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Day Two in Quebec

It’s day two in Quebec City for my hubby and my Mayor. Fortunately, I got to speak with them briefly last night. I say briefly because my Mayor was more concerned with getting to bed than talking to me. Nevertheless, it was clear they’re having a good time.

When Goalielocks and I went, I did a paparazzi like job documenting the trip. Based on a handful of pictures I received from my friends on the trip, I was starting to think I’d have to photoshop my Mayor’s head on Goalielocks’ body to ensure there was photo documentation of him being in Quebec. My girlfriend did send me a couple of gems. One of my hubby and other hockey dad up to shenanigans (no surprise here.) The other of my Mayor and one of his favorite people Jack.

Thankfully, the Hubby came through tonight with some great photos and videos. Unfortunately, the only picture of the Mayor he caught at Val Cartier (tubing place) was the Mayor in his natural state -i.e eating. The Mayor hit up the Patro for lunch today and was able to trade pins with Teams from Mexico, Japan, Russia and Quebec. Word has it that the Mayor’s quite the pin trader. Apparently, he’s absolutely unafraid to approach the other teams and coaches to secure pins and make trades. That my folks is why he is the Mayor.

My boys also headed up to the Winter Carnival, which we missed out on. Our fist couple of days in Quebec City had windchills -35- -45, so we missed it. The pictures make it look absolutely amazing. I particularly love the one of my Mayor trying to eat an ice sculpture. For those that know him, they’ll tell you the kid can eat. For the uninitiated, I can tell you he comes with three stages: hungry, hangry and satisfied for the moment. It is absolutely imperative that you try to move for hungry to satisfied for the moment. His hangry is mean!

While the boys had a blast up in Quebec City, Goalielocks and I took some time for nature. We headed over to Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge for an afternoon of walking and photography. It took me a half hour to find all of my stuff, but only five seconds to realize my camera’s battery was dead. Oh joy!

It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon here in Florida with temperature in the low 80s and not much humidity. The Everglades are absolutely beautiful. They’re serene and calming with all the beauty nature has to offer.

I was chasing beauty and serenity, Goalielocks wanted adventure. He was certain he had seen a wild boar through the binoculars and was intent on following it. Fortunately, my mom sense (aka common sense) won out and we went the opposite direction.

This trip through the park we saw five gators that were pretty small. We went up to the fishing dock before leaving, but it had been closed down. There were no gators that could be seen although I’m sure they were everywhere.

I also took a trip to the gym. The movement is definitely helping my joints. Unfortunately, I still have quite a bit of pain in my left knee. My right knee, however, has improved markedly. I finished my workout with some ab exercises. I wanted to go back to lifting, but felt it would be too much stress on my knee joints. My new plan is to start next Sunday. Afterwards, I celebrated my run with a fresh ginger shot. Oh, how times have changed….

Here’s one more video of mini golf:

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Peewee Quebec 2019

IMG_7363.jpegIt’s time for Peewee Quebec 2019! For the uninitiated, Peewee Quebec is the penultimate youth hockey tournament in the world. Goalielocks was fortunate to go in 2016, so we’re thrilled that the Mayor has the opportunity to go.

They flew out yesterday, flying to Montreal and then driving to Quebec City. Fortunately for my hubby, his booking faux pas paid off. It turns out they wouldn’t have made their connecting flight to Quebec City due to flight delays. Thankfully, it also meant our friend’s who missed their connecting flight were able to catch a ride to Quebec City. My Mayor called me from the road to let me know they had made it to Montreal and were headed to QC.

Their night ended late last night, while today started bright and early. The Mayor’s team had their first exhibition game of the trip against the Les Esclairuers. It wasn’t a pretty game, but the Mayor had two assists and a good time. After the game, they headed to the Patro to eat.

I can’t wait to hear the Mayor’s impression of the Patro. When we were there the cashier looked like Sloth from Goonies, but with a French accent. It was super cool to see the teams from all over the globe. On our first day there with Goalielocks, his team met the teams from Calgary, Ukraine, Austria, and Minnesota. It’s a pretty unique experience.

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Tomorrow the Mayor’s squad will take on a Czech team before hitting the slopes at Val Cartier. We had an absolute blast at Val Cartier, so I can’t wait to see how my hubby and my Mayor enjoy it. It’s an amazing tubing park and absolutely beautiful. While they’re in Quebec over the next eight days, I’ll be sharing pictures from their trip and our first trip in 2016

Meanwhile in Florida, Goalielocks and I made pan friend ribeye steaks last night. He wanted an appetizer, so we kept it classy with pigs in a blanket (puff pastry since we’re fancy.) Tonight we made home made pizza and French bread pizza with the leftover bread from last night. Goalielocks made the pizza crust for our pie from scratch. We fancy!

I also hit the gym, which felt good. Unfortunately, my joints did not tolerate my treadmill at all. I’ve got a lot of pain and swelling in my knees and other joints. My doc said the pain should abate as my thyroid levels normalize in the coming weeks. I hope she’s right. In the interim, I’m sticking to the elliptical and bike to ensure I’m getting the joints movement with minimal impact. Also taking shots of fresh squeezed ginger and turmeric post workout to help mitigate against the inflammation.

Here’s the video of their entrance this morning, be sure to watch to the end.

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Three Games, Two Rinks and One Tired Mama

It was a three games, two rinks and one tired mama kind of Sunday.  Our day started with a relatively early U16 game against Panthers Red at 10:15.  Concurrently, I was at Glacier in Pompano for the Mayor’s 11:30 schedule.  Of course, you have to be there an hour earlier, so you’re leaving the house a lot earlier than you’d think to get to a 11:30 am game.  This is not aided by the fact that I must have my pre-game Dunkin’, so I built-in additional time for that pit stop.

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Goalielocks had a great first game earning a shut out!  I don’t have many details on the game other than we won, TK had a hat trick and Goalielocks had shutout.  Oh the hardships of the divide and conquer life.  While Goalielocks and his team were marching to victory, the Mayor’s team was off to a somewhat shaky started giving up a goal on the first shift.  Fortunately, they recovered and both goalies closed the door.  The Mayor ended up scoring the third goal off the goalie’s back.  As a goalie mom, I’m not sure how I feel about that, but as the mom of a forward I was quite pleased.   Their team ended up with a decisive 4-1 victory.

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It wouldn’t be February, however, if you weren’t stalking the pointstreak page for all the results in your kids’ divisions.  Goalielocks’ team entered the day in a must win situation. We all were texting all of our contacts to figure out how the games on the West Coast had gone to see our team’s situation shifted.  It didn’t.  This made tonight’s game a playoff game.  Whatever team won the 4:15 pm game would qualify for states.  As a goalie mom with a hyperactive thyroid and a propensity to freak out, this isn’t the game I was looking for tonight.  Thank god for beta blockers.

 

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Our squad came out firing on all cylinders.  They were playing physical, moving the puck and it paid off midway through the first period with a nice goal by MG.  There were plenty of penalties throughout the first and second period with the game calming down somewhat in the third period.  With almost a minute left in the second period, the Hawks put in a shorty on a 2-1 breakaway.  There went my heart rate marching right back up to obscene levels.

Goalielocks’ teammate put in a beautiful goal on a breakaway early in the third.  Ah, yes sweet respite, my heart rate backed off some.   With less than 3 minutes left, the other team pulled the goalie.   There went the heart rate. We ended up getting another penalty, so the last two minutes were played 6 on four.  Oh sweet mother of god, it was the longest one hundred and twenty seconds of my life.  Nonetheless, our squad stood strong til the end.  It was a demanding game and it took a lot to get here.  We’ve had so many injuries, serious injuries that necessitated surgery, that plagued us early and midway through the season.  In the end, their hard work and persistence paid off.  Congratulations Panthers U16 Gold!

I filmed the end of the game on Facebook live and kept filming after the handshake line. It was pretty cool to see how the kids interacted after such a hard-fought game: makes you proud to know them.  In the end, we finally made it home just before or after 7:00 pm.  I’m really not even sure.  Today was a wonderful blur of hockey and rinks.   Thankfully, I was able to get most of the household chores and all of the laundry done yesterday.  Lastly, I head back to my endocrinologist tomorrow and am hoping for some good news, so please keep me in your prayers.

 

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Just Another Saturday

It was just another Saturday spent at the rink. Goalielocks had five games to referee this morning while the Mayor had a marathon practice for Peewee Quebec. Today’s games were Goalielocks first travel games. Fortunately or rather unfortunately, they were mites or as we call them now U8.

For the uninitiated, hockey parent craziness seems to be inverse to the age of the kids. Meaning as the kids age, the parents tend to mellow. At U8, however, every kid is going to the NHL and every game brings an intensity from the parents you only wished to get out of your players.

It’s been awhile since we’ve been in mite hockey, but the cavalcade of cowbells quickly brought me back. I found my seat in the bleachers next to the hubby, so we could anonymously watch him ref.

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Honestly, I only made it through one game. Refereeing is hard enough because of all the rules and all the responsibilities that go with it. When you add crazy parents screaming at you and you’re only fifteen, it’s a whole different world. At least from a mom’s perspective. I think the best part is watching them scream at both refs for not calling penalties forgetting that penalties are assessed at the end of the game. I left, but my husband was quick to point out this cycle continued. How quickly people forget….

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My ref was good with it, which is why refereeing is so good for our kids. You learn so many viable life skills. On the otherhandn I headed home to take care of the laundry and grocery shopping since I had no desire Not wanting to get into a fight. Goalielocks did end up having to eject his first parent. No surprise here, but it was a goalie dad. We goalie parents are a special breed. Long story short, my boy enjoyed his day refereeing.

Midway through Goalielocks’ marathon ref session, the Mayor’s Peewee Quebec practice started. His practice ran from 11:30-5:30 with Coach Shawn putting them through two on ice sessions and off ice. I missed the practice, but the hubby was able to watch most of it.

We’re so excited that our Mayor’s been given an opportunity to play at Peewee Quebec. Goalielocks did the tournament three years ago and it was one of the best trips ever. I love Quebec City, especially old town, so I’m bummed I’m going to miss this trip. Nevertheless, someone has to hold down the fort in Florida!

The best part about the last practice before the tournament is getting all the swag. My Mayor was wearing his new hat all night! The pin bag brings back great memories for both Goalielocks and I. I know the Mayor will love trading pins.

Tonight we grilled some flank steak fajitas (recipe below) and served it with grilled onions and roasted peppers for a healthy low carb dinner. Well, mine was low carb as I used romaine lettuce as my tortilla. I know what you’re thinking, I’m taking my life into my hands using romaine lettuce and you’re probably right. The Mayor was deeply offended by our gross dinner choice, so he made himself pizza rolls.

Make it here:

Steak Fajitas:

1 flank steak

1 juice of one lime

2 onions sliced

1-2 lbs of mini bell peppers, sliced lengthwise

Olive oil

Pepper

Salt

Instructions:

If using a charcoal grill, get it started.

Onions:

Cut the onions into slices.

Coat the onions in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place onions on the grill and cook for 15-20 minutes until they’re tender.

Peppers:

Pre-heat oven to 450

Slice peppers lengthwise

Coat peppers in olive oil and season with salt and pepper

Roast the peppers for 20 minutes and remove from oven once the edges have started to turn black.

(If using regular bell peppers, I prefer to cook them on the grill with the onions.)

Steak:

Use the juice of one lime and olive oil to coat both sides of the flank steak. My hubby prefers to rub the steak with olive oil and freshly squeeze the juice over the steak. Use the salt and pepper to flavor as desired and set aside until the grill is ready. Don’t let it sit for too long or it will get mushy.

Once the grill is hot, cook five minutes per side. We cooked ours for about ten minutes and it was medium rare, which is how we like ours.

Let the meat rest 5-10 minutes before slicing at a 45 degree angle against the grain.

And then assemble. I should have taken a picture of the final product, but I ate it too quickly! It’s so simple and so good!

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Not So Super Bowl

After a not so super bowl, it’s been a brutal forty-eight hours.  Seriously, could there have been a more boring game?  I’d go over some highlights, but the only one I can think of is not having to use Melatonin Sunday night because the game put me to sleep. Unfortunately, we learned during the game that the hubby’s cousin was seriously injured in a snowmobile accident.  She’s presently recovering in ICU at the University of Minnesota, please keep her and our family in your prayers.

super-bowl-memes-more-entertaining-than-the-game-was-30-photos-15Yesterday while I was on a conference call, Goalielocks started screaming.  Fifteen year olds usually don’t scream for S&G, so I was concerned.  I quickly ran out and found him with our eldest and beloved dog Maya.   Maya was coughing up blood and Goalielocks was hysterical.   After calming both of them down, I returned to my call and the hubby called the vet from the job.

We were able to get her into the vet late yesterday afternoon.  My Hubby came home early, so he and Goalielocks were able to take her and I could keep working.  No sooner had they left when Athena began crying and howling.   She had spent her day cuddled next to Maya’s side.   Athena loves her sister and is very protective of her.  Literally, she cried the entire time they were gone.

The vet appointment took a long time, so I had to pick up my Mayor from the bus stop.  I had him take Athena out, but she would only pull him to the front yard and not do her business.  She was too preoccupied with Maya not being there. In fact, she broke out of the garage.  Instead of running freely and as quickly as possible as she usually would, she stopped in the driveway again looking for her sister.

Unfortunately, the doctors found a mass in her lungs that they think is lung cancer.  We are devastated.   Maya is our first dog and has been a member of our family for almost ten years.  Truly, she is an integral part of our family.  The boys took it really hard.  Goalielocks spent the night laying next to her making Maya was comfortable.  The next steps are for Maya to go in for an ultrasound and some additional diagnostic testing. We’re hoping to do this in the next week or two.   Meanwhile, I ordered every CBD treat and treatment I could find for dogs.  I’m anxious to see how our doggies enjoy the peanut butter turmeric CBD treats we bought her.   Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Saturday I took the Mayor to get a haircut. As he gets older, he is looking more and more like Jake.  They truly could be twins separated by a mere seven years.  More than that, he just looks old.  He’s not my baby anymore.   Sunday afternoon he had two games, which were fun to watch. It’s always nice to be at the rink ad with our hockey family.  Plus, it wouldn’t be Super Bowl Sunday if we didn’t have a late afternoon hockey game.  More to come on Sundays games and bad hockey parent behavior in a future post.

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Meanwhile, in Minny my parents survived the brutal cold that is January in Minnesota.  They’re presently looking forward to more accumulating snow as the week wears on.  I have to tell you, I don’t miss it at all.  Nevertheless, I’m relieved that my family is all safe and warm and wasn’t impacted by any of the energy outages experienced during the brutal cold.

I’m off to practice a little yoga and read a little Proust before heading to bed.   Please keep our family in your prayers.

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Busy Bees

We were busy bees this weekend.  As I write this (while watching Rent Live), my hubby and Goalielocks are on their way home from Kissimmee after two hockey games.  The squad did great today winning both of their games.  On doctor’s orders, I’m doing my best to take it easier than usual, so the Mayor and I skipped the trip.  We were out and about all day yesterday, so I definitely needed to rest today.

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As for yesterday, it was phenomenal.  We were invited to share in one of the Mayor’s teammates Bar Mitzvah’s.  The morning started at the temple at 10:00 am.  This was the hubby and my first experience with the Bar Mitzvah ceremony.  While it was long, we really enjoyed it.  Honestly, we were pretty stoked when we were able to follow along with the Hebrew even if we didn’t understand what was being said.  The rabbi did a great job explaining the different parts of the ceremony and tradition, so the uninitiated like us could understand it better.  It was a beautiful and moving service that we were proud to be a part of.

After the ceremony, we headed over to the Parkland Golf and Tennis Club for the party.  It started with a cocktail hour that featured hors d’oeuvres, a fried rice and stir fry bar to go along with the soda bar for the kids and an open bar for the adults.  #winning The food was amazing, but knowing that a dinner was coming we tried to pace ourselves.  While we enjoyed the hors d’oeuvres, the boys played outside looking for golf balls.

Shortly after the boys headed outside, we had to corral them back in and into the main dinner and party.  The room was beautifully decorated with a hockey and music theme and a blue glow.  Wisely, they sat us unruly hockey parents in the back at the section 8 table.  Fortunately, this table put us right next to the open bar!  Again we were winning!

The party got started the minute we walked into the room with a DJ, a MC and dancers.  Our boys were quickly dancing on the stage with the boy of the hour along with the dancers and MC.   They were having a blast!  Since we had just eaten the yummy fried rice, they didn’t serve us dinner right away.  First, we danced. Then out came the salad or the adults and an amazing buffet for the kids.

Our table had a blast celebrating.  I often found myself on the dance floor, which felt amazing.  I’m sure my doctor would feel differently, but oh well.  I had a blast with my fellow hockey moms dancing away our fried rice.   The entertainment company had two dancers that choreographed the dance floor, which made it a lot of fun.

Eventually, I made my way back to the table when I saw the main course was being brought out.  While the kids ate macaroni and cheese, pizza and sliders, the parents ate filet mignon with demi glace and chicken breast.  The presentation reminded me of the black and white that I order at Egon in Norway.  It was composed of steak au poivre and pork tenderloin with bernaise sauce.  We loved it because you got the best of both worlds just like our meal on Saturday.

In anticipation of dessert, I headed back to the dance floor with my fellow hockey moms. We danced to some great classic rock and some greats hits from today.  When they were ready to serve us dessert, they switched the music to rap.  I was then greeted at my table by a beautiful chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream, fudge sauce and strawberries.  Yummy!  I was filled to the gills with good food and vodka soda.

Naturally, we headed back to the dance floor.   It was then I came across a magical dessert tray.  A unicorn if you will.  I had to stop and take a picture of the waiter.  He was carrying a tray of snack cakes with shot glasses filled with milk.  Yep, it was as amazing as it sounded.  I should say that while we had delicious chocolate cakes and snack cakes, the boys enjoyed cotton candy, ice cream bar and popcorn.  The party was simply amazing!

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By the time we left the party, it was 5:00 pm and we were ready for bed.  As soon as we got home, the hubby and I both took a nap.   Afterwards, we watched Abdul and Victoria which was amazing.  Dame Judi Dench was, as always, marvelous.  I ended my day with a chapter of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time.

Today the Mayor and I hung out at home and had a productive day.  I caught up on laundry, so I’ll savor the fact that at least for a couple of hours.  I also got all the grocery shopping done (thank you Shipt – save $50 on the annual membership with code mFNjp) baked muffins, got a massage, organized my closet and made chili this evening.  It was exactly the kind of productive, low-key day I needed. Now it’s time to relax and enjoy Rent Live before heading back to Proust.

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Day One Chicago

Day one in Chicago has been fun. We beat the storm in, which was fabulous. In fact, it really didn’t start to snow until nighttime. After leaving the airport in my sexy Buick rental car, we hit Target to pick up some snacks and drinks for the room.

For Goalielocks, Target was just one more delay in eating a nice, hot slice of Giordano’s pizza. We checked out and quickly headed to Giordano’s thinking the storm would stay at anytime. Fortunately, we could leave our groceries in the car as we ate. I definitely miss that ability in Florida where we have to race home so our freezer items don’t melt!

Giordano’s was the perfect anecdote to a long day of travel. Our short layover in Detroit afforded us no time to eat. Consequently, we were quite hungry. The beauty of deep dish pizza, at least for me, is that one piece will leave you satiated for the rest of the day. In fact, neither Colin nor myself ate the rest of the day. Our late lunch at Giordano’s was enough to tide us over for the rest of the day.

The snow was absolutely beautiful this morning. We got about five inches at the hotel. The major roads appear to be relatively clean with some of the side roads still quite slippery and snow covered. I’m truly not looking forward to driving forty minutes southwest for tonight’s game. As for the temperature, it’s still pretty comfortable. The wind, however has picked up quite a bit, which is blowing snow everywhere. Meanwhile in Minnesota, my Mayor and hubby were enjoying sub zero weather.

Our hotel is nice enough and centrally located to the mall and Dunkin’. I dropped Goalielocks and his friends at the mall this morning, so they could do something other than look for ponds near the hotel. While they canvassed the mall, I headed to Ikea. I love that the store reminds me of my Scandinavian travels and the AirBnB’s we stayed in that were filled with IKEA items.

After the mall, Goalielocks and his boys headed back outside to cause trouble. They found some nice snowballs. The majority of which seemed to end up on Goalielocks’ pants and hoodie. He’s now down to one pair of pants that isn’t soaked or muddy. His nice Adidas joggers got a bit muddy after he broke the ice at the edge of the pond. You can only imagine how happy I was upon hearing that story.

While Goalielocks wrecked yet another pair of pants, I decided to do some yoga. I took a risk and did a vinyasa video from Fightmaster Yoga. It felt incredible, but it definitely got my heart rate pumping. I did modify some of the exercises to bring my heart rate back down. I’m not sure if it was the fact I’d only drank coffee today or Graves’ disease, but it was annoying either way.

Meanwhile in Minny, my Mayor is having a blast with his team and has already hit White Castle twice. Like I’ve shared before, he’s got an iron gut. At present, he and his team are playing at outdoor game not far from my Aunt and Uncle’s house. Tonight they’ll head down to the Excel Energy Center to see the Wild attempt to play. Last night, the Mayor got to see one of our favorite coaches and his mite coach, Coach Ryan. It’s awesome how hockey introduces you to great paths and how your paths keep crossing through the game we all love.

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Chicago Bound… Hopefully

We’re Chicago bound hopefully… I say hopefully because we’ve made it as far as the runway in Detroit and now are parked on the tarmac. My hopes of getting into the city and situated before snowmageddon and Chicago rush hour are starting to dwindle. Ugh! I hate driving in the snow and I hate driving in rush hour traffic.

We had a nice flight from FLL to Detroit. Including some vintage Saved By the Bell episodes. They did make me feel a bit old, but also had me reminiscing about Saturday mornings. Afterwards we had a nice run down (don’t worry mom I walked) the terminal from gate A60 to A9. And now we wait!

While we wait here’s some things I’m looking forward to in Chicago:

  • Getting to hang out with my BFF Jenny
  • Hanging out with our hockey family
  • Watching the beautiful snow fall from the comfort of my hotel bed
  • Catching up on sleep after only getting 4 hours of it last night
  • Giordano’s pizza
  • Lou Malnati’s pizza
  • Thankful that I’m not on keto- see above!
  • Finally exploring the Schaumburg IKEA after driving by it for year. It works out since I need more lingonberry and cloudberry jam
  • And especially hanging out with Goalielocks

Good news is we’re ready for takeoff!!!! Chicago here we come!

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And They’re Off

And they’re off to the frozen tundra for a weekend of fun, family and of course hockey. Luckily the Mayor will be playing at our old home rink, so they’ll be plenty of family to support him. It’s also pretty nice that they get to stay at Hotel Grandma and Grandpa instead of a Holiday Inn!

Goalielocks and I will be heading north to Chicago Friday for his tournament. I’m keeping a watchful and anxious eye on the weather. I absolutely hate the idea of having to drive in a snow storm, but at this point it seems inevitable. I look forward to sharing our adventures this weekend on the blog. You can be sure it will include a lot of good Chicago pizza!

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My Favorite Referee

Since 2010, I’ve been a loud and proud hockey mom, now I’m mom to my favorite referee.  Oh yes, my Goalielocks has become a zebra.  The oft maligned position in sports is as critical to the sport as it is criticized.  It’s a tough position with lot’s of pressure in any environment.  When you throw crazy hockey parents on top of that it’s a lot.

There are a lot of great reasons for your kid to become a referee many of which I’ll cover here.  I’ll start with the obvious: they make good money as a teen.  I’m so excited for my second born to have his own income.  There’s no better way for him to understand the value of a dollar then by earning his own.  In order to make the same money at a normal “teen” job, he’d have to work more than double the hours.  With his intense school schedule and travel hockey schedule, refereeing is the perfect part time job for him.

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Selfishly, it’s been nice because I’ve learned a lot.  We’ve got a couple of rule books around the house and I watched some of the modules with him.  Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about the rules from my referee friends.  (Extra bonus is that he now gets to work with these fabulous people.). Nonetheless, there’s still a knowledge gap. Thankfully, when I’m watching a game and have a question about a call or a rule, he can explain it to me.

It’s also a great way for hockey player to learn the game and see it in a different light.  Goalielocks has been in net for close to a decade and before that played out as a forward.  When you referee a game, you see it in a whole different way.  One that gives you appreciate and enhances your knowledge of the game.  What could be bad about that?

In addition, to enhancing their knowledge of the game, refereeing gives young referees the opportunity to learn important life skills. Hockey is a fast game and being able to see and make the right call is awesome.  The ability to make decisions under pressure is a crucial skill that will translate well into adulthood.

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Lastly, and I’m sure I’m missing many reasons, it teaches them conflict resolution.  There will be times that calls are made that coaches, parents and players will disagree with.  As a referee, their job is resolve that conflict as professionally as possible.  These conflicts can be highly emotional and aren’t always easy to solve, but this teaches a valuable life skill.  Where else can a teenager get that kind of on the job experience?

As for my young zebra, he refereed his first squirt game with his mentor.  It was his first full ice game, but he picked up quickly.  As his games progressed yesterday, it was fun to watch him grow increasingly confident in his role.  He capped off his day by scorekeeping a couple of rec games, so he could learn how to use the clock.

For all my Florida hockey parents, your kid can start refereeing at fourteen.  The referee seminars are held in the fall throughout Florida.  If you have any questions, let me know!

Looking for referee gear, you can shop his look here: