Today I am grateful for...
1. Below zero temperatures and biting wind. (not really, just trying to find the positive aspect of the current weather)
2. The O'clock hour with Pam from the paper. The boys are super excited that Pam stopped by and took their pictures with the snowmen we made for the paper this week.
3. The dogs didn't eat the bread today!! Yeah!!!!!! We are on a two day streak that Raven hasn't got the bread off of the counter and eaten the entire loaf. Knock on wood our luck continues - I think the grocery stores are starting to wonder what in the world I do with so much bread since I buy a loaf a day because of the dog.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday Gratitude Journal...
Yes, I'm late again, but I have a good excuse - we didn't get home from the hockey game until late last night.
Today (Tuesday) I am grateful for the following...
1. Getting "pressured" into doing the score book and announcing the high school game. Yes, I know that one of my resolutions was to start saying no this year, but actually once I got over the fear of hearing my voice over the arena speakers it was fun.
2. My mom and the crazy funny things she comes up with. Always makes me smile.
3. Being helping parent for Ty's school. So much fun with a classroom full of 4 year olds.
Today (Tuesday) I am grateful for the following...
1. Getting "pressured" into doing the score book and announcing the high school game. Yes, I know that one of my resolutions was to start saying no this year, but actually once I got over the fear of hearing my voice over the arena speakers it was fun.
2. My mom and the crazy funny things she comes up with. Always makes me smile.
3. Being helping parent for Ty's school. So much fun with a classroom full of 4 year olds.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday Gratitude Journal...
Today I am grateful for...
1. No branches breaking off of our birch tree and landing on our vehicles due to the heavy snow.
2. The large snow fall so that my plowing obsessed husband got to plow snow all day. Ahh the simple pleasures...
3. Getting to have an adult conversation on the phone without interruptions for 5 minutes.
1. No branches breaking off of our birch tree and landing on our vehicles due to the heavy snow.
2. The large snow fall so that my plowing obsessed husband got to plow snow all day. Ahh the simple pleasures...
3. Getting to have an adult conversation on the phone without interruptions for 5 minutes.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday Gratitude Journal...
Today I am grateful for...
1. Snowy days. Finally we got more snow and it's still coming.
2. Fresh trout and watching my husband try to clean it. He NEVER cleans fish, hates to do and usually leaves the fish knowing that either Nick or I (yes my 9 year old can clean a fish better than his daddy can) will come along and clean it. But, he did it all on his own (well with some help from Eric and a call to Papa.) And, I won't embarrass him and tell you how long it took him to clean this one fish (although it was almost a full cycle of the minute hand on the clock!!)
I could have stepped in and helped at any time but what's the fun in that?!
3. Boys squealing as Raven the dog pulled them in the new snow with her harness.
1. Snowy days. Finally we got more snow and it's still coming.
2. Fresh trout and watching my husband try to clean it. He NEVER cleans fish, hates to do and usually leaves the fish knowing that either Nick or I (yes my 9 year old can clean a fish better than his daddy can) will come along and clean it. But, he did it all on his own (well with some help from Eric and a call to Papa.) And, I won't embarrass him and tell you how long it took him to clean this one fish (although it was almost a full cycle of the minute hand on the clock!!)
I could have stepped in and helped at any time but what's the fun in that?!
3. Boys squealing as Raven the dog pulled them in the new snow with her harness.
Saturday Gratitude Journal...
Today (Saturday) I am greatful for the following...
1. Cancelled hockey games.
2. Generous afmily/community who donated HUNDREDS of sets of used football equipment to Kurt's football team. Hopefully next year we will be able to have youth football in our school!!
3. Giggles from boys that come straight from their bellies they are laughing so hard. (LOVE THAT SOUND!!)
1. Cancelled hockey games.
2. Generous afmily/community who donated HUNDREDS of sets of used football equipment to Kurt's football team. Hopefully next year we will be able to have youth football in our school!!
3. Giggles from boys that come straight from their bellies they are laughing so hard. (LOVE THAT SOUND!!)
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday Gratitude Journal...
Yes, I know a day late again....
Today, (Friday) I am grateful for the following...
1. Being brave enough to drive across the ice road after school to bring my boys out to the fish house. (more on this in a later post)
2. Eric's quick whit. He always knows how to make me laugh.
3. Bubble baths. (ok everyone who has to use the bathroom do it now! mom is going to take a bath and this door is not opening for 1 hour) ahhh got to love the quiet of the bathroom with a bubble bath. Well ok, in our house it's not quiet - it's kids yelling through the bathroom door asking for help with this or that and me saying "where is your daddy?? ask him to help. no, I am not getting out of the tub to pour you some juice. tell him to say he's sorry, no Ty - nick will always be your brother, I'm sorry you think your heart is breaking into tiny pieces." And finally succumbing to the chaos outside the door and leaving the sanctuary of the bathtub to deal with the drama happening outside the door.
Today, (Friday) I am grateful for the following...
1. Being brave enough to drive across the ice road after school to bring my boys out to the fish house. (more on this in a later post)
2. Eric's quick whit. He always knows how to make me laugh.
3. Bubble baths. (ok everyone who has to use the bathroom do it now! mom is going to take a bath and this door is not opening for 1 hour) ahhh got to love the quiet of the bathroom with a bubble bath. Well ok, in our house it's not quiet - it's kids yelling through the bathroom door asking for help with this or that and me saying "where is your daddy?? ask him to help. no, I am not getting out of the tub to pour you some juice. tell him to say he's sorry, no Ty - nick will always be your brother, I'm sorry you think your heart is breaking into tiny pieces." And finally succumbing to the chaos outside the door and leaving the sanctuary of the bathtub to deal with the drama happening outside the door.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday - Gratitude Journal
I know I am late, but we got home from hockey late last night and I forgot.
Thursday, Jan. 21st
Today, I am grateful for...
1. pink eye - it was nice to have some alone time with Eric in the afternoon since he couldn't go to school with goopy eyes.
2. The high school hockey team winning their game. Very exciting, close game. Good job boys.
3. Peanut butter - without it Tyler would have nothing to eat since the child is living off of it right now. Has it on everything!!
Thursday, Jan. 21st
Today, I am grateful for...
1. pink eye - it was nice to have some alone time with Eric in the afternoon since he couldn't go to school with goopy eyes.
2. The high school hockey team winning their game. Very exciting, close game. Good job boys.
3. Peanut butter - without it Tyler would have nothing to eat since the child is living off of it right now. Has it on everything!!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
New Years resolutions...
Yes I realize that it's almost the end of January, but I figure it's not too late to make my new years resolutions now. And too help me stick to them I am posting them for all to see.
1. Get organized. Not sure if this can truly happen, but I am going to attempt to get better organized. I think my kids would appreciate this especially after this week when I brought the wrong boy to hockey practice!!
2. Buy products made in the USA when ever possible. I recently read something that made me stop and think about all the money I am wasting by buying products not made here and I am now making a conscious effort to read the label before putting it in my cart.
3. Coupons. This also goes hand in hand with my goal of getting organized. My mom pointed out that I should start shopping with coupons more. So in organizing life in general I am also going to try to organize the shopping.
4. Saying no. I have a very hard time with this concept. I can't say no and then get pulled in too many directions and get stressed out. So this year I am going to work on knowing that I can't help out with everything and that saying no is ok. So, if I say no to you it's not personal - just part of my life organizing goal.
5. Gratitude journal. In college I kept a gratitude journal for an entire year. It was a notebook where each night before bed I would write down 3 things that I was greatful for during that particular day. Some days the things I was greatful for were pretty silly, but just taking the time to sit and reflect on the day and be thankful for what you have it important. I found my old gratitude journal in a box in the basement yesterday and decided that I am going to start it up again. But, rather than write in a book, I am going to post them on my blog. I think it will hold me more accountable to continue doing it.
6. "Mommy Time". I am going to try to take 30 minutes of mommy time each day that is solely just for me. Not that I don't love my kids and want to be with them 24/7, but to take some personal time each day just for me is a healthy decision.
So there you go... my new years resolutions a month late. But better late than never.
I'm off to cut coupons now:)
1. Get organized. Not sure if this can truly happen, but I am going to attempt to get better organized. I think my kids would appreciate this especially after this week when I brought the wrong boy to hockey practice!!
2. Buy products made in the USA when ever possible. I recently read something that made me stop and think about all the money I am wasting by buying products not made here and I am now making a conscious effort to read the label before putting it in my cart.
3. Coupons. This also goes hand in hand with my goal of getting organized. My mom pointed out that I should start shopping with coupons more. So in organizing life in general I am also going to try to organize the shopping.
4. Saying no. I have a very hard time with this concept. I can't say no and then get pulled in too many directions and get stressed out. So this year I am going to work on knowing that I can't help out with everything and that saying no is ok. So, if I say no to you it's not personal - just part of my life organizing goal.
5. Gratitude journal. In college I kept a gratitude journal for an entire year. It was a notebook where each night before bed I would write down 3 things that I was greatful for during that particular day. Some days the things I was greatful for were pretty silly, but just taking the time to sit and reflect on the day and be thankful for what you have it important. I found my old gratitude journal in a box in the basement yesterday and decided that I am going to start it up again. But, rather than write in a book, I am going to post them on my blog. I think it will hold me more accountable to continue doing it.
6. "Mommy Time". I am going to try to take 30 minutes of mommy time each day that is solely just for me. Not that I don't love my kids and want to be with them 24/7, but to take some personal time each day just for me is a healthy decision.
So there you go... my new years resolutions a month late. But better late than never.
I'm off to cut coupons now:)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
13 Simple Rules For hockey Parents Everywhere...
I got this off of an email and placed it on our local hockey website, but thought I would also put it on here as well. How true this is...
13 simple rules for hockey parents everywhere
By John Buccigross ESPN.com
“Today, kids, teenagers, adults and Sean Avery don't so much stare up to the trees, clouds, airplanes, stars and 6-foot-9 NHL linesman Mike Cvik as much as they used to; now, most stare down at their cell phones and personal digital assistants. As a result of all this "looking down," we miss so much up in the heavens. We even look down at these things during dinner, hockey games and Heisman Trophy presentations. People even look down at their PDAs while they drive. Who needs a moon roof on a clear summer night when I can play Tetris on I-95 while I soar through the E-ZPASS lane?
This is my gigantic preamble to why you should one day sign up your young son or daughter to play youth hockey at a local rink near you. If nothing else, it gets them away from electronics and teaches them a small slice of humanity that they can take forward through life, a life with more heart and less battery power. The rink's cold robs electronics of their battery power and signal reception, anyway.
So, if you are a first-time hockey parent, or dream of one day spending more than $10,000 and sacrificing weekends for a decade of glamorous youth or "minor" hockey, here are 13 important things you need to know about the youth hockey universe -- and hockey in general"
1. Under no circumstances will hockey practice ever be canceled. Ever. Even on days when school is canceled, practice is still on. A game may be canceled due to inclement weather because of travel concerns for the visiting team, but it would have to rain razor blades and boccie balls to cancel hockey practice at your local rink. It's good karma to respect the game.
2. Hockey is an emotional game and your child has the attention span of a chipmunk on NyQuil. The hockey coach will yell a bit during practice; he might even yell at your precious little Sparky. As long as there is teaching involved and not humiliation, it will be good for your child to be taught the right way, with emphasis.
3. Hockey is a very, very, very, very difficult game to play. You are probably terrible at it. It takes high skill and lots of courage, so lay off your kid. Don't berate them. Be patient and encourage them to play. Some kids need more time to learn how to ride the bike, but, in the end, everyone rides a bike about the same way.
Your kids are probably anywhere from age 4-8 when they first take up hockey. They will not get a call from Boston University coach Jack Parker or receive Christmas cards from the Colorado Avalanche's director of scouting. Don't berate them. Demand punctuality and unselfishness for practice and games. That's it. Passion is in someone, or it isn't. One can't implant passion in their child. My primary motive in letting my kids play hockey is exercise, physical fitness and the development of lower-body and core strength that will one day land them on a VH1 reality show that will pay off their student loans or my second mortgage.
4. Actually, I do demand two things from my 10-year-old Squirt, Jackson. Prior to every practice or game, as he turns down AC/DC's "Big Jack," gets out of the car and makes his way to the trunk to haul his hockey bag inside a cold, Connecticut rink, I say, "Jack, be the hardest, most creative and grittiest worker ... and be the one having the most fun." That might be four things, but you know what I mean.
5. Your kids should be dressing themselves and tying their own skates by their second year of Squirt. Jack is 67 pounds with 0 percent body fat and arms of linguine, and he can put on, take off and tie his own skates. If he can, anyone can. I don't go in the locker room anymore. Thank goodness; it stinks in there.
6. Do not fret over penalties not called during games and don't waste long-term heart power screaming at the referees. My observational research reveals the power-play percentage for every Mite hockey game ever played is .0000089 percent; for Squirts, .071 percent. I prefer referees to call zero penalties.
7. Yell like crazy during the game. Say whatever you want. Scream every kind of inane instruction you want to your kids. They can't hear you. In the car ride home, ask them if they had fun and gently promote creativity and competitiveness, but only after you take them to Denny's for a Junior Grand Slam breakfast or 7-Eleven for a Slurpee. Having a warm breakfast after an early morning weekend game will become one of your most syrupy sweet memories.
8. Whenever possible, trade in your kids' ice skates and buy used skates, especially during those growing years and even if you can afford to buy new skates every six months. Your kids don't need $180 skates and a $100 stick no matter what your tax bracket is. They will not make them better players.
9. Missing practice (like we stated above) or games is akin to an Irish Catholic missing Mass in 1942. We take attendance at hockey games very seriously. Last week, the Islanders' Brendan Witt was hit by an SUV in Philadelphia. Witt got up off the pavement and walked to Starbucks for a coffee, and then later played against the Flyers that night. Let me repeat that: BRENDAN WITT WAS HIT BY AN SUV ... AND PLAYED THAT NIGHT! Re-read that sentence 56 times a night to your child when they have a case of the sniffles and want to stay home to watch an "iCarly" marathon. By, the way Philadelphia police cited Witt for two minutes in jail for obstruction. Witt will appeal.
10. Teach your kids not to celebrate too much after a goal if your team is winning or losing by a lot. And by all means, tell them celebrate with the team. After they score, tell them not to skate away from their teammates like soccer players. Find the person who passed you the puck and tell him or her, "Great pass." We have immediate group hugs in hockey following a short, instinctive reaction from the goal scorer. I am proud of my boy for a lot of things, but I am most proud at how excited he gets when a teammate scores a goal. He is Alex Ovechkin in this regard.
11. There is no such thing as running up the score in hockey. This is understood at every level. It's very difficult to score goals and unexplainably exhilarating when one does. Now, if we get to 14-1, we may want to take our foot off the gas a tad.
12. Unless their femur is broken in 16 places, Mites or Squirts should not lie on the ice after a fall on the ice or against the boards. Attempt to get up as quickly as one can and slowly skate to the bench.
13. Do not offer cash for goals. This has no upside. Passion and love and drive cannot be taught or bought. I do believe a certain measure of toughness and grit can be slowly encouraged and eventually taught. Encourage your kid to block shots and to battle hard in the corners. It will serve them well in life.
Enjoy the rink. Keep it fun, keep it in perspective and enjoy the madness. In this digital world of electronics, you may find hockey to be the most human endeavor you partake in. Cell phones run on batteries. Hockey players run on blood. Blood is warmer. Welcome. “
13 simple rules for hockey parents everywhere
By John Buccigross ESPN.com
“Today, kids, teenagers, adults and Sean Avery don't so much stare up to the trees, clouds, airplanes, stars and 6-foot-9 NHL linesman Mike Cvik as much as they used to; now, most stare down at their cell phones and personal digital assistants. As a result of all this "looking down," we miss so much up in the heavens. We even look down at these things during dinner, hockey games and Heisman Trophy presentations. People even look down at their PDAs while they drive. Who needs a moon roof on a clear summer night when I can play Tetris on I-95 while I soar through the E-ZPASS lane?
This is my gigantic preamble to why you should one day sign up your young son or daughter to play youth hockey at a local rink near you. If nothing else, it gets them away from electronics and teaches them a small slice of humanity that they can take forward through life, a life with more heart and less battery power. The rink's cold robs electronics of their battery power and signal reception, anyway.
So, if you are a first-time hockey parent, or dream of one day spending more than $10,000 and sacrificing weekends for a decade of glamorous youth or "minor" hockey, here are 13 important things you need to know about the youth hockey universe -- and hockey in general"
1. Under no circumstances will hockey practice ever be canceled. Ever. Even on days when school is canceled, practice is still on. A game may be canceled due to inclement weather because of travel concerns for the visiting team, but it would have to rain razor blades and boccie balls to cancel hockey practice at your local rink. It's good karma to respect the game.
2. Hockey is an emotional game and your child has the attention span of a chipmunk on NyQuil. The hockey coach will yell a bit during practice; he might even yell at your precious little Sparky. As long as there is teaching involved and not humiliation, it will be good for your child to be taught the right way, with emphasis.
3. Hockey is a very, very, very, very difficult game to play. You are probably terrible at it. It takes high skill and lots of courage, so lay off your kid. Don't berate them. Be patient and encourage them to play. Some kids need more time to learn how to ride the bike, but, in the end, everyone rides a bike about the same way.
Your kids are probably anywhere from age 4-8 when they first take up hockey. They will not get a call from Boston University coach Jack Parker or receive Christmas cards from the Colorado Avalanche's director of scouting. Don't berate them. Demand punctuality and unselfishness for practice and games. That's it. Passion is in someone, or it isn't. One can't implant passion in their child. My primary motive in letting my kids play hockey is exercise, physical fitness and the development of lower-body and core strength that will one day land them on a VH1 reality show that will pay off their student loans or my second mortgage.
4. Actually, I do demand two things from my 10-year-old Squirt, Jackson. Prior to every practice or game, as he turns down AC/DC's "Big Jack," gets out of the car and makes his way to the trunk to haul his hockey bag inside a cold, Connecticut rink, I say, "Jack, be the hardest, most creative and grittiest worker ... and be the one having the most fun." That might be four things, but you know what I mean.
5. Your kids should be dressing themselves and tying their own skates by their second year of Squirt. Jack is 67 pounds with 0 percent body fat and arms of linguine, and he can put on, take off and tie his own skates. If he can, anyone can. I don't go in the locker room anymore. Thank goodness; it stinks in there.
6. Do not fret over penalties not called during games and don't waste long-term heart power screaming at the referees. My observational research reveals the power-play percentage for every Mite hockey game ever played is .0000089 percent; for Squirts, .071 percent. I prefer referees to call zero penalties.
7. Yell like crazy during the game. Say whatever you want. Scream every kind of inane instruction you want to your kids. They can't hear you. In the car ride home, ask them if they had fun and gently promote creativity and competitiveness, but only after you take them to Denny's for a Junior Grand Slam breakfast or 7-Eleven for a Slurpee. Having a warm breakfast after an early morning weekend game will become one of your most syrupy sweet memories.
8. Whenever possible, trade in your kids' ice skates and buy used skates, especially during those growing years and even if you can afford to buy new skates every six months. Your kids don't need $180 skates and a $100 stick no matter what your tax bracket is. They will not make them better players.
9. Missing practice (like we stated above) or games is akin to an Irish Catholic missing Mass in 1942. We take attendance at hockey games very seriously. Last week, the Islanders' Brendan Witt was hit by an SUV in Philadelphia. Witt got up off the pavement and walked to Starbucks for a coffee, and then later played against the Flyers that night. Let me repeat that: BRENDAN WITT WAS HIT BY AN SUV ... AND PLAYED THAT NIGHT! Re-read that sentence 56 times a night to your child when they have a case of the sniffles and want to stay home to watch an "iCarly" marathon. By, the way Philadelphia police cited Witt for two minutes in jail for obstruction. Witt will appeal.
10. Teach your kids not to celebrate too much after a goal if your team is winning or losing by a lot. And by all means, tell them celebrate with the team. After they score, tell them not to skate away from their teammates like soccer players. Find the person who passed you the puck and tell him or her, "Great pass." We have immediate group hugs in hockey following a short, instinctive reaction from the goal scorer. I am proud of my boy for a lot of things, but I am most proud at how excited he gets when a teammate scores a goal. He is Alex Ovechkin in this regard.
11. There is no such thing as running up the score in hockey. This is understood at every level. It's very difficult to score goals and unexplainably exhilarating when one does. Now, if we get to 14-1, we may want to take our foot off the gas a tad.
12. Unless their femur is broken in 16 places, Mites or Squirts should not lie on the ice after a fall on the ice or against the boards. Attempt to get up as quickly as one can and slowly skate to the bench.
13. Do not offer cash for goals. This has no upside. Passion and love and drive cannot be taught or bought. I do believe a certain measure of toughness and grit can be slowly encouraged and eventually taught. Encourage your kid to block shots and to battle hard in the corners. It will serve them well in life.
Enjoy the rink. Keep it fun, keep it in perspective and enjoy the madness. In this digital world of electronics, you may find hockey to be the most human endeavor you partake in. Cell phones run on batteries. Hockey players run on blood. Blood is warmer. Welcome. “
Monday, January 18, 2010
Hockey, Hockey and more Hockey...
9 hockey games in 3 days...
Apparently Ty must have skated really really hard during his morning game on Sunday because this is how he slept through Eric's game. Never woke up - even with me cheering. This kid can sleep anywhere!!
After re-energizing for his final game Ty got to skate up and receive his medal for the weekend. You would have thought that he won a gold medal at the Olympics for how excited he was!!
Eric had an amazing hockey weekend too. With 2 goals and 4 assists for the three games he played he was very proud. But, the most exciting thing to happen to him was his breakaway and when he shot the puck it bounced off of the goalie's forehead. Even though he didn't get the goal he thought it was cool. Eric's mite team played super hard and really work well together. Can't wait for the next game!!
Ahhhhhhh the life of a hockey family. This past weekend was hockey central in our household between Kurt's highschool game Friday, Nick's double header Saturday and Eric and Ty's Jamboree Saturday and Sunday.
With 4 games in 3 different town's on Saturday all I can say is thank goodness for Grandpa's help and I count my blessings that Kurt didn't have a highschool game on Saturday.
Kurt got home at about 2am on Saturday morning only to have to wake up early Saturday to transport 3 squirts to Greenway for a game. While Kurt had Nick and some of his teammates in Greenway, I picked up Papa and headed for Virginia with Eric and Ty for their Jamboree. After the games in Virginia we headed for Hibbing to catch Nick's final game of the day.
Kurt drove home with Papa Saturday evening (it was trout fishing opener you know!!) and I stayed at a hotel in Virginia with my boys and Kyle. Yes, I stayed in a hotel only 1 hour from our house - but you would too if you had 4 boys with you and would have had to travel back to Virginia again at 6:30am after getting home at 9:30 that night. So, I took the easy way out and relaxed by the pool while the boys swam.
Sunday we were back at the arena for another 4 games with Eric and Ty. Ty was so excited to play in his first "real" games. He skated around with a huge grin on his face the entire time and even hit the puck a couple of times. His mini-mite games are hilarious to watch all the kids are between 4-6 years old and it seems when one of them falls down (which happens often) they all seem to crash to the ice. Very cute.
Apparently Ty must have skated really really hard during his morning game on Sunday because this is how he slept through Eric's game. Never woke up - even with me cheering. This kid can sleep anywhere!!After re-energizing for his final game Ty got to skate up and receive his medal for the weekend. You would have thought that he won a gold medal at the Olympics for how excited he was!!Eric had an amazing hockey weekend too. With 2 goals and 4 assists for the three games he played he was very proud. But, the most exciting thing to happen to him was his breakaway and when he shot the puck it bounced off of the goalie's forehead. Even though he didn't get the goal he thought it was cool. Eric's mite team played super hard and really work well together. Can't wait for the next game!!So, we are home again and preparing for another busy week of hockey. 2 highschool games, 2 squirt games this coming weekend and weeknights filled with practices for all 3 boys. I am so glad that we live only 4 blocks from the arena.
GO TIMBERWOLVES!!
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