Category Archives: Treasures from the Archives

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

The Twits

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Chloe started reading THE TWITS by Roald Dahl today – by herself. She’s almost finished the book. She chose it because of the title, of course.

And it hasn’t disappointed. She read out loud – three times – the chapter about the horrible food adorning Mr. Twit’s horrible beard. And it’s amazing to witness the fast progress she’s made reading over the last six months.

My big girl is growing up. A common theme throughout this blog – which, by the way, now contains 203 posts.

Chloe had her swimming lesson today – and she’s really doing great. She’s swimming faster, more confidently – and it’s fun to watch because she’s the smallest kid in her class. She’s truly the little engine that could. She was the only one who was able to dive into the pool without assistance. And she did it twice without help. I was very proud of her.

We also signed her up for her first piano lesson. Next Saturday. It’s an experiment. Let’s see if she likes it. If she does, we’ll invest in a reasonably priced electronic keyboard. And if she perseveres for a year or two, maybe we’ll graduate to a real piano…

We’re back to the swim club tomorrow. Wonder if the water will be slightly less frigid. Hope so. But not counting on it. I’ll bring my hat and gloves with me, just in case.

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

Scripps National Spelling Bee

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After having recently watched “Akeelah and the Bee,” I thought it would be fun for us to watch the finals of the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee. It’s just started, and there are 12 really awkward-looking adolescent finalists on stage.

Chloe is already frustrated, because after 30 seconds, there’s already a commercial. Actually, it’s the introductory credits.

If nothing else, I hope these little kids will inspire her. And I hope the show isn’t going to put us to sleep. Chloe’s clapping – a good sign. She’s not sure she’s interested in aspriring to the summit of spelling bees – the first finalist just got the dreaded bell for misspelling “tralatitious.” Which means passed along or handed down.

Uh oh – another commercial. Chloe’s calm this time, however. I think she’s a bit intrigued. But now she’s trying negotiate popcorn. And staying up until 9. She’s a tough one, my little Chloe. The problem with this spelling bee thing is that it would require one of us to coach her. I love to read. But reading dictionaries just doesn’t do it for me.

The smallest kid in the bunch just spelled “cryptarithm” (a cipher). And spelled it correctly without hesitation. Impressive. How about “hemeralopia” (a defect of vision)? The 13-year old just got that one right. Or “basenji” (a type of dog)? So far, no more kids have fallen for word traps. Maybe “empyrean” will do the next finalist in. Nothing doing. These kids are scary.

I think I’ll start reading the dictionary to Chloe tomorrow. We’ll start with the middle of the alphabet to keep it interesting and unpredicable.

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

Seven Years and Counting

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This blog entry is in honor of our fantastic babysitter (pictured at left with Sophie), who has been working with us for seven years. She started in May 2001 – Chloe was about 3 months old, I was finishing up law school and starting to study for the bar exam.

She’s been with us ever since – through three moves, changing work schedules, and in sickness and in health. She’s like a family member and a second grandma to the girls.

She’s had a huge influence on their young lives, especially Chloe’s. And we’ve had countless people come up to us and say (with a mild degree of amazement) how wonderful and caring she is – an all-too-rare quality in nannies these days, apparently.

When Chloe and Sophie read these musings years from now or when they’re thinking about hiring caregivers of their own (perish the thought!), I want them to remember their dear babysitter with fondness, love and laughter.

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By the way, I haven’t recently mentioned that Sophie has had only one accident in over two weeks of diaperless activity. In fact, she went without a diaper at the swim club the other day. Which wasn’t particularly challenging since the water temperature probably froze the liquids inside her little body. But still – we’ll take progress wherever we can get it!

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

Swim Club!

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We inaugurated our swim club today. As soon as we got settled on our little patch of grass, she tested the waters. Which were freezing – 63 degrees would probably be generous.

After her brief foray into the polar waters, she decided that she wanted to make some friends. So she wandered around the pool club, fetched me to wander with her after her first go-round, and then set out again on her own. Third time was definitely the charm. She ended up spending a good part of the afternoon with a girl she met and they frolicked in the freezing water together.

I have to hand it to our big girl Chloe – she’s not shy. And she made her first new friend of the summer – on her own, without any parental introductions.

For her part, Sophie didn’t need a buddy. She simply borrowed other kids’ toys and played for two hours in the kiddie pools. Pouring water into buckets, using paintbrushes to paint us with the ice water and generally making merry in her independent Sophie way.

All of this portends well. I think we’re going to have a fantastic summer. As long as the water warms up soon.

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

Maybe

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Famous last words. I’m out of practice – two days without kids, and I’ve forgotten the “verboten” words. One of which is “maybe.”

But before I expound on the latest Chloe incident, a few words about the wedding weekend. My husband and I had a great time – a relaxing 48 hours among adults, good food and celebration. The most touching moment for me came when my friend, the bride, and her father had their dance. It moved me enormously, and I thought of my own father, and how much I still miss him, and how much I wish he was still alive to enjoy our beautiful Chloe and Sophie.

The girls had a wonderful time with their Grammy, of course. Nonstop activity – the Bronx Zoo, the Guggenheim Museum, picnics and playgrounds. They were happy to see us upon our return and we had a lovely reunion evening. That is, until Chloe started asking to go to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream after dinner. There was no reason not to say no, the girls had their ice cream treats earlier in the day at Central Park. But instead of making it unequivocally clear that there’d be no ice cream after dinner, I responded “maybe” to her request.

Stupid. When we were almost done with dinner, she started in. “Can we get ice cream? Can we?” My husband replied no, and Chloe said, “But Mommy said ‘maybe!'” Big mistake. Even though I had made it clear that maybe did not mean yes, and could very well mean no, she was holding out for the former. And when I confirmed that I had changed my mind from maybe to no, the tears started to flow. “I hate your mind!” she exclaimed, careful not to indict.

In perhaps a sign of increasing maturity, she calmed down rather quickly, however. And the rest of the evening proceeded smoothly and happily (as evidenced by the silly face above). It’s good to be home with the girls; they make us whole.

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

It’s Saturday on Thursday

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I’d like to write about our weekend in Boston – except if I write anything now it’d be fiction. Since it’s still only Thursday. But it’d be fun to try to pull the wool over my loyal readers’ eyes.

Anyway, I imagine that when this post appears, we’ll be in the midst of enjoying our friends’ wedding reception. We haven’t been to a friend’s wedding in many years – I believe 2002 was the last one.

And the girls, what will they be doing on Saturday? The Bronx Zoo, perhaps. Looking for animals, eating ice cream, and going on the merry-go-round. They won’t be missing us one iota. My mom will be missing us, but not Chloe and Sophie.

By the way, it’s been a year since I left my last job. I can’t believe how quickly time flew. How much things have changed. And yet stayed the same. All for the better, I think. It’s funny how things work out.

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

It’s Friday on Thursday

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Here’s a photo from our visit to the New England Aquarium. Actually, I’m lying. This isn’t a photo from Boston. Why in God’s name would we be visiting a kid’s attraction when we don’t have our kids in tow? But the girls will be visiting the Bronx Zoo with my mom this weekend, so this photo is in honor of them.

Actually, I’m writing this post on Thursday, the eve of our departure. This is because I don’t want to take the computer with me to Boston. And I don’t want to let down my loyal readers.

When this post appears on my blog tomorrow, we will probably be at dinner with our friends, drinking some good wine and relaxing. Pretty cool, isn’t it? What’s even cooler is that we may actually be able to sleep late two days in a row. And have breakfast in bed. And eat meals where WE WANT TO EAT MEALS! I better stop here before I get ahead of myself.

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

Twelve Hours to Go

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I could barely contain myself towards the end of the work day earlier. I sped my way home to start packing – and took only intermittent breaks to make sure the girls hadn’t gotten into any trouble.

The little red car has a full tank of gas and is raring to go. Can’t wait to see the mileage on that baby. Our first road trip with our little Honda Fit putt-putt car.

Chloe and Sophie were dancing together naked just before bed. Singing a silly little ditty about naked tushies and shaking booties. It’s nice to have girls who are so secure in their little bodies. And it’s funny, too. I’ll miss it when they decide that they’re too old for such kookiness. When that innocence is lost forever. When they start scrutinizing their bodies for every little flaw. With a little bit of luck, our girls won’t be like that. But it’s not outside the realm of possibility. How to instill them with a strong sense of self?

Enough of the philosophizing. Because it’s twelve hours until we abandon the girls at my mom’s. Woo-hoo!

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

36 Hours Until Boston

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The countdown to our getaway continues…I packed the girls things this evening. They helped. They actually seem just as excited to be having a weekend with Grammy as we are about leaving them with Grammy. So it’s all good.
Telling myself how excited Chloe and Sophie are about the upcoming weekend makes me feel less guilty for having absolutely no pangs of remorse about leaving them with my mom.
She is their grandmother, after all. They’ll greatly enjoy the bonding. I’m coaching Chloe to make sure she’s a helper – and assists her Grammy with Sophie. And as long as Chloe isn’t too busy watching one of her silly TV shows, I’m sure she’ll be glad to lend a hand.
By the way, David Cook has just won “American Idol.” Chloe will be very excited. We were not fans of the other David (so treacly!) and much preferred David Cook’s style. And he won by a landslide. Sometimes democracy does work. It’s good to know.