This week’s Avant Garde Parent of the Week is Kimberly from Stinker Pinkers! I love, love, love her and you will, too! Her blog is one of my daily reads and she has two of the CUTEST little boys on this green Earth. Enjoy!
As always, if you'd like to be a Parent of the Week or would like to nominate someone, email me at deluna.jamie@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
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First I'd like to thank my virtual BFF Allie over at Little Baby Fields for nominating me for this. I will admit most weeks I don't feel like parent of the week...in fact most days I joke that I am not going to make Mother of the Year...again! But parenting is a journey...so here we go!
Tell me a little about you- Who are you? What do you do? Do you dance in the car?
My name is Kimberly and I am a new stay at home mom to my two little boys. I run a blog called The Stinker Pinkers, which is a hodge-podge or a hot mess of my mommy life. I am a new transplant to Indiana from Minnesota. I recently left my job as a Social Worker to move here for my husband’s job. Speaking of husbands…I have one! His name is Rich, we've been married for 6 years and he is a great dad and really should be the one featured as the parent of the week…he keeps me sane to be able to be a good mommy. We also have a 4-year-old Shih Tzu who we adopted last spring named Phoebe and an 8-year-old cat named Bridget. Both pets were named after my favorite TV or Movie Characters; Phoebe Buffet from Friends and Bridget from Bridget Jones Diary.
I am an aspiring freelance writer hoping to make a go at that from home so I can continue to be available for my children even when they are in school. I love to write and I am working on my writing skills. What I lack in eloquence in my writing I make up for in personality…ha! ha!
I can’t say I “dance” in the car, I sway and “raise the roof.” I suppose that is a form of dance…but I encourage the boys to car seat dance…that is where you are still safely buckled in but able to get your groove on!
Tell me about your kiddos
Oh my children. My boys are wonderful, sweet, mischievous, curious, naughty and funny. I could rave about all their GREAT qualities and complain about all I have to work on with them, it’s a real balance! Ian is 4 years old. He is growing up so fast and I love the age he’s at. He is old enough to help his brother with things and knows how to listen to directions when he chooses too. He is in preschool, which he really loves and is a smart kid! Dalton is 2 years old. He has been walking since he was 9 months old and has not stopped moving since. He is putting sentences together and plays well independently. He likes trains, that’s his major interest at the moment.
What surprised you most about parenting?
I am going to sound totally naïve when I say this. I had no idea when we choose to have children how hard it was going to be! I must have read every book about being pregnant and forgot to study up on what happens after they are born. The phases are the hardest. Because once you think you’ve mastered the phase they have immediately moved on to something new you have to work on with them. People kept telling me when they were born, “enjoy it! The time goes so fast.” And I thought, “oh my gosh! That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I haven’t slept in 2 days and I have vomit on my shirt and they want me to enjoy this!” But now I do get it. Time with your children does go quickly so I do try and savor the moments and the memories with them.
What one tip would you give other parents?
Don’t take yourself as a parent too seriously. I sure don’t! I think when we become parents we automatically think we have to be this strict disciplinarian, keep our children away from TV, and sing only songs that Barney would sing around the house. One of the best things you can do for your children is make sure that they know you adore them and love them, but the world does not revolve around them. It’s okay to be yourself and be a great parent. I notice a lot of moms trying way to hard at being perfect and making sure their children have everything. I think you should just be you and your kids will ultimately respect you for that! Don’t be something you’re not! As an example, I have two boys. I have felt like I need to start liking sports and encouraging them to like sports. Um…I am a girly girl. I hate sports. It’s not in my blood. So I decided I would wear lots of pink, buy myself pretty Vera Bradley bags and stop trying to be the stereotypical mom of boys and just be who I am. My boys like that their mama is a bit of a girly girl and I think it makes me a better mom because I’m being true to myself.How have you had to be Avant Garde as a parent?
I was raised in a family of all girls. So I have had to learn how to parent boys. Girls play a little more quietly than boys. My boys need to burn energy a few times a day. It leads them to jumping off high surfaces and running around in circles. Winter months are awful for moms with boys. So I started exercising with my boys in the house when we can’t get out. We use a lot of workout videos and dance music and we get into our work out clothes and 'burn baby burn!' My boys think it’s fun that they are “exercising” and I get in a little workout and an activity. Even if it only lasts 10-15 minutes it’s good for everyone!
Thank you so much for allowing me to share some things about my family and why I love being a parent. My favorite parenting quote is: “Parenting the days are long but the years are short!” There is no greater honor than to be chosen by God to parent a child!
Kimberly and Past Parents of the Week: Feel free to grab the Parent of the Week Badge:
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