By KIMBERLY BROUGHAM KANE

FYI

Posted August 30, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Filed Under Sharing | Leave a Comment

If you have a young man in your life that is becoming an Eagle Scout , consider this site when looking for a gift.

The eldest son of my dear friend, H., became an Eagle Scout on Saturday. I ordered from this photographer and I was thrilled to get her call when it arrived in Ohio. She said the quality is superb and the photograph just phenomenal. I’ll post a pic of the Eagle and his eagle when she sends them my way.

Paul M., the Kanes in Louisiana are so proud of you!

Tweeting ‘Round the Block

Posted August 30, 2010 at 6:57 am
Filed Under Humor, Motherhood, My life | Leave a Comment

It was a beautiful morning Friday. After the gorgeous and unbelievable harvest moon on Thursday night, the cooler morning temperatures were just icing on the cake.

#1 and I were enjoying our morning power walk and going through the motions of our early hour ritual. See, we meet and greet the same people every morning. We pass the same kids at the bus stop. We give the same Fuzzball a treat. We smile. We wave. We live Groundhog Day on a very regular basis. And we do it all in split-seconds because we are all going at a quick pace in sometimes opposite directions.

With a chuckle, she said, “You know, Mom, our walk is just like a Twitter feed.”

By George, she was right! And thus began our Tweet Around the Block.

@TheyCallMeMommy: Good morning, Randy.

@Randy: Good morning, Sunshine!

@MrMel: I could get used to this! (said in reference to the weather)

@TheyCallMeMommy: I know! Me too! Isn’t it gorgeous?

@BikeRidingGrandpa: Morning! (As he wooshes by with his Marine Corps t-shirt. He has a wardrobe full of them. They make me smile. Semper Fi!)

@FuzzballDash: Hello! I just met you! I love you! Will you be my master?

@#1: Good morning Dashy!

@FuzzballDash: Where is that treat I can smell?

@TheyCallMeMommy: Uh, Randy, you will need to start feeding Dash more…he is walking 2 and 3 laps with us now.

@Randy: LOL!

@TheyCallMeMommy: Mr. Mel, did you see that Harvest Moon last night?

@MrMel: I sure did! I sure did.

RT@FuzzballDash: Hello! I just met you! I love you! Will you be my master? Where is that treat I can smell?

@TheyCallMeMommy: Good morning! (Said to group of kids that actually say hello to us.)

@FriendlyBusWaitingKids: Good morning

@Randy: Who is that Speedy Gonzales? (In reference to my Dad who has pulled away and is hoofing it around the curve.)

@TheyCallMeMommy: LOL! He ate two bowls of Wheaties this morning! J

@Randy: I’m telling you!

@WorkingMomof2kids: Good morning!

@TheyCallMeMommy: Hey! Good morning.

@1stBusDriver: Wave and nod.

@TheyCallMeMommy: Wave and nod right back atcha.

@Randy: Those bus drivers are ruthless! (Said has he crosses over to get out of bus driver’s way.)

@TheyCallMeMommy: I know, especially the second one!

RT@FuzzballDash: Hello! I just met you! I love you! Will you be my master? Where is that treat I can smell?

@KamikazeCardinal: I’ll get you, you redheaded interloper! (Said as he throws himself against the side mirror of MotorcycleNeighbor’s Tundra. This cardinal knocks himself silly every single day, fighting his reflection as if his life depended on it.)

@PorchNeigbor: Morning! (Said with a very pronounced drawl) Your dad is really going this morning!

@TheyCallMeMommy: I know! He doesn’t want us slowing him down. J

RT@FuzzballDash: Hello! I just met you! I love you! Will you be my master? Where is that treat I can smell?

@SueTheSmilingLunchLady: Good morning, Kimberly!

@TheyCallMeMommy: Hello Sue! How is your school year going?

@SueTheSmilingLunchLady: It’s going great!

@TheyCallMeMommy: Glad to hear it. Have a great day.

@BarkingSchnauzer&Sidekick: Bark, bark, bark, incessant and loud bark.

@TheyCallMeMommy: Hush. Hush. Stop it. Go away.

RT@FuzzballDash: Hello! I just met you! I love you! Will you be my master? Where is that treat I can smell?

@BarkingSchnauzer&Sidekick: Bark louder and run closer. Bark. Bark. Bark. What? What is this? A treat? Bark.

@#1: Oh no, here comes Zoe!

@ZoeTheFreakazoidMaltese: Yipyipyipyipyipyipyipyip to infinity.

@TheyCallMeMommy: Zoe, get back. Get back, I say!

@ZoeTheFreakazoidMaltese: Yipyipyipyipyipyipyipyip to infinity.

@TheyCallMeMommy: See you tomorrow, Randy.

@Randy: Have a good day, Sunshine.

And thus we have completed 4.2 miles of Tweeting around the block.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Posted August 25, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Filed Under Celebrations, Motherhood, My life, Sharing, Wordless Wednesday | 1 Comment

Okay, so it won’t be a totally Wordless Wednesday. I was just feeling a little nostalgic about my two eldest children. They were in a Shakespeare production this spring. They worked so hard on their scenes, memorizing their lines, putting together their costumes. My eldest maiden sure makes a handsome beautiful Peter Quince, doesn’t she? And my Little Man … he’s grown about six feet since that photo was taken.

Sigh.

So now they are in a new production. Try outs were last week. My eldest daughter was hoping for a large speaking part. She got one. She was also hoping to actually play a girl. Well, that did not happen. She is playing a guy again … a friar to be exact. You know, I am all about “looking” the part, but let it be known, she WILL NOT be shaving the top of her head to play this part.

Little Man is thrilled with his part … he gets to have a sword fight … and accuse his rival of biting his thumb. Well, not his thumb, the rival’s thumb. Forget it. Read the play, you’ll understand it better.

Neither will play the leads of Romeo and Juliet, but they will play their little hearts out. And I’ll be their faithful line runner, taxi driver, dinner cooker, wound healer, bear hugger. That’s my role. And I’m not changing my hair or growing facial hair to show my loving support. I have to draw the line somewhere.

Saying YES, saying no and writing in pencil

Posted August 21, 2010 at 7:20 am
Filed Under My life, Sharing, YES | Leave a Comment

I spend a great deal of time looking at the calendar lately. Coordinating the schedules of six people in this house plus keeping track of my mom’s medical appointments (for my own information) has taught me to write in pencil. Many weeks require adjusting and repositioning and even complete overhauls to meet our commitments. This is sometimes difficult for me since I tend to be not-so-flexible. However, I have four kids.

I’m not Gumby yet, but I can say I am far more bendable and stretchable than ever in my life.

These last few weeks have definitely been Pencil Weeks.

Last weekend found us hosting our precious friends from Tennessee. We visited them for a few days in May. Their trip to the hot and humid Bayou State was for a much-awaited family reunion. It was the first time in four years they have been back. It should be no surprise to hear that the overwhelming majority of our greetings each day included comments about the never-ending heat and humidity. Evidently four years is long enough to have those types of memories fade a bit. The weather made sure to remind them just what it is like to leave the shower wet and then stay wet the remainder of the day.

My friend S and I had spoken several times about their trip. I knew when they were planning to be gone at various functions and visiting jaunts. I knew what meals they would join us for and I had already pre-made several things. Serving an additional 7 people requires planning!

I had muffins in the freezer, chopped ham for breakfast burritos, and sausage for kolaches. I had also made five pounds of hamburger into PW’s Meatballs for one meal and all the fixings for Crockpot Chicken Fajitas for another. Extra everything was purchased to feed the hungry masses. And thankfully, I wrote it all in pencil.

Things did not follow the schedule in my head. They were uber busy and some days, they did more driving around than actually visiting their family members. I do know they got to see people they hadn’t seen in many years. They were also able to re-visit the church they pastored for many years. It was a sweet time with their beloved congregation.

For us, it meant a few changes to plans and not as much cooking as I anticipated. We also didn’t get to have our heart-to-hearts that we usually fit into visits, but it was so special to have them around and enjoy the laughter of so many children together.

They left Monday morning very early and we kicked back into school mode. Again, I was very glad I wrote it all in pencil. You see, I didn’t have Monday morning’s FLAT TIRE in my schedule this week. For many families, it is not a big deal. For us, it is a major ordeal. We only have one vehicle that we all fit into…and it is mine. Getting the tire fixed requires Grand Poobah removing it, driving it to Sam’s where we buy our tires, getting it fixed, and then returning home to put it back on the SUV. We live 30 minutes away from Sam’s. I won’t just drive over there and wait…I can’t do that. It is not uncommon for a simple tire change to take hours and honestly, I just don’t want to do it.

So, my Monday “things” become my Tuesday “things” in addition to my already booked Tuesday “things.” This means my Wednesday “things” will become my Thursday “things” and Thursday was already very booked. Then one thing on Thursday is moved to Friday, but that didn’t end up working out either. And Friday found us at the doctor’s office with Little Man.

This time of year is so horrible for his allergies. We are almost two years into allergy shots and we were hoping to eliminate his seasonal sinus infections. While he has definitely enjoyed a great improvement in allergy symptoms, this time of year is the worst. When he had a very hard time getting up two mornings in a row and the dark, dark circles appeared under his eyes, I had a feeling we were looking at a sinus infection. And I was correct.

Now my Monday got moved to Tuesday, my Wednesday things got moved to Thursday, Thursday filled quickly with an appointment, try-outs for a play, tire repair and dinner plans, Sam’s shopping and more. Friday we went to the doctor, then the pharmacy, home, then back to the pharmacy. My changed plans from Thursday included moving something to Friday night…and I had to make myself “just say no.” That is a hard thing to learn sometimes.

Now at the end of a crazy week, I am trying to make sure that I also found time to say YES. Remember, that is my word for the year.

YES, you can eat another muffin. They are THAT good.

YES, we will read another book. (We hit the jackpot at the library book sale.)

YES, we can turn up the radio and sing at the top of our lungs while driving to above-mentioned penciled in appointments. (People that know me IRL might find this one hard to believe. However, you can’t listen to Needtobreathe and NOT jam.)

YES, you can pull out the play-doh, again. I’ll just plan on vacuuming again.

YES, I promise to make homemade mac and cheese again. I know you all love it, as evidenced by the completely empty pan and no leftovers.

YES, another bedtime kiss is coming.

YES, Little Man, you can spend your hard-saved money to buy that new electronic gadget you are so wanting. (This was a huge YES for me. And Grand Poobah. But we did it.)

And at the end of another crazy week, I look ahead to more changes in my schedule and on my desk-sized calendar.

I know better than to write it in anything but pencil.

But for sure, all the memories we are making are written in indelible ink.

Wordless Wednesday

Posted August 18, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Filed Under Motherhood | Leave a Comment

Happy Birthday Dad!

Posted August 13, 2010 at 9:27 am
Filed Under Motherhood | Leave a Comment

Happy Day, Poppy Jim

My precious dad is celebrating a big birthday today. We will be sharing our Pizza Night with my folks and then enjoying a Jo’s Party House cake! Yummo.

Dad, may the Lord continue to bless you beyond measure as you pour your life out as an offering of service to those you love.

I am forever grateful for the example you set before me.

And by the way, thanks for the blue eyes. My four blue-eyed beauties will forever be linked to you!

Is it Thursday already?

Posted August 5, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Filed Under Celebrations, General, My life | 2 Comments

Another week is zooming by … warp speed ahead.

We’ve been working hard at our school routine and we’ve actually had a great start to the new school year. It is fun for me to see some traditions repeating themselves as each of the four children do things with our chosen curriculum that my older kids have done. #3 had her turn to run a pizzeria last week. #1 and #2 loved doing this activity when they were her age.

It’s finally her turn!

Here is what pizza night at our house looks like!

Pizza Night--I can bake three at a time now

In other news, my little girls have enjoyed a special dance class this summer. They enjoyed it so much and were so sad to have it end. Unfortunate for us, but fabulous for their teacher, Ms. Colleen is moving to Dallas to pursue studies in dance and musical theater. We hate to see her go, but we are so excited for this next adventure.

Smiling dancers and Ms. Colleen

I failed to take pictures the other night, but take my word for it, I made the best kolaches ever! I’ve made them before, but for some reason, they were extra tasty this time. I used this bun recipe and wrapped it around these small sausage links with half of a slice of cheese. They were unbelievable … and gone in two days. So much for baking ahead, which is what I was trying to do.

Any one have some great make-ahead breakfast ideas? My four little people like variety at breakfast time, and it is hard to make anything “extra” when there are so many of us eating every meal at/from home. Let me know if you have some great recipes to share.

Longing to Linger

Posted July 26, 2010 at 7:40 pm
Filed Under My life, Sharing | 3 Comments

If you have seen a flash of light dashing around Moss Bluff and Lake Charles, it was probably me. I just typed a lengthy, heart-spilling blog post to catch you up on our lives…and Word ate it. Completely. No bones spit out.

So, I will just give you the Sparknotes version.

#1 turned 16. I cried all day. She is my inspiration to be a better mom, friend and woman. I want to be like her when I grow up. Did I mention she is gorgeous and talented? Okay, good.

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen

Little Man is so happy. He is officially 5’ tall. Only three more inches and he tops Mom. His voice is changing and he is literally growing over night. Did I mention he is terribly handsome and talented too?

That's my boy.

My two Littlest Ladies are enjoying the routine of being back on our school schedule. #3 is having so much fun in her new piano books and with her newfound freedom in reading. Everything is clicking and she is now reading for fun…not because Mom said to do it. #4 is soaking up new things like a sponge. She has become quite a little fount of knowledge.

Three princesses

Grand Poobah and I recently celebrated 21 years of married bliss. I still get butterflies in my stomach when he gives me that smile.

We’ve weathered a lot lately. My mother has been hospitalized twice in two months. It seems that when a loved one is ailing, the passage of time is all out of whack. Day becomes night becomes another day. It all flows into one long doctor’s appointment and test-running marathon.

She is doing well right now. She has had some very daunting obstacles to overcome. She has done so with the grace and determination that I would expect my mom to exhibit. My sister and brother, along with their new spouses, have been unbelievable in their support and love for my parents. My dad will forever be the example I aspire to emulate when it comes to commitment and devotion.

Grammy and Poppy four years ago

So why do I long to linger here? Shouldn’t I want to move on through this difficult time at the break-neck speed we are traveling today? Am I coming or going?

I so wish for a way to hold steady for now. My children are growing too fast. My parents are facing so many unknowns. My precious husband and I are blowing through phases and stages of parenthood and relationship that deserve more deliberation and reflection. Can’t I linger here?

Brother and sister

I want to wake up years from now, knowing my mom will still be answering the phone. I want her to be there when my children have their own children. I want her to share in all the milestones yet to come.

I want to always remember what my precious #1 looked like when she turned 16. I want to remember her sweet tears as we both agreed that growing up is not all it is cracked up to be. Here would be a good place to stay…safe as a girl-child in her mom’s arms.

Me and Sweet 16

I want to have my little boy back for a while…the little boy that started out so tiny and frail at less than 4 pounds. I want to hear his “small” voice again. I want to rock him to sleep once more and be able to protect him from the evils of the world. I am not ready to look him in the eye.

And my two youngest blessings…can’t they stay my “little girls” forever? I want to remember to say YES to the craziness of childhood. YES you can play with Play-doh again. YES you can help make dinner, even though it means it will take twice as long. Isn’t time what I was long for today? YES you can sleep in the big bed with me when Daddy travels. I’ll cherish every moment of cold feet against my back and no personal space. YES I will read that same book again, even though you know the entire story by heart and can recite it yourself. YES I will put your hair up in a ponytail again, even though I already did that an hour ago and you took it out, again. YES you can BOTH help make the pizza this Friday, even though it will be a huge mess and take twice as long. YES to all those things I’ll regret saying no to very soon.

2005 ... before there were four.

So, I long to linger. I long to keep things as they are for a while. I know I can’t keep it like this forever, but can’t I wish for it? Can’t today just slow down?

A Little More Wedding

Posted July 16, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Filed Under Celebrations, My life, Sharing | Leave a Comment

: Always love my brother’s smile.

: Lots of love to keep forever

: Feeling the love

: My handsome dad

: My beautiful new sister

: Our precious treasures

: We are all married now.

We are one week post-wedding now. Both of my siblings have gotten married in the last three months. It has been a wonderful time of sharing the joy and love! I thought you might like to see a bit more of the wedding extravaganza. My brother’s wedding was local, so no travel for me … but Grand Poobah and #1 literally got back to LC with no time to spare after being in Virginia. I was so happy to see them last Saturday night.

Life is getting back to some semblance of normal … I think. We start school next week, so don’t quote me on that. I will have a junior, 6th grader, 2nd grader and Pre-K. We are involved in chess, 4-H, piano, a writers’ group and a drama club. I often think I meet myself coming and going.

So, enjoy the smiles and share in our joy.