Meet Kimberly Brown, our October Everyday Mom

Name: Kimberly Brown

Where did you grow up? As a military child I lived in six location before I was 10, then in Havelock, NC, until I graduated, went to college and then returned to Havelock.

Did you have any siblings?  I grew up with three sisters and was blessed with two more sisters after I graduated High School.

Where do you live now? Fayetteville, NC

Names and ages of your children: Kaylee Mae Brown 13 Michael David Brown 10

What are your favorite activities with your kids? We enjoy movies, Putt Putt and of course Taekwondo - especially Tournaments.

What are your least favorite "mom chores"? I hate bathrooms and cobwebs you can't reach.

What kid-free activity do you do in your free time? We enjoy a good movie together.

Tell us about your hobbies. Right now my hobby is learning Quickbooks, so much to learn so little time.

Are you involved in any organizations? The American Taekwondo Association (ATA), Village Baptist Church, Chamber of Commerce, Mom's In Touch International, Bible Study Fellowship,

Tell us about your typical day — from the morning wake up until you finally climb into bed. Wednesday is my day to get up early and get the children to school, I get up around 6:30 and make blueberry pancakes and over easy eggs for breakfast. Most days my husband gets the children up and prepares breakfast before school, I am usually up between 7-7:30. Some days Kaylee will wake me early to quiz her if she is testing that day. Michael, my son, usually delivers my first hug of the day to say good morning, he like his dad, is an early bird. On Wednesday I take the children to school and attend a Moms In Touch International Prayer Group. At the Prayer group we lift up our school, our administration, our teachers, our coaches and our children in prayer. When I return home I get ready for our 2 hour staff workout, where we spar for an hour and then work on the art of Taekwondo and our physical fitness. On other days of the week we workout in the living room or in the garage with a video driven workout series, ask me about it, or the free weights and Elliptical and then have meetings till 1 p.m. Following workout or meeting we shower, have lunch and then pick up our children from school. After greeting them and seeing where they may need my help with Math or Science, I will try to clear my desk from all bills, entering them to Quickbooks and then filing them. At 5 p.m. the family eats dinner at the church and attends Bible study, my Bible study is Tuesday Morning with BSF, since I teach each evening at the Academy. Teaching class has always been exciting and very individual.  or me teaching is about helping students to realize their potential and teaching them to reach for it.  Using Taekwondo we can measure our progress and monitor and adjust as we set new goals. Each evening I try too leave in time to say good night to my son Michael. Then check on what Kaylee is working on, say prayers with her and say good night. I may then watch a little TV with my husband, or clear my emails on the computer or both. We try for lights out before 11 p.m.

What advice do you have for new moms? (Other than to enjoy every moment because it goes by so quickly. That's good advice, but we've all heard it before.)  If you do not want to hear the word no from your child's mouth, then do NOT use it. Young children do not understand the concept of negation, when you tell them don't you are actually telling them DO. We wonder why are children do what we just asked them not to do.

Do you have a time-saving tip to share with other moms? (This can be anything. Cooking, cleaning, organizing.) Make your bed everyday! Clean up the kitchen as you go. Let the kids in the kitchen at a young age and spend quality time teaching them so they love sharing the workload with you. 

Share your favorite 30-minute (or less!) recipe. Chicken tenderloins with a jar of sliced green olives (juice and all), sliced onion and some Italian Dressing, cooked on the stove over medium heat, preferably with a glass lid for the pan. I serve it with Couscous, steamed broccoli and vegetable of the children's choice. I cook the chicken straight from frozen.

What is most challenging at your children's ages? For Kaylee, 13, she is balancing her own independent actions with working together with her family. She has strong ideas of how things should be done and prefers things her way. This can cause conflict.

Michael, 10, he is very independent and self entertaining, he can get lost in a good book or a DS game, keeping him on track to get important things done first. He really likes to do things his way.

What is most rewarding at their ages? They are very independent, free thinkers. I enjoy giving them enough room so that they can take charge and make their own decisions. I am amazed at what they think and how they solve problems. I feel blessed when I have an open mind and let them teach me a thing or two.

From your experience, is the label "Terrible Twos" accurate or should it be the "Terrible Tweens"? We never had terrible 2's, we worked with 3-5 yr olds for 5 years before Kaylee reached 2 years, and we had a wonderful childhood. Early I learned to affirm her by saying, "Mommy likes it when you ..." or "Oh, that was not very nice."

I think tween years are similar in that our young adults are trying to establish a level of independence. I feel that we have been able to give the freedom that has been needed to empower them. These years have been more mouthy and we have been diligent about addressing the respect and cooperation immediately.

In both cases I think due diligence to address the problems lovingly but firmly and as a parent keeps these years from being terrible. Children at this age do not need their parents to be their "friends", they need a friendly guide, being friends with your child creates a power struggle and those who don't recognize the struggle are likely losing.

What do you look forward to most as your children grow? Watching them succeed. Knowing we gave them a foundation that makes them independent and strong yet not afraid to ask for help.

What cartoon character do you have the most in common with, and why? Tasmanian Devil:  I feel like I am in constant motion always working to accomplish something. My husband will say "could you slow down and we could walk." I just want to get there now. He says I'm Jessica Rabbit.

What three words would your children say best describe you? Busy, Loving and Busy

Do you and your family have any special plans for the upcoming summer break? A trip to Spain is inevitable, but which Summer is the question.

What is your favorite children's book (title and author) and why? "When the Rooster crowed" by Patricia Lillie. Its about a farmer who does not want to get up in the morning but when he does he does a lot of work before he even sits down to breakfast. Just think the wife was up before him and has breakfast ready when he sits down.

Anything else you can share about you or your kids? Our children are a gift from God they do not belong to us. Who our children become will be our gift to God.

My Kaylee was born blue and did not breath for about 2 minutes. I cried out to God "Please do not take my baby!" She cried as I finished speaking those words. He let me keep her and I knew that she was not mine but His. She is not only my child but my responsibility. I know that He has a good work planned for her and He is watching how I care for her.