Tales of Me and the Husband

yes to love.

 

do you guys read kate’s end of the week snacks?  you should (and her blog in general).  there are always seeeeeveral gems in it.  seriously.  it’s like a recap of all things internet/news that you might’ve missed.  anyway, the video above was there last week.  steve and i watched it no fewer than five times right in a row and by 2:40 were both crying.  every single time.  
you might remember isaac and amy from this.  only the greatest youtube video of all time.
i can’t wait to see what other videos he comes up with.
have a good weekend!

lately.

{personalized water bottle and name puzzle: c/o stuck on you}
well.  the goings-on lately.  all terribly interesting, i know.  where do i even begin?  
can i start by giving a shout-out to those ranunculus at the top?  they are still alive and i’m shocked  daily when i come down and the petals aren’t scattered below.  how long are they supposed to last anyway?  it was $6 well spent.  thank you ranunculus and thank you trader joes.
we’ve had a busy week or so.  the kid’s grandmother was out for a bit as well as our dear friend jessica. it was so nice to see the both of them even though it was too short-lived (a blizzard in boston cancelled their first flight.  thanks a lot, boston!).  we did a few fun things, stayed up late talking, eating good food, and then they were swiftly brought back to the airport.  too fast, too fast.
spring may be here, but boston’s not showing it yet.  we were in full view of the grass until UNTIL it snowed again and now… grass be gone.  i’m still crossing my fingers that we’ll have some magical 80-degree weather this month.  
steve has taken it upon himself to be this like handsome domestic god and last weekend tore the house apart gathering every piece of dirty laundry, doing about thirteen loads in one day (matching socks included!), and finishing only once everything was folded.  i’m afraid to say anything for fear he will stop (cause it seems he’s still on a roll… doing three loads today!) but i do wonder if this says more about the snail’s pace at which i tend to do laundry (or the plethora of unmatched socks he has in his drawers) then his sudden enjoyment of doing laundry.  either way, i’m going to let him keep going and see how long this lasts.
annnnd that’s a wrap. 
{except for this!  a note about stuck on you: they have a ton of personalized things, really cute things.  they’d make adorable gifts or even some personalized goodies stuck in your kids’ easter basket.  i think the name puzzles are especially a favorite of mine.} 

Parker at 20 months.

If Big Parade by Lumineers comes on, no matter where you are, you come running and flailing and spinning and throwing your hands all around.  Also known as… dancing.  I told Daddy this means we should probably bring you to a folk festival where they’ll be but I’m not sure he entirely bought it.  We’ll get there one day, though, and you can get your fill of some live Lumineers.  Wow the crowds with your flair!  
You are pretty much in love with Lindsey right now, as evidenced by the last post.  You also love grapes, plain yogurt and blueberries, and the bits and pieces of my chili.  You’re a pretty good eater but sometimes you won’t eat much all day and I’m like, “Hunger strike?  What about the rubber band wrists?”  I’d like to maintain them.
Your words grow all the time and suddenly you’ll be pointing at something and saying the word for the first time.  I celebrate.  Genius!  Obviously!  Yesterday on a plane ride you pointed at the baby in the safety guide and said, drumroll, “baby!”  And now when we play our game of what does the cat say, what does the horsie say, so on and so forth… I say, “What does Parker say?”  And you say, “Mama.”  I taught you this.  Dad regrets not thinking of it sooner and getting his own name in there.  
You already show sympathy if you’ve accidentally (or sometimes, perhaps, purposefully?) whacked someone with a toy.  You get a serious look on your face and rub that spot and go in for a kiss.  You’re so sweet.
Sometimes, though, I think being a toddler is like a little mini teenager phase.  You always woke up happy and now, you usually still do, but sometimes WATCH OUT.  No explaining it, but sometimes, you wake on the wrong side of the bed and take a little bit to get out of your funk.  And you definitely don’t like it when we take away something you shouldn’t have.  My little pouch of lipstick and chapstick in my diaper bag is among your most sought after prizes.  You’ll see if I’m looking at you and with this devilish smirk, start running the opposite direction with your loot.  Naughty and adorable.  
You say Mama unprovoked these days and it’s heaven.  Sometimes you say it in the middle of the night and I think, “There is nowhere in the world I’d rather be then here.”  It’s a really, really good feeling.
We love you Parker.

{And seriously, how’d we already get here?  Remember this?}

parker + lindsey.

for awhile, it was william and parker, parker and william.  and while the two of them are still quite the little buddies (tonight william called parker his “little nugget of joy”), parker has seriously taken to lindsey.  she will be in the middle of something and he will grab her hand, lead her to a chair, sit her down, grab a book, and plop down on her lap with it.  if she gets up, he pretty much whines at her till she sits back down again and continues reading.  he’ll sit her down on the floor and dance around her.  he’ll fuss when she goes upstairs, standing at the gate looking up at her demanding–with his eyes–that she come back down.  i think he’s pretty much crushing on her big time and i can let this one slide because it’s his sister and he’s not able to actually marry her.  
otherwise… off with her head!
but really.  it is adorable.  steve and i remark daily how parker has like the best life ever.  he’s got these big siblings, too big to actually fight over toys with him and get competitive and nasty.  but just right for chasing him, changing diapers from time to time, and overall, thinking he’s the sweetest thing ever.  and they do.  i think having a little one in a house full of teens or almost-teens is sort of the best thing ever.  it softens their hearts and, you moms of teens know full well, teen hearts harden by the day.  by the minute!  but not around parker.  he softens the hardest of hearts and, let me tell you, it is awesome.  he’s like a little drug.  a daily dose of dopamine!  he runs around, spinning circles through our legs and saying his silly little words, and seagulling (read that here first!) every last cracker that someone else is eating and, it seems, he’s got everyone wrapped around each of his ten chubby little fingers.
right now, parker, you’ve got it made.

saturday in concord.

weekends can be all sorts of cabin-fever inducing sometimes.  you know.  something about the monday through friday routine resonates with me.  i know exactly what to expect.  kids to go off to school, parker and i run errands, hang at the house, have a playdate.  snack and nap and lunch and soon thereafter kids are hopping off buses and into the home and dinner cooks and simmers and pajamas are on and bedtime arrives.  i like knowing what to expect.  sometimes, i’ll have expectations for a saturday.  i might not voice them, but they’re there in my head.  and then we linger too long in pajamas and steve plugs away at his work, and william heads off to a friend’s, and then it’s nap time and then cloudy and… saturday evaporates and we wasted it.  no, not wasted.  a lazy saturday isn’t always a wasted one, but sometimes i just want to get out.  grab the family, grab the jackets, and go see something.  
when the forecast read upper 30s and sunny, i thought perfect.  we’ll spend the day outside.  steve’s been working like a dog (a book nearing its deadline that he has been seriously slaving away at for the last few years) so it’s good for him to step away from the computer, out of the house, and hit the open road.  when i suggested concord, he said sure, and from there the day’s plan was hatched.  we had lunch at the main street market (not our first time and not our last either; the food is surprisingly delicious for a little market-type place.  the guinness beef stew is a favorite!), toured orchard house (a really good tour, by the way.  the very desk where louisa may alcott wrote little women is there just as it looked when she wrote it, the family’s books remain, furniture, paintings, and a chest of costumes from when the girls would act out louisa’s scripts!!).  then, we parked and walked about the town, a really sweet little town concord is, and with plenty of gorgeous homes to look at too.
just like that, the day had passed and i was glad to have made something of it and not let another saturday come and go with everyone just passing the time doing their own thing.  and, i don’t know about you and yours, but this toddler sleeps harder when he’s gotten his dose of fresh air and that, my friends, is worth a trip anywhere!
{our last trip to concord}

zulily on a saturday.

on zulily this morn!  goatmilk.  they have the sweetest, softest basics.  
i got a few of those onesies when parker was a wee babe and i loved them.
normally they’re pricey but right now, $12.99! 
(and if you have a girl… those bloomers.  omg.)

stocking your natural first aid kit, volume 6.

volume 6.
vitamin d!
i’ve talked about vitamin d before.  never specifically done a post ON it though and, my friends, it deserves a post of its own for sure.  do you know that most of us are deficient?  in fact, at steve’s last physical his bloodwork came back showing he was very deficient (made worse by the winters here, i’m sure).  but, i suspect (and many doctors do too) that MOST of us ARE deficient and need much, much more than we are getting.  (and, for the record, steve knows right where to find the cod liver oil that is in our fridge… thus, i accept no responsibility for his deficiency.  what, should i spoon feed him!?)
why are we so deficient?  well, the sun has gotten a bad rap over the past several years.  no doubt you’ve heard.  a lot of sun is bad for you, sure.  some sun is good.  really good, in fact (barring any major melanoma issues and extreme fair skin, of course).  and, perhaps, more sun than you think.  so don’t immediately slather yourself in sun screen (but, when you do, let it be a good one!  we like this one.  it gets a 2 on that skin deep website which is pretty good.).  but, really.  whenever i take the kids to the beach, we all go about thirty minutes sans sunscreen before i put it on them (no one is toooo fair skinned here or else maybe i’d make it less.).  vitamin d is made by our body (which helps to fight autoimmune diseases, regulate weight, keep your mood normal through the darker winter months, boost the immune system–apparently more than vitamin c even!–and helps maintain healthy bones much like calcium) when our body absorbs it.  when we’re covered in sunscreen, our body is not absorbing it.  so, DO use your sunscreen but DO get some sun before you cover yourself with it!  
we use the nordic naturals brand pictured above.  but carlsons is another reputable brand!  and, if you can afford it, this one is best of all because it’s fermented and the ratio of vitamins a to d is best.  if i had more cash, that’d totally be the one i would get.  parker even likes the one above and eats it right off the spoon.  (you can take it while pregnant too!  i did.  just check with your doc on how many IUs.).  they suggest we get at least 600 IU per day but most docs recommend we get between 1500 and 2000 IUs.  one teaspoon of the above is 1000 IU, by the way.  there are lots of types of vitamin d but the most important ones for us are D2 and D3.  
you’ve maybe heard about how mercola rescinded his suggestion to take cod liver oil and now suggests krill oil (but sometimes i think he’s got a bit too much profit to gain with his recommendations and what he sells, so i take some of his recommendations with a grain of salt.).  here’s the findings weston price came up with on a search of vitamin d.  and here’s a good post i found on the whole issue as it relates to the vitamin a in cod liver oil.  
so, in conclusion… i’d say the sun is the best source but, through winter months especially, (and in places with a true winter), definitely find an additional source.
cheers to vitamin d!
{all the natural first aid kit posts so far}

i’m tired. but i still got dressed. see?

{sweater: vintage}
{necklace: c/o the providence story}
{cut-offs: zara}
{clogs: c/o moheda}
i’m tired.  i stayed up way too late last night watching a time to kill with the older boys and steve (for the older boys, this is nothing.  i’m pretty sure they are neeearly nocturnal right now while on their spring break.).  this morning, parker woke up on the wrong side of the bed (why do babies do that?  especially after a decent night’s sleep!).  and today, i’m sluggin’ along and would like to pour myself a third cup of coffee, thank you.  i did manage to drag myself and parker out of the house for trader joe’s though (where i bought these beauties!!  oh, and this little tin of super dark cocoa nibs which might be the perfect thing to keep your babe from falling asleep in the car when you’re driving dangerously close to nap time.  parker loved them!) but the trip was a true necessity as we were out of both eggs and milk and getting low on our plain yogurt which is a staple in this house.  today?  i must clean.  in fact, i should be cleaning now.  gracie’s hair is starting to pile up in corners of the house and the laundry, oh the laundry.  suffice it to say, i shouldn’t be on the computer blogging right now (but this is more fun).  
so, an outfit post it is.  
now, off to scrub dried toothpaste from the sinks.  hurrah.
p.s. you’ve probably noticed at this point, but i’ve got a new url.  hopefully it’s working for everyone now?  i know it was wonky for a few days… 

movie night.

growing up, i had a friend who, every sunday, had a special “family day.”  she didn’t play with friends, she didn’t go out.  it was a tradition that everyone in the family stay home and just hang out together.  i remember, even as a kid, thinking this was so special.  i think i was even a bit envious.  after all, a family that did that must really, really like each other.  looking back now, i still think it’s such a cool tradition they held, and something that families should do more often these days.  (and even more now then back in the day because it seems between computers and video games and sports… families are going all different directions most of the time.)

while steve and i have not instituted an entire family day, we have instituted family movie night (save for a night where william or lindsey has some sort of special sleepover, birthday party, etc.).  we have a roomy living room with a much larger tv than a computer screen, but after watching one or two through amazon on the computer, we determined that we actually prefer watching in the computer room–a bit squished with the doors closed, lights off, and all the couch cushions on the floor.  it’s cozier.  the more pillows, the better.  we have izzes on ice just for this occasion and we make popcorn (in one of these!  i highly suggest it.) and cuddle up to watch our movie.

so far we’ve watched the help, seabiscuit, secretariat, we bought a zoo, and cars (a hunt favorite and quickly becoming parker’s favorite too).  i’m normally not the hugest fan of parker watching tv, but for movie night, rules can be broken!  (oh, and some other days too…)

soon enough william and lindsey will want to go out on weekends and hanging out with mom and dad (and little brother) will not be high on their agenda.  but, while it is, we’re taking advantage of it.

do you have movie night?  do you have any movies to recommend??  sometimes it takes us quite awhile to come to a decision (or to find anything worth watching).  suggestions wanted!

middle of the night happenings.

{jeans: sevens}
{blazer: h&m}
{fox t-shirt: fab}
{gloriana scarf: c/o coconut robot shop}
{boots: famous footwear}
these pictures were saturday afternoon, but saturday, several hours earlier, middle of the night to be exact, oh my friends, was not looking quite so… i don’t know… together?  let me paint the picture for you.  (you’re welcome!!)  it’s 1:30 am.  parker wakes up.  steve hears him.  me?  sleeping like a rock.  steve gets him, brings him into our bed, i nurse him, still mostly asleep.  everyone slumbers once again.   at 2:30 am, steve hears our door open and lindsey scamper in.  i’m, once again, out like a light with parker half on top of me.  lindsey kneels down and (it should be noted, i only know the story because steve has since shared it with me.) begins talking to steve.  explaining, with hand gestures, “um, well, dad.  i threw up a little bit.  no big deal.  in my bed.  on the sheets, but only a little.”  you know, like a don’t-trouble-yourself-dad cause it’s only-a-little (riiiight.  bed, floor, wall, curtains.  as steve reported later.  and as i got to see first hand the next morning when i did the laundry.)  then steve hears it.  that sort of rumbling, gaggy, i’m about to throw up again sound.  “run, lindsey, bathroom!”  this is when i wake up to see lindsey dashing off to the bathroom and steve throwing the blankets off himself to follow her.  while steve is telling her to go to the bathroom, i’m still in the, “ummm, whaaat?” and fumbling for a light switch on the opposite side of the bed from where the light really is.  i nearly jumped out of bed myself but, parker… half on me.  (whatever else occurs, do not wake the baby!)  that is my alibi and i’m sticking to it.  so, more throw up, steve cleans, and lindsey is utterly useless (as one would expect).  
steve returned to the room a bit later, grumbling about how he’s just ovvvvver it.  five kids in, i suppose the man is allowed to say that, essssspecially when referencing middle of the night vomit.  
in other news, saturday was gorgeous here.  gorgeous!  like sun on the snow was blinding gorgeous!  i’ll take it.  and, you should all know: spring is officially 9 days away (as of saturday when i wrote this).  and, if you recall, march dealt some seriously summery weather last year.  remember this???  i expect the same by march 22nd.  ya hear, mother nature?!
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