Sometimes it’s the simplest little thing that makes me want to just grab Chloe and Sophie and hug them. Papa has been traveling this week, so he wasn’t able to pick up the girls from school. His loss was my gain. I got to leave work early and spend some extra time with my little ones on a beautiful pre-fall afternoon.
All posts by Pink Me Not Mom
Another Lost Tooth
Sophie has lost her second tooth. It was a good thing, too, since the adult tooth had started to come up behind its baby counterpart. I told her that I’d put in a good word with the tooth fairy so that she would visit Sophie tonight.
Hormones?
Chloe has been going through a phase recently. A cranky, way-too-emotional phase. Whether it’s getting irrationally upset in response to her Grammy trying to do something nice for her or because she can’t go to a birthday party taking place on a weekend we’re going to be away (at Hershey Park, no less, which she was over the moon about when we planned it a couple of weeks ago), I’m seeing a new, somewhat perplexing side to her.
Listen, I know my big girl is not always the easiest kid to deal with. She’s smart, she’s intense, she speaks her mind without first editing herself, she can be mean to her little sister. But these most recent outbursts have caused me to wonder whether an alien being has infiltrated her brain.
Could it be that the late nights over the summer have finally caught up with her? Could it be the onset of puberty? Are the hormones starting to rage? Should I stop trying to find excuses for her behavior and accept the fact that she’s just being a pain in the ass for no good reason? As much as I would love to assign a cause to her rants and raves, I’m leaning towards the latter.
I love Chloe more than words can say. But boy, can she be exasperating sometimes. For a kid who always acts fairly mature for her age, who’s extremely astute and verbal for a 10-year old, she’s a conundrum. And yet, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree – she’s a lot like me, so I shouldn’t be so surprised. Hell, when I was 10, I was pulling similar stunts. Not for nothing, my parents’ nickname for me was El Exigente (“the demanding one”). Even worse, I started in with my antics when I was still officially a toddler. When my brother was an infant I asked my mom if we could throw him down the garbage incinerator in our Queens apartment building (I’m very glad she refused my request – my brother has turned into a lovely man).
So, Chloe, if you’re reading this, please don’t take this post the wrong way or get upset with me for writing about you. I love you very, very much. You remind me of me. Indeed, you’re a little like a mini-me. But cut the crap already! Tell the alien it’s time for it to return to its home planet.
Family Day
For reasons most of you will understand given the date, I declared today an official Family Day. I wanted nothing more than to spend today with my husband and my girls. We had a very “together” kind of day. The end result wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for, but we ended on a high note.
Chocolate Chip Pancakes for Dinner
After going to the movies to see “Contagion,” I didn’t particularly feel like having dinner. Germs everywhere! Hell, the film had me wondering why humans should even bother breathing. But Chloe and her friend were with me, and they were famished. The movie didn’t affect them nearly as much as it affected me. But then again, they’re only 10 years old. As for me, the image of a dead woman having her scalp peeled back during an autopsy is not one I’ll soon forget.
Attack of the Packing Peanuts
I was on the phone. Papa was on his computer. Chloe was watching TV. And where was Sophie?
First Day of School
Yet another year has gone by. Sophie and Chloe have survived their first day of first and fifth grades. Sophie had a grand old time. She’s excited because a friend from pre-K is in her class this year, in addition to a couple of friends from kindergarten. Her teacher seems lovely.
The End of Summer
Well, it’s not quite the end of summer – we still have a couple of weeks to go. But the girls start school tomorrow. And tonight is just like any other night, with the girls baiting fighting and hitting each other.
A Day of Support
Today was a very momentous day for Chloe. Without going into too many details, we went shopping for some back-to-school clothes. She tried out a new store, Delia’s, which she liked quite a bit, and we walked away with a bag full of jeans and t-shirts. Chloe has grown a couple of inches in the last few months and will probably hit five feet by next year.
Desperate to Cook
My husband and I are not cooks. We are capable of cooking and we sometimes do it well, but we just don’t enjoy it. We do it because we need to. It’s a chore. So it’s very telling that when Papa, who had the day off from work today, asked the girls what they wanted to do, Chloe came up with the idea of a cooking day.