Category Archives: Treasures from the Archives

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

Shrinkwrapped!

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I have discovered the best new punishment ever (ignore Chloe’s smile in the photo).  All you need is large cellophane bag and a vacuum cleaner.  You put the misbehaving child into the bag, turn on the vacuum, and voila!  Instant immobility.  

Of course, we tried this experiment in the context of a visit to the museum, so it was funny.  In fact, I did it also in order to test its effectiveness.  I couldn’t move anything – not even my pinky.
But imagine the possibilities – Chloe and Sophie swipe at each other.  No problem.  We have told them over and over again that there are consequences for bad behavior.  Until now, none of our consequences have had much effect.  Starting in 2009, however, both of them will be individually shrinkwrapped in their separate corners whenever they transgress.  Although they’ll be able to make noise and eat (and maybe even sleep if they’re tired enough), they WON’T BE ABLE TO MOVE…AT ALL.
Hee hee hee…
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Does One Night a Pattern Make?

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For the first night since before I turned 40, Sophie slept.  Quietly and peacefully.  Without waking up once.  I woke up this morning and slowly realized that we didn’t have a little Sophie in our bed and that I had no nightmarish memory of my husband or me sleepwalking into her room in response to her screaming pleas.

We can only pray that last night marked the dawn of a new day in Sophie world.  Of course, I realize that I’m probably jinxing it all by setting it down in the form of a blog entry, but it’s hard to rein in my excitement at the prospect of getting two straight full nights of sleep in a row, since it’s been so long.
To be continued tomorrow, with what I sincerely hope will be an affirmative answer to the question in the title of this blog.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Ho Ho Ho!

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Sophie was evidently amazed (see hands cupping chin in wonder) at the treasures underneath the Christmas tree this morning.  Chloe was pretty happy, too.
It was a lovely holiday.  Everyone was pleased with their presents, including my husband and Grammy.  We had a yummy dinner of Greek chicken and braised squash last night, and pancakes this morning. Convincing Sophie to wait to eat her chocolate Santa was a bit of a challenge, but I never said it was a perfect day.
Chloe even made progress with Alubus and Gloup.  She was initially very scared to try to coax them into her hands because she was afraid they’d nip her.  But she conquered her fear and each hamster had a turn with Chloe, and she did great.  The hamsters enjoyed their brief extra-cage adventure and Chloe was happy, too.
Chloe has a new favorite game – Life.  Sophie has a new Fisher-Price computer and has made progress drawing the letter ‘K’ and the number ’10.’   Really now, who needs school?
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

It Wasn’t Even Officially Winter…

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…when it snowed last Friday.  I really do not like winter.  And the fact that we’ve enjoyed fairly mild winters these last couple of years makes me nervous that the recent snowfall is a harbinger of what’s to come over the next three months.

I don’t mind snow in of itself.  But our town is so lame when it comes to clearing streets that in addition to school being canceled on Friday, there was a delayed opening yesterday.  What in the hell was that about?  The most idiotic thing about it, however, was that the school district’s web site didn’t even bother putting up an announcement about the delay.  I found out about it on a third-party site.
Were the 60-some hours between Friday evening and Monday morning not enough to clear the snow off the buses?  The town did a crappy job plowing over the weekend, which might explain their inability to open the schools on time yesterday – since the slush on the roads, which hadn’t been properly removed, froze Sunday night.
But we don’t live in Florida – we live in a place where snow is expected.  Perhaps not as much as there used to be (thanks to the increasingly polluted world we live in), but we generally get one or two good storms a year.  I guess the snowplowers were out Christmas shopping over the weekend.  Anyway, for all the obscene property taxes we pay to live here, we shouldn’t have to worry about what to do with our kids three days after a few inches of snow falls.
Anyway, no more snow days until at least January 5.  ‘Cause it’s vacation!
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Chocolate Mousse!

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Chloe, Sophie and their Papa made a huge bowl of chocolate mousse yesterday to share with Chloe’s class today.
What’s the best part about making chocolate mousse, you ask?  Licking the spoons and the bowl after it’s been prepared, that’s what.
Chloe had an international food festival today – of the 13 or so dishes, only three were sweet.  Needless to say, it was a big hit.   We put a heaping spoonful in each of the cups and some of the children (and parents) were not shy about helping themselves to multiple servings.  Sophie was a little uncomfortable sharing any of it, but calmed down once she received her own portion.  The mousse and a Portuguese pastry were the only items that were entirely gone by the end of the party.  
It’s nice and everything that the parents were trying to provide healthy “main course” food for the kids, but at 3 pm what kid wants to eat taco meat or vegetarian Indian food?  I know, my miserable attitude is a good reason why my kids aren’t adventurous when it comes to cuisine, but it’s the holiday season, for crying out loud!  Bring on the sweets!
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Mutant Sophie

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Sophie, Sophie, Sophie.  She woke us up again last night.  Crawled into our bed AGAIN last night.  I love her with all of my heart, I truly do.  But I am exhausted.  She’s exhausted.  My husband is exhausted.  
And the worst part of it is that she’s cranky in the morning.  I’ve always said that the terrible two’s are a misnomer.  It’s the thunderous three’s that are the nightmare. 
Granted, you wouldn’t think so from her lovely double smile in the photo.  She can be a real charmer when she sets her mind to it.  
Today Sophie discovered the wonder of scissors.  This morning, she gave one of her dolls a haircut.  She stopped after we told her that the doll’s hair wouldn’t grow back.  This evening, she took the same pair of scissors and cut off a few of her curls.  The good news is that she has so many curls that her handiwork was unnoticeable.  The bad news is that cutting paper apparently doesn’t provide sufficient entertainment for her.  
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Giddy-Up!

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Sophie the Cowgirl is back.  Sophie the Cowgirl also needs more sleep because she’s still coming to visit us in bed every night.  And shoving her feet in our faces.  Co-sleeping with a 3-year old sucks.  Especially when it’s not voluntary on the parents’ part.
The good news is that I am now on vacation.  So there will be no need to get up early for the next two weeks.  But we may have to resort to chaining Sophie to her bed if she doesn’t start appreciating her mattress again soon.  I am a 40-year old woman who needs her beauty sleep, for crying out loud.  I’m all about cuddling, but on my terms.  And not in my bed at 3 AM.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Vacation Around the Corner

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Tomorrow is my last day of work before a two-year – oops, Freudian slip there – two-week vacation.  And it may start a little sooner than planned, because snow is expected and who knows how long I’ll be able to stay at work before having to rush home to avoid the white stuff.

In preparation for vacation, the girls had more fun with the computer camera this evening.  Predictably, they were in stitches.  That is, when they weren’t arguing whose turn it was to pose for the camera.
No plans for the vacation, except to see a couple of movies, relax with the family and build a new sunroom (or watch a new sunroom being built).  It’s been an eventful year.  Good and bad.  New job, shitty economy, daughters who grow more beautiful every day, Nanny’s death, turning 40…kind of makes me wonder what 2009 has in store.  
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

I Hate Quicken for Mac!

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I need to vent.  Because instead of spending my very precious time writing an enjoyable blog entry about my kids, I am trying to figure out why I can’t reconcile my Amex account in Quicken.  

For all of its faults, I never had a Quicken problem with my PC.  But Quicken for Mac sucks.  And it’s not Apple’s fault, it’s Quicken’s fault.  I can’t reconcile the goddamn Amex account and it’s driving me nuts.
So now I’m frustrated and annoyed and obsessed with figuring out what’s going wrong.  And I don’t know that I’ll be able to figure it out.  Which is getting me even more frustrated and annoyed.
While I’m at it, the other thing that’s frustrating and annoying is that I have no idea what to get the husband for Christmas.  I have one present for him, but I’d like to give him at least one other present.  And he makes my life impossible because he rarely gives me ideas, and when he does, it’s something like – a drill.  Now, some may argue that if that’s what he says he wants, I should just get it for him.  Except that when he mentions the drill, he then adds, “but that’s not a fun gift.”  And then he also adds, “And I’d need to do some research to determine which kind is the best.”  By the time he does his research, I’ll be shopping for next year’s Christmas present.  Call me Scrooge, but this holiday shopping is a pain in the neck.   And so is Quicken for Mac.