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First Game

Tonight was the first game of the season! It’s always good to be back at home at the rink even if it took over three hours to get there. In spite of the drive, the voyage is worth its weight in gold. We’ve been coming to the Orlando Labor Tournament for over a decade and it’s always been a good time.

Unfortunately, tonight’s game didn’t end how we wanted to, but it’s not the first game of the season that matters. In fact, it’s the last game of the season that matters most. As expected, the squad was a bit rusty. Moreover, with a couple of new players it will take a couple games for the boys to find their rhythm and chemistry.

Here are my big takeaways from tonight’s first game of the season:

  1. USA Hockey rule changes for 21-25 are glaringly awful.
  2. I hate the change in the offsides rule. To take away delayed offsides from kids playing midget is absolutely nonsensical. I get the intent at the younger age groups, however for the bantam kids and older it does nothing but disrupt the game. Honestly, I’m dreading watching the u18 game tomorrow night. Those players have now played four years with delayed offsides. This is a huge and awful change for them.
  3. Taking away icing on the penalty kill for the older kids is just as bad as the offsides. Again this makes sense for the younger kids (sort of) but not for the older players. Truly, it sucks the life out of the game.
  4. Penalties will kill you everything. We had a lot of player’s in the box tonight making it difficult to win. The game was called tighter than it needed to be, but I don’t know if it’s because the rule changes or because the ref’s style.
  5. Watching my kid play hockey, stupid new rules or not, is still one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. I will always look back fondly on these hockey mom days.

Tomorrow the action doesn’t start until the late afternoon. Consequently, I intend to sleep in and enjoy a relaxing morning in the sauna or pool. As always, I will be live for both boys’ games tomorrow on Facebook at 3:45 and 10:45 pm.

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Back to School Essentials

It’s Thursday night and we’re a whisper from the long Labor Day Weekend, so it’s the perfect time for my list of back to school essentials. While my boys have been in school for nearly a month, the majority of US students will be heading back to school on Tuesday. In honor of those students returning to school here are my favorite back to school essentials.

1. The perfect laptop backpack courtesy of Jansport. I love this bag because it fits a 15-inch laptop. This makes it the perfect bag for students, workers, and hockey moms alike.

2. Hockey Themed Composition books for the hockey players in our life. (About time they have some hockey-themed options on Amazon!)

3. This stylish bento box lunch box. It is perfect for your student or for you (if you ever need to go back into the office.)

4. These fabulous hockey-themed folders. To be fair, they also have several other great sports-themed folders.

5. The perfect pencil case for your son or daughter. This handy item will ensure their locker or backpack remain as organized as possible.

6. Economical and functional three-ring binders. At least here in Florida, my boys’ schools have required these from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

7. A water bottle to keep your student hydrated throughout their day.

8. The perfect calculator for their grade level.

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9. Of course, one cannot write in a notebook or on a test without the perfect writing instruments.

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10. The perfect beverage and cup for mom and dad to celebrate the return of in-person schooling! Huzzah!!!

Wishing all the parents, kids, teachers, and school administrators a safe and happy school year!

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Stir Crazy

Admittedly, I’m going stir crazy since I can’t workout or run. I had hoped to continue the BBG workouts, but I can’t fit my toe in my shoe. Moreover, the workouts contain a lot of plyometric exercises, which would might hard on my toe. In fact, I can’t even practice yoga at this point without putting too much pressure on my toe. Sadly, my workout equipment is currently only serving as my room’s decor.

The worst part of not being able to workout is having no outlet after a stressful day. Fortunately, today wasn’t overly stressful. It, however, wasn’t overly productive either. Needless to say, I’m anxiously awaiting the return of the busy season. Even if it means some seven day work weeks! Since I can’t run or workout, I’ve set aside time to meditate in legs up the wall pose. This definitely helps reset my mood and focus before I set out on my day.



In other news, Piggie has lost ten pounds since starting her diet in June (which is more than I can say for myself.). Obviously, the diet dog food is doing its job. One of the side effects of this new food is that her poop is as dry as saw dust. Moreover, she has to poop a lot more frequently and it takes her forever! Honestly, I find it quite bizarre. Hopefully, she will not need to be on this super expensive food for very long. 

Fortunately, this saw dust dry poop saved me from a Roomba poop apocalypse today. While, I took her out several times during the day. She went to the bathroom in the house while I was working. Unfortunately, this also coincided with the Roomba’s cleaning routine. This wouldn’t be our first Roomba vs. dog poop battle and it likely won’t be the last. In fact, I’ve switched the timing on the Roomba to mitigate the risk of these run-ins. Anyway, since her poop is sawdust dry that instead of smearing it everywhere it pushed it aside. Thank God!

Here’s a list of our day’s activities:

*I’m reading Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel.

*I still can’t run because my toe. I’ll be unable to run for at least four weeks.

*We’re tracking the Tropics here in Florida. The tropics are heating up again. Fortunately, it looks like none of these waves will be impacting Florida.

*Uber Eats delivered my coffee for me today and will do so until we get another vehicle. 

*For dinner, we had leftovers. We cooked enough Sunday and Monday to have leftovers for tonight. Tuesdays are tough as both boys have hockey practice on opposites end of South Florida.

*The word of the day is cookie dough. Let’s be honest, there’s is nothing better than cookie dough when you’re going stir crazy.

*I took my puppies including sweet Anakin for a. I put on his harness every morning. Otherwise, I have difficulty controlling him on the leash. He’s incredible strong and can pull me off balance, which is why I’m now wearing a boot to protect my poor broken toe.