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They Call Me Mommy

By KIMBERLY BROUGHAM KANE

For the Love of Books

Posted March 9, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Filed Under Motherhood | Leave a Comment

I am an avid collector of great children’s books. I collect predominantly picture books that grab me both by the words and the illustrations. I am a sucker for beautiful artwork in books written for little people. I love to be able to point out the marks made by water colors, the stroke marks made by oil paints, the repetitive lines formed by pen and ink drawings. My collection takes up a huge amount of shelf space, but Grand Poobah knows there is no parting with my fabulous collection.

I have friends that understand my compulsion to collect. One in particular not only understands, she does it too! She reads and researches and buys great picture books. In fact, she not only buys them, she wrote a book about them. Yes, a book about picture books.

If you have little ones, you know how important it is to read to your children on a daily basis. More important than just reading to them … read GOOD stuff to them. That is what my friend Cay’s book is all about, and more. She has taken her knowledge of great picture books and categorized them for you so you can find the cream of the crop for your reading pleasure.

[ppc.jpg]

If you are a lover of picture books and would like to encourage others to read to their kids, consider Cay’s book. Whether you buy just one for yourself or order 10 to share and give, you will not be disappointed.

Parenting Isn’t for Cowards

Posted March 4, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Filed Under Getting to know us, Inspiring, My life, Sharing | 1 Comment

Sorry to have been so sporadic lately. We are so busy this season that I barely have time to think much less blog.

I walked 87 miles in February.

I’ve said yes more than no.

We’ve had two Poetry Out Loud competitions and we have the state final on Saturday.

We sponsored a Shakespeare oration contest that will send a dear friend to Tulane on Saturday for the state finals…at the same time as POL.

We had 4H contest days. Chess tournaments. Regional Chess tournament Saturday at exactly the same time as POL and the Shakespeare competition.

We’ve had science fair freak-outs and fixes and now, final plans.

We’ve had our writer’s group meeting and extra visiting with friends.

We’ve had piano lessons and dance lessons and Shakespeare practice and doctor visits and bridal showers and shoe shopping and my list is longer than I could fit on this page!

And Tuesday, I woke up to a pink-faced cherub that is now a pink-torsoed cherub with, I’m pretty sure, Fifth’s Disease. No other symptoms, but all I can think is that all of my very fair-skinned girls sporting bright “just-slapped” cheeks for all the things we have going on from now until the end of the month.

Here I am in the middle of this insanely busy season and I must say, I am loving it in so many ways. I am watching my children bloom and blossom and grow in so many amazing ways. I can see a glimpse of my eldest daughter as a young woman with direction and drive.

I can see a future man in the very near future…much closer than I am ready for right now. I stand next to him and look him in the eye…and I weep for the little boy that is no more. I watch him struggle to find his footing in this body that no longer fits…arms too long, legs that hurt and stretch and grow…too big to cuddle but still wanting to be my baby boy.

My little dancer is getting to dance…and dance she does. EVERYWHERE WE GO. She is becoming herself, out of anyone’s shadow. She is learning how to express her own opinions in a polite and kind way. She is picking up the piano and playing like nobody’s business. And I get to see it all.

And then there is my baby. She is learning how to read. Anticipating a birthday this month…after all the “things” are over, she gets her own very special day. She has already requested cheesecake. But a cake too. And princess stuff. And pink. “And how old will I be again?”

So, back to my title. Parenting isn’t for cowards. It is for the bravest of souls with the strongest of constitutions. You will grow weary but you cannot stop. You will feel your heart break at times, but love will bind the wounds and allow healing. You will feel your very life-flow leave you and enter these offspring you bore. And miraculously, you still live on in their every smile, every tear, every discovery, every breath.

At the end of the day, much like I had today, you will collapse into your bed. You will close your eyes in exhaustion. You will welcome the veil of sleep as it comes…but just before you give in to slumber, you will hear the little whisper of your heart as it says, “What do we get to do tomorrow?”

Wordless Wednesday

Posted February 24, 2010 at 10:04 am
Filed Under Motherhood | 2 Comments

The spread for my sister's shower

The spread for my sister's shower

My mom, me and my bride-to-be sister

My mom, me and my bride-to-be sister

Even Dottie had a new dress for the party

Even Dottie had a new dress for the party

So much love represented here!

So much love represented here!

YES update

Posted February 15, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Filed Under Getting to know us, My life, Sharing | 2 Comments

If you are following my “YES” posts, here is another one to give you an idea of how I’m doing. So far, so good. It is mid-February and I am still trying so hard to not be the “no-Mom” that I have been.

  • Yes son, you can put the new office chair together … all by yourself … without Grand Poobah being here … and I will stay completely out of it.

    •  

Little Man winning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little man vs. the chair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

  • Yes, we can make Valentine’s Day cards. And yes, you can use all of our “stuff” and I won’t even gasp when you cover the entire card in stickers.

 

Sticker city

  • Yes darling little daughters, we can make cupcakes for Valentine’s Day.

  • Yes, we can ice them with pretty pink cream cheese icing.

  • Yes, we can use all of our fancy sprinkles.

    •  

SPrinkle city

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Yes, you can apply said sprinkles all by yourself. Without Mommy rationing them out like she usually does.

    •  

Cupcake love

 

     

  • Yes, eldest daughter, you may go have a victory dinner with your special friends without me. I have to help Grand Poobah with something and I cannot accompany you. (This was a biggie for me because I really wanted to go celebrate too!)

 

POL 2010 1st, 2nd, 3rd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Yes, son, you can upload the digital video for us … without my help.

  • Yes, son, you can make pancakes for your sisters for Valentine’s Day. I only finished up when he got too hungry to continue.

    •  

Pancake love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Yes, we can have “Granny’s Spaghetti” for dinner tonight … even when I had something else planned.

    •  

I truly find myself hesitating now before answering a question. I don’t know if the kids have noticed I’m saving ”no” less often, but I have noticed. And Grand Poobah has noticed.

How are your resolutions going????

 

State POL–Here We Come!

Posted February 12, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Filed Under My life, Sharing, Slight Mommy Brag | Leave a Comment

#1 did a phenomenal job tonight and earned a first-place award for Regional Poetry Out Loud. We’ll be traveling to Baton Rouge next month. Shameless Mommy Brag.

Why? Is there OLD air in here?

Posted February 10, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Filed Under Motherhood | Leave a Comment

 

 Fresh air

 

The response I got from my precious #4 when I told the kids, “You should go outside and get some FRESH air.”

Sometimes, you just gotta laugh.

A Post in which I introduce Friend Linda

Posted February 7, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Filed Under Motherhood | 2 Comments

#1 and I traveled with another mother-daughter dynamic duo to Natchitoches on Thursday night to attend a one-day young writers’ conference at the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts. It is always a stretch for me to travel without Grand Poobah. He is always the driver on road trips, so I am a little tentative when flying solo. Fortunately, my travel companions were full of life and love and laughter, and so followed our trip. Even the steady rain on the eternally dark path through the Kisatchie National Forest couldn’t dampen our high spirits.

Friend Linda and I have very special first-borns. We started our journey into motherhood with sweet little princesses that are growing into fine young women, and for that we are most grateful. Our girls have become best of friends in the last year or so, and it has been a double blessing because so have their moms!

Friend Linda is my spicy, salsa-red friend. She is a pop of color in my pretty vanilla life. She is quick to laugh and so fun with which to share motherhood foibles. In my life, Friend Linda is a polar opposite of me…and I am so glad to have her as a great counter-balance to my somewhat rigid way of doing things.

I am a planner to the nth degree. Friend Linda flies by the seat of her pants.

My pants (if I wore them) would be starched and ironed to a crisp crease. Friend Linda is a wash-and-wear kind of gal. 

I wear color-coordinated shoes and tights. Friend Linda is my Crocs-only pal.

I’m the one that takes some time to get ready in the morning; Friend Linda greets the day with still-damp hair and a fresh face, dressed with an ear-to-ear grin.

I am only 5’3”. Friend Linda is actually a little shorter than me.

I live a life of predictability and routine; my life’s journey map is highlighted and folded correctly. Friend Linda lives a life that would cause me to have a heart attack…breakneck pace and um, what? A map? Who needs it? Besides, she has  an I-phone and can Google anything at anytime.

With all those things seemingly diametrically opposed, I have found in Friend Linda a companion on this road of parenthood that I have come to treasure and love.

See, the most amazing thing about my newfound friendship with this little fireball is that we have the most important things in common, and that makes all the difference.

We share a deep love for our respective spiritual lives. Interestingly enough, I am Protestant. Friend Linda is Roman Catholic.

We share a deep love for our respective husbands. My Grand Poobah has a predictable job with predictable hours and predictable responsibilities. Friend Linda and her Poobah own their own business. A very successful business. A business that requires crazy hours, crazy responsibilities and a lifestyle of flexibility and sacrifice.

We share a deep love for our families that influences every single decision we make. We have chosen different routes than the population at large for the education, rearing and training for our children. We have chosen a different way of living as a unit than many other families may choose. We strive on a daily basis to improve OURSELVES so that we can be an example to our offspring. We want our girls to see us love our men; we want our sons to hear us praise the Poobahs for the sacrifices they make for our well-being.

We share a deep knowledge of how important it is for children to know they are loved just as they are. We have shared our struggles in parenting teens to toddlers; our struggles in affirming and encouraging differing gifts in our different children. We work hard to give each one opportunities to hone gifts and talents. We look for ways to let them shine in their own spheres, something hard to do when you are one of many siblings.

And herein lies the truth of the gift I have been given in my Friend Linda…we could not be more different, yet be more alike.

Isn’t that what true friendship is all about?

January is gone …

Posted February 1, 2010 at 8:48 am
Filed Under Humor, My life, Sharing | 5 Comments

I’ve been keeping track of my walking mileage thus far this year. It makes me smile to see the numbers on my calendar. It also makes me smile broadly to see the total for January.

94 miles.

Yes, I’ve walked 94 miles since January 1.

Pretty cool, huh? That means I could walk over 1000 miles this year.

Hello? Is there anyone out there? I am shamelessly looking for a pat on the back, people.

That is all.

Wordless Wednesday

Posted January 27, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Filed Under Celebrations, Slight Mommy Brag, Wordless Wednesday | 2 Comments

Eric D., Grace D, Erica McCreedy, Ms. Susan Gerhart, #1 and Bekah U.

Eric D., Grace D, Erica McCreedy, Ms. Susan Gerhart, #1 and Bekah U. Friends and Victors Together

 

Friends and victors together!

Friends and victors together!

#1 won first place last night … for the second year in a row … at Central Library’s portion of Poetry Out Loud. She will compete in two weeks at Regionals. Hoping for a return to the state competition in Baton Rouge.

Tim Hawkins

Posted January 24, 2010 at 8:46 am
Filed Under Motherhood | Leave a Comment

He is officially one of the funniest guys I’ve ever seen. My face still hurts from laughing so much last night. I’ll update with a few highlights later. Just know it pays to know the right people … and last night, I knew just the right people.

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