All posts by Pink Me Not Mom

Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

It’s Mid-August and I Miss the Beach

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I still haven’t been to the beach this summer. Chloe and my husband, however, went with the Frenchies last week. And Sophie went with her Grammy a few weeks ago. It’s not fair, I say. All work and no play makes for a cranky mommy.

Oh well. Pretty soon, there won’t be any more beach time this year. Only a couple of weeks left. And it ain’t happening this weekend or next. Ugh. This summer – other than our vacation in July – has turned into a lost season for me. We haven’t even been to the pool that much, mostly because of the weather.
In any case, I am looking forward to a calm weekend. Perhaps the pool, perhaps some back to school shopping. But all of that pales against the relative quiet that will
prevail in our house. And that’s what I’m truly excited about. Quiet. Quiet. Quiet.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Six Flags

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The last time I went to Six Flags, they didn’t have this trampoline contraption. And they only had three or four rollercoasters, not 10. The last time I went to Six Flags, it was to see Andy Gibb in concert with my friend, Tiffany. We didn’t get anywhere near the show, but we caught a glimpse of him from the tippy top of a rollercoaster and were trapped in the parking lot for hours after the park closed, causing my parents to call all of the local hospitals in a panic (this was well before the age of cell phones).
Chloe and my husband took the Frenchies to the amusement park the other day. They don’t have amusement parks like this in France. They have Disneyland Paris, but that doesn’t count because it’s American. They have Parc Asterix, but that doesn’t count because it’s based on Belgian comic book characters and as funny as they may be, Belgian comic book characters do not an amusement park make. Needless to say, the Frenchie kids were in heaven.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Chloe and Sleepaway Camp?

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The other night, Chloe and I had a great walk around the neighborhood together. We talked about lots of things. But one of the main takeaways of the evening was Chloe’s desire to go to sleepaway camp next year. Even if it means going alone (i.e., without a friend) – she’s ready for the adventure. You have to admire her independent streak! I showed her the Web site for the camp I went to as a kid, and she could barely contain her excitement. She was even intrigued by the fact that she’d have to make her bed every single day.

Our conversation about sleepaway camp led to a really nice talk about making friends – I reassured Chloe that she didn’t need to have lots of friends, and that even if she had two or three good friends, that’d be great. She shouldn’t rely on the same kid all the time for playdates, I told her. Last year was tough for her in that she was a little too insular – and I’d like her to expand her horizons in third grade.
I also told her that when I was a kid, I had less than a handful of close friends, even though I was friendly with more children. She was glad to hear that. “Mom, you don’t know how much better that makes me feel about myself!” she exclaimed. So, in theory, she gets it. Now we’ll see if she can put that theory into practice come September.
We talked about the three themes she should remember this fall, as she meets new kids at school. (1) Positive attitude. (2) Two-way street. (3) Give people a chance. She seemed to understand – and I’ll just continue to reinforce these ideas as September approaches.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

The Great Escape

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Chloe and Sophie came bounding up the stairs this morning to announce that Alubus and Gloup, our dwarf hamster pets, had escaped from their cage.

This photo, of course, has nothing to do with the great escape, other than the animal connection.

Someone (the culprit remains a mystery – but with a full house, anything is possible) had left open their little loft hatch and we think the two troublemakers were able to knock it off and jump out.
Needless to say, we didn’t know where to start looking. They could have been anywhere. And we didn’t know how long they were alone in the wild. Leave it to my husband’s animal instincts, however. After a few minutes of a panicked all-points-bulletin search, Papa ordered Chloe to look behind the shelves in the dining room. Sure enough, Gloup was crouched in the corner, sweaty and scared. And then Papa told Chloe to look in the desk area corner, and sure enough, Alubus was there, happy as a clam (he’s the independent type). We returned the rodents to their cage, where Gloup proceeded to monopolize the water bottle for a VERY long time.
This story has a happy ending. The two brothers are back in their cozy home, which happens to be spanking clean now as well, and we don’t think they’ll be escaping again any time soon. Honestly, I was quite afraid we’d discover two very dead, very smelly hamsters. It was a lucky day.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

The Joys of Youth

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I’d like to pose like that in a photo too, but I’m afraid it would be unseemly. The advantage to having the Frenchies here for two weeks is that my husband is on vacation. Which means that the girls get to spend some Papa-daughters time together.
While the Frenchies were traipsing around downtown NYC today, Sophie, Chloe and their dad were borrowing books from the library and having brunch at IHOP, which was a bit of heaven for Chloe. God knows why, because whenever I eat there I feel sick afterwards. That’s why I haven’t eaten there in months.
Tomorrow the girls get to spend time with their American uncle, who’s here on a stopover before leaving with my mom to cruise the Galapagos and commune with the turtles – nice, huh? I wish I was going with them. I want to swim with turtles.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Mystery Solved

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I was wrong. The girls hadn’t prepared a “Blues Brothers”-type skit. Their Grammy took them to get their photos taken. Sophie, who is always such a ham, apparently wanted nothing to do with the photographer. Chloe, who has mastered the art of avoiding the camera, loved the modeling session.

The resulting photos are adorable. A beaming Chloe, a brooding Sophie. In one of them, Sophie is embracing her big sister. It’s lovely. I can’t wait to frame them all.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Hula Hoop, Anyone?

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The perfect summer activity. Chloe has mastered the art of hula hoop. These days, however, it’s like those controversial polyurethane swimsuits – the material does all the work for you. The hula hoop is filled with sand so that you don’t have to do much beyond swivel your hips a little bit in order to keep it going. That said, she can jump and hula at the same time. Which in of itself may not sound that impressive. Until you realize that this is our darling uncoordinated Chloe we’re talking about.