Loving My Lakewood!

Well, today has been a pretty busy day! Here is the rundown of my day:

9:00am- taught a Mommy & Me baby dance class
10:00- went to Borders to check out the sale since they are going out of business
11:00- went to Nicky Nicole, Aeropostal, the Apple Store, and oogled Anthropologie from a distance since I am banned for the time being because I would never leave!
12:00pm- ate at Chipotle with the family and a friend- yummo
12:30- headed to Trader Joes for some Mandarin Orange Chicken- did I mention I need a 12 step program for this stuff?!
1-3pm- hung out at home, watched the kids ride bikes, tended to my computer additions such as Pinterest and Etsy.

3pm we decided to head over to the Lakewood Street Walk. It is this wonderful community extravaganza where the main street is shut down, all the businesses and community organizations come out and have healthy related booths, and everyone walks around having a good time. This is one of the many reasons why I LOOOOOOVE living in Lakewood, OH. COMMUNITY!

Yes, it was hot and steamy out and yes, we had already had a pretty long day. But I love joining everyone in the city at events like this. Here is the list of everything the kids and us go tot do (and we spent a total of $4.50!)

*Tye Dyed shirts for free
*Watched belly dancers, break dancers, fencing demos, skateboarders, jazzercisers, and square dancers
* Decorated Cookies
* Got to win beach balls for answering health questions
* Ran through a field of sprinkers
* Did an obstacle course
* Got their name written in Chinese and spoke Mandarin to the exchange students
* Got snow cones, frisbees, suckers, pencils, bracelets, and balloons among lots of other things
* Watched Army dudes climb a rock wall that was HUGE!
* Played Four Square, cornhole, and other games

... and that is just the stuff I remember!!! Neat huh?! There was even more things to do and see but I was getting hot and sweaty... when we all got home we showered off and lounged in the air conditioning. Anyways, here are some of the photos from today!

Well... New Year, New Changes

Last year brought a ton of changes for our family, all for the better. Some were learning experiences and others were just good all the way around. So what better way to start out 2009 than with a big change. (No, I am not pregnant, erase that thought from your sick minds!) No, we decided to downsize and sell our house.

Now, don't get me wrong, our house is perfect for us. It is huge, our neighbors are fabulous, and and it has a ton of good points. But.... it is also a hefty mortgage, one that I think is a stretch for us to manage and still retain some semblense of having any type of extra monies or savings. Plus trying to heat a house this size is almost another mortgage payment, again, something we just can't afford. Then there is the fact that things keep happening that also hinder the whole "saving for the future" goals that we have- like gutters falling off and tearing down awnings, the car breaking, salaries being frozen, etc. So it is goodbye homeownership and hello renting again.

And this is where things get interesting because where on earth would we find a 3-4 bedroom apartment that is cool with large dogs and cats, has affordable heat, and is in a cool part of town? Well lo and behold we have found such a place that has that and so much more. (More about the potential future Krebs pad later!)

So that is what is going on... it was a hard decision, we love having our house and a lot of work went into painting it and such, but we want to have a good financial outlook for this year and for the future. I will miss most of all our great neighbors who have been beyond awesome, anyone would be so lucky to have them in their lives!!!

Hit and Miss

When you think of a great salon the word Mullet is hardly the first thing that comes to mind. But that is the name of a fabulous new salon here in Lakewood- Crazy Mullets. I was intrigued by the name, the look, and the prices and decided to check them out. Nothing crazy, just a trim and a new set of wispy bangs. I figured that it was pretty hard to mess that up and I could have it fixed somewhere else if I needed to. But there is definitely no need... Crazy Mullets owner, Eddie, was awesome! He already owns two other salons in Treemont and Columbus with plans to open two more this year and I can see why his salons are successful. Funky atmosphere, very personable staff, and best of all- cheap prices. Where else can you get a shampoo, professional (Not Best Cuts "quality") cut, and style for under $25? Eddie took his time with the simple cut, asked a lot of questions to clarify what I wanted, and chatted the whole time about anything and everything. Klint has already been there as well as a bunch of our friends... I can't wait to go back!


Now for the miss.... prepare yourself for a rant that involves a bunny, some sisters, and good ol Adam Sandler...

As much as I love dear Adam's movies I am going to not only pass on his upcoming spoof, but join my sisters in protest... LOUD protest. The House Bunny, which opens Aug 22nd, is about a washed up Playboy Bunny who decides to become a house mom when she gets kicked out of the mansion. She tries to get with a pretty blond sorority, who quickly rejects her and points her to an unfortunate sorority house full of even more unfortunate sisters.... and this is where I have a problem. According to the websites storyline, Shelley ends up at Zeta Alpha Zeta, aka the Zetas. HOWEVER, if you watch the preview, in turquoise, it clearly says Z TA. It happens so fast that you don't even notice the space for the E, all you really see is ZTA. Nice huh?My sorority colors and my sorority name. Agh! I know that this may seem silly and trivial to some, but the last thing the sorority needs is for incoming freshmen to think that we are the unfortunate looking, nerdy, ill mannered sisters portrayed by the film or even that greek life is how it is in the movie. Not only did Adam Sandler's company use our name, our colors, and our nickname (the Zetas), but even took one of our symbols which is a bunny. A couple of other sororities were also depicted in a nasty way like Phi Mu, who are called Phi Iota Mu in the movie. I guess they are the named villians of the plot. Nationals has made a statement regarding the release as such:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS—Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity for women expresses dismay that Columbia
Pictures and Happy Madison Productions will release in August the feature film,
“The House Bunny.”
This movie depicts a sorority called “Zeta Alpha Zeta” and refers to its members as
“Zetas” and its facility as the “Zeta House.” The chapter house shown in the
movie has the word “ZETA” above the door in turquoise, one of the official
colors of the Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity.
The Fraternity is the exclusive owner of the registered trademarks Zeta Tau Alpha and the Greek letters ZTA, and has been consistently using the term Zeta and
Zetas to conduct business for nearly 100 years. The Fraternity believes that the
use of “ZETA” in the film is improper and confusingly similar to ZTA. Zeta Tau
Alpha is working with legal counsel to explore its options.
“We regret that the production and distribution companies have chosen to release a movie that portrays collegiate fraternity and sorority life in an offensive and inaccurate manner,” said Zeta Tau Alpha National President Laura Ladewig Mauro.
“We have written a letter of protest to both companies but have received no response.”
Zeta Tau Alpha was founded in 1898 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Va., and has 148 active collegiate chapters and more than 195,000 members worldwide. A member of the National Panhellenic Conference of Greek women’s organizations, ZTA develops members’ leadership, academic and service skills and supports breast cancer education and awareness as its national philanthropy.

Not the Dog's Day

I just heard last night that the city of Lakewood passed a ban against owning pit bulls. I am deeply ashamed that such a progressive city would pass such an ignorant ban. Pit Bull is not even a specific breed but a term used to describe several breeds, one even recognized by the AKC!

I understand that there are qualities about the breed that scare people, even pit bull rescues admit that there has been an urge to fight other dogs bred into them over the years. But as a devoted fan of the Doberman Pincher I can totally sympathize with what every responsible pit bull owner is feeling.

What scares me is the reprecussions of this legislation. Not only are you going to send the "bad guys" looking for another status breed to turn mean, but you are going to scare the people that presently own the dogs into just letting them onto the streets to avoid getting fined. You cannot turn them into a shelter, no shelter will take them. And who has the heart to turn their family member into the dog warden when they know that the dog is going to be put to sleep?

Ignorance is what passed this ban, bottom line. People who don't understand dogs, love dogs, and who let fear rule over their own common sense. What next, ban Chihuahuas? What about Chows- who have a bite rate 7 times higher than a Pit Bull? How about America's favorite dog, the Golden Retriever, another breed with a higher bite rate. But the media doesn't report on dog bites from those breeds...

Breed specific ordinances are quick fixes and not a sufficient long term solution for the following reasons:
1. Dog problems are generally problems with owner responsibility and are not limited to breeds. When breeds are singled out as dangerous or vicious, responsibility is removed from the dog owner which is where it belongs. Irresponsible people are also less likely to follow the law - and as a result, everyone has to suffer.
2. By limiting the ability of citizens to own certain breeds, responsible law abiding citizens will shy away from those breeds. These are the types of owners that communities need to encourage, not drive away.
3. Communities that have instituted such bans often find that the irresponsible owners and the criminals who use dogs for illegal purposes simply switch to another breed.
4. Breeds and mixes are hard to identify and often dogs are mis labeled and destroyed based on paranioa and prejudice and also punishes those that are good canine citizens. Many breeds function as assistance dogs for handicapped owners, search and rescue dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, police dogs, etc. and drives them out of the community.
The American Veterinary Medical Association and several state veterinary medical associations oppose breed-specific legislation for just this reason.
5. The dog most restricted is the "pit bull." A pit bull is a type of dog, not a recognized breed.
6. Passage of laws that are only enforced through complaints cause two problems: 1) they create disrespect for the law if authorities require compliance only upon complaint, and 2) they provide ammunition for neighborhood feuds.

~Pit Bull Rescue Central

Life is a Beach... a Lake Erie Beach!

I am so tired of this hot, sticky, smothering weather... so I am living at the beach until it is over!

Between playgroup and days watching the kids we are logging in lots of time in the sun and swimming at the beach/pool.

Photo Safari

Yesterday we went on a photo safari around Lakewood. First we sat and made a list of things that we might or might not see on a walk, talked about looking up and down too, not just at things that are eye level. Some ideas were a rainbow, a black squirell, a dog, triangles, something pink. Then as we walked around the neighborhood we took pictures of those things from our list. Here are some of our finds:

A Little Literary Joy!

This morning was so exciting. The children's section of the Lakewood Library just opened and I was impressed beyond words. The entire area was so colorful, creative, and full of activities for children of all ages, the Burgeon Group really out did themselves this time! I adore the birdhouse theme, watched Gabby "drive" the boat, and took lots of pictures of AJ talking to the baby in the mirror. I can't wait to go back for story time or just visit on a rainy day.
I am so happy to be able to share my love of reading with the girls, especially Gabby who loves being read to every night. We are reading the Spiderwick Chronicles and starting the Harry Potter series. (AJ prefers to read by osmosis, apparently chewing on books is the best way to enjoy them!)