Category Archives: Treasures from the Archives

Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013), Treasures from the Archives

The Happiest Place on Earth

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We’re here. Finally. At the happiest place on earth. After a bit of a rocky start (i.e., tired and moody offspring), I think we’d all agree that by the end of the day today, we were all feeling pretty happy. Especially after our campfire with Chip and Dale earlier this evening. We all danced and sang and roasted marshmallows. We even convinced Chloe to pose alongside Sophie for a photo with the rodents. Chloe vowed she wouldn’t hug any characters during our stay at Disney – at 8 years old, she’s way too cool – so this concession on her part was both surprising and proof that no one is immune to the Disney machine.

The warm and fuzzy feelings of this evening were in stark contrast to the wrath of Sophie this morning. If you had asked our little at 8 AM if she felt happy, she would have thrown her shoes at you and told you she wanted to go home. Why, you ask? Aside from the fact that she was thoroughly exhausted, she was beside herself because she didn’t want to wear the outfit we chose for her. It wasn’t pink enough and it wasn’t a dress.

Things started to look up when we arrived at the Magic Kingdom and Sophie had a chance to admire the castle and pose with Cinderella’s stepsisters and stepmother. And ride the Winnie the Pooh ride, and Peter Pan’s Adventure, and watch “Mickey’s Philharmagic,” the 3-D movie starring Donald Duck. Chloe was a fairly good sport throughout the “baby rides,” and excepting her astonishing impatience (ok, not so astonishing since she is my daughter after all), was generally happy as a clam most of the day. She loved Big Thunder Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. Even Sophie, who sometimes expresses fear at the most innocuous of things, survived the ghosts with a smile.

Tomorrow we’re off to Disney Hollywood Studios. With a little luck, Sophie might see a princess and Chloe might be able to trade pins with a cast member or two. If they both get a little of what they want, we should be in for a great day.

BTW, photos and video to come.

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

Vacation!

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It’s finally here.  We’re on vacation.  I started early, leaving work at 12:30 to take care of Sophie and enjoy the beautiful weather.  Spent most of the afternoon outside, getting into the relaxed vacation mode that I’ve been yearning for since February.  Did a little local shopping, visited with our neighbors and had an absolutely lovely day.  

Yippee!  Vacation, vacation, vacation.  Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine.  Mickey, Mickey, Mickey (ok, I’m going a little overboard here).  The weather forecast in Florida is terrific – warm and sunny.  I’ve packed the suntan lotion, the bug spray (just in case) and the tylenol.  We’re ready to go.  
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Sophie’s Crush, Continued

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Not to beat a dead horse, but Sophie was thrilled when I told her there were other videos of her boyfriend, Adam Lambert, singing.  As she watched him intone – for the gazillionth time – the song she was familiar with, she was thrilled.  “My boyfriend!  My boyfriend!” she yelled.  “He is SOOOO CUTE!” she exclaimed.

The love affair didn’t last, however.  As soon as I started rolling videos of some of his other American Idol songs, she grew despondent.  “I want the other Adam!” she lamented.  She honestly didn’t realize that the Adam of “Mad World” and “Ring of Fire” (two songs she disliked immensely because they were too slow) was the same Adam of “Born to Be Wild.”  She’s not so great with the concept of same person, different song.
What can you do?  As long as her Adam is a one-trick “born to be wild” pony, Adam will remain her prince.  I am ready to place bets that she’s going to despise next week’s disco theme.  Poor Sophie.  Poor me.  Because as much as Adam is my pick to win, if I have to listen to “Born to Be Wild” one more time, I think I’ll pull my hair out.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Sophie Has a Crush

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Sophie has a crush.  We were just watching the recap of American Idol’s Adam Lambert performing “Born to Be Wild,” when Sophie exclaimed, “I like him.  He’s cute.  He’s my boyfriend.”  She repeated herself five times for emphasis. 

No matter that he’s purportedly gay and wouldn’t harbor romantic feelings for the fairer sex.  She loves him.  She truly loves him. She loves him so much, in fact, that I think his video has supplanted the You Tube video of “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” in her fave rankings.  And that’s saying quite a lot, since she’s watched the latter a gazillion times.  Go Adam! 
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Chloe, For Real

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Finally.  A photo of Chloe that doesn’t involve special effects.  She’s smiling because she had just finished her Easter egg hunt.  This year, the clues were scrambled words.  Once unscrambled, she had the location of the egg.  It was a difficult puzzle and I was a little nervous that she’d lose patience and cause a scene.  But she rose to the challenge and with a little bit of help, she found all of her eggs.  

The other kids, however, managed to scoop up all 100+ eggs and assorted treats in record time.  The older children hogged the backyard, while Sophie and her little friend each struggled to grab a handful. Next year, we’ll have to organize two separate hunts – one for the little ones and one for the big ones.  But Sophie was happy nonetheless, and proceeded to scarf down all of her candy in about 5 minutes flat.  Chloe displayed a little more restraint.  She finished her candy in about 7 minutes.
Notice how Chloe is wearing her famously filthy winter jacket.  She can’t seem to part with it.  But the bigger story is that at 10 am on April 12, 2009, it was freezing outside.  Literally (well, almost – I think the temperature hit a balmy 39 degrees).  Yet another reason why I’m excited for our vacation.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Countdown to Disney

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One short week left to go.  Some may find it odd that I’ve been talking so much about this upcoming vacation, which many people likely think is an absolutely cringeworthy choice for a week away.  “That’s no vacation!” would be the common refrain.  While it is true that we will probably return from this trip even more exhausted (in my case, I honestly don’t know if that’s possible, considering how tired I am) than we were before we left, I don’t remember the last time I was this excited about a trip.  Well, that’s not true.  The last time I was this excited about a trip was the last time we went on vacation two years ago.  That trip was notable because it was our first cruise, and because the first half of it was spent dealing with the wrath of a horrible storm back home that flooded our basement.  I sincerely hope that next week’s voyage will dispense with any similar drama.

Needless to say, we leave in one week.  And as a testament to the fact that I’m not the only crazy person in my household to be eagerly anticipating this trip, all four of us are basically packed.  That’s right.  With the exception of toiletries, we’re just about ready to go.
Crazy, right?  You don’t know the half of it.  We have NEVER packed ahead of time, for anything.  NEVER.  Not in almost 20 years of togetherness and 15 years of marriage.  With the girls, the procrastination has only been worse than it was pre-kids.  But here we are.  Packed.  Ready to leave tomorrow.  See – I am not the only one in this household who’s ready to go.  Even my anti-Disney husband has jumped on the bandwagon.  Which makes him even more desperate to get away than me…
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Chloe Won’t Let Me Take Her Photo

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So I’m stuck using these silly photos instead.  She told me she didn’t care, and when I told her I would document and immortalize her indifference in my blog, she grinned.  
Tomorrow morning we’re hosting an Easter egg hunt for our neighbors’ kids.  And guess who’s organizing it?  The Jew in the family (albeit the heathen non-believing Jew).  Moi.  I don’t quite know how that happened, but it’s pretty ironic if you ask me.  
Anyway, I have at least 75 eggs filled with chocolate that my neighbor and I will scatter around our backyard tomorrow morning.  If I am unsuccessful taking candid photos of Chloe searching for treasures, my lame photographer credentials will indeed be sealed.  
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

It’s Friday and I’m Wiped

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Because I’m so tired, this is going to be a rambling blog entry.  No theme or rhyme or reason. I’m really running  low on photos of Chloe.  I’ll have to take more this weekend.  Nine more days until Disney World.  Can’t wait.  Sophie just farted and asked me if I liked her “proute” (French for fart) and her stinky toes.  Lovely.  I’m 40 years old and my life is reduced to daughters who happily fart and offer up their stinky feet as a present.

I cannot wait to go on vacation.  It’s been a long time.  I’ve taken time off from work, of course – but other than our headache-inducing two-day trip to Great Wolf Lodge last summer, we haven’t gone anywhere in two years.  I think I’ve already mentioned that fact at least ten times on this blog, which I suppose serves as proof that I am DESPERATE to get away.  
Tomorrow I am going to pamper myself with a manicure and pedicure in preparation for our trip.  And tomorrow evening we’re dropping the girls off at our babysitter for a few hours so that we can go to dinner and a non-animated movie.  Yippee.  TGIF.

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

My Little Sophie

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Sophie makes me laugh.  She is warm, loving and funny.  Very funny.   She has a bit of the performer in her, and as Chloe and I were watching “American Idol” tonight, I began to wonder, what if?

What if little Sophie turned into superstar Sophie?  I don’t think she’d be a singer.  Her voice is not very good.  She might end up a songwriter, however, because she’s constantly making up new lyrics to old tunes.  She’s even a bit of a poet, albeit one with a 3-year old vocabulary.  However, I don’t think there’s much superstardom in poetry unless she turns out to be the female Shakespeare of her generation (in which case the fame would likely come post-mortem and be meaningless anyway).  She’s a talented puppeteer and a fairly decent manipulator of emotions – the latter talent might lead to a successful career as an actress.  Once she’s mastered what the letters of the alphabet look like, she might write a bestselling novel, although I think Chloe would be more likely to pen the next literary masterpiece.  If all else fails, Sophie unabashedly loves to shake her booty, as several videos on this blog have demonstrated.  As long as that doesn’t lead to an illustrious pole dancing career, I’d be fine with a dancer in the family.