Dallas Moms :: National Soccer Hall of Fame

I was not into sports as a kid.  I mean, of course we watched the Cowboys on Sundays after church.  And my Canadian father made sure I had a basic hockey education.  My childhood was built on piano lessons and French horn.  Who knew I’d fall asleep and wake up to ESPN as an adult?  You see, my soccer mom story started with a boy, who outside of work, lives and breathes and dies sports.  Now?  I love soccer.  When we found out the National Soccer Hall of Fame had moved to Frisco, we were beyond excited to visit.

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Intro to the Hockey Mom Life

It was all my idea.  Blame it on me.  I thought it was a great idea to sign up our Little Man for hockey at our local ice skating rink.  The cost per class was perfect.  Little did I know we'd quickly jump in for equipment and sweaters.  Now we're all in love, and I'm pretty sure there is no going back!

My dad is Canadian, but we live in Texas.  Hockey isn't in my blood and I didn't play, but I remember when it was on in the background.  We spent a birthday, at my request, eating dinner in the living room to watch a Dallas Stars playoff game in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.  After marrying my sports-obsessed husband, I found a growing love for hockey.

I know nothing about playing hockey, or navigating this world.  My husband always played baseball and wasn't focused on the ice.  We're new hockey parents, but we've received lots of advice from our new, sideboard parenting friends.

Quick tips for getting started in youth hockey:

1. Make sure your kiddo can skate.  Our Dallas Stars Center offers skating lessons and free skate rental.  All the parents encouraged us that it only took a few lessons for their kiddos to stop using the buckets.  Sure enough, Little Man is ice skating on his own after 4 lessons.
2. Don't skimp on the helmet and pads.  Yes.  Your child needs them.  They will fall. Without pads, they will come home with bruises all over their elbows and legs.  Hockey Monkey is really the best place for purchasing hockey equipment online.  They offer daily deals that can save you lots!
3. In-line skates will help your child learn to stay balanced and use both feet to move across the ice.  As you watch at their lesson, you'll probably see your son or daughter favor one leg over the other.  She will only move down the ice by picking up her left foot.  Roller blading at home will help her learn to skate better on the ice!  (Mom is not-so-secretly hoping for a pair herself!)
4. Use new equipment as an incentive to perfect new skills.  One parent told us that their son will get a new hockey stick when he can skate with the rest of the class and not have to use the buckets.  Brilliant! 

We have loved breaking into the hockey world!  I plan to share more tips along the way!

LEGO-Themed Birthday Party

I'm convinced.  LEGO-themed birthday parties are awesome.  For his fifth birthday party, Little Man picked his current obsession to celebrate with his friends.  He only has eyes for LEGO these days.  That made it easy to find décor and plan for his birthday party.

We celebrate birthdays every year, but we only plan to throw parties for ages one, five, and ten.  We'll figure out the teenage years as we get closer.  That meant that this was a pretty big day.  I wanted the party to have all the things my kiddo wanted.  Going in, it was just a generic LEGO-themed party.  Two days before, our kiddo decided he wanted a LEGO Masters birthday party.  Slow down, Little Man.  Mama can't change things up that fast.  However, we came across Lego Masters tote bags at the LEGO store, and the cashiers hooked us up with tote bags to carry home party favors.

The LEGO Details

1. We ordered our cake from my favorite local bakery, Cake Bar.  I made sure to add LEGO Minifigures as the cake decorations, per request.  
2. The LEGO cookies were the talk of the party, made by my friend who owns Oso Sweet Cookie Co.  She does amazing work and I couldn't wait to see what she came up with for our LEGO-themed party!
3. I kept things super simple for the party supplies, sticking with primary colors for the table cloth, plastic wear and paper plates!
4. Our friends went home with these colorful tumbler cups with Minifigure decals, and baseplates which also served as cups for the party and table decor!
5. Fab Everyday helped inspire me for our LEGO-themed party.  I used LEGO creations already built as decorations for the party, including a T-Rex made last year at Christmas.
6. I also found white LEGO storage containers for the tablescape.  I wanted to include LEGO on the table in case our friends wanted to create while they ate cake!  I filled white ramekins with LEGO to keep them busy.
7. We had a bounce house outside and it was a beautiful day, perfect to be outside!  For breaks from jumping, I put out bins of LEGO inside.  Toward the end of the party, many of the kids were ready to relax and make their own LEGO creations.

What a fun way to celebrate our Little Man on his fifth birthday!