A mid-September night at Citizens Bank Park

Three weeks after Hurricane Irene interfered with the last hurrah of summer we were back on the road to Philadelphia for the Phillies-Marlins game that was cancelled in late August when Irene threatened the Delaware Valley.  

A cold night at CBP

We went back and forth for the better part of two weeks - do we return the tickets for a refund or do we take the kids out of school for a day and enjoy one last trip to the ballpark.  In the end, baseball won.

One of the great things about the kids is their unbelievable enthusiasm for the sport.  They know the players, have favorites; they understand the rules of the game, and importantly, they have staying power; both will make it as late in the game as I want to stay.  In April, we left at the bottom of the 8th inning (though only because, by that point in the night, it was just me and the kids and I really wanted to beat the crowd out of the stadium).  In June, at PNC Park, we not only stayed through the bottom of the 9th, but we spent an hour in line waiting to run the bases.  This time around?  10 innings!  A new record.  

When we made the decision to go to the game, the Phillies still hadn't announced their pitchers.  But, with Roy Halladay scheduled for the Wednesday game, I assumed Cliff Lee would take the afternoon game and I'd miss seeing him play by just a few hours.  So you can imagine how happy I was when Kyle Kendrick got the start for the early game, leaving Lee to pitch the nightcap!!!

Cliff Lee on the mound before the 1st inning starts

Lee pitched a beautiful game.  Eight shutout innings.  Double-digit strikeouts.  Two outs in the 9th, the Phillies holding a 1-0 lead.  I had honestly just leaned over to Rich and said to him: "this is why Lee should win the Cy Young."  Seriously... he was nothing short of amazing in August and he'd continued that into September.  His wins, not too far behind Halladay or Clayton Kershaw, his other statistics (ERA, strikeouts, shutouts) near the top of the league.  And then it happened: a solo home-run that tied the game at 1-1.  One less complete-game shutout on Lee's resume.  And extra innings.  Damn, was I disappointed.

By now, the kids were pretty tired.  Cathy kept telling me "I'm ready to go" and I was just about ready to call it a night when Ryan Howard (who did not start the game) came out to play first base.  Approaching the bottom of the line-up, it seemed pretty clear the Phillies were positioning him to bat in Cliff Lee's spot.  Immediately, Cathy was back in the game.  Howard's her guy and she was happy to see him!  Michael Schwimmer came out and pitched the top half of the 10th inning.  And then, despite Howard's presence in the game, I had not one, but two kids are telling me they were tired and ready to go home.  I promised that when the 10th inning was over, we'd leave, whether the game was over or not. 

Michael Martinez walked to start the bottom of the inning and then Howard came to the plate.  He blasted a 3-1 pitch deep toward center field, scoring Martinez.  While Martinez may have scored the winning run, Howard was the hero and Cathy knew it.  She jumped up and down, arms in the air, as excited as I've ever seen her.  In that moment, I was so thankful that Cliff Lee blew the win.  And so, so glad we went to the game!  Sometimes the best possible things follow disappointment.

As the season is winding down, the kids and I are spending more and more nights curled up in bed watching the Phillies play on TV.  Quite honestly, it's my favorite part of the day.  While there's nothing like the excitement of the crowd at Citizens Bank Park, there's nothing better than our cheering section of three.

Here's hoping for a long October.  11 wins.  And a trip to Broad Street.

Back to School Night

Back to School Night was on Tuesday.  We're veterans of sorts, having been through one of these last year when Matt first went to kindergarten, but it's still very different when you have two kids in school, two sets of teachers to talk to, two classrooms to explore.

A week ago, Matt brought home a letter indicating that he was eligible for Title 1 reading.  I was completely caught off guard by this; on the home front, Matt comes across as a strong reader and if there were signs that he was having a hard time, I either did not recognize them, or I dismissed them simply because he is a six-year old child and I did not understand the expectations that schools have for first graders.

When the letter first came home, I immediately reached out to the Title 1 reading teacher.  In our conversations, I learned that Matt struggles with words he does not recognize.  I know this about him, I've seen him come to difficult words in books that we've read together and complain that 'it's too hard'.  So I help him sound it out letter by letter, ultimately giving the answer rather than letting him work through it on his own.  Now I know that I am doing him no favors... and in just a week of 'Reading Club' I already see him working through those unknown words.

At Back to School Night, we had a chance to meet the Title 1 reading teacher and she's a lovely woman.  Many, many years of experience.  And she clearly loves what she does.

I spoke with Matt's first grade teacher.  She tells me that both she and Mrs. Lago (the reading teacher) believe Matt likely just needs a little boost to start the year and that he's unlikely to spend too much time in 'Reading Club'.  She also tells me that he talks.  A lot.  He's a very social kid.  I cannot say that I am surprised by this at all; I've been hearing that about Matt since he starting talking.  

In many ways, this makes him the complete opposite of his sister.  She is quiet.  She's hesitant to express herself with people she doesn't know.  But slowly, she's warming up. 

After our tour of Matt's classroom, a look through his desk and the various workbooks he's been using the last few weeks, and feeling quite proud of my little boy, we walked down the hallway to Cathy's kindergarten class.

Cathy has the same teacher that Matt had last year (Mrs. Bruening) and she's just wonderful with this age group.  We were given a paper to help Cathy lead us on our tour of the classroom and she was a terrific tour guide.  Mrs. Bruening shared with us that Cathy is starting to talk more in class, she's becoming a little easier to understand.  And so I reminded her of the conversation we had the first day of school when I suggested that she was going to have to work much harder to get Cathy to talk in class than she ever had to with Matt. 

I had the best conversation of the night with Mrs. Bruening's student intern - a Penn State student who will be with the kids through the entire school year (even though she'll graduate a month before she completes her student teaching experience).  Miss Bamer told me that Cathy was her favorite student in the classroom, something I suggested in jest that she must have said to all the parents at Back to School Night.  But she very sincerely told me that she hadn't.  That she enjoys Cathy so much because with everything she has seen Cathy do over the first three weeks of school, there is pure joy on her face.

And that sums up my little girl so perfectly.  She finds joy in everything, everything.  What a lucky girl!

"It's your fault"

Matt came home with an extra sheet of math homework on Monday, the result of an 'educational trip' that kept the kids out of school last Friday.  Even though he was anxious to go outside and play with a new friend who is moving into the house across the street, Matt needed to complete both sheets before he could leave the house.  Begrudgingly, he finished his assignments and was gone.

Flash forward to the bus stop Tuesday morning.  This is where I learned it was all my fault he had TWO sheets of homework instead of just one like the rest of his friends... if only I wouldn't have taken him to the Phillies game Thursday night, this never would have happened to him.

No "thanks, Mom" for one last chance to head out to the ballpark this season, no "I had a great time" exploring the Lancaster Science Factory on Friday afternoon.  Just "It's your fault I had more homework". 

It didn't take long for my more grateful son to return, but that one moment at the bus stop will go a long way toward making me feel much less guilty if the Phillies make it to the World Series and I leave him (and his sister) at Grammy's house while I head down to the game.

Just thinking about it reminds me of similar experience I had growing up.  My uncle was the penalty time keeper for the Flyers for many years.  He shared season tickets with a colleague - fantastic seats, front row near the blue line.  A few times a year, he'd share the tickets with my mom and she'd alternate between taking my brother and me.  I think I was 12 the first time I went to a game and it began a love affair I had with the team through the 80s.

In 1987, the Flyers were playing the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals; my aunt called, wondering if Bob and I would be interested in attending Game 6 - a game the Flyers won (though they went on to lose the series two nights later in Edmonton).  I can't recall a thing about how Bob and I had been behaving, but my mom would later tell me that we were so awful that instead of letting us go, she and my aunt used the tickets instead.  She didn't tell us she was going; it was years later before we learned about it.

If the Phillies do make it to the World Series and if I do actually get tickets (two big ifs given how the team has been playing since clinching the NL East over the weekend), I seriously won't take the kids, though it will have nothing to do with the extra homework Matt might come home with. 

But as a consolation prize, I'll be happy to stand on Broad Street with them a second time to celebrate a championship.

A city celebrates - October 31, 2008

"I'm bored"

It's amazing to me how many times I have heard the kids use that expression over the last few weeks and I am mostly dumbfounded each time they say it. They're active kids and our family is constantly on the go.  Personally, I feel overscheduled and can only dream of using these words myself.

Today, we walked out of Delgrosso's Amusement Park having just spent the better part of four hours on the rides.  We hadn't even reached the car yet when Cathy said it.

And so I was left to wonder... is this somehow my fault? 


If you've followed One Crazy Summer, you know that we were constantly on the go.  While we had a great time and looked forward to our adventures together, I suspect that the kids would have been just as happy spending lazy days at the pool or at our local parks.  I spent thousands of hours at the community pool in my hometown growing up; it was more than enough.  But knowing that this past summer was likely a once in a lifetime opportunity, I wanted to take full advantage of it.  I wanted the time we spent together to be more memorable than just trips to the pool.

I am reminded constantly that life is short and my time with them is a gift.   If the Summer of Fun is to blame for their 'boredom' now, so be it.  I wouldn't change one minute of it.

But on the other hand, maybe technology is to blame?  Each of the kids has an old (and slow), but certainly useable, laptop.  It's mostly used to play educational games and to access the school district's supplemental math site, IXL Math.  We have a Wii which both kids play masterfully; they probably watch too much TV.  And I am certainly quick to pass them an iPhone or iPod (where they can find their beloved Angry Birds) to keep them quiet when we're out to eat.

But, I like to think that I am providing a good balance for the kids.  They're both playing soccer this fall.  They ride their bikes and catch bugs outside with their friends.  They enjoy hitting balls in the backyard.  They each participated in their first youth cross country meets this fall.  They've rediscovered their Geotrax trains (some of the best money I've ever spent) along with some other long-neglected toys in their toy boxes and bins. 

So, what do I do with their constant claims of boredom?  While the weather is still nice, I'll continue to push them outside as much as possible.  I know once they get out there, they'll be fine.  And they can easily play for hours.  I can point them in the direction of their overflowing toy boxes and I can remind them what a great thing their imagination can be.  They like to build forts, pretend they are traveling (which is great until they head to their rooms and actually pack things into their suitcases), and serve food from their play kitchen.  We've got all sorts of games (and we actually spend a good amount of time playing them): Uno, Monopoly, Zingo are favorites. There are hundreds of books in the house and it's always a good time to practice reading. 

In the end, I think it's all about perception... and the fact that as a society we tend to be overstimulated all the time.  You can't walk down the street any more without passing all sorts of people on their phones, texting, checking their Facebook pages.  Kids aren't much different.  Many are overscheduled, constantly on the go from the minute they get up until the minute they go to bed.  I try not to do that.  I know that is going to get harder over the next few years as we allow the kids to try different sports and activities and decide for themselves where their interests lie.  But for now, I want them to be kids.

Thinking back to my own childhood, I am pretty sure boredom fits in there sometimes.  Instead of immediately reaching for the iPhone so Matt or Cathy can play yet another game of Angry Birds, I think I will just let them ride it out next time... figure out what to do on their own (heaven knows there's more than enough to choose from around here).

Maybe then, I'll finally stop hearing "I'm bored".  I certainly hope so... I've grown bored with their complaints.

The School Nurse Calls

I got a call this morning from the school nurse.  While "There's nothing wrong with either of your children..." is always a good way to start the call, when that's followed by "but", you hold your breath, swallow the lump in your throat, and wait for her to finish.

"...but I just got Catherine's medical form here in the office and I see that she has a history of seizures."

Although Cathy's history is never far from my mind, I am never certain how much of it I need to share.  She's been off her anticonvulsant for nearly two years now; the risk of a break-through seizure is minimal.  But, I included it in her health history anyway.  I wrote instructions detailing what needed to be done in the very unlikely event that she should have a seizure during the school day and I emailed Cathy's kindergarten teacher to make her aware of the situation. 

The nurse and I talked about the type of seizures Cathy had, the duration, the treatment, when they began, when she had her last one.  Without hesitation, I told her September 26, 2006.  Reflecting back, it's sometimes hard to believe that it's been almost five years since I last watched my little girl
have one.  While at the time it felt like the end of the world, it wasn't. 

I've been following a blog by Mary Tyler Mom (not her real name).  Because September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Mary Tyler Mom has posted daily (each post covers one month in time), reliving the 31 months her daughter, Donna, was treated for papillary meningioma, an aggressive brain tumor.  In her very first post, she shares that Donna's story does not end with happily ever after.  And yet I am captivated by the story, by a family's struggle with something so deeply personal and heartbreaking, by the extraordinary courage with which they face and publicly share it. 

Every time I finish another chapter of Donna's story, I am reminded how fortunate we really are.  Our story ends well, every day.   Cathy gets on the school bus every morning and comes home every afternoon.  She's excited to be learning the Pledge of Allegiance.  She enjoys recess, P.E., and lunch.  She's learning sign language.  But most importantly, every night, I can hold her in my arms.  I feel blessed.

Were her seizures scary?  Of course.  Did we worry when testing began that the doctors would find something unimaginable?  Absolutely.  But I can look back on it now with a perspective I didn't have five years ago.

And, stories like Donna's remind me that every day is a gift.  Thanks, Mary Tyler Mom, for sharing.

The Evolution of the Blog...

I started One Crazy Summer as a way to keep my sanity through unemployment; writing was a big part of the last four years of my professional career and I missed doing it on a daily basis.  The blog gave me a way to focus my creative energies, and even though I recognize that I will never make my living as a professional blogger, I've treated it like a job.  I've carefully considered the things I wanted to share about each of the places the kids and I visited this summer, tried to write objectively about our experiences, and I've carefully edited each piece, just as I would have done in a professional setting.

Now, I have something I can talk about with prospective employers when they ask how I have spent my time between the lay-off and now and I have a non-investment portfolio of work I can share.

I've signed on as Treasurer of the Ferguson Township Elementary PTO and I am planning to call Centre Volunteers in Medicine this week to see if they can make use of my nursing license or my M.H.A. degree.  I'll volunteer in Cathy's kindergarten class.  And, I am planning to run (something that I slacked off on over the summer).  I've registered as part of a relay team for the Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK which is benefiting one of my favorite charities (the Bob Perks Fund) this year and I'd like to improve on last year's finish in the Nittany Valley Half-Marathon this December.

While doing all of this, I recognize that it's time to get serious about finding a job and so I expect to jump head first into the job search once again. 

That said, the theme of the blog will change (as will the look as I start to play around with the design).  It will likely be more random for a while.  The kids will still be a huge presence here, they just might not be the only presence... for example, maybe I'll give extreme couponing a try and then write all about it.  We'll just have to ride this one out for a while and see how things evolve.

If you hate it, say so.  And if you love it, share it with your friends because I still think it would be cool to make my living as a professional blogger.

The final chapter...

One of the reasons I was such an enthusiastic blogger this summer was that, once our Summer of Fun was over, I would be able to have these posts bound into a book - a perfect keepsake to remember all of the great adventures I had with the kids this summer. 

Ready for first grade

Tuesday marked the start of the school year for the State College Area School District, and with it, the official end of summer vacation... One Crazy Summer is (pardon the pun) in the books and I can now say that I am Mom to TWO school-aged children.  I find it simply amazing.

I so vividly remember the day we took Matt in for his kindergarten orientation.  There was no doubt he was ready.  He's one of the most outgoing, bright, inquisitive kids I've ever known.  When the school bus came for him the following day, I had no reservations in letting him go. 

Leaving for orientation

But with Cathy, it was different.  Not just because she's my baby (though it most certainly is hard when it's your youngest, knowing full-well that this is the last time we'll celebrate a particular milestone), but because she's my quiet, reserved child.  And because, despite the great developmental assessment she had this spring, I will ALWAYS remember her past; I will always remember the geneticist at CHOP telling us that 'whatever Cathy achieves in life, she will have to work harder than other kids'.  And so I worry.

As many parents of kindergarten-aged kids do, I had my share of doubts over whether we should send Cathy to school this year or hold her back until next fall.  Obviously, we chose the former.  She was excited to start school and deep down, I knew that she was ready. 

Ready for Cathy's first bus ride!!!

When the bus came Wednesday morning, Cathy eagerly climbed the steps and took a seat with her big brother.  Once she was on board, the tears came... not hers.  Mine.  I honestly could not have been more excited for her and all the possibilities that lie ahead.  But no matter how well you think you have prepared yourself for it, it is tough to let your baby go.

If you know Cathy, you know that she's sometimes hard to get information out of and it's been real work getting her to talk about her experiences this week.  But I know that she's really enjoying lunch in the cafeteria and afternoon recess.  I know they sit on a new carpet and read stories, that her bus buddy is a girl (who she instantly recognized when we bumped into her at the park this afternoon).  And tonight over dinner, she let me know that her class is learning some simple sign language - Yes, No, I have to go to the potty.   

I could not be more proud.

Don't think I've forgotten about my son... one of my favorite back-to-school stories of the week belongs to him.  When Matt first found out who his teacher was going to be, he told me that he didn't like her because (brace yourselves) she makes kids write words.  Every day.  Can you believe the nerve of that woman?  But Tuesday afternoon as we talked about his first day of school, Matt let me know that he'd confused her with the other first grade teacher.  He followed up by telling me: "I love my new teacher.  Well, I don't LOVE, love her, but I really like her a lot".  I hope this is a good sign.

So... here we are.  The first week of school is over.  And even though I may reach for those few remaining slips in the Jar of Fun over the next couple of weekends, the Summer of Fun is technically over. 

There's a web site, Blog 2 Print, where I'll have my summer blog entries made into a book.  I priced it out earlier today... a hard cover book will cost less than $60.  And while that is certainly the most expensive book I've purchased since I bought text books for the CFA program eight or nine years ago, the stories inside the book are priceless and I can't wait to add them to my collection!