Cleveland

Running Man

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Back in May we took a few-weeks old MAD and M and headed to downtown Cleveland to cheer on one of my college friends who was running the Cleveland Marathon. We caught him around mile 17 on the lake shore and erupted into cheers and shook our cow bells and waved our signs. Then we loaded back into the car and drove to the finish line where we cheered for him again.  Tom is a fast runner so we were in place to see the first athletes cross the finish line right around the 2:30 mark. Tom ended up in 38th place out of nearly 12,000 finishers. Not bad for someone who smoked and drank with the best of them back in college.  On the drive home Mark said he wanted to run the same race for his 40th birthday.

I didn’t think much of his comment until later in the summer when he downloaded the Couch to 5k app to his iPhone and started going out a few evenings a week to complete the run/walk training. Every other night without fail he went out after the kids went to bed and in just a few weeks he was running the entire 3.1 miles. I was surprised and impressed by his dedication because I figured it would fizzle out after a few weeks, like most exercise programs. But he caught the running bug and on a Thursday in in August I saw a flyer for a 5k race that weekend and (jokingly) said he should enter.  He did and had a PR of 25 minutes.

Of course he did have the cutest cheering section of all the runners.

With a 5k under his belt he loaded the Bridge to 10k app on his phone and started increasing his runs. This time he had registered for a 10k race just 5 weeks away and had a goal to train towards. Needless to say he was up to 6.2 miles in no time and finished with an impressive 55 minute time.

Before this race M asked if she could cross the finish line with her daddy and I might have teared up a bit when he took her hand for the last few meters of the race. She has so much fun cheering for him and she was so proud to cross the finish line with him.

As soon as that race was over he was back at his every-other-night training. Leaving for 2-hour runs at 8:30 PM, running in the dark and eventually pushing himself to complete over 13 miles.  Of course the search for a half-marathon began and in 2 weeks he’ll be running that race and we’ll be on the sidelines shaking our cowbells, waving our signs and cheering him on.

Over the last 5 months I’ve become a “running widow” and I couldn’t be any more proud.

The Kindergarten Question

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With M’s 4th birthday quickly approaching I am of course already thinking about next year and how that would mean kindergarten and OMG my baybeee!  But then a few weeks ago I came across this post about “red-shirting” kids for kindergarten and the comments made my head spin.  Parents of developmentally-normal kids holding back children who are 5 ½? Parents of kids with March and April birthdays considering them “on the cusp”? I mean, I know that parents of kids whose birthdays were within 60 days of the start of school have always red-shirted but kids who are of age by 6-8 months?  I was floored. 

As it is, our district has a cut off of September 30… her birthday is on the 23rd. If she starts next year she would still be 4 for the first six weeks of school. Other schools in the state have a cut off of August 30, so in the next district over this wouldn’t even be a question – she would have one more year of preschool.  In other areas of the country the cut-off is December 30 so she would be right in the middle of the pack in those schools.  And even though it’s almost a year away, if you follow me on Twitter you know I am totally stressing over this.

First off, I am also a September birthday and was always the youngest in my class.  My mom, a teacher, started me “early” because I was a tall kid and she was worried that my size would be more pronounced if she waited another year. (As an aside: I was the tallest kid in my class until the boys caught up in 4th grade.  I’m a pretty average 5’ 8” now). I did fine in school.  More than fine.  I was in advanced classes from 2nd grade on.  The only downfall I can think of was having to beg rides off people until I got my license and not being able to go to any of the 18+ clubs for the first few weeks of college. 

But!  That was when it was rare for anyone to hold back kid for any reason other than real development issues.  But now, talking to some people in the area I’m finding it’s common for kindergarten entry to be delayed until 5 ½ – 6. For one, I don’t think that’s fair for teachers to have to deal with that wide of an age range.  Secondly, WHY? Why are parents doing this? So their better in sports later in life? So they are the smartest, biggest, best in the class? This is infuriating!

I think M will be ready.  She already knows her letters and can read several sight words.  She’s got some math under her belt and has been in full-day preschool/daycare since she was a baby.  She thrives at school.  But, she’s also on the small side for her age (32 lbs, 37 inches) and has the normal lack of impulse control you’d find in any almost-4 year old.

Second, while she’s used to a full-day of school she’s also used to being in a class with only 6-8 classmates, not 20 or 25.  She’s used to naps and lots of one-on-one interaction.  She adores her school, the teachers and we love the facility.  We live in a fantastic school district and I have no worries about the quality of the curriculum and teachers but the idea of thrusting her into that environment so young does bother me.  Especially when she might be dealing with kids 12-18 months older than her as classmates.

Finally, I wouldn’t be truthful if I didn’t admit that the financial side of things weighs heavily in the start sooner column.  Daycare cost is, I’m not kidding you, the same as it would be to send her to my college alma mater – WITH room and board!  (And her tuition is about the same as other full-time programs we’ve looked into, so there’s no savings to be had).  Even though we’d still be paying for before and after care, our budget would get a huge boost.

So, what’s your stance?  Did you start a kid early or red-shirt?  If you did hold back for a spring birthday – why?  If you’re a teacher I’d really love to hear your thoughts on this!

Right now I’m leaning towards waiting one more year.  But, we will talk with her teachers and meet with the school’s principal this winter to discuss what’s best for M.  I’m just feeling almost forced to red-shirt based on the actions of others.

Scenes from a Commute

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I only commute to work about 8 miles each way and it’s mostly through neighborhood streets.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t see some interesting things…

An elderly man, easily in his 80s, riding a Vespa scooter clad in manpris, black socks pulled up over his shins and shiny black loafers.  He capped off his look with a British Zulu-style pith helmet.

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A woman in her 40s jogging along the sidewalk, a wide weightlifting belt around her waist, a thick rope tied to the back and leading to a kid, maybe 9 years old, behind her.  He also has a belt on with the other end of the rope tied to it, Izzy Mandelbaum – style.  The kid was clearly not happy and was tripping along, arms flailing.  I seriously almost called the cops on her. 

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An older gentleman on a hot, humid day, in a full church suit, strolling in the dappled shade.  Bright Kelley green coat with wide, white stripes.  Green pants.  Green and white newsboy hat.  A green cane with a gold ball handle.  Shiny white shoes and big sunglasses.

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The mean old lady with her humungous straw sunhat, walking on the street, in the middle of my lane (a mere 5 feet from a perfectly level sidewalk).  I wait for oncoming traffic and move to the other lane to pass her but she still turns and shakes her angry fist in my direction for daring to drive my car on the road.

There’s always something to see and it’s always interesting! What do you see on your daily drive?

I Can’t Believe I’m Writing About This

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So, I live in Cleveland.  And tonight a certain basketball player had a very public break up with my fair city.  And since it’s been the talk of Cleveland for the past 2 months (seriously, yesterday I had lunch with Mark and EVERY. SINGLE. TABLE. in the cafe was talking LBJ), here are my thoughts on the matter.

1 – He was drafted to the then very crappy Cavs 7 years ago.  He did not choose to stay here near his hometown of Akron.  But he really did make the best of his time here.  He has done a lot to bring attention to both Cleveland and Akron.  He played 7 great years of basketball (hello, 2 MVPs!).  The Cavs did everything they could to help bring Cleveland a championship. LeBron did everything he could to bring a championship home (with possible exception being the final playoff game against the Celtics this year). And we still couldn’t close the deal. He’s allowed to move on without being called disloyal.

2 – When drafted at the age of 18 he said lots of things about bringing Cleveland a ring.  That’s all well and good but my god, I hope no one holds me to things I said as an 18 year old!  Think about it – if someone put your feet to the fire over something you said at that age you are bound to be burned.

3 – This will not destroy our city. Cleveland is way more at heart and financially then a single man.  The last I checked the Cavs are still playing next season, one man does not make a team. I’m still a fan and will go to games, just like thousands of others. Heck, the Browns and Indians have sucked for years and people still pay to see them play.

4 – The man is an entertainer, he’s kept us entertained for the last 2 weeks as he made “The Decision”. He’s done his job well & now everyone is shitting on him for giving us something to talk about. We’ve fed his ego for 7 years & now people burn his jersey over him being the diva we asked him to be?  That’s not fair.

5 – Yeah, doing this on national TV was a bad move.  But see my diva comment above. And, like it or not, I think most Clevelanders wear the “beat down sports town” badge with some level of pride.

6 – We now have 3 huge egos on one team… if you are a NBA fan, it will be entertaining to say the least. (I still think the Lakers will beat them and win next year’s championship, too.)

7 – It’s a GAME people, not a “tragedy”. The oil spill is a tragedy. What’s happening to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is a tragedy. Get some perspective.

8 – All of a sudden, a crybaby who publically begged and pleaded for more money or he was going to leave the Browns (*cough* Josh Cribs *cough*) is being held up as the Cleveland definition of loyalty? Come on, we are better then this.

9 – I’m left wondering where the hate is for Patricia Heaton, Halle Berry, Ben Curtis & Toni Morrison and many more. All stars in their fields. All call Cleveland their hometown. All moved on to where they could make the most of their careers. LBJ is entitled to do the same and still be welcomed home.

10 – We’re still not Detroit!

I have no ill will toward the man.  I wish him well in Miami and hope he continues to do charitable work in NE Ohio.  I hope people still treat him well when he’s home.

Okay, I can go to bed now.

Summer Samba

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This weekend kicks off the summer event season for us.  The CLE is packed with all kinds of events in the summer as we Ohioans try to soak up every last ray of sunshine.  There is never a lack of things to do around here.

Saturday is my favorite event of the year, Parade the Circle.  I cannot wait and truly hope the rain holds off.  Last year we had a blast:

Also this weekend is the annual Made in the 216 event, featuring goods from local artists, craftsmen and designers.  It’s the brainchild of Danielle DeBoe, owner of Room Service and we’ve always wanted to go to this but we never seem to make it.  Mark met many of those involved in the TEDxCLE event this year, and we are going to make it there if it kills us.

From here we tumble headfirst into a summer filled with Wade Oval Wednesdays, Coventry Street Fairs, church festivals, ethnic celebrations, street fairs, art fests and more.  I love summer in the CLE!

Future Farmers of Suburbia

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M has really been craving some mommy-time, so today I kept her home from school and we had an adventure.  We started at Patterson’s Strawberry Farm (hat tip to Classy Chaos for scouting the fields last year) where we picked and ate over 5 lbs of luscious berries.

Actually, she picked 95% of them.  I had MAD strapped to my chest and he got cranky every time I squatted down to do my own picking.  Either way, we have a bunch of sweet, juicy strawberries to consume.  I don’t think it will be a problem.

Once MAD had is fill of hanging out in the Bjorn, we headed up the road to Lake Farmpark.  One of the first things we did was head to the Dairy Room to meet their new calf, Unity and watch the other cows get milked. After that, we used the milk to make Farmer’s Cheese.  M was one of 2 girls there, so it was really hands on but they wouldn’t let us taste it since the milk was raw (bummer!).

After a nice picnic lunch we explored the barns.  We saw and petted sheep, piglets, goats, hens, cows, llamas, alpacas, and horses. We saw working beehives, explored the gardens and ran around the paths.
Then M asked to ride a horse.  She’s asked before but once the time came to get on the pony she got scared. I kept reminding her that I couldn’t do it with her, and she’d be on her own.  She surprised me by bravely getting on the pony and riding it around the ring twice! I was so proud of her.  Even though she looked alternately bored and scared, she said she had fun.
I had visions of keeping her home one day a week during my leave, but today, while awesome, was exhausting.  Juggling her wanting my attention and the needs of MAD (who actually slept most of the time, but also screams bloodily murder when he’s hungry and had an impressive diaper blow-out) left me whipped.  Ending the day in a frantic dash home to get the dog to a forgotten grooming appointment didn’t help my stress level.  SAHParents have my full respect.
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In other farming news, my patio garden which 4 weeks ago was this:
Is now this:
21 tomato plants (many in a storage container because I ran out of pots!), herbs, beans, broccoli and lettuce.  It’s a jungle out there.

I Hate Rita

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The county in which I live is part of a Regional Income Tax Authority (RITA).  This is a collective regional tax that pays for shared services (such as mass transit) but also is a collection agency for municipalities who don’t have the budget/staff to have their own City Tax Office. RITA collects the city income taxes and distributes them back to the city in which you live.  I have no problem at all paying my taxes but this system is insane and I just don’t understand it.

We moved in to the system in December of 2007 and had no idea about RITA.  I just assumed that like at all my previous employers the appropriate local income taxes were taken out of my check.  Fast forward to early 2009 when we got a summons to appear at RITA for back taxes missing from 2007.  Apparently because the county has so many cities and each city has a different tax liability, most large employers don’t take RITA taxes out of your check and leave the responsibility up to you.  We were told this was common. Plus, you pay taxes not only for the city in which you live but the city in which you work.  That means we owed taxes for 3 different cities and what you pay in one city will impact what you owe in another.

We gathered up all the needed paperwork and arrived at the scheduled time.  A RITA representative went over everything, explained what we owed for the 2 ½ weeks we lived here in 2007 and we wrote a check for less then $100.  She said it was all we owed; we were now current and paid in full.  She then told us that she set everything up in the system and we would get quarterly reminders from then on and that since the taxes were paid in arrears all the funds paid in 2009 would be for the 2008 tax year.  When we got them we promptly paid them – each of the bills was only a few hundred dollars. 

Fast forward again to early 2010 when we again receive a summons to appear at RITA for back taxes.  This time I was pissed off – we went last year! We paid every bill they sent! What the heck did we do wrong now? So several weeks ago we both took the morning off work and went through the motions again.  This time, the RITA employee said we owed thousands in back taxes for all of 2008 and 2009.  I showed her all the paperwork from the previous meeting, told her we paid all the bills we received and didn’t understand why we owed so much more.  She plodded away on her lap top, compared my paperwork to her screen and finally told us that the woman who helped us in the previous year entered horribly flawed information which meant that we only paid a tiny fraction of what we really owed.  And to make matters worse, the previous woman flat out lied when she told us the taxes were paid in arrears – they are actually paid for the current year! And we had no recourse…after all it’s our responsibility to know what we owe …and even though their own employee had done the calculations and signed off on them we were left to pay the owed amount (fine) plus interest and a penalty (not fine, but we had no choice).  

So, at the suggestion of this new woman, we wrote a modest check that day then took the paperwork she had helped us fill out and went home register for their on-line reminder and payment services.  She said that when we logged on the full amount we owed would show up and we could pay it on-line.  We could also sign up for email reminders for upcoming quarterly payments since it turns out we were only sent 2 reminders the previous year (a “quirk in the system” we were told).  She suggested we wait a few days so the small payment we made would be deducted from the amount owed, then to pay the full balance shown online and we would be up to date.

We did just that and the numbers online matched the paperwork she gave us.  We paid the full balance and, per her oral and written directions, thought we were finally current on payments for all of 2008, 09 and the 1st quarter of 2010 and would receive the next reminder for 2010 taxes by early March.  Last week we got our reminder, which again says we owe well over a thousand dollars, including new interest and penalties for unpaid 2008 taxes.  WHISKEY. TANGO. FOXTROT?!

I don’t get it.  I don’t understand this system at all.  I understand taxes – I do my own state and federal taxes every year.  But this? I just don’t understand.

She Wants to Be a Ballerina

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For the past 2 months or so M has been obsessed with dancing and anything ballet.  She hones in on ballet books at the library, imitates things she sees on TV, says “I want to be a ballerina when I get older” and knows the French terms for several ballet positions. She’s never been in an organized class of any kind so we thought a preschool ballet class might be fun. Let the search begin…

Our city has a great Rec Department with all kinds of classes and activities so that was the first place to look. I found tons of ballet classes, except all the ones for ages 3-5 are between 10 AM and 1 PM on the weekdays. In fact, every single class offered for preschoolers, be it ballet, hockey or art, is during a weekday. After 5 PM classes don’t begin until age 8! To me this is a big old “F you!” to working parents.  They gladly take income taxes out of each and every paycheck but offer no services for working parents in return.  My taxes pay for this stupid Rec Department – too bad we’ll have to wait another 5 years to use any of its offerings! And for comparison, I checked with 3 other area Rec Departments and every one offers at least one evening or weekend ballet class for preschoolers. Calls to each ended in disappointment as I was told I had to be a resident to enroll M in those classes. The local YMCA and JCC both only offer weekday classes.

So I started looking around elsewhere and here’s a bit of news: dance studios don’t really advertise much, especially on the web. I finally found one that is close to our house and seems to have a good reputation.  I got really excited to see they have a Saturday morning class for 3 & 4 year olds.  But their “sessions” are 22-weeks long which translates into a few hundred dollars in fees! That would mean dance class every Saturday until the end of June.  I called anyway; ready to bite the tuition and commitment bullet only to find that their Saturday class is full and they usually give enrollment preference to families with older kids in their program.  Would I like to be put on a waiting list for next fall? Um, no thanks.

A lunch-time visit to the local dance-supply shop for help has given me some more hope. Another local studio has a Saturday preschool class, but their session started a week ago and they won’t return my several calls.  Here’s a Pro Tip: if your website and answering machine says your hours are 1-7 PM and no one ever answers the calls I make between 1 & 5 then I have no trust in you as a business. Moving on…

There is a Dance & Gymnastics studio in a nearby suburb that holds promise and the draw of a dance + tumbling combo class on Monday nights.  There is also a studio that is holding Saturday classes at a brand new fitness center that just opened very close to our house. And as a final resort – a studio about a half-hour away has a creative dance class on Saturday mornings.  Now…if I can get someone to call me back so I can talk to a real person.

Keep your fingers crossed that one of these places has an opening for our tiny dancer.  Because seeing all the adorable little leotards and skirts at the dance-supply shop just about killed me with cuteness.

Updated 1/13:  Lots of calls later, M is now signed up for classes taught by Remote Dance and held at the new Lifetime Fitness near our house.  Tomorrow night we’ll go get the proper leotard, tights and shoes – lots and lots of pictures to follow!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

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Thanks to lots of other CLE bloggers, I had a huge list of holiday cheer I wanted to experience.  And in the last few weeks we have been busy checking things off that list.

I finished off my shopping at local places and hit the Bazaar Bizarre where I scored a couple of things for me (90% of the shopping was done before Thanksgiving, given my general fear of shopping centers during the month of December). I got my “Hot Rod” Williams shirt from C.L.E. Clothing and will be sporting it at the game next Tuesday.  We hit a bunch of fun things and the girl is so enamored with all things Christmas that it’s been lots of fun.

There’s been lots of unbloggable things going on lately, nothing bad just not for public consumption yet so I don’t have much to say.  So, instead of rambling on anymore, here are some highlights of the last few festive weeks:

holiday1

The Night of Lights @ Legacy Village
(tip for anyone going next year – go a little early and get a spot on the balcony near Melting Pot – best view, no crowds)

holiday2Helping me get the assigned side dishes together for Thanksgiving at my parents

holiday3The annual making of graham cracker houses at grandma’s house

holiday4

holiday5Cousins M & A and M stringing popcorn and cranberries for the birds and deer at grandma’s house

holiday6

holiday7At Kringle’s Inventionasium in Tower City. Very cool for me and Mark, M was a bit freaked out by it all

holiday9

holiday10Meeting the Abominable Snowman & Rudolph at the Public Square Tree Lighting

holiday11Watching the fireworks at Public Square, with Terminal Tower dressed for Christmas in the background

holiday13Of course she helped decorate the tree.  This meant she put every single ornament on one branch. We did some rearranging.

holiday12Her favoriate ornament – Rudolph (purchased for her in 2008)

holiday141800 lights and countless ornaments from my childhood (the oldest, still in tact ornament being a 1984 breaddough angel I made in Sunday School). We get a new family ornament and M gets a new ornament every year.

Last night we started a new tradition – lighting a menorah and playing dreidel. M is learning all about Hanukkah at her Jewish preschool and was asking where our menorah was at home.  We figured why not? So after a mad scramble on Friday night (after I realized that Hanukkah started this week and not next) to get a menorah failed, we made one together using Play-Doh.  It’s a fun new twist on our holiday and assures us at least 30 minutes a night of all 3 of us around the table playing a game.

All that’s left is an early Christmas celebration with my family (my parents travel during the actual holiday), a relaxing Christmas at home and then the Cleveland Children’s Museum New Year’s at Noon party.

I hope you all are having a great holiday season and are avoiding the stress that can come with it!