25 Reasons I love Cleveland (the first 10)

Have you seen all the "25-whatever" lists going around Facebook? I like the 25 Random Things About Me one, because people get very creative and you can really learn interesting things about people you thought you knew. But some of the list topics are not so appealing. The whole first childbirth one? TMI, and some strange questions. So I decided to create my own (listed in no particular order).

Trashing Cleveland is considered fun times in some circles, and I know some people are not living here by choice. But those of us who are and who genuinely enjoy being here and appreciate its many attributes should be touting it to one and all. Just getting morale up could do wonders for the entire northeast Ohio area! Hopefully, those who actually read this blog might learn some interesting and positive facts about Cleveland here. I also welcome any additions to the list.

1) Lake Erie.
Boating, swimming, fishing. Granted, Lake Erie hasn't been the cleanest in past times. But here's a testiment to how far things have come: the Monterey Bay Aquarium lists Lake Erie Yellow Perch as its best choice for perch in its Central US Seafood Watch guide! It beats out perch from both Lake Huron and Lake Ontario. Sorry Alpena!

2) The Cleveland Orchestra is in the top tier of orchestras in the country.
Supposedly no one actually ranks orchestras, but if you ask anyone who plays an orchestral instrument as a career, they know which ones are considered the best. And ours is one. I had no idea until I met someone who moved here specifically to play in it. They offer great children's concerts, many of which we've attended.

3) The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Affectionately knows as the Rock Hall around here, the place is awesome even for those who are not rock music aficionados. And it was designed by I.M. Pei to look like a record player from the air (bet you didn't know that - or if you're young enough you don't even know what a record player is). If you want to see for yourself, go to google maps and type in "rock and roll hall of fame", then zoom in.

4) Accessible, reliable public transportation.
The Greater Cleveland RTA won the "America's Best Transit System" award for 2007.

5) Great Lakes Science Center.
This is a terrific place to take kids of varying ages. Until Greyson got too old for it, our favorite part was the Polymer Playhouse for kids age 7 and under. We discovered by accident that this is the best place to watch the Cleveland Air Show as well. If you have a child who gets scared of loud noises, you just let them play inside and you place yourself by a window that looks out over the lake.

6) The weather.
Yes, I said it. I love the changing seasons and the variety within each season. Probably March-April is the only yucky time, and that doesn't even hold this year because today it's going to be 60 and sunny! And summer and fall are terrific - we spend 3/4 of our time outdoors then.

7) West Side Market.
Fresh produce, every meat you can think of, pastries, cheeses, and pierogies with pretty much any possible filling. It makes every famous foodie's list for good reason. And it's right on the RTA path, so you don't even have to worry about parking - just making sure you don't buy so much you can't carry it home!

8) The Cleveland Museum of Art.
It just recently reopened after a 3-year renovation, so now is definitely the time to go. I took two art history classes as an undergrad at Case, and we met AT THE MUSEUM, which was awesome. Every period is represented, and major tours come through all the time.

9) Little Italy.
I know other cities have larger and more well-known little Italies, but this one fits everything you'd want into a small area and has survived many changes in areas surrounding it. A wide variety of Italian restaurant options in a span of about 5 blocks, awesome pastries, the Feast of the Assumption celebration, and Cleveland cassata cake (not to be confused with true Italian cassata cake that is somewhat like spumoni).

10) The Cleveland Playhouse and Playhouse Square.
Yes, it's confusing at first that there are two separate theater areas that sound so similar and are only a few miles down the same road from each other. They both have a wide variety of shows, although the Playhouse seems to do smaller and lesser-known plays and has an association with Case's fine arts master's program, and the Playhouse Square theaters get the Broadway plays and bigger productions.

I'll post the next 10 in a few days and then the last 5 after that.

Silliness on the 2nd floor

Reece decided on his own to create his own "headphones":




UPDATE: I don't know why it stops suddenly, but you can watch the whole thing by moving the arrow just a little each time it does that. I'll see if I can fix the problem, but don't hold your breath.

UPDATE #2: Now it's working fine, and I didn't do anything but wait a day. Probably a life lesson right there.

Finally, photos

I actually had all the necessary pieces together at the same time: disk from the camera, cord to attach to the computer, and the computer itself. I don't know how I make it out of bed and into clothes every day.

Here are two pictures of the Ikea-ized basement:
It has already passed the 4-boy blizzard test (2 sons, 2 nephews, all under age 9, who believe every toy in the room must be moved from its location to somewhere in the way of everyone else's movement). After a few hours of playing, it looked like a disaster. But we managed to get it all back into this condition with no whining or complaining. My behavior is improving all the time.

And here are two somewhat random ones of the boys. They now have bunkbeds, but the bottom bed is a full size so they usually choose to share that one. This is how I found them one night when I checked on them on my way to bed:

It's hard to see where one ends and the other begins. And Mickey Mouse somehow got involved. How they continue to sleep is beyond me.


This last picture I took this evening. Reece is looking a little droopy because he has a cold and even had a mild fever at school today. But he's still dressed in his finest! What every classy 4-year old is wearing at bedtime these days:

Prius envy

So we didn't end up buying a Prius (or any other car, for that matter). Financially, it just wasn't the right decision considering the house renovations we hope to embark on this spring. But now, every time Dan sees one go by, he has to point it out to me and say something like, "We could have had one of those". Which is funny, because I was the one who really wanted that car in particular. He would rather have something "sportier", although compared to our current two vehicles (2004 Toyota Sienna minivan and 1999 Nissan Altima), I maintain that the Prius IS sporty. I have a love-hate relationship with the minivan: it's awesome for long trips and transporting nephews & kids' friends but feels like a big boat when I'm in it alone going to work or running errands, and I'm not the best at parking it (see various small scrapes along sides and back for proof). I'm actually driving the Altima right now because my parking situation is tighter than Dan's, and since driving various Priuses (Prii?), I'm noticing all the things that probably need to be fixed - soon. So neither option is ideal, in my book, and new(er) Prius would be.

It doesn't help that it seems every 10th vehicle I see on the road is a Prius. Why do people in my area have to be so environmentally conscious?! I'm pretty sure that we will be buying a Prius whenever the Altima bites the dust, but until then I'm left pining after them. I know, I know, everyone should have my problems.

Catching up

There hasn't been anything that struck me as blog-worthy lately, so I've been avoiding putting up a new post. However, we have actually been busy around here. It just seems like it's all our everyday activities. And then I realized I should at least write some of those down so we can remember them accurately later. Unfortunately, my photo-taking has lagged along with my blogging, so I don't even have any new photos to post. Again, it's all just been routine and so I forget I should be documenting that as well.

Greyson is on a basketball team in his aftercare, which has amazed us. Basketball has been the one sport we haven't at least suggested to him, for somewhat obvious reasons, but he's really loving it. His coach is very patient with the kids and includes those of all abilities. They practice two days a week (and I've been instructed NOT to come too early to pick him up on those days), and they've played one game (and won - against another elementary school's aftercare team). I missed that game because I didn't realize it was happening until too late, so I'm determined to make the second one this Thursday. Apparently they also have cheerleaders, which I've GOT to see. I also have to remember to bring the video camera, because Thursday is Dan's late work night and so he'll most likely miss all the games.

Reece went to his 4th friend birthday party today and had a great time. For the last two, we've been given the option of staying or leaving him there, and both times he encouraged us to go. So different from how Greyson was (and, really, we were) at that age. The second child definitely gets more freedom than the first. After the party, we discussed all the different places he'd been for friends' parties and where he might like to have one when he turns 5 next year. Memphis Kiddie Park is out, since it's not open in the winter, and the Lake County Farmpark is also mostly an outdoor place. The other two were at his friend Annika's house and at Chabam (today), an educational music, art, and movement facility. So he decided he'd like to have his party at Annika's house. I have such a hard time keeping a straight face and dealing seriously and respectfully with these kinds of comments when he makes them! But I think I've convinced him that probably won't work.

Our other activities have been looking at used Priuses to possibly buy so that my brother can have our Altima, and revamping our house renovation plan to fit into our revised budget, courtesy of the loan people at the banks. We're getting so good at compromises! Oh, and I took a day trip to the IKEA in Pittsburgh last weekend to get new shelving for the basement. Unfortunately, I didn't take a "before" picture, but I hope to post an "after" one soon. Maybe I'll also have a picture of a new car (to us) to add!

Delayed gratification

Reece, on Color Wonder markers:
"You have to wait a couple of hours until the color comes out."

Really, it's a couple of seconds, but in his world it's all the same.

Someone here just turned 4

It's hard to believe that Reece is four years old. He's no longer a toddler and is now a preschooler, which seems like a big milestone to me. Everything moves faster with the second child, I think. He got a sticker and crown to wear at school, both of which he insisted on wearing at home until bedtime. This is my first attempt to imbed a video on the blog, and in previewing it I realized what poor quality it is, so I apologize. I have to dig out the manual to my camera and figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Two entirely different children

I recently watched a family video from when Greyson was 3 1/2. During one clip, it is evening and Greyson is clearly tired. He is sitting in my lap on the floor in the kitchen of our rented house in NC, crying and talking at the same time, saying he's hungry and wants a sandwich but on DIFFERENT bread. I explain to him that we don't have different bread, he cries a little more, and then says "Give me a hug". We cuddle, and he settles down and eats a string cheese he's been holding. The entire scene lasts for maybe 2 minutes. If I remember correctly, this happened maybe twice a month, at most.

Cut to our lives today with another 3 1/2 year old. The above scene times 20 in intensity and length plays out almost daily and often multiple times a day, with no warning or rhyme or reason for whatever triggers the blow-ups. One day I do something and it's fine, the next day it's ALL WRONG and causes yelling and crying and gnashing of teeth. Reece turns 4 on Tuesday, and I am so hoping that a magical transformation will occur on or near that date, because I feel I'm aging years with every day! I am planning on videotaping the next meltdown so we can view it in another 5 years when we have some perspective and (hopefully) no more tantrums. And to show him why we can't pay for his college since all our money is going to keeping me comfortable at a mental institution.

To remind us there is sun, somewhere

A few photos from our recent trip to Florida. I'm hoping just looking at them will give me enough daily vitamin D to stave off any seasonal affective disorder!

Good news for the new year

For anyone who doesn't know, we've been planning some major renovations for the house, including tearing down the garage, extending the mudroom and putting a bedroom above it, attaching a new garage to the mudroom, and renovating the master bath. Our town is known for being strict on architectural changes and deviating from what already exists, so we had to petition both the architectural review board and the zoning committee to get approval for all this. And as you've probably already guessed, we received approval from both as of today. Yippee! It's really thanks to our architect and our neighbors on either side that it all went smoothly. Now we just have to convince the bank to lend us the money...