It is official. Sophie definitely has some French blood in her. The French 1970s singing sensation, Claude Francois, has inspired Sophie to channel her 1970s alter-ego. We call her Smooth Groovin’ Sophie. Ooh la la.
Category Archives: Frazzled Working Mom’s Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)
Wombat World
It was a mighty struggle, but the wombats have a habitat. Thanks to some paint, a shoebox and a lot of clay (and a stray toothpick or two to hold up the ears), three little Australian wombats have a home for Chloe’s science fair.
It took a long time – and I pretty much stayed out of it. Poor Papa had to deal with the tantrums (and there were a couple over the course of the weekend). I got to sit back and enjoy the finished product.
Nevertheless, I think we’re all really glad that this is the last project of the year. Time to wind down – it’s June for crying out loud!
Chloe and Sophie as Papa and Mommy
Chloe had the bright idea to dress up as Papa. When Sophie saw fake Papa, she decided she wanted to dress up as me (I’m so flattered).
Chloe is wearing one of my husband’s suits. Sophie is wearing one of my shirts. She was also wearing my pants, until she decided she didn’t want to anymore.
Then Sophie decided that she just wanted to be Sophie. And Chloe decided it would be fun to put on a play. “Papa Goes to Work” is the resulting minor masterpiece. It’s basically Chloe’s interpretation of a typical weekday in the life of our family. I’m glad she didn’t think to include what sometimes seems to be our habitual yelling. Enjoy.
My Little Ham
Sophie is addicted to the camera. She has 100 different flirty, coy poses up her sleeves and we always get something new. Although she does seem to have a penchant for lifting her arms in the air (which you can sort of see in the first picture) and sticking out her tongue (which is on full display in the second). She really should win some sort of modeling contest. She’s perfect for Gap Kids. I just don’t understand why she hasn’t been chosen yet – and I try every year. My photography must not do her justice. I am forever scheming to find ways to be able to quit working and do something fun. Like exploiting my children for financial gain. That mug has got to be worth a college education, right?
Chloe’s Snack Shack
It was a beautiful day for a lemonade stand, and about 18 months after her first lemonade stand, Chloe decided that she needed to break out the supplies again so that she could earn a fast buck in order to buy herself a present.
After a couple of hours in the lazy sun, Chloe had earned $24.50. Lots of generous folks stopped by, including a local business owner, who gave Chloe $5 for a cup of lemonade. I wondered if that was simply smart PR on his part, was he thinking that the next time we need our house painted we’d have him bid because of his kindly donation? She could barely conceal her glee when she saw the number on the bill. One teenage girl gave Chloe $1 and didn’t even buy anything – just wished her good luck. Not a bad gig, if you ask me.
If the weather holds up, we’ll be out there again a little later. She’s eager to break October 2007’s record of $39. I told her not count on it – we are in a recession after all.
Chloe on Having a Sister
Earlier this evening I asked Chloe if she like having a little sister. Her response was initially knee-jerk. “I like her sometimes.” But then she gave it further thought. “Actually, I like it most of the time. Because even when I’m bugging her I’m having fun.”
I interpret that as a mostly positive response. Indeed, tonight’s bedtime routine went relatively smoothly. The husband was working late and we three girls did addition and multiplication, sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” read a princess book and “Monsters vs. Aliens,” and had a jolly good time. There was minimal yelling and hitting. And the girls even wished each other good night – at my prompting – but they complied. That’s a big deal.
Chloe’s off tomorrow and her Papa is going to take her to work. She’s excited because she gets to watch movies all day. And play computer games.
It’s Time for a Little Sophie
The last few blog entries have been all about Chloe. It’s Sophie’s turn now.
Sophie is learning how to add numbers. She was watching Chloe do her math homework earlier – she was doing multiplication problems and Sophie heard me give her the equations.
“I want to do it, too!” she cried. So we tried. Every answer she gave was 18. No matter the numbers. Then we started showing her with our fingers. She did pretty well there. Until she reached the number 13. And then she would skip to 15 or sometimes 18 or even 19. But boy was she happy to be like her big sister.
Breaking news: Sophie’s going to be extremely disappointed tomorrow – her boyfriend, Adam, is not the American Idol. He lost to Kris, who seems to be a nice enough guy. But boorrring. We’ll see who has the hit record first. My bet is on Adam. And Sophie will be the first one to buy it (with my help, of course).
A Child’s Milestone
After a bit of a rough afternoon, with moodiness and cranky behavior making its imprint on an otherwise uneventful day, Chloe went from miserable to ecstatic in about five minutes flat after I allowed her to accompany her friend on a bike ride around the block by herself.
She didn’t believe me at first – that I would permit this fleeting moment of independence. But boy was she happy. She rode off before I could change my mind, and after a couple of hours of nastiness, her demeanor went through a complete metamorphosis.
It was exciting for her to be on her own – outside, out of our view, with her friend. There are lots of other milestones to come, but this one touched me – she was so proud of herself. And even though the adventure lasted all of ten minutes, it was priceless.
Bookmark Contest Ceremony
It’s official – Chloe received her prize today for winning honorable mention in the local bookstore contest. Chloe’s masterpiece is the one on the bottom right.
She already put her $10 gift card to use (and had to raid my wallet for a little extra money to cover the cost of the book she wanted) and walked home while reading her new novel. This had me a little worried because Chloe is not the most coordinated 8-year old I know. I had visions of her tripping and falling on her face, book splayed on the sidewalk. Luckily, she didn’t fall, but at one point she trailed the rest of us by at least 500 feet.
Next year Sophie will be eligible to participate as well. I have high hopes that she’ll win a prize too. I’m sure whatever she creates will involve the color pink and at least one princess.
Chloe’s Piano Recital
Another milestone for Chloe – performing “Cool Strut” at her first music recital. Sophie joining her on the bench was not part of the plan. Surprisingly enough, Chloe kept her cool, not only when Sophie popped up just as was starting to play but when she improvised a few missed notes.