Zephyr

"I don't YIKE it.  Well, I do YIKE that A YOT!"  He's obsessed with drinkable yogurts and SUGAR.  It's a constant negotiation over sugar.  We now have a saying when we're skiing..."Sugar free until you SKI!"

Joe picked Zephyr up for me, and unbeknownst to Joe while he was working downstairs, Zephyr went upstairs and decided to fix his spikey hair that had fallen flat during his school day. He used a whole bottle of hairspray, an entire tube of jell, AND all of my perfume. Here are the results.

 

Before school:

 After he "fixed"it:

 

2009 - Funny stories about the boys from Facebook:

Funny stories about the boys from Facebook:

asked..."Odin, is there anything I can do to be a better mommy?" Odin: "Get some sleep."

Alastar Connor

June 8, 2009

is kidless from 10:30AM-5:30PM for only the second time since my first child was born three years ago...

Alastar Connor

June 22, 2009

is watching J&K + 8 with tears rolling down my cheeks...it all sounds familiar...let's believe the statistic I read today... "80% of divorced people under the age of 45 get remarried within 4 years of their divorce..." Only 3 and a half years to go...I ca

 

Alastar Connor

August 2, 2009

is sad.

August 9, 2009

is on day 4 of antibiotics and still feeling like crap. Argh!

"Mom, my ears are SO loud now!" "That's because we went down a hill and your ears popped." "Does that mean there's gravity in my EARS???"

Z slept all the way till 7:30AM and lay awake babbling to himself! Just delicious!

"What's that Odin?" "Oh, nothing Mommy, I was just talking to my finger."

"Mom, can I help u load the dishwasher? We can clean up the family room together! We'll be a team! Thanks mommy, that was so helpful of you!"

is sitting at MY kitchen table enjoying my second beer that I opened with a key for the first time EVER! Here's to firsts!!!!!

Is having her "boys in the bath" 15 minute break on iPhone. :)

Wow. I'm good. I knew that Click the Camera on Go Diego Go was the voice of Rosie Perez.

Odin, "Mom, yesterday was the BEST Thanksgiving EVER!" (Translation: He doesn't even remember last Thanksgiving ;) )

Was a very good Mommy today...breakfast, gymnastics, open gym, grocery store playdate, lunch, nap, library, dinner, bath, clean house, and stories!!!!!!

s taking a break from being a mom today to go embrace the beauty of being pale and suck some blood in the broad daylight.

A morning in the life of a single mom of two, stacking wood while listening to whine, cry, whine, cry, whine. Ho hum.

Had the BEST day!!!! Saw Santa arrive by boat, amazing gingerbread houses, TWO church fairs, fabulous clam chowda, kids crafts, cookie making station, wonderful outdoor play area, then went with my friend and the kids to another friend's bead store, picked out materials for x-mas presents, kids played in the "kids' room" and topped the evening off with yummy Chinese food!!!!! What an AMAZING day!!!!!

Zephyr's new word: Bup!!! (Translation: Up! You have to imagine how funny it is though to hear him say Bup Bup Bup!!!! with his arms stretched toward me)

2010 - Funny stories about the boys from Facebook:

Funny stories about the boys from Facebook:

 Zephyr used to call granola bars "gumballs" or something that sounded like that.  Odin used to call Lemonade something that sounded like "yummy eggs".

The boys are watching a movie together in complete peace while I watch the Grammy's. Am I dreaming?!?!? BTW...Odin said, "I HATE the Grammy's! I want MY GRAMMY!"

"Where are you going Mommy?" "Out with some other mom's to make some new friends. I'm going to be brave and meet new people just like you did today at school!" "Well, how am I supposed to go out and make new friends if I have to stay home with a babysitter every night?!?!?!"

"Odin...did you like your first day at preschool?" "Ya...it was fun. It's still a work in progress...here and there." 

Got Z back to sleep from 4-6:30 and thoroughly enjoyed that extra 2.5 hrs even though it meant I slept in a toddler bed with a stuffed animal for a pillow!

Mommy, are you gonna have another baby in your tummy? Why are you asking Odin? Because I want more babies in our family. Then you could play with Zephyr and I could play with the new baby! Really? Well, I guess I'll have to find a new husband then! I'll help you...Spiderman can find you one! Maybe I can find you a husband that already has a baby for us! How many babies would you like in our family Odin? I don't know...three...maybe 5? Ok then Odie...I'll work on that   

I spend time every night making a nice dinner for the boys and then spend the next 3 hours trying to get them to eat it. Argh!!!!!!

Last week I kept the house clean ALL week...unfortunately, that doesn't earn me a credit toward this week. :(  

sometimes gets bummed that there's no one coming home from work in the evening to adore us and to want to hear all about our day. Instant Family available for rent.

Is enjoying a Mojito in the hotel lobby bar in my pj's just cause I can...last night on vacation...back to real life tomorrow!

 

was up TOO EARLY due to project "Bottles All-Gone." Good thing my boys are so cute!

 

"Odin, see all the books I need to read! How am I going to get them all read?" "Well, Mom, you just read one book, once a day, each day and you will read them all!"

 

Whatever. Rollerskating down the halls with the boys, having a Lady Gaga dance party, and some snuggle story time and I'm ready for whatever is coming my way.

 

Fed O & Z cantaloupe, pineapple, strawberries, and orange. Silence as they ate. Asked O if he was in heaven and he says, "No, I'm in a land called Honalee."   

 

April 2010 end antibiotics?

is heading out on a date to toast a with a real drink to my house selling, my good court hearing, and the end of my antibiotics!!!! Odin also whispered to me in an aside that our new babysitter is GREAT! :)

 

took a rainy day nap with both the boys in my cozy bed under the down comforter...what a lovely thing! 

 

Odin just kissed Zephyr like the fake french kisses that movie stars do...open mouth, no tongue, hand on the back of the head, heads swaying...priceless.

 White elephant morning date with my boys!

 There's something to be said for the family bed...I slept sandwiched between my boys but the whole family slept till 7!!!!

"Mom, Z wouldn't stop crying so I sang the Cradle Will Rock song but he didn't stop crying."

Is lying on a blanket outside in the sun while Z feeds me grapes and O tells me knock knock jokes.

Just when I say...oh thank god...this day is almost over...my 1.5 year old opens the fridge and dumps an entire gallon of pink kool-aid all over my fridge and kitchen floor. I'm not gonna lie...single parenting sucks.

Chillin' in bed with my Z boy. He is such a wonderful sweetie :). He doesn't want us to get up! Just wants to play in bed with his bumble bee n cuddle!

Why is it that almost 4 year olds have a pension for naughty behavior? It's like my son is occasionally possessed.

Mmmmmmm...microwave s'mores! I love 'em but Odin says he doesn't like them melted 'cause it's too messy!?!?!?!

"What are you doing Odin?" "Just dragging myself across the floor. I'm too tired to get up."

1. Alastar Connor

   June 9, 2010

   Everybody is "perfect" for somebody out there :) Isn't that a wonderful thing?

   22Like · · Promote

   
   
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3. 
   

   Alastar Connor

   June 7, 2010

   is the happiest girl in the world :)

   What a FANTASTIC day in York, ME. We had SOOOOOO much fun! Easiest bedtime EVER as kids were sound asleep and transferred right into their beds! Time to toast a day well spent :)

   Coffee with whipped cream cause my whole gallon of milk went sour...mmmmmmmm. Did I subconsciously let it go sour on purpose just so I could use whipped cream instead? Possible.

   Zephyr just told me that it's ok that he spilled his cereal in our family room because the birdies will get it. Guess we've been eating outside a lot!

   As Henry said, after recovering from his seasickness said, "This isn't the worst day ever...it could be worse, we could get hit by a car...!". I love kids! Such a great attitude :). You know you're in a great relationship when you can still look at each other in the midst of puking kids and smile cause you're still happy :)   

           gave Odin a rocker haircut. He looks so cool that I'm inspired to add a little more rock star style to our Marblehead preppy life ;)

  Aug 2010 antibiotics

Had big plans to be productive tonight...was foiled by a 2 yr old! He insisted on falling asleep with me in my bed after us arguing about bedtime for over an hour. How is a parent supposed to resist their bed in the dark?!? I was powerless!!!!

Chased 4 kids around at Lego KidsFest with at LEAST 25,000 people and STILL had a great time, despite one peanut allergy reaction and later ride home meltdowns ;)

Tonight is an "eat a bottom of the barrel grocery dinner in front of the tv" night. What an action-packed weekend! School & Grammie's visit Friday, soccer, Audubon, Newburyport all on Saturday, Sunday school, Renaissance Festival, all with 4 kids on Sunday :) Fun but exhausting!!!!!!! :)

Here goes soccer Take 2. Let's hope today goes better than yesterday's debacle! Even if we just leave out me getting peed on I will be happy!

The boys both had a GREAT first full real day of school :) Zephyr loved it and charmed the pants off his teacher as was expected and Odin had the normal boy response..."I liked seeing my friends but I didn't want to have to go to school to play with them."

Mom...this guy can be a real pirate and he can be 9, no...12, no 16. He'll be 16.

Mom...my teachers at school embarrass me when they put their hands in their back pockets where their BUTT is.

Zephyr: Juice, Mommy!
Me: What's the word you say after juice?
Zephyr: Por favor?

Left Odin crying at preschool...? That hasn't happened since last year. He was a mess. No idea what that was all about. In front of all of his friends too. Wierd.

My 2 Yr old and 4 year old just sorted their own laundry and put it away all by themselves all to earn one Swedish fish each :)

Up at 5:30 due to 2 year old wanting to hold my hair and me having to say no...at least I discovered a new coffee trick..heat mug...then put milk in to take chill out...then poor in coffee! Pumpkin Spice Latte! 

Up at 5:30 due to 2 year old wanting to hold my hair and me having to say no...at least I discovered a new coffee trick..heat mug...then put milk in to take chill out...then poor in coffee! Pumpkin Spice Latte!

No Mom, there's no pretend crying in this game. We're only making sad faces. Ok...now we're making happy faces.

Had leftover squash soup for lunch, mom's beef stew leftovers for dinner while making a chicken soup from leftover pre-cooked chickens. Huh? Must be the Depression again!

Boys snowed in up in ME...going to be a tough night of stressing but do get to have my first night kidless with Joe...bittersweet...

Ok. Here's the plan. Take the boys to the Burlington Mall for lunch and playing at the indoor playground and then go see Tangled at 1PM. Anyone see any potential hazards with that plan? Hoping they both fall asleep on the way home.

Food poisoning, a sleep over, rehearsal for Christmas Pageant, Doctor's Appointment, Odin with double ear infections, and The Nutcracker. All on 2 bananas. Time for me to go to bed. Phew. How do you plan something expensive like The Nutcracker when you don't know if you will end up with a sick kid? Poor Odin endured but fell fast asleep during the second half.

"love you Zephyr.". "love u mommy...so so much."  

Yup. TWO hours to get 30 minutes worth. Yes to traffic and weather but I've never seen anything like that. Movie was NOT worth two hours in the car :( Otherwise a great time was had by all. Can't believe both kids sit through a whole movie!

Did a perfect double pirouette today at Ballet :) Yay me! Now we're watching The Polar Express which I LOVE and Odin STILL doesn't remember from last year. I'll be sad when he finally remembers stuff from year to year and the perpetual "firsts" are over!

Wow. So I've said to Odin a million times, "How many things can Mommy do at once? One thing at a time!" Today I'm making his waffle and he says, "Mom! Can you turn on Monsters? Oh....wait....you can't because you are making a waffle and you can only do one thing at a time! You can't stretch your arm into the Family Room!" Read on...

THEN later, he offers to give me a massage! I said, "Odin, you can do that ANY time." "It's good that you told me that Mom because I would love to give you a massage all the time!" Is it Mother's Day?  

      

         

My favorite things...

This is very fun.  Has each letter of the alphabet and how to draw a thing that starts with that letter actually using the letter in your drawing and with all the steps of how to draw it.  All the kids (ages 3-10) have really enjoyed it and will actually eat their dinner so they get the chance to do a page!

These books are awesome.  Funny pictures and great points about why our behavior is important.  Succinct so the kids don't lose interest.  I read it to them while they eat dinner and it seems to work since the words are coming from a book instead of a parent and seeing as it was actually PUBLISHED, it must be rules that actually do apply outside of our household and therefore might actually be worth following!  :)  

Consumer guide...a few of my favorite things.

I haven't been endorsed by any of these products...just had to say how much I like theses products and that they were worth every penny...

Dinner Games

http://www.familieswithpurpose.com/family-dinner-games.html

I bought these for the kids for Christmas and it has been wonderful!  The kids look forward to pulling a card each night, it works for all of our age groups 3-10 and is a great teambuilding exercise each night that helps foster positive feelings within our blended family.  There are morality questions (What would you do if you found a wallet on the sidewalk and no one was around) math questions, memory games, family history and geneaology games, charades, cute suggestions like a candelight dinner with classical music playing, and more.  Couldn't say enough about this and plan to buy other additions :)

Alba skin products

 http://www.albabotanica.com/collections/natural-even-advanced.html

I have been using their products for years and they are wonderful.  Alba Botanica is all natural, 100% vegetarian personal care products with NO parabens, sulfates, or phthalates.  Their cleansing milk is my personal favorite at the moment.  It gently cleanses without overdrying.  :)


Schwinn double jogging stroller

 http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schwinn-Double-Jogging-Stroller-Blue/10975538
After many different attempts at finding a great stroller, my cousin recommended this one and I bought it used for $100.  It was the BEST stroller.  Easy to push with one hand, really distributed the two kids weight so that it was not heavy to push, easily folds up small, and can push over sand with no difficulty.

Mountain Buggy Single Stroller

http://mountainbuggy.com/en/buggies/single/urban-jungle

I just got this stroller used for $100.  It has a really durable carrying case, comes with a great little pump for the wheels that slides into a carrying slot underneath, and handles really nicely as well as folding up to a very small size.

MAC Makeup Brushes

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/2221/19185/Make-It-Perfect-Brush-KitEssential/index.tmpl
I bought an earlier edition of these brushes 5 years ago and they seemed so expensive and extravagant but the lady told me they could be washed and would last longer than other brushes.  She wasn't kidding.  These brushes work better than any brushes I've ever had as far as the correct angle, holding the right amount of product, and as far as the bristles keeping their form after many washings.  Totally worth the money!

Big news!

Most of you probably know this already but I realized that I haven't written in my blog in a long time and haven't announced here that I'm engaged :)  On our one year anniversary of being a couple, Joe took me to where we had our first kiss overlooking the ocean and the city of Boston at sunset and asked me to marry him :)  He actually got down on one knee and then gave me the prettiest ring :)   I am the happiest and luckiest girl.  As I type this, three kiddos are up, one is still sleeping.  It's pretty busy around here!  I have moved into the new house and Joe's is closing this month so he and his kids are here most of the time when they are not at school, doing homework, at their mom's, or working until we after school is out.  Joe and I are still madly in love and I keep wondering when the honeymoon phase wears off but so far, it hasn't dimmed!  :)  The new house is awesome.  Sunny, open, pleasant...with a bedroom for each of us plus an office so no more having kids share a room and keep each other up!  It's great!  There's a lovely deck, a huge finished basement playroom, and the neighborhood has TONS of kids and nice parents, sidewalks, and Odin can walk to school at the end of the road for Kindergarten in the Fall.  I can ride Zephyr to preschool on the bike path too!  We are joining the community pool at the end of the street and have already been to the beach a bunch this month so it should be a pretty fun summer!  We are also taking a trip at the end of June to Jackson Hole with all four kids...I've never been in the summer so I'm really looking forward to seeing Yellowstone, the museums that are normally closed in the winter, cowboy dinners, rodeos, horseback riding, and fishing!  Odin and Zephyr are looking forward to some Grammie and Grandpa time :)  Then, it's off to Nantucket for some weekends!  Joe and I figure with all we have going on right now, we probably won't get married until next Summer/Fall.  We need to concentrate on helping our family make this transition into living together and into Joe's kids commuting to school half the week this Fall.  We'll see.  We figure it'll take us all year to find moments to check out places to have a reception anyways!  So, that's all the big news around here.  I'm just happy happy happy!  Somehow I scored the most wonderful man who is the perfect fit for me.  It reminds me of what my Nana says about my Grandpa..."My heart still flutters every time he comes in the door."  :)