Cleveland

Recession Weekend

4 Comments

Like most families, we are trying to watch our budget very closely these days while still enjoying some of our favorite activites.  This past weekend we hit the motherload and enjoyed some great activities on the cheap.

Friday night we tried BRAVO! in Eton for dinner care of a gift certificate I won from the MIT Mommy blog in the Plain Dealer.  We usually choose local, independent restaurants over chains so had never tried BRAVO! before. Since we were on someone else’s dime we went all out starting with the calamari which were crisp and light – we even got M to try it – and ending with the yummy dessert trio.  Dinner was very good, my scallops were a touch overdone but overall it was a satisfying meal.  It was a much more posh place then we usually take M but they were very child-friendly with crayons, a patient wait staff and nice kids menu.  I could see us trying it again for a weekend lunch from their pizza oven.  Dinner out (a favorite weekly ritual): about $15 after tax and tip.

Saturday we had planned to attend the Rock-n-Tot/Synergy but the event was cancelled due to low ticket sales – a huge bummer as we had so much fun at the last one.  I can only hope that Naomi tries once more to get these events off the ground as I think they are a great time.  I managed to fill the day by checking out a new(ish) salon and getting a “saucy” new cut.  I love my cut, like the salon and really liked that I had a big fat coupon for it from my employers discount site.  And, I love that it was in my ‘hood – support local! The returned money on the event tickets just about paid for my discounted cut.  Bonus!

She bangs!

Luckily for Saturday night we got a last-minute offer of comped tickets to see the Cavs play the Heat and were off scrambling to find a sitter.  My boss has a teenaged daughter, E, who is trying to get into the babysitting game and since our regular sitters were MIA we took her up on the offer of having M come to their house for the evening (that way if something happened with E, my boss would be there to pick up the slack).  The downside is they live way the hell on the far westside of town.  The upside is that since E is young and didn’t come to our house, she charged a heck of a lot less then what we normally pay.  M had a FANTASTIC time and Mark and I got to snuggle in the seats see the Cavs trounce the Heat for free.  Cost: about $30 in babysitting fees + a few bucks spent on concessions & parking at the game.

Cavs Pregame

All in all it was a terrific weekend, relatively cheap.  Normally we would never have a date night and a fancy dinner night in the same weekend, but due to some luck we were able to enjoy what Cleveland has to offer at a bargain.

Moving on

Leave a comment

Thanks to everyone for your kind words…I’m trying to find some balance in this here life and I know it will take some time. 
………………….

Moving on to some random updates…

The bedtime wars have settled down to a dull roar over the last week.  We’ve found that a combination of lots and lots (& lots) of after-school physical activity (i.e. the climbing cube and slides, dance parties, going to the store and pushing the cart around, etc.) and an extended bedtime routine has made for less screaming.   Thanks for the suggestions!

..

My surgery is next Monday and it can’t come fast enough.  I haven’t had any major gallbladder issues in awhile but I’m tired of the impending surgery hanging out there. 

..
Taxes suck.  I can’t believe we owe so much this year after getting such a big chunk back last year!  Isn’t there some rule about never having to owe if you have kids?  Something is royally wrong with this picture.

..
This weekend will be a much needed getaway for Mark and me.  My lovely sister (the one featured over here) is taking M for the night so he and I can spend the night in Columbus.  Thank goodness for free nights care of the Marriott Rewards program because otherwise we couldn’t afford it right now (see above).

..
Charter One bank is evil.  I’m so amazingly mad at them and their crappy customer service right now – let’s just say they owe me some $$ and I’m not done fighting for it.

..
We are now proud owners of a dishwasher and garbage disposal.  Now we just need to figure out how to install them. The kitchen does not currently have a dishwasher so some of the cabinets need to be carved out to make room – should be an interesting project if we ever have time.  On a related note, Snow Brothers is a great place to buy appliances!

..
Twitter cracks me up.  A post of mine cursing the snow which included the phrase “Jesus Christ!” prompted a “fellowship of Christian men and women” to follow me.  Oh, pour souls – you are so sadly mistaken on that one. 

..
I’m so over the snow and today it was -4 when I got in my car.  I think we’ve gotten 3 feet of snow in the last month and it just won’t go away.  Mark keeps making fun of me because I’m worried our ice-filled gutters are going to snap off the house as I’ve seen happen to houses all over our neighborhood.  I had to use a hair dryer to open our frozen-shut front door tonight.  Spring, please hurry!

Catching Up

2 Comments

It’s been too long since I’ve update here.  I’ve been bitten by the Twitter bug and that has been taking over my life.  Luckily (?) I don’t have a phone that will allow for mobile Tweets…when that happens we are all in trouble.  Instead of a proper post here are some random updates:

  • Friday night Mark and I went on our first date night in entirely too long.  We went to the Cavs/Celtics game to watch LeBron and Co. kick some ass.  It was my first NBA game ever and I had a blast (even though our seats were about as close to the arena rafters as you can get). I think I’m becoming a serious Cavs fan.
  • We got about a foot of snow here over the weekend and we had a lot of fun with M playing in the white stuff.  We even purchased her first sled and took her to an ity-bity hill a few blocks away.  She loves it (and loves eating the snow).  She squealed with delight going down the 6-foot hill and wanted to do it again and again.
  • Preparing for these snowy outings is more like a scene in the “Christmas Story” then I’d care to admit.  Anyone have any tips on good toddler mittens that are easy to put on but stay on?  They can’t cost a fourtune, either. 
  • My GB surgery has been rescheduled for Feb 9.  Thankfully, Mark and I have an overnight alone for Feb 7.  It’s been almost a year since our last one.  We are banking on this one being more restful then that.
  • 2009 is the year we will finally be able to start some work on our house.  Now that we’ve been here a year the list has gotten quite long and it boggles the mind to try to think about getting it all done.  Our plan is to start with the upgrading of the electrical system and a complete re-wiring of the house.  Sounds exciting, no?
  • I’ve taken a too-long hiatus from my workouts.  Tonight that changes.  I expect to be quite sore tomorrow. 
  • Sunday mornings have become “pancake day” in our house and M loves it.  If it’s my sleep-in day (Mark and I take turns sleeping in on the weekends) she wakes me up by saying “Mama!  Pancakes, yes?” while nodding her head and looking hopeful.  It’s too cute.

Rock with your Daddy

2 Comments

Today we finally got to experience Rock-n-Tot and we all had a blast.  Pumping music, toys, snacks, art and people to meet – what’s not to like?  Naomi puts on one hell of an event – I could not believe all the things she thought of… from goodie bags to a sports center to get game updates.  I will be watching for news on the next date and will get my tickets quickly as this one was sold out.  

rnt1

rnt2While we were there I recognized Erika’s little girl shakin’ it on the dance floor and eventually spotted Erika and introduced myself (no small feat for this shy girl).  Hopefully I’ll see her again at the Kurt Vonnegut Book Club in a few weeks.

rnt3

rnt4

As with everything worth doing in Cleveland, Bar Cento was involved.  And upon seeing this sign we immediately knew where we were going to dinner:

rnt5

It was fantastic, as always.  I branched out from my usual (sunnyside pizza) and had the mussels which were fabulous.  We also all shared the olive oil cake which was very, very yummy.  And, in another display of finally overcoming my social awkwardness, I introduced myself to the famed Amelia – AKA Chef’s Widow. The KVBC is her brain child so I hope to see her in a few weeks, too.

All in all it was a fabulous family day on all accounts.  Now I’m looking forward to the short week and more family time ahead.

Bring It On

2 Comments

Winter is here with a vengeance.  Cold temps, gray skies and bitter winds not to mention the snow we already have (and the several inches to come in the next few days).  All I can say is “bring it”!  While our basement is dank we have a 3rd floor which has sat empty for nearly a year.  Mark brought in the climbing cube from the yard, I dug out old Ikea curtains we don’t use anymore and a number of toys were hauled up.  It’s now M’s Playhouse and our (TV-free) hangout every night after dinner.  Stuff to climb, forts to build, flashlights to shine, daddy-horses to ride…it’s a lot of fun.

clubhouse

 

fort

 

horse

The snow can be fun, too.  Especially in snazzy new snowpants:

snow

 

From the Back of the Closet

Leave a comment

Please excuse the lack of posting, I had to go to Vegas for work (poor, poor me!) and was gone for 4 days. I won $47 on a free slot promo. I rock.
**********

At the start of 2008 my employer launched a new employee wellness program that is absolutely awesome. First they rolled out a “stop smoking” program and offered counseling and drugs (gum and the patch) for free. This was a bit ironic as we are a no-smoking workplace; they screen you for nicotine when you are hired and if you test positive it’s “thanks, but no thanks – find another job”. But there were thousands of smokers grandfathered in and this program was for them, free of cost, if they wanted to use it.

Next, they added weight loss programs and gave us two options: their own doctor guided program and Weight Watchers. With WW you could do the on-line program, find a local meeting or attend one of the dozens of @work sessions they offered on our campuses. Again, this is totally without any out-of-pocket expense. On my campus alone of about 700 employees there are 170 attending the weekly meetings. We are in week 15 of the first 18-week session.

Lastly, just a few weeks ago, they rolled out the final phase: exercise. This gave us the option of using one of the several employer-run facilities or joining Curves for free (yes, they are still working on another option for an off-campus facility that is not women-only). I have no idea how many people are using this new freebie but I hear the campus gyms are crowded; I myself have joined Curves.

First let me say that this entire program is fantastic – they have succeeded in wiping out the main hurdles to wellness: time and money. Second, to sweeten the deal they added incentives: when you complete the programs and reach certain goals (10% weight loss, 100 gym visits in 10 months, etc) you get a $100 bonus. It’s beyond generous and I am so very grateful.

I joined WW@Work the day it started in my building and haven’t looked back since. I’ve been heavy my entire life but this last year I gained a so much weight I was miserable. New job, new house, new city, new stresses and I was at my heaviest ever – I weighed more then I did at 9 months pregnant. Training for the 3-day didn’t help as all that mileage left me starving and with the mentality of “I walk 7-10 miles a day – I can eat anything I want!” but with my metabolism that was disaster. I’ve done WW before, a few times, and had good results but usually got to a point where I couldn’t afford it anymore, quit, did it on my own for awhile then fell off the wagon.

Now at 15 weeks in I’ve dropped 40 pounds and weigh less then I have since sometime in 2005. Make no mistake, I still have a long way to go, but I have never had this great of success (granted, I lost 10 lbs. in the hospital, but still). 15 weeks have gone by and I have not yet had a single gain, although the weekly losses are slowing a bit. I started the 30-Day Shred before I got sick to help keep the momentum going but have not re-started since I’ve felt better and I really need to (I will post about Curves later – I’ve only gone twice because their schedule is goofy and I sweat too much to go at lunch).

The suits I bought when I started this job hang on me. My pants are beyond baggy. And, at least for one more month, we are broke.  All of this means that I’ve had to go shopping in the back of our spare closet. Luckily, like any woman who has ever struggled with weight loss I have a few sizes of things shoved in the back of the closet and I’ve started pulling out the smaller stuff. It’s a great feeling but some of these things are horribly out-dated. The cash bonus comes to us in December and it can’t come soon enough because mama needs some new clothes!

Rock the Vote

1 Comment

Today I voted.  It was the 4th time I’ve been of voting age during a presidental election and it was by far the busiest polling place I’ve ever seen.   All told it took about an hour from arriving at the polling location to getting back to my car.  I’m anxious as as all get out today fearing a repeat of the stolen election of 2000 but am hopeful that things will run smoothly.

There was one moment at the polls that brought tears to my eyes and rose goosebumps on my skin.  There was an elderly African-American woman with a walker in front of me in line and I could tell she was struggling and tired. I found a chair for her to sit in as we waited and we chatted. I asked why she didn’t vote absentee and she straightened up and said proudly “Honey, I’ve waited my entire life to cast this vote. There was no way I wasn’t going be here in person and see my ballot go into that slot. I want to tell my grandkids and great-grandkids that I was here today.  This feels like the big moments of the Civil Rights days – change is coming but only if we all do something to help it along.”

I couldn’t agree with her more.

Trick or Treat!

2 Comments

After a week of cold, rainy, windy weather the clouds broke and we had an awesome warm fall evening to trick or treat last night. M was into it for about 4 houses but we went around the block anyway – she just refused to talk to anyone.

I was told to expect about 300 kids by friends in the neighborhood. I guess they didn’t figure in all the old farts on our street who don’t participate so we saw very little traffic. Now we are stuck with a Costco-size bag of leftovers of which I can’t have any. Mark’s office will be very happy on Monday!

Happy Birthday Belly!

4 Comments

I am wrapping up a nice birthday weekend here in Cleveland, full of great local food.  Saturday night we went to Pier W on Michelle’s recommendation and had a superb feast.  While we waited for our table I had a Bombay Sapphire Cucumber Lemonade which was a refreshing new taste combo and Mark had a Grey Goose and cranberry which had to be sent back for more cranberry – as served it was basically a glass of straight vodka.

We were not seated by the windows as I had requested when making the reservation but we were situatied at a table with a great view, nonetheless.  We decided to go all out and get two of everything and share. Mark started with the lobster bisque which was incredible.  I had to wrestle the dish away from him to get my share, then I had to restrain myself from licking the bowl clean.  I had the crab cakes which while very good, weren’t anything special.  

All week I had been thinking about the rave reviews Michelle had given the king crab legs and I was sure that was what I was going to order.  However, there were so many good things on the menu I opted for the bouillabaisse while Mark took on the crab legs (he had to promise to share several bites with me).  I’ve never had bouillabaisse before and I was glad I tried it here – the broth was savory and full of herbs and the fish and shellfish were plentiful.  Mark’s crab was sweet and succulent, the legs were enormous and there was more than enough meat to share.  While I was glad to try it I was happy with my decision not to order it as my entree – it was too much of one thing for me.  

We finished off the meal with two shared desserts.  Mark got the chocolate-peanut butter bomb, which while very good got his usual reaction – not enogh peanut butter.  I had the chocolate crème brûlée which was amazing. Mark thought it seemed like more of a pudding but I loved it and it was a huge dose of chocolate that I wanted.  We liked Pier W and it was a good “special occasion” place. Michelle’s recommendations have pointed us to many restaurants I don’t think we’d ever have found on our own.

Today we lazed around the house – Mark made me pancakes for breakfast and I got a nice long nap.  This evening we decided to have an impromptu early dinner out.  We were going to stay close to home but the Shaker Heights restaurant we went to appeared to have closed down.  Faced with a choice of what to do I declared that we should go have my favorite Cleveland eats: Bar Cento pommes frites.  After a plate of those oh-so-good potatoes Mark had the daily special of lasagna which he said was the best he’s ever had and I went with the heirloom tomato margherita pizza which was, as always, incredible.  I love their crispy crust!

While we were at Cento we saw both Chef Sawyer and his wife, the fabulous Chef’s Widow, who was working the bar.  Mark kept trying to get me to go introduce myself but my shyness won out and I never did. Besides, I felt a bit awkward and stalker-ish about going up to her and saying “Hi!  I read your blog all the time!”  How are you supposed to introduce yourself in real life to someone who’s blog you read all the time?  I need a blogger etiquette class.

………………..

Thank you to my parents who gave me money for a pedicure to take care of my nasty feet.  The pedicurist at Dino Palmieri had her work cut out for her but did a hell of a job! (thanks Erika, for the reccomendation to this salon; I love my new haircut!)

Thank you to my co-workers who got me a gift certificate to Pier W – it helped make the final bill a bit easier to handle!

And thanks to my hubby I will be taking this class soon.  I can’t wait.

Ready, Set, 18!

1 Comment

Today I walked in (and completed) an 18-mile training walk. I walked in my Chaco’s with my feet taped up like the walking wounded and they worked out okay. I still have a few blisters so I’m not sold that these will be my shoes for the walk. Walking 6-7 miles is extremely different from walking 18+.  In the next two weeks I’ll have to make some serious decisions about what shoes to wear on the 3-day. Either way I’m sure I’ll use a lot of tape and band-aids!

I had a bit of a surreal day as I had TWO blogger sightings; this morning about 3 miles into the training walk two runners went by our group of about 20 and were wishing us luck – as they went by me I realized that one of them was Erika. It happened too fast for me to say anything but I wanted to say – “That’s Diabetic Running Mama!” but I knew people would look at me like I was crazy.  Then this evening after a few hours running around the Great Lakes Science Center we headed to the fabulous Bar Cento since I’ve been craving those pomme frites for weeks.  Maggie was being sweet but hyper and running all over the place and just about ran into Chef’s Widow’s chef, Jonathan Sawyer – you know, the culinary rock star that has been in the news a bit lately?  Mark said hi and the Chef was sweet enough to bend down to say hello to our little golden-haired wild child.  All in all it was a great “Cleveland day” and we remarked on the drive home how happy we are with our new city.

Now I’m off to soak my achy feet and get to bed – most likely before it’s dark out.  I’m beat.