All About Kimberly

Sailing Along the Life of Single Parenthood

Monthly Archives: April 2009

Sunday Smile #21 – April 12

I missed last week.  I can’t believe my scheduled posts finally ran out, but I’m back this week with a really fun Sunday Smile.  Hope you like it.

Sunday Smile

Sunday Smile is a meme to share something about your week that brought a smile to your face (and will bring one to your readers). For me this is usually a forwarded message I got….the best one I received that week – the one that made me laugh out loud. So check out my Sunday Smile today and then go back to your blog and post something to make your reader’s smile – a forwarded like message, a story about something that happened to you, or even a photo of a funny moment….Then come back and sign Mr. Linky below so that we can all enjoy each other’s smiles as the week progresses and we get busy.

LETTER FROM A FARM KID

Dear Ma and Pa,

I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Larson by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. but I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.

Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there’s warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food, plus yours, holds you until noon when you get fed again. It’s no wonder these city boys can’t walk much.

We go on ‘route marches,’ which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it’s not my place to tell him different. A ‘route march’ is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks. The country is nice but awful flat.

The sergeant is like a school teacher He nags a lot. The captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don’t bother you none.

This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing.. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don’t know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don’t move, and it ain’t shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don’t even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes.

Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain’t like fighting with that ole bull at home. I’m about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Devils Lake . I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I’m only 5’6′ and 130 pounds and he’s 6’8′ and near 300 pounds dry.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.

Your loving daughter,
Darlene

Where Does The Time Go?

It seems like if I put off one day of blogging, it leads to more and more.  But since this blog is going to focus more on my personal life, I thought I’d check in today and tell you about life at our house right now.

Softball Season – That’s one of our big Spring events. Becka plays with the high school (who only have 2 or 3 games left), and Cameron plays in a community league that has only played their first 3 games with 10 or so left to go.  

Academic Competition – This is big in mine and Becka’s life as I coach several events, and she competes in several events.  We’ve finished our competitions at the district level and now all students who placed in the top 3 at district will compete at the next level of competition during the end of this month at the Regional level.  In some ways this is less stressful as I’m now working with 5 students versus about 15, but this level of competition is also stiffer so those 5 are working even harder than before.  On top of that, I’m trying to secure us rooms for this competition and looking for good business hotels that are suitable for this situation can be time consuming – especially when they send you out to the middle of nowhere for competition.  :)

Easter - Yep, can’t leave that out today can I?  Well, we had storms all day so after the church celebration Easter was sort of a flop this year.  Eggs had to be hid in the house (and personally I find hiding real eggs in the house kind of creepy – what if we didn’t find them all?), and so really it was more like a typical Sunday with household chores to be done.

Standardized Testing – Our state has standardized testing at each grade level from 3 to 11.  This year Cameron is taking her first set of the TAKS tests (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills), and Becka is taking her last. Both HAD to pass this year as 3rd graders must pass the Reading test to move to 4th grade (This test was taken in early March and we already know Cameron passed) and 11th graders have to pass all 4 sections (English Language Arts, Math, History, and Science) to graduate high school. As an ELA teacher, my test was the first week of March, but the other 3 are the last week of this month (as well as Cameron’s math test) so with just two weeks to go everyone is in major test cramming.

End of the School Year – Last week we finished up the 5th Six Weeks which means we have only 6 weeks to go.  With 1 week being dedicated to the TAKS test and one to Semester exams at the high school level, we are actually down to 4 weeks of instruction! We’d be crazy to not admit that we are all tired and counting down!

The End of a Friendship – This has been a sort of emotional/stressful weekend and thus while I thought I’d be posting on each of my blogs throughout the weekend, I’ve actually kind of moped around this weekend. This weekend I had a friendship end.  I think this is the first time I’ve ever had a friendship just end at a moment’s notice. I’ve grown apart from friends of course, but never just had a conversation of “This friendship is over. Goodbye!”  It’s been tough and awkward.  I’m not sure how to react.  I am for sure not happy about the situation even though because of the details involved, I can acknowledge that maybe it was best – best for everyone else involved but me.  

So in a short less than 500 word recap – that’s life at our house right now.  Keep watching as I move this blog into more and more personal, stay up with Kimberly, Becka, and Cameron posts!  :)

Small Talk Six – April 11

It’s another week of the new MomDot meme, Small Talk Six. The object of Small Talk Six is to give us something fun to blog about on Saturdays that also tells our readers a little about us. It’s a great way to make new friends and find out things they would normally never share.

Today’s Topic – One of My Favorites – FOOD!!  :) 

6 breakfast foods that you love or hate

I love breakfast food too so narrowing this down to just 6 is really difficult!  But here you go (in no particular order):

  1. Pancakes
  2. Waffles
  3. French Toast
  4. Breakfast Tacos
  5. Biscuits & Gravy
  6. And the classic: Eggs, bacon, toast meal! 

Yum! Yum!

What are 6 breakfast foods you love or hate?

 

Congrats & Let’s Get Fit

Congratulations to Hedy @penny for my thoughts for winning our Clost Purse Organizers giveaway.  Send me your contact info, and I’ll forward it to the sponsor!

Next up today – Getting Fit.  I mentioned that I have a new review site right? Well today I posted the site’s first giveaway – a set of Sane Fitness Preggers.  If you are pregnant, think you’ll one day be pregnant, know someone that is pregnant, or know someone that might be pregnant one day (okay, does that cover everyone?), then you need to head ove to Southern Girl Reviews and enter to win this great kit.  You won’t be disappointed!

Also, it’s time (well past time) to announce the winners over at A Novel Mind and start listing another week of contests so be sure to head over there to see that news soon.  I’m going to pull winners now!!

 

 

MIA

Yes, I know. I’ve been MIA for the week. Every time I think life is back on track – there is another snafu – life turning busy, technological problems, you name it – I seem to have experienced it lately.  I “think” things will get better now. Life will still be busy of course (it it ever any other way?), but it will be normal busy and not super busy!

We had our district contest for our academic events this past week and did very good. Our students brought home many awards.

Technological Problems – Yes, I’ve had those too this week.

Creating a new Site – Yep, I’ve been slightly distracted too, but I’ve taken the time that I couldn’t be online to do some true blogging soul searching and decided that I need focus.  I don’t like having this one blog that covers so many topics. I don’t survive as well with no focus.  So I’m breaking off into multiple blogs. I’m a little nervous about trying to maintain multiple blogs, but ultimately, I think I’ll do better having a place (here) to keep focused on the personal life – talking about work and family, sharing with you more and more about me through weekly memes.  You already know about my new book blog – A Novel Mind. Next I’m moving future reviews (and hopefully one day contests) to a separate site – Southern Girl Reviews.

Speaking of contests, I have winners to draw here and at A Novel Mind – I know.  Look for winners on both sites listed tomorrow!  Good luck everyone (and hint, hint…if you haven’t entered, I haven’t closed them to comments yet).