The three boys that I love!...by kim

Cloches de Pâques

Look how funny the bells look, when they fly all the way from France...Apparently it is very cold here in USA, and they must dress warmly! A Canadian knit cap and a German BVB scarf, and of course I'm sure there is a t'shirt from France underneath all those warm clothes:)

They sure do blend well, no? by Kim

I have been in a situation, where I had a son on my own, had gotten married, and had to blend them together (err, i shall say, try to blend them together). It was very difficult and never worked. I had vowed after separating, that I would never be in a relationship with someone, because blended families just never worked! Yes, I would stay single until, the boys were grown! (I also said to a certain Frenchman that if I never had sex again in my life, I would be fine with that...that was before I met him, he still laughs at that comment)

UNTIL....he came into our lives. From the moment, and even before the moment they met, these three guys, well they blend!

With my relationship before, from very early on, I did ALOT of mediating, for the whole 7 years, until I could no longer continue. It was exhausting, but I just thought it was normal. I even had made it a rule, that my ex, by no means was to discipline my oldest son, as he was not used to his type of disciplining. I tend to be more of a reasoning, lecturing, explaining, giving examples of consequences, etc, type of disciplining, but I am also very German, and although I am very fair, when I say something, I mean business, and they know it, I try to avoid the whole telling them something over and over and over and then getting to the point of losing it, I will say something at the most twice. It helps that my two boys are really good. (Thomas, with his french upbringing will attest to that:)

But from the moment the frog jumped into our lives, its as if, we blended, with no problems. Its been over a year and we still blend, ,and let me tell you, we have been fortunate enough that we have spent loads of time together, and been in many different situations together. We discipline exactly the same way, with love and reasoning, explanations, and fairness! The kids, I think even prefer him, and when something is wrong, they will ask me to leave, and talk to him...something that made my heart shine:)

So I guess, I wanted to write this story, to say, that it doesn't necessarily have to be hard to blend a family, you just need the right people and the right mix to blend! :o)

Btw, if anyone needs any advice on trying to blend families, I have 7 years of experience, well not success, but I most certainly know what NOT to do ;o)

I never knew there were no skunks in France..(other than pepe le pue) by Kim

This is the story of the cute little frog from the southwest of France, who went camping in big bad USA.

The bears stayed away, the chipmunks were harmless and cute.
The raccoons were naughty, but fled when the frog went "ppppsssst".
The woodpecker was loud, but kind of rhythmatic.
All was good on Wellesley Island.
The camp was set up in a very organized "french" way.
We made smores, shared sauccison, toffifay and wine. (us, not the kids:)
Life was good!
Until....things went bump in the night, well it was more of a scavenging noise, but scary nonetheless.
Was it a bear?
No, too gentle.
Was it a racoon?
This is when the frog, uses the scary to most animals, "pppsssst" sound.
He claims, this noise will scare any animal in France.
Nothing, not even a pause from the perps.
Aha, the frog, peeks through the window of the tent.
AND..."pppppsttt" one more time, till he witnesses what I think must be a tazmanian devil or some evil creature ready to attack!
The brave frenchman, screams and ducks down, with a look of sheer terror.
(my heart stops)
WHAT?????
SKUNK!!!!!!
skunk? You have got to be kidding...hahahahhaha (I fall in a fit of giggles)
Well I don't want them to spray me.

That was so funny, he had never, ever seen a skunk and literally they were on the other side of our tent, maybe 5 inches away. I wonder why, pepe le pue, was portrayed as being french, when they don't even have them there?? hmmm..food for though, huh?

Kim & Thomas

OMG, I found my soulmate on the internet!! by Kim

This is something that I still have a hard time admitting to some people! Its a fact that there is a certain social stigma still attached to this statement. And, If a good friend were to say she was going to meet someone in person from virtual world, I would be like.."uh, I don't think so, there are crazy people out there" or "well you'll go with a chaperone, cell phone, mace and perhaps brass knuckles!" (even though I met my frog prince, not everyone can be soo lucky) No, seriously. you do have to be careful..just as much as you do meeting someone in a bar or out anywhere..(well when you live in USA you do at least)

So, back to my original story..(I mentioned already that I digress alot right?) We started talking online on that day and I think we were online for about 6 hours..(my kids were at Oma & Opa camp at the time for 1 month, so I was a free girl) about half way into talking to him, I suddenly got scared...he had said something like..."I sooo love that too" or something..and I thought...OMG...he could be some murderer, some weirdo, planning to kill me and put me in the freezer, or make a dress out of my skin..eek...or worse...he could actually be my ex husband impersonating a frenchman.....I NEEDED PROOF HE WAS INDEED FRENCH!!....He just laughed and said..i can prove it...I'll show you...I'm like how?? He replied, webcam! So he invited me to his webcam, and I took one look at him...and the feeling of secureness and familiarity was soo strong..and I could not stop from smiling....He showed me a magazine, in french, a page of Este' Lauder..I said...anyone in NYC could get a hold of a magazine in french..what else have you got? So he got some money....and I just said pppff...just admit it you're not french...so he then got his passport and any other paper he could find proving his french identity...(i'll admit..as soon as I saw him, I knew I could trust him, but I was having so much fun making him scavenger hunt:) Oh and right after gathering all his proof for me...he took a long sip out of a perrier bottle..to which I exclaimed.."Oh you're drinking perrier...why didn't you just show me that"

After that we talked for hours and hours. He was moving to Montreal (4 hours from me) in October, and we had decided we would meet. We were both adament about being friends and that there was absolutely no chance that anything could come of this, but we also both agreed and had very strong feelings that we would be in eachothers lives always, somehow! We decided on meeting on 11/11/04. And over the next 3 months, we talked non stop and somehow, even though we had never met...we had a very strong connection...we could read eachothers minds, had the same views on almost everything..it was c'est bizarre, non?

During that time..and while we were waiting to meet..I was soo motivated...well duh, nothing like meeting a person for the first time in your life..that you have a huge gigantic crush on like a schoolgirl.....and amazingly, when I was going to church..and it came time for the praying part...I had nothing more to pray for or wish for...having him in my life (virtually) was doing amazing things!!

While we were talking online and seeing him on webcam...my little guy Cheese, was also interested in talking to the guy on the TV...and Thomas was having fun talking to him....I was telling him, how he was in the stage of asking me what everyting was...and that he was saying to me.."because is NOT an answer" T was saying, he remembered saying that too as a kid, and that If the kids every had any questions...he would be happy to answer them....Well for a 10 and 4 year old....that was awesome...they made it their duty to come up with the most bizarre questions....what is blood made of....how can I make a plane out of a ceiling fan...how do plants feed themselves......AND he would answer every single question...So, suddenly the kids were begging to talk to him on the computer...I was utterly amazed!

So 11/11 was coming very quickly...he had already moved to Canada...We were now talking on the phone all the time...and getting more and more attached....And I started to get sooo afraid, that I had made this perfect relationship and that when we met...I might lose it...I was worried, so worried, that we would lose what we had...I was full aware, and had heard many stories of people having this magical thing...then meeting...and it fizzed, flopped, crashed, whatever! But, I figured, everything happens for a reason...If that is what happens..I have to just trust, it was meant to be that way..and try to figure out the lesson, I should have learned from it!

Originally, I was supposed to stay for a long weekend, like 3 days, but the more we talked and the more we connected...I made it for 5 whole days, almost 6!!! I figured, I might as well take a real chance! The couple of days before...you would think I would be freaked out, no? Nope...I was sooo calm and I felt great! I had primped and preened...I even tried to get a bikini wax...(thats a whole other posting)..I felt great and excited to meet the guy I had been dreaming of for that past 3 months!

Stay tuned..