Category Archives: Frazzled Working Mom’s Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

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

I Want to be Five

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Sophie’s best friend from pre-K turned 5 this week, and that makes my little girl a little sad. She wants to be five too. She’s afraid that her friend will start kindergarten before she does.

And as much as I try to explain to Sophie that she and her friend will start kindergarten together in the fall, she just doesn’t get it. When I tell her that they may even be in the same school and perhaps the same class (although the latter is highly unlikely), she still doesn’t get it. She exclaims to me, with great consternation, “Mom, you don’t understand. It’s complicated!” when I try to console her.
She’s simply pissed off that she’s not five. If only she knew that this is just the beginning of a long career as the youngest. She’ll be dealing with this until she finally gets her driver’s license – a year after everyone else. It’s a good thing she’s tall for her age, which might soften the blow. But it might not. Poor thing doesn’t know what she’s in for.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Barbie!

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Shoot me now. This photo does not even begin to convey Sophie’s reaction at McDonald’s yesterday when she saw the display of kids’ meals toys. BARBIE! BARBIE! BARBIE!

When she realized what was going to accompany her chicken nuggets, she about collapsed from excitement. She screamed. “Oh my goodness! I can’t believe it! It’s a Barbie mermaid!” She danced. She squealed. She screamed and danced some more. When she got her Barbie mermaid into her hands, she looked at it with such admiration and love, I felt a twinge of jealousy. She hasn’t let it out of her sight since.
How I despise Barbies. This one may have to go mysteriously missing sometime in the near future. But I imagine I won’t have to make it disappear. She’ll eventually lose it on her own. The countdown begins.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Camp Cayuga!

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Chloe has been Cayugaed! We attended Camp Cayuga’s open house in the rain today and she’s ready to go. She’s already chosen the bed she wants to sleep in (either the top bunk or one of the single beds in the corner by the door), met up with her pen pal and worn her new Cayuga sweatshirt.

How things have changed since I went to sleepaway camp. Chloe will have the luxury of toilets and showers in the bunk (I had to walk to a different building – not so much fun in the rain, or the cool morning air), and a huge range of activities from which to choose, including trampoline, trapeze, riflery(!), archery, horseback riding, swimming, scuba, tennis, ceramics, etc. etc. etc. Pretty crazy.
The guide also told us that the counselors, not the kids, are responsible for cleaning the bathroom area. I assume that’s because of liability issues – heaven help us if this coddled generation of children is exposed to chemicals in cleaning products. When I was a kid, no one cared about exposing us to chemicals – we had to clean the bathrooms ourselves while the counselors looked on and inspected our work. How times have changed. I think she’ll still have to make her bed, but I’m not even 100% sure about that.
Can I go to camp, too? Maybe I’ll quit my current job and apply to be a camp counselor. Or start a camp for adults who are nostalgic for their adolescent sleepaway camp days. That’d be fun.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

I Want to be a Model

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Sophie has decided what she wants to be when she grows up.

“I want to be a model,” Sophie announced. “Why do you want to be a model?” She replied with a smile, “Because they’re fashiony. Because they’re pretty. Because their dresses are sparkly and shiny.” “What else?” I asked. “That’s it.”
How is it possible to have two daughters who are so very different in their likes and dislikes, and their interests? Sophie’s predilections scare me. A model? Ugh. When I got home tonight she was having a very philosophical discussion about what she should wear tomorrow (she’s seeing one of her beloved babysitters for the first time in months). “If I wear this and this, my legs will be too hot.” “Oh, but this is so pretty. I really want to wear it.” I’m not sure whose genes she inherited. Between the curls and the fashion sense, she’s a mystery to me. An adorable, entertaining, cuddly mystery.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Waiting for Obama

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The girls are very excited about our upcoming trip to our nation’s capital. I put in a request with our senator for tickets to visit the White House, and we are all eagerly awaiting to see if we made the list.

I feel a little bit like Charlie Bucket, anticipating with bated breath whether we’ll receive our golden tickets. Granted, the girls would much rather win tickets to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory – they don’t have a particular passion for social studies or history, but they sure as hell have a passion for candy. I’m actually pretty stoked at the idea of walking in the steps of past presidents, even if we’re only allowed to visit a couple of rooms that the presidents don’t ever visit. It’ll likely be the closest I ever get to a president.
Chloe’s most excited about visiting the Bureau of Printing & Engraving, assuming we get golden tickets for that tour. The idea of watching dollar bills get printed is an extremely enticing one to our enterprising 9-year old. She’s also eyeing the International Spy Museum. James Bond, here we come.
Not so sure how much Sophie will get out of our trip – there are no princesses lurking in D.C. But she had Disney last year. So it kind of evens out.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Curly Hair Getting Longer

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Sophie’s hair is getting very long. I am ashamed to admit it, but the last time I had her hair cut was about six months ago. Sophie is in no rush to go to the salon. The last time we took her to get a new ‘do, she cried. And cried some more. She was not a happy camper.

Needless to say, after that last experience, I’m in no rush to go back to the salon, either. In the meantime, her curls are getting curlier and curlier. And she won’t even wear barrettes.
When her hair is wet and hanging almost straight, the strands reach the middle of her back. Pretty amazing. I still wonder where the hell they came from or rather, who the hell gave them to her. And I still wonder if she’s going to retain the curls as she gets older. At this point, I can’t imagine her without them. They’re just part and parcel of who she is.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m steeling for the day when she’ll be asking us to buy her a hair straightener. And I’m sure that when she’s a teenager she’ll spend way too much time getting rid of the curls. But for now, I’m loving them. They boing and boing.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

What Time is It?

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Another beautiful day today. We spent it with my mother, my cousin and her boyfriend, and we had a lovely time. We ended our day with a barbecue outside and at one point, Chloe was pleading with us to allow her to ask her friend to come over for a pinecone battle. Our answer was a resolute, “NO!” but anyone who knows Chloe knows that she doesn’t take no for an answer.

This went on and on, for a good 20 minutes. She attempted to cajole us by speaking in French, repeating “S’il te plait” at least 10 times. She tempted us with cherries and cupcakes on top. And she whined. And whined. And whined some more.
At one point, Papa asked Chloe what time it was. We were trying to prove a point to her – that it was Sunday evening, we had company and that there was no way in hell we were going to allow her to call her friend about an hour before bedtime. She looked at her watch with a traditional clock face and replied, “It’s two minutes ’til 6:20.” It took us about two seconds to realize what time it was, and we all started to laugh simultaneously.
I love Chloe. And no, her friend did not come over to play.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Hugs

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Irresistible. My girls are irresistible. Earlier today, Sophie hurt herself on our playset in the backyard. Sophie was bawling, in her usual dramatic way. I looked out the window and Chloe had her arms wrapped around her little sister in a big bear hug. That helped quite a bit, until Sophie realized that I was watching. She turned the tears on again and came running to her mommy.

Later on, it was Sophie’s turn to comfort her older sister. Chloe was upset and was trying hard not to cry. But the tears flowed in spite of herself. And Sophie was there for her. She came to the couch and enveloped her sister in a huge embrace and lots of tender kisses. Chloe tried to resist, but in the end she smiled.
A few minutes later they went back to their squabbling. But make no mistake, all was well in their respective worlds.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Happiness Is…

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…homemade gummy bears from a local candy shop. Where the blue bears actually taste like blueberry, the white bears taste like coconut, the yellow bears taste like lemon and the purple bears taste like grape. It’s as if Willy Wonka opened up a factory in our town.

These super yummy bears were the girls’ little Easter souvenir this year. They don’t really have anything to do with Easter, however. Although you can make a somewhat attenuated argument that the bears are colorful in a way that makes one think of colorful Easter pastels.
Anyway, we’ve been enjoying some spectacular summer-like weather these last few days. Chloe’s gym teacher taught the class how to properly throw a ball. Every night since Monday she has assaulted us upon our arrival home from work to play catch with her. And there is definitely a vast improvement. She’s not ready to play little league baseball, but at least she no longer throws like a 3-year old.