What’s your trademark? Is it the way you smile? Is it the cup on Dunkin in your hand? The way you dress? Or maybe it is the way you make people laugh. Each of us has unique gifts, a unique look, unique ideas. Either way your trademark is uniquely yours, so own it.
I get it, trust me I do, its tough to own your fabulousness while fighting through the minutia (aka brave sierra) of the 9-5:00. One of my favorite movies is Office Space. As our protagonist became miserable in his job, he lost himself for a minute. It wasn’t until he decided to make a change that he was invigorated again. In the end, he defrauded the company and ended up in a construction job. Obviously, I’m not advocating defrauding you company, but I am advocating finding and following your passion.
Nobody in Hollywood today or yesteryear, could compete with the awesome persona that was Mae West. Without a doubt , her trademark blonde hair and acerbic wit were and still are absolutely legendary. I love the quote from her below. It’s not what you do or what you say, but how you say it. Say things in your voice. Do things in your own way. Be true to your identity.
As I wrote at the beginning, each of us has things that are uniquely ours. This along with the way we make people feel is our trademark. As I look at my own kids, each has a trademark of their own. Jake’s trademark is his dimples and passion for music. Goalielocks’ trademark without question is his flowing blonde hair and brilliant, inquisitive mind. The Mayor’s is well he’s the Mayor – that’s his trademark. Everywhere we go, people know the Mayor. Certainly. his cute dimples and personality don’t hurt. No matter the pressure, no matter what happens, don’t let life’s up and downs impact you amazingness.
Tonight’s song: Queen Ft. David Bowie Under Pressure
Be the reason someone smiles today! Regardless of how you feel, choose to rise above the fray. Indeed, choose to be kind, choose to be sincere, and choose to champion the beautiful people in your life. Lastly, wishing the blogosphere a very Happy (and sinus infection free) Tuesday!
There are only 28 days remaining until we wage hope at the Purple Stride event in Debbie’s honor. Team Deb Force Five was the top fundraising team in 2016 and the 3rd place team in 2015. Since her diagnosis in 2015, she became an advocate for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PANCAN.) Most importantly, it is our team goal to continue the mission and support the work of PANCAN. PANCAN’s goal is to double survival of pancreatic cancer patient’s by 2020. This is a huge undertaking. Furthermore they cannot achieve this goal without our collective support.
What do Luciano Pavrotti, Count Basie, Joan Crawford, Micheal Landon, Patrick Swayze, Steve Jobs, Alan Rickman, Dizzy Gillespie, Sally Ride and Bill Hicks all have in common? Pancreatic Cancer. It is a disease that does not discriminate against race, income level or even age. Consequently, I had always thought of it as a disease of the elderly, until my healthy friend was diagnosed at 41. It was an enlightenment I could have done without.
Faced with the diagnosis of Stage IV pancreatic cancer, Debbie chose to live life to the fullest. She was a huge advocate for PANCAN and the great services they provide. Significantly, she was the keynote speaker at last year’s Purple Stride event. In her two year fight against pancreatic cancer, Debbie taught me and many others a lot about what it means to live, love, fight, persevere and be brave all with grace and dignity. Debbie will always be a beacon of light in the many lives she touched including mine. This event is a wonderful opportunity to honor her and support her beautiful family. Lastly, I look forward to walking, running, skipping, hopping or dancing with you to wage hope.
Today was a rare free Saturday for this hockey mom and I took full advantage of it. I started my morning up at Burn Fitness for their Circuit Burn class with Danielle. It was my first time taking this particular class, which balances 5 circuits of strength training with running laps. Undoubtedly, I expect to be quite sore tomorrow. Nevertheless the class was a great compliment to my existing regimen. Additional strength training is exactly what I need.
Afterwards, I moved right into my aerial yoga class. This was the second time have taken an aerial yoga class. Since Monica was away, we had a substitute today. Our class was small and our substitute teacher was fantastic. Comparatively speaking, I felt a lot more comfortable on the swing today than I did the first time. I even managed to do a flip today. #progress
The nice thing about these classes is that by 11:15 I had already gotten in a two hour workout (including a run.) While I would have enjoyed sleeping in a bit more, getting my workout out of the way early made for a productive day. Further, since I had two great workouts, I was on the post workout high most of the day. Can I tell you how productive I was today? I actually got all of my errands done! Unbelievably, this only leaves me with household chores and laundry to complete tomorrow.
While I ran errands, Goalielocks had arranged with his teammates to go to stick and puck at 3:00 pm. This would have been nice to know before I got home from errands around 2:30 pm, but that’s okay. The Mayor wanted to go too, but he’s battling a cold so he stayed home. Notice how I still ended up at the rink on my rare free Saturday?
I’ve never seen stick and puck so crowded. The rink was full of hockey players. Goalielocks and his teammates were able to carve off one half of the ice with some other players. There was one that had forgotten his socks and had his shin guards on the outside of his pants. At first glance, he looked a bit ridiculous and like someone that didn’t know what they were doing. That was until he took a shot on Goalielocks.
Straight away it became apparent that this guy was no joke and was a serious player. His shot was a laser. He spent most of the hour shooting on Goalielocks and talking to him. It turns out this guy played in the AHL for the Coyotes and saw some NHL preseason action previously. His last professional stint was in Finland. Due to a burst appendix, he’s currently without a team and is undergoing rehabilitation and retraining in Florida.
You know why hockey’s the best sport in the world? Here’s a pro rehabilitating from a major health condition that took the ice with my goalie and his buddies today. Rather than put on airs of superiority, he worked with and shot on Goalielocks for the majority of the hour. I could see them working together throughout the session. He would shoot 5-6 pucks on Goalielocks in quick succession. Afterwards, he’d give Goalielocks feedback and encouragement. Goalielocks left the rink on cloud 9 today because of his experience with this pro. Admittedly, Colin was proud since he was able to stop some of his shots. At one point the guy’s shot was so hard that when Goalielocks caught the puck in his glove, his glove went flying off backwards.
Lastly, it’s always a good day when both mom and Goalielocks are feeding off our high’s from a workout. The afternoon and Goalielocks’ great mood were quite disparate from his mood this morning. Goalielocks found the anemone dead and that it broke the filter in the process. Apparently our anemone decided to climb onto the filter ending both it’s existence and our filter. Goalielocks was devastated. Fortunately, I was able to get to Petco quick like to replace the filter and keep our clown fish George, star fish Bob and our crab Eugene alive. After a busy day, I’m ready to chill on the couch while watching some Panther’s hockey.
Tonight’s musical interlude is The Cranberries – Dreams. Growing up the Cranberries’ CD was one of the very first that I bought. It remains one of my favorite CDs.
When you’re a busy hockey mom/career woman like me, staying sane amidst the crazy is always top priority. The responsibilities of work, home and hockey (insert sport here) pull you in a million different directions concurrently. Sometimes you feel like you’re caught up in the rack, a medieval torture device, because you’re being pulled so many different directions. So how does on stay sane when juggling life’s many responsibilities? How does one find a way to release the pressure and unwind? I’m glad you asked.
Here’s my Hockey Mom Fit Life guide to staying sane:
Surround yourself with great people. Your squad will pull you through the best and times and the worst of times just like in a Charles Dickens’ novel.
Make staying fit a non-negotiable priority. There is no better way to cope with the stressors of life than taking a kick arse zumba class or running 3 miles. Seriously, it works wonder for both your physical and mental health.
Get in the habit of reading books, not just your Facebook feed. A great novel can lift your spirits and stimulates your mind. There’s nothing bad about that combination.
Take a yoga class. Regardless of what type of yoga class you take or your level, nothing beats the supreme relaxation of savasana. I’ve been waiting all week for tomorrow’s aerial yoga class and its end pose savasana. In the yoga swing, which functions like a hammock, savasana is otherworldly. Undoubtedly, I will fall asleep during the final relaxation pose again. If I had my druthers, there would be an entire class of savasana. (Just a suggestion Monica!)
Eat well 80% of the time. Feed your body and soul with natural, whole foods that will fuel your workout. Additionally, when you fall off the wagon, and it will happen, don’t be yourself up over it. As long as you’re not falling off the proverbial wagon all day every, you should be okay.
Treat yo self! Back to the 80/20 rule, make space in your diet to treat yourself. One of my guilty pleasures, is European chocolates. Can you blame me? I didn’t think so. Particularly, I adore Neuhaus and Leonidas chocolates. A nice box of chocolates will last me almost. I allow myself to have one a day, like the vitamin only better, so I never feel that I’m deprived.
Take a vacation that isn’t related to your child’s sport. This summer we spent fifteen days in Norway as a family. While it certainly was not cheap, it was one of the best experiences of my life. It is a trip that we as a family will never forget. Moreover, it was a nice departure from our everyday obligations and life. Sometimes that’s all you need.
Don’t be afraid to enjoy an adult beverage with your squad and be grateful for Uber.
Pay it forward. Nothing keeps you grounded like giving back and making the world a better place. For me, it’s all about funding pancreatic cancer research in honor of my dear friend Debbie, who was the inspiration for this blog. Pancreatic cancer robbed us of a beloved member of our hockey family way too soon. Consequently, we will never give up the fight to find a cure for this insidious disease. This November, we will participate in our 3rd straight Purple Stride in her honor under Team Deb Force Five. You can join us at the event or you can donate in her honor here at our: team site.
There’s no better way to relax than by listening to fabulous music. For instance, his morning I was rocking out at work to REM, Tom Petty, The Beatles, AC/DC, so tonight I’ll leave you with some REM and No Doubt. C’est la belle vie!
My Thursday started with a longer than normal commute down the turnpike courtesy of a wreck and some rain. It is a proven fact that rain will jack up your commute. Oh and it did! It jacked up my commute both coming and going today. The sad, sorry fact is that it isn’t even snow bird season yet, so traffic is only going to get worse! By the time I got to work, I was feeling beat up. Obviously, it was a namaste in bed kind of day and I got the memo too late.
Nevertheless, I grabbed my Dunkin’ and headed to work. Thank God for coffee and the many hilarious memes popping in on a fantastic group chat. These definitely brightened my Thursday. I can’t say that every meeting was awesome sauce today, but I had a few their complete gems. I’ve been a director for quite awhile, but seeing people develop and come into their own never gets old. I freaking love it. I can’t even express how happy it makes me feel.
Over the lunch hour, we threw an impromptu birthday party in a team meeting for one of our very tenured employees. When I first started in my current department, this person took me and my colleagues under his wings. He made sure we understood the process and helped us in anyway he could. Today we celebrated him and he was blown away. Afterwards, you could see how much he appreciated the gesture. Above all, it was a poignant reminder of how important it is to make sure your employees feel that they are important to you and appreciated.
One of my last meetings of the day was invigoratingUn. I love finding ways to make organizations better through collaboration and teamwork across departments. Who needs silos anyway? Am I right? At any rate, I look forward to seeing how the fruits of our labors can make a difference.
On the home front, my brother sent a picture to the group text of the Mayorworking on the car at my folk’s house in Minny. I can’t believe how young he looks in the picture and how old he is now! Unquestionably, I’m not ready for the boys to grow up. The fact that my youngest is in middle school in mind blowing. Undeniably, I would really appreciate if someone could figure out how to slow down time. It is going far too fast for me. Moreover, I know I’m not alone here.
I’m a mere 8 years from kids being out of the house. I know it sounds like a long time, but I also thought 18 years was an eternity. Turns out it’s not. Jake is now 18 years old and the hubby and I still can’t figure out where the time went. It’s seriously profane how quickly the time has gone. It seems like it was just yesterday, I was a kid watching Madonna on MTV and choreographing awesome routines to her songs. Now she’s oldest to carry an AARP card and I’m old enough to have a kid in college. #mindblown In honor of today’s daily prompt, enjoy Madonna’s Express Yourself music video.
Be Brave, be bold, be unapologetically you! It’s quite the call to action isn’t it? But what exactly does it mean? To me, being brave doesn’t mean mustering up the courage to bungee jump or sky dive. I mean, I guess in another context, it absolutely does mean bravery. Rather, I’m talking about the bravery it takes to get out of bed after life’s darkest night’s. When life has thrown everything it has got in your face, but you still get up, put your make up on, rock your heels and smile, that my friend is bravery. Yeah, it isn’t jumping out of a plane or anything like that, but sometimes not giving up is brave.
Speaking of brave, last Wednesday I wrote about my first Xtend Barre experience. What I may not have shared is that by early Friday, my abs were so sore I could not roll out of bed. In addition to basic movements, I couldn’t cough, sneeze or laugh without significant pain. I was that sore!
I’m obviously glutton for punishment or stupid because I went back for more Barre torture tonight. There was no bosu ball madness in class tonight, which my abs are quite happy about. Adam is a phenomenal teacher. I thoroughly enjoy the class, but am certain that by Friday morning I’ll be unable to walk.
Whether it is returning to a fitness class that kicked your butt or holding your head high after disappointment, be brave. Harness your inner shield maiden or warrior , take risks and own your future. “Audentes fortuna iuvat” remeber Virgil’s wise words “Fortune favors the brave.”
Loyalty is a fickle character trait that is coveted and prized in our friends and colleagues. If you wish to see loyalty in its purest form, look no further than a child or a dog. There is no more of a loyal companion than dog. Young children’s loyalty to their parents is fierce. Of course by the time they’ve reached middle school their more loyal to Snap Chat than their parents. I loved the quote above from Claude McKay because it is totally on point. How can you be loyal to someone else if you aren’t loyal to who you truly are? #mindblown
Why is it at we get older it seems loyalty becomes a rare commodity? Why is that for many adults their loyalty is based on expediency? This is especially true in the workplace, but also exists within many of our social circles. As a kid, I thought of loyalty in terms of my loyalty to people. While this concept is still very much alive in my life, now I think of loyalty differently. Rather than emphasizing a person, I am loyal to my ideals and my ethics. I don’t believe in loyalty by expediency. When I think about what winning means to me, it means winning without cheating. Winning without cutting corners or bending the rules.
I love my family and friends that have become family. These brilliant people, some of who at present are blowing up my phone with phenomenal memes, are loyal people. They’re loyal to their ideals, their friends and especially their family. Perhaps that’s why I so dearly love my hockey family and my friends that became family. A special shout out to my non-hockey friends, who tolerate the insanity of our schedule and our limited ability. We truly appreciate your understanding of our craziness.
$15 billion is a heck of a lot of money. Coincidentally, $15 billion is the size of the youth sports market in America. This figure includes league fees, travel costs, apps to manage teams/organizations and live stream games. Consider that DropBox and AirBnB are both worth only $10 billion, while SpaceEx is worth $12 billion. That’s a lot of freaking money.
At this point, I feel like our family alone has contributed $1 billion. With all three kids playing travel hockey, I feel like we’ve been “hockey poor” for most of our adult life. When I was growing up, our sports followed well defined seasons. Year round participation in one sport, which drives up costs significantly, simply didn’t exist in our youth. Now kids are specializing in one sport early often by the time they’ve started middle school. The problem with specialization in one sport early on is for the increasing incidence of overuse issues and burnout.
There’s a ton of pressure on kids to make both club and school teams as they pursue college scholarships. Its a vicious cycle. As parents we complain about early specialization, but we’re also a big driver in extending the seasons of sports. I read an interesting article on this topic today in the Star Tribune. The author wrote how many high school coaches had been pressured into offering off season training for their programs. This, in my opinion, created a vicious cycle where athletes feel that they have to specialize and work at their craft year round, while coaches feel pressured to coach and offer programs year round.
How do you solve this problem? I certainly don’t have the answers. But somewhere in the middle, there’s gotta be a balance. All I know is that its exhausting and rewarding for everyone involved.
Meanwhile, we had our 5th game of the weekend this morning. My morning was more than a bit hellacious. Sadly, my phone wasn’t working correctly and I couldn’t get the rink info off of it. I sent a text to a group text, but alas we’re all super sarcastic so that didn’t work. Coincidentally, it didn’t help the lack of mimosa situation either, but I digress. As a consequence, I drove Goalielocks to the wrong rink. He was livid (to put it mildly.) Sadly, the game, much like my morning, was a charlie foxtrot. Nevertheless, I’ve added a 16th bullet to my hockey mom wisdom blog reinforcing the importance of showing up at the right rink.
The rest of our day, ascended from the ashes from a crazy morning. Sometimes its all about perspective. Midway through the first period, one of Goalielocks’ teammates got kicked with a skate leading to a deep laceration on the inside of his ankle. In the end, medics had to respond to the rink and his teammate ended up in the ER at the local hospital. Its amazing how insignificant my untimely rink tour of S. Florida became against the back drop of this serious injury. It truly is all about perspective and realizing even our worst morning isn’t that bad.
We spent our super Saturday dividing and conquering. While I traversed the state for hockey with Goalielocks and my two brothers from another mother John and Jon, the hubby stayed in town for the Mayor’s evening games. Since the Mayor was at a friend’s for most of the day, so hubby was able to have a productive day at work. Meanwhile, we spent 3.5 hours driving from the Palm Beaches to Ellenton on 70, which is largely a two lane road. We had great company for the drive, althought I’m sure you can imagine how much fun this drive is.
We actually made great time, so we were able to stop and have lunch on the banks of the Manatee River at Woody’s River Roo. This nice spot is absolute perfection for feeding hockey players, while enjoying a great drink and the beautiful location Moreover, it’s not fancy, so you don’t have to worry about the kids breaking anything. As I sat dockside admiring the beautiful view, I succumbed to the temptation and ordered a mimosa. I had a cup of clam chowder and a salad, while Goalielocks enjoyed the burger. We finished our lunch and headed to the lunch, which was less than five minutes away.
Meanwhile back in South Florida, the Mayor was gallivanting about with his boy JM driving the Kaputa and the bulldozer. As I sat in the sin bin between periods, I caught a video the Mayor had posted on his Instagram that had me in stitches. It was a video of him driving in slo-mo and then speeding by. Honestly, it was the funniest thing I saw all day. When we finally got home after a long day on the road, the Mayor was super excited to tell me about driving both the bulldozer and Kaputa.
Both of the boys’ teams went 1-1 on the day, but both hubby and I were happy with their efforts. While the day was as long as the drive, the time spent was well worth the investment. We only covered a good 380 miles in 7 hours of driving! (Thank you JB for driving our motley crew across the state!) Our first game in Ellenton certainly didn’t end how we wanted it to, but what I enjoy most of all is spending time with my kids and with our hockey family. The Mayor and his team did well this evening winning their game 4-1. My Mayor was stoked that he scored a goal and his usual line mates did equally as well.
$15 billion
The wonderful people that make up our hockey family are incredibly dedicated to their families. Morevoer, they’re invested in their children and super fun to be around. When I look at social media influencers on instagram and beyond, I see people who’s only commitment is to themselves. Whatever commitment they had to their family or their kids is secondary to their own interests. Its sad really. In contrast, the hockey parent life calls for a parent that is selfless. Hockey parents have to be willing to dedicate of time and resources (aka money) to their children’s athletic pursuits. I know some day my kids’ hockey careers will come to an end. At that point, I’ll have time and money to spend on my interests. Until then, I’m committed to living the hockey mom life. In fact, I’ll be back at the rink tomorrow morning for Goalielocks’ game.
