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

The Misadventures of Chloe

Leave a comment

Before I begin, this a photo of Chloe with our beloved babysitter, who’s been with us for eight years.  Sophie decided to be camera-shy when I took the picture, but that’s ok.  We’ll get her another time.

Anyway, today we celebrated Chloe’s birthday (about two weeks in advance).  We took her, along with her best friend, to the Big Apple Circus.  And they had a terrific time.  But Chloe’s misadventures started a little bit before we left, and continued well into the evening.  Here’s a summary of her day:
(1) Help Mom put paint samples on the wall of the rebuilt sunroom.  While in the kitchen preparing the paint, attempt to open one of the jars and in doing so, splatter half of the contents all over the kitchen floor and cabinetry.
(2) Buy a souvenir cup at the circus and repeatedly drop it or kick it over, and in doing so, splash half of the contents all over the floor.  Luckily the cup was only filled with water.
(3) Share cotton candy with her friend.  Hold the bag from the wrong end, and drop the remaining treat on the floor.  Try to eat the “clean” side, but not before I grab it from her and hide it in my bag.
(4) Go to a local Italian restaurant for her birthday dinner, specifically chosen by Chloe because they offer good desserts.  Receive a lovely piece of Oreo cake, to be shared between Chloe and her friend.  After one bite, drop the plate (oops! broke the plate) and the cake on the floor.  
(5) Get a replacement piece of Oreo cake, which Papa splits evenly in two for Chloe and her friend.  Bring piece to the edge of the table and proceed to put more of the cake on her clothes than in her mouth.
I kid you not.  All of this really happened between the hours of 2:30 pm and 8:30 pm today.  The only thing that didn’t happen, which happens fairly regularly, is that Chloe didn’t spill any milk.  Are all 8-year olds like this?
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Overdrive

Leave a comment


Our girls were at it again tonight – raising the decibel level to bloodcurdling levels and not always because they were fighting.  I think they’re doing it now because they know that we’ll react to it. 
And when we react, they have us right where they want us.  Sputtering, barely coherent parents with bug eyes and bursting headaches.  Ugh. Kids are so damn manipulative.
Whenever they act up, I dream of the day when Sophie and Chloe have children of their own. When our darling grandchildren drive my daughters to distraction.  And when my girls call us to complain about their children’s behavior, I’ll have a shit-eating grin on my face as I say (without much compassion at all), “Now you know what it was like for us!”
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

A New Room (Almost)

Leave a comment

This image is now outdated.  The insulation has been installed and by the end of the week, we’ll have sheetrock on the walls.  Painting is scheduled to start next Monday.
And soon enough, we’ll have a new old sunroom.  Our living room will once again be free of the girls’ crap (it’s not all crap, but a lot of it is).  We’ll once again have a view of our fireplace, which is currently blocked by our TV.
And all of this for the cost of one year of private college tuition!  Or at least three VERY memorable vacations.  Or a new car.  I can go on and on, but it just depresses me when I think about it.  So I’m not going to think about it anymore.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

I Have a Headache

Leave a comment

I love my girls.  Really, I do.  But between Chloe’s screeching sound effects that prevent us from hearing ourselves think, and Sophie’s blood-curdling screams every time Chloe does something to offend her, I am going to quickly become a major contributor to Tylenol’s bottom line.

Unless the cacophony continues unabated, in which case I may need to graduate to prescription painkillers.  Or replace my two girls with a few more dwarf hamsters – who although incapable of giving hugs and kisses, are QUIET all of the time and a lot cheaper to raise.
As I write this, my husband is upstairs with the girls attempting to get them ready for bed.  But the girls are very good at ignoring us (not something I’m proud to admit, I might add).  As Sophie gets older, the bedtime routine gets more complicated.  And Chloe is incapable of doing what we ask her to do the first time around.  It takes at least several requests before she makes a move to comply, and when she does finally act, she channels snails.
Is there a union for parents?  I’d like to go on strike and demand improved working conditions.
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Piggyback Ride

Leave a comment

Chloe gives Sophie piggyback rides.  And now Sophie gives Gloup and Alubus piggyback rides.  

That said, the novelty of owning pets seems to have worn off a bit. I find myself reminding Chloe to play with the animals more often than I did in the beginning.  You know how it is – favorite Hannah Montana episode or parental (in this case, hamster) chores – which would you prefer if you were 8 years old?
I’m finding that the days are too short since we’ve adopted these two creatures.  In addition to the pre-hamster tasks (get ready for school, homework, set the dinner table, clean up after dinner, take the occasional bath, get ready for bed…), we now have to make sure Alubus and Gloup are hydrated, fed, cleaned, recreated…long live the hamsters.
My Artists & Writers in Training

Au Revoir, Harry Potter

Leave a comment

We heard the patter of not-so-little feet last night at 10 pm.  As they made their way down the stairs, we knew it was Chloe.  She approached us with a bittersweet smile on her face and asked “Can I stay up to finish Harry Potter?  Please? Please?”  She had made it to the epilogue of the final tome – how could we say no?  

Chloe was excited and sad at the same time.  “I don’t want it to end.”  She was unabashedly proud of her accomplishment – a total of 4,198 pages read in less than four months.   Her favorite part of the series came near the end, when Harry and his friends battled Voldemort and the Death Eaters.  Dumbledore and Ron were her favorite characters and the saddest part for her was when Dumbledore died.  She was most surprised by the truth about Snape (who wasn’t nearly as evil as she once suspected).  
Chloe is going to miss Harry Potter and is looking for the next series to dig her teeth into. Suggestions are welcome.  She’s understandably afraid she’ll never find another series that she’ll love as much as Harry Potter.  “J.K. Rowling is such a good author,”  Chloe said wistfully. Perhaps Chloe will be the next J.K. Rowling…
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

School!

Leave a comment

On January 20, we may be inaugurating a new president, but in equally exciting news (at least for our family), Sophie will be starting preschool – three mornings a week.  So that she’s all ready for full-time pre-K in September.  She’s constantly talking about her little friends who are going to school and smiles whenever she mentions it.

Now she’s going to get her chance to join the ranks of the toddler students. Learning her ABCs, her numbers and maybe even how to spell her name.  Her papa is particularly excited about what will surely be her sooner-than-expected ability to spell “Papa.”  We’ll see about that.  One step at a time. 
When I explained to her that she’d be starting school in a few days, she asked whether she’d be going by herself.  When I responded yes, she replied, “Cool!”  I love my girls.  They make me laugh (when they’re not fighting).
Frazzled Working Mom's Fleeting Moments (2007-2013)

Better Late Than Never…Hanukkah 2008

Leave a comment
I just realized that I had been meaning to post a photo of Hanukkah 2008 since the last day of Hanukkah.  Yet another example of time just getting away from me.  I am truly convinced that it’s an age thing – you turn 40 and all goes to hell.  My eyes have also been bothering me.
In any case, back to Hanukkah.  It was very nice this year.  Chloe, as you can see from the photo, loves playing with fire.  The only problem is that we have this miniature menorah – it wouldn’t be out of place in a dollhouse – that has a hard time holding candles.  I think we’re going to have to invest in a new menorah next year.
Sophie’s one obsession during the Hanukkah festivities was blowing out the candles.  We had to repeatedly tell her that such a thing was not possible.  And every time, she’d puff out her cheeks and huff in disappointment.  Oh well.  Life is tough sometimes.

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

I Should Have Known Better

Leave a comment

It was inevitable, I suppose.  I should have listened to my brain last night before I went to sleep because it was screaming, “Take some sleeping pills, you dope!”  Needless to say, I didn’t heed my brain’s sage advice, and I spent half the night fighting insomnia, thinking about all of the work stuff I had avoided thinking about during my vacation.  The upside to this was that I arrived at work this morning knowing pretty well what I needed to do.  The downside is that I felt like puking all day long from lack of sleep.

So here I am at home, having barely survived my first day back at the office, wondering if I’m feeling so crappy because I’m exhausted, or because I’m coming down with something.  I hope it’s the former and not the latter.
In the meantime, because I am now lying in bed (and it’s only 7:15 pm!) being lazy and trying desperately to feel less nauseous, I will not be spending much time on this blog entry.  Luckily, you have the privilege of viewing our future female Kurt Mazur conduct her own version of the Electric Light Orchestra.

A Mom's Ramblings About the Marvels & Mishaps of Parenting, the Joys of Family Travel & the Writing Life