4 nights a week at the baseball field and not getting home until 8:30pm. This really doesn’t leave much time for running…or cooking…or cleaning…or anything that constitutes having a real life. My poor kids have been surviving on a diet of yogurt, cheese sticks, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, carrots, the occasional concession stand treat, and whatever snack the volunteer parent brings to the game that day. I don’t even remember the last time I cooked a real dinner during the work week. I just keep telling myself, “Only a few more games!” If you haven’t been able to tell from my FB status updates and tweets, I am not a fan of baseball and softball. I think many of the moms resemble the cast of Mean Girls, just not as pretty and plastic. The dads are unsuccessfully reliving their glory days through their five-year-olds who would rather throw dirt and roll in the grass than pay attention to the game. I think there are parents who need to realize that their son/daughter isn’t God’s gift to the baseball world, so they can crank it down a few notches and let their child have fun. Seriously, your tee-baller doesn’t need a special Nike batting helmet, eye black patches, and batting gloves; Under Armour wrist bands; and cleats that probably cost as much as my running shoes. That’s just overkill in my opinion. I bet you are asking if I complain so much about it, why do I let me kids play? The answer is simple. Although I am not a fan of baseball and softball, I am a fan of my kids. They enjoy it, and that makes me happy. So I continue to allow them to play, knowing that I only have to suffer through about 6 weeks of this before we can move on and enjoy the rest of summer.

I can’t say that I’ve been a complete bum this whole time. I have been sneaking in a run when I can both outside and on the treadmill, and being so busy really makes me appreciate those runs. My diet needed an overhaul after months of (delicious) carb loading, so I got back on the MyFitnessPal bandwagon. This has really helped me keep track of exactly what I eat and how much, and I definitely have skipped a snack or dessert or two because I don’t want to add it to the app. It’s genius, really. That’s not to say that I don’t have cheat days; I most certainly do and relish every single gluttonous moment of them. But I am pleased to say that I am down a few pounds and feeling fabulous.

So, back to running. Do I have any races coming up? I most certainly do! I had a few on my “wish list” that I posted back in May but had to revise it due to family commitments, etc., so here’s my new plan. My first race will be the Women Who Run 4 miler in Cleveland, and to make it even better, my sister, Sarah, is running her first race this day! I am beyond excited to share one of my favorite sports with my fam. July will be a pretty busy month for me, so not quite sure how much I can squeeze in. That month might be race-free. On August 4, the kiddles and I will participate in the Milk Run at Lorain County Community College. We did the 1 mile fun run/walk last year, and the kids have been begging to do another ever since. The coolest part was all four of them ran the mile instead of walking. Run or Dye is August 10, and Sarah will be running this with me, also. I am really looking forward to this race because we will be wearing costumes. If you haven’t heard me say it before, I love any excuse to get dressed up and run.

Serious running starts back up in the fall. I got in on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Cleveland half marathon when they were running the National Running Day deal. I felt like I couldn’t pass that opportunity up. I am pretty sure my friend, Susie, is running this too, and I know my other friend, Mary, is signed up. The thing that made me laugh is it will only be my second official half marathon. Any other time I ran that distance was during marathon training. That brings me back to marathons. I am still undecided about whether or not I will be running the Columbus full or half marathon. Why so indecisive? I am waiting to hear from my sister on whether or not she wants to take on 13.1 miles. The price increase doesn’t happen until the end of the month, so I have a little time to torture talk my sister into running her first half. If she runs, I will sign up for the half and run with her. If she decides to pass, I am definitely in for my second Columbus marathon. It has been my favorite race to date, and I am expecting great things from this year’s race.

What do you have planned for this summer and fall? Training for anything major or just want to enjoy yourself?

a love of creepy crawlies

My kiddles, like many kids their age, are fascinated with creepy crawlies, and I completely encourage this behavior. I like the fact they are eager to pick up the potato bugs living in the flowerbeds or hold the worms that wriggle about when they lift rocks. I don’t want them to grow up being scared of things like this, so when I had an opportunity to get them up close and personal with a snake, it was game on!

When I was little, I would go looking for snakes around our house. I just thought they were cool, and I knew the perfect place to find them, which was “the pipes” behind my street. Usually the snakes I found were small, but I still remember the one time I caught a big one that wrapped its body around the top tube of my bicycle as I tried to bring it back to show my family. I also remember my dad finding snakes to show us. I didn’t know until a few months ago that he did NOT like snakes at all, and he only found them because he knew we would like them. That is true fatherly love right there.

When I was mowing the grass in my backyard this Saturday, I saw something slither in the grass and go under the wood beam that separated the grass from a small garden area. A snake! My kiddles would be so excited if I could catch this. I lifted the beam, and a small garter snake was curled up. I grabbed it and shouted to the kids, “I have a snake!” You would have guessed that I said “I have ice cream” because they came running.

no wimpy girls here!

We put it in a bucket, so they could look at it. Then Adrianna asked if she could hold it. This year in kindergarten her teacher had her nephew and niece bring in their snakes to show the class. These weren’t just tiny snakes. One was really big, and each kid in the class got to pose with it. Annie Banana loved it! She was even educating me about snakes after this visit.

that’s my girl

Once Adrianna held the snake, the other kids wanted to, also. This poor thing endured handling by four very excited children before we let it go behind the fence. The kids were adamant that it go home to its mom, but they are ready for me to find more in the backyard. 

a lesson in patience – fishing with my kids

hand in hand with grampy as we walk to our fishing spot

Standing on the side of the Grand River, fishing rod in hand, waiting patiently for a nibble on the other end, hoping I would land a monster fish to win the tournament. I have wonderful memories of the Fairport Harbor Rod & Reel Kids’ Fishing Tournament. This was an event I always looked forward to as a kid because I loved fishing. I was the one who would save up any spare cash I had to buy a container of worms from Convenient before heading to Rec Park in Painesville with my family. While my siblings were playing baseball and softball, I was at the pond fishing. Birthday gifts from my Aunt Susie and Uncle Gary consisted of a day out on Lake Erie, and I loved every second of it. The thrill of reeling in a huge walleye, a jumping steelhead, or even a sheephead as it twirled like a propeller in the water was amazing.

This weekend it was my turn to share a fishing experience with my children. This would mark the first time I had ever taken them fishing. I feel a little lot guilty not haven taken them before. Our busy life just seems to get in the way of fun activities, and honestly, I was not brave enough to take all four of them on my own. Between the hooks, rods which double as swords, and my lack of patience, I needed reinforcements. That’s where my dad came in.

Sunday, June 9 was the fishing tournament, and my kids were making their debut! They have fished before in a family member’s pond or Lake Champlain with the other side of their family but never in the Grand River. I tried to prep them that this wouldn’t be like the other fishing they have done where they plop the worm in the water and instantly get a bite. This type of fishing takes a little more patience and waiting. “We got it, mom!”, they said, exasperated. Oops, silly me, I forgot they were all fishing experts.

Dad, the kiddles, my sister Susannah, and I arrived at the fishing destination and met up with my cousins and their children and my Aunt Susie and Uncle Gary. We picked our lucky fishing spot and got the kids registered. The tournament started at 9:00am, and lines were in the water on time. I will note that it took exactly once minute before the craziness started. The kids were reeling in the line like mad because they swore they had a bite on the other end. In actuality it was only the pull of the sinker needed to get the worm to the bottom. They were jerking the line out of the water, turning the hook and sinker into a flying deadly weapon (which managed to catch me a few times…luckily no other family members were hurt). Twice my sons thought they landed a monster, and they started celebrating. They only managed to get the hook caught on the side of the wall (how do you manage to hook a wall?!), and we had to cut the line. The spot where we fish was on the side of the river, which has a about a four foot concrete walk before dropping six feet into the water. If someone were to fall in, it would be extremely difficult to get them back up on land. All of my kiddles can swim, but it still made me extremely nervous. I saved Cael from an unfortunate swim when he was messing around and slipped on the gravel that was on the walk. He then pouted because I hurt his arm when I grabbed it. Better a sore arm than the alternative. I was one hot mess by the time the fishing concluded. The same went for my dad, who spent more time fixing tangles and snags than anything else.

they only looked like they were behaving for this pic

we’re even fabulous when we fish

our lone catch of the day. it’s a whopper!

I know I am making it sound completely horrible. It was incredibly stressful and I feel like I needed Prozac to get through the morning, but the kids really did have a good time, which made me happy. They enjoyed being with family and attempting to fish, and even though Lex was the only one who caught something, they still had fun.

After fishing wrapped up at noon, we headed over to the hill across the street for prizes. The great thing about this tournament is they have TONS of prizes. They give prizes to kids in each age group for catching the biggest fish, and then they have a huge raffle. I knew the kiddles wouldn’t win any prize for fish, but we hoped they could snag a great raffle gift.

they had more fun rolling down this hill than anything else i think

You name it, they probably had it at the prize tables. They not only had fishing gear like rods and tackle boxes; they had sporting equipment, camping gear, kites, and even Pillow Pets! I tried to plant a bug that if their name got called, they should get fishing rods, so they could each have their own that they picked out. Cole’s name was called, and we bounded up to the prize table where he claimed a rod for his own. He came back to where our family was sitting, beaming. Lexi was called shortly after him, and she picked a rod with florescent green details. She too was beaming when she walked back. Adrianna was the third of my children called, and after a short debate, she snagged a rod with a red reel. Happily, she joined our family in the grass. The rods had almost all been chosen, and I told Cael that if there was still a rod left when his name was called, he should get one to match his brother and sister. He agreed, and almost immediately after that, his name was called. He went to pick the last rod, but an Angry Birds kite caught his eye. He grabbed it, impulsively, and we headed back to the grass. I told him that we don’t really have a place to fly it, and I thought he was getting a rod. He wanted to bring it back to change prizes, and I told him that he needed to walk up there like a big boy and make a switch. He started walking down, hesitantly, and then my uncle joined him. Cael put the kite back on the table, was going to get a rod, but was distracted by a two-pack of water torpedoes for the pool. He chose the 99 cent torpedoes over a fishing rod. I admit I was a little mad about this. I knew he would be upset when he realized that he was the only one who would not have his own rod and reel for future fishing trips, and I was almost certain he would break the wings off the back of the torpedoes before making it home, rendering them useless for throwing. He came back and pouted.

The raffle prizes concluded, and the Rod & Reel Club members began cleaning up. The club did a great job of making sure every child at the tournament went home with a prize. It wasn’t always this way, but due to the extra prize donations and the smaller number of children who enter the contest, all kids got something. I saw Cael walk with Uncle Gary down by the prize area, but I wasn’t really paying too much attention to what they were doing. Cael returned shortly after that with a kid’s rod and tackle box combo, and the smile on his face was priceless. My uncle must have felt bad that he didn’t have a rod and let him have one of the extra prizes that wasn’t picked. Now all of my kiddles had a new rod and reel. What happened to the torpedoes you ask? Cael took those home, too, but instead of keeping them for himself, he gave them to his cousin Savannah who wasn’t able to make it to the fishing tournament.

some seriously happy kiddles

Before I close this post, I would like to thank my Aunt Susie and Uncle Gary for inviting us to take part in the tournament this year and for helping coordinate a great event. They are members of the Rod & Reel Club and also a corvette club that raised a great deal of money for the tournament. Their corvette club fundraiser was a main reason why there were so many prizes available. Thank you for sharing this experience with my children. They are already talking about next year. And Uncle Gary, THANK YOU for the rod for Cael. He keeps talking about it with everyone, so you definitely made his day.

A final thanks goes to my dad, who I gained newfound respect and admiration for after this fishing outing. He would take all four of us fishing on his own, and I never remember him losing his patience. He taught us the correct way to cast, reel, put worms on the hook, and remove fish once they were caught, and he did all of this because he loved us and wanted to share this experience with us. Some of my favorite memories with my dad were spent fishing. I was so thankful that he was able to share this time with my children. Thanks, Dad/Grampy! We love you! So…when are we planning another fishing trip?

my awesome dad who taught me how to fish

goodbye, small scholars university

last day at daycare

Today marked my children’s very last day at their daycare, Small Scholars University, a place that has loved and nurtured my family for the past seven years. Tomorrow, it will close its doors for the last time, and our experiences there will be a memory, one that I will carry with me for a lifetime.

yep, we were on the website

I still remember when we first started at the center in August 2006. Being a first time mom with Alexandra and never having had a daycare experience when I was a child, I was beyond paranoid and sad to leave my child. “How do people do this to their children?!” I thought. I could not have been more narrow-minded, as my daycare turned out to be one of the best parenting decisions that I have made. My fears were alleviated after a meeting with Susie. She welcomed my family in and answered all of the questions that I had. When I dropped Lex off on her first day, she ran to play, leaving me at the door with tears in my eyes. Wasn’t she supposed to be the one crying about me leaving her at daycare? Obviously not. She was excited to be there, and that made me happy.

Adrianna came along in January 2007, and she started at Small Scholars about 3 months after she was born. The same goes for Cole and Cael, who joined their sisters and the great teachers at the center while they were still babies in fall 2008. I think the teachers were as influential in raising my younger three as I have been, and all four of my children have thrived there. I also used to joke that my family was the one that was keeping them in business. If you haven’t guess yet, affording daycare for four kids was expensive, even with the generous family discount, but it was worth every cent.

Many changes have occurred over the last seven years (more children, divorce, new houses, elementary school, etc.), but one thing that remained constant in my children’s lives was daycare. I think the support given by the teachers really helped them through the incredibly difficult time in 2009 when I moved out of the family home to begin life on my own. Daycare was a safe place for them in a time when everything was changing, and it helped ease major transitions.

Small Scholars University was so much more than just a daycare and preschool. It was an extension of our family. The teachers showed a genuine concern for my children and have always treated them with love and kindness (and have given them a time-out or two when they needed it). They have taught them important life lessons about sharing, friendship, and generosity to name a few. They have made it a place that my children look forward to attending. In the seven years that we have been there I have never once had to drag my children kicking and screaming into daycare because they didn’t want to go. I consider that a major accomplishment.

To all of the teachers, past and present, (Susie, Ginny, Hilary, Malerie, Kaitlynne, Lindsay, Beth, Bobbie, Zoe, and others) – thank you for shaping my children’s lives in such a positive way and caring for them. I trusted you with my most prized possessions, and you have exceeded my highest expectations. Please know that I am forever grateful to you.

take me out to the ball game

we’re in the club!

I have been meaning to write about my awesome experience at the Indians game last week, but the craziness that happened left no real time for anything. Let’s just say I am beyond glad that last week is over, and I don’t think things could get much worse after that (sure hope I didn’t jinx myself!).

As part of my birthday present, Raymond got us club seats for the Indians game! In my opinion, this is one of the best gifts. We get to enjoy a night out, watch baseball, and completely stuff our faces with ballpark deliciousness. I am getting hungry just thinking about this again. Also, did you know they have an old-timey band that plays music there too?! These guys were great.

The game was Thursday, May 30, and I was badly in need of something fun to take my mind off of things. Timing was perfect. We made our way to Cleveland at about 5:15pm and made it in the ballpark shortly before 6:00pm. The whole point in arriving an hour before the game was to maximize our eating experience. If you’ve never experienced the pure gluttony that is club seats, they are definitely worth every penny. All the food you want to eat is included. I’m not just talking normal ballpark fare like hot dogs, peanuts, and nachos. Club seats include a full hot buffet with things like pork tenderloin and asparagus; an entire station with hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, and fries; huge sub sandwiches; pizza; ice cream; snow cones; etc., etc., etc. The only downer is that alcohol isn’t included, but the upside to that is there is more room for food.

my obligatory ballpark beer. go tribe!

You might be asking if we even caught any of the game with all of the eating going on, and the answer is yes. We would just grab the food and bring it back to our seats. Win-win!

Because I was a complete porker and all semblance of healthy eating went out the window, I want to share with you the list of items I ate at the ballpark.

• 2 helpings of creamed corn with sage and parmesan
• 2 helpings of creamy orzo with spinach
• asparagus
• focaccia bread
• pork tenderloin
• diet Coke (haha, just typing this in makes me laugh)
• Summer Shandy
• sweet potato fries
• pizza
• ice cream
• snow cone

overeating makes me ugly

Sounds delicious, right?! But this is what happens when you enjoy club seats a little too much.

GO TRIBE! Who’s up for another game?

somewhere over the rainbow – cole and cael’s preschool graduation

miss susie, miss hilary, and miss ginny with the graduates

On Friday, May 31, my sweet baby boys had their preschool graduation, which means next year, they will be moving up to kindergarten. Our daycare/preschool is pretty awesome in the fact they let all of the children participate in the yearly graduation but always reserve something special for the graduates. This year, their class only had five kids, all of whom were saying goodbye to preschool and hello to kindergarten. Additionally, we all were saying goodbye to Small Scholars University, the daycare my family has been part of for the last seven years. Small Scholars is closing its doors on June 7, so they went all out with a fabulous graduation celebration.

This year’s theme was “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” complete with rainbow decorations and invitations, tie-dye shirts, and themed candy bar and cupcakes. To start the celebration, each of the kids walked down the center aisle to the graduation song, “Pomp and Circumstance March”, before taking his/her seat in front. We all recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and then came a slideshow. This was not just any slideshow. It was a trip through the school year, starting in the fall and highlighting all of the fun events that they children had done. With such a small class and a great group of teachers, the kids were constantly doing fun and interesting projects, like an apple orchard field trip, science experiments, special lunches like the Green Feast, and lots of projects centered around books they were reading. The thing that really set this slideshow apart was the music. It was recordings of the kids singing their alphabet, color, and seasons songs. I get a little teary just thinking about it. Nice touch.

Next the kids sang us the songs they had learned. It’s always funny to watch little kids sings. Whether they forget the words or just stand up there doing anything but singing, it is just so cute. My kids are usually the ones doing something else besides singing except every now and then they throw in a few words.

preschool group hug!

A graduation celebration wouldn’t be complete without diplomas. Each child was called up to receive a preschool graduation diploma and smile for the camera.

Following graduation, there was a potluck and time to snap pictures with the teachers. This was a bittersweet moment as we were all happy for the children to be moving on but sad that they would be leaving the daycare that took such good care of them.

Thank you, Small Scholars, for a wonderful preschool year and graduation! I am so thankful for the education my children received, but it was so much more than that. I know that at your center they have been loved and cared for, and we are going to miss you more than you know.

“stay well”

That is what my Grandpa Lesco would always say to me as we said goodbye. The last time I heard that phrase was Mother’s Day, May 12, and it is the last time I will hear it from my grandpa. Sadly, our family lost a great man, our patriarch, on Monday, May 27 at age 83, but I am taking comfort in the fact he passed away a happy man, at home with the woman he loved.

february 2013

I think there are few people who say they have accomplished as much in life. By accomplished I don’t mean money or fame. My grandpa had so much more – family and lots of it. First and most importantly is my grandma who was his “beautiful bride” for over 60 years. In an age when more marriages fail than succeed (I am living proof of this), this is a testament to love and devotion as well as sacrifice and compromise. Secondly, he had five wonderful children who went on to provide the family with 16 children and gave him the title of “Grandpa”. Lastly, many of those grandchildren went on to have their own children (15 at this point), ushering in a new generation and bestowing “Great-Grandpa” upon him. Quite fitting in my opinion.

it started with two… (summer 2012)

We all love and miss you, Grandpa, and until we see you again, stay well.

60th anniversary mass (summer 2012)