It Takes a Village....Part 1

I have always believed that It Takes A Village To Raise A Child.  Steve and I have always chose to surround ourselves with those that had the same value system as we do.  Cora gets so attached to friends that we have always wanted to make sure that she had people in her life that helped her realize her true potential.

When Cora decided she wanted to play hockey......little did we know that by saying the word "yes" that this flood of people would come into our lives and teach us so much about our daughter.  But what prompted this entry was the picture below of Cora and Coach Cail and Coach Spencer.  Last Sunday was her last practice with them.  So I thought I would start my "It takes a village" blog with All that we have learned from our hockey "village".

Cora with Linda during Hockey 101 2010

#1 Yes.....Girls do play hockey!

David Teas teaching Cora how to tape her first stick

#2 Some things aren't meant to be rushed.  Savor the moment.

#3 Your hockey bag can NEVER be too big!

Coach Spencer, Cora and Coach Cail

#4 Cora will move faster if you are following behind her banging a hockey stick on the ice.

Cora with Coach Nate and Coach Matt (Coaches from Summer Stingray Camps)

#5 The one that you think is so rough and tough usually isn't!

#6 You should always consume Hershey Dark Chocolate with a friend!

#7 The one with the most signed pucks in the end WINS!

#8 Friendship knows no age.

Tommy Goebel (Ohio State grad) signing Cora's buckeye necklace.

#9 Just having one thing in common can connect you to someone for life.

Cora with Dan Eves who was traded to the Cyclones.

#10 Saying "goodbye" really stinks sometimes  ALL the time.

Cora with Jake Hauswirth during Skate with the Rays....talkin' hockey

#11The lessons of life are sometimes merely a whisper....We must learn to listen.

Cora watching Nikita during warmups last season. This is my favorite pic of them!

#12 Knowing what success looks like.

Nikita was the first player that Cora decided was her "favorite".  He is really great with her.

#13 Being someone's buddy is a bond that cannot be broken.

We saw Johann the night he busted his teeth and he told Cora that he looked like her!

#14 Looking up to someone is one thing....looking exactly like them is another!

I have always said that I truly hope and pray that these men know they mean to my child.  And I hope that they realize the impact that they have on her.  I love them for loving her and for treating her like the little sister that follows behind and won't go away! 

And to our Stingray friends and to all the players and coaches.....thank you for our life lessons of hockey!

~Cora's Mom

$1 Wash... FREE Dry

Yep....you guessed right....we FINALLY took Cora to the Laundromat!  Go ahead and laugh....but those of you who really know Cora know that this is for real.  You simply cannot make stuff like this up!  So this is how it all started.

Every day we pass this building that had been empty from a video store going out of business.  Then one day we see people in the building working so immediately you start hoping for something really cool to go in there--that is until we see the Coin Laundry sign go in!  So that starts the questions:

Cora:  Momma....what is a coin laundry
Me: It is a laudromat.  A place where people go who don't have a washer and dryer
Cora:  Who doesn't have a washer and dryer?
Me: (After thinking for a few seconds) People that live in apartments....like the Stingrays (hockey players).  They live in apts. and have to do their laundry in another place.
Cora:  Why can't they go to someone's house to do their laundry?
Me: Because Hockey players don't smell very good and I don't want stinky laundry in my house.
Cora:  Mom....you know that you can just follow them around with Febreeze!
*Light Turns Green*
Cora:   Momma....can we please go to the laundromat?

And that started off a month of asking about the laundromat every time we passed it which was every day since it was on the way to school.

So finally decided to take her to the laundromat....let the adventure begin....

Of course we went in the daytime!!  but you can't beat $1 wash and FREE dry!

And of course the rollee carts were her favorite part!

Clothes in!

Daddy helped with the detergent.  And I should insert the warning here for anyone wanting to go to this Laundromat that if you would like warm water to wash your clothes it is actually $1.25 to wash.  Good thing we planned ahead and brought extra quarters!

She "checked" her clothes probably 5 times before they were done.  And it had a countdown on the washer which amazed her!

Ahh  yes.....wouldn't be a trip to the laundromat without breaking the law!

Time to switch the laundry!!

Choosing the proper dryer setting....

And no Welsh family outing would be complete without us saying something to make her mad! :)

She also wasn't too happy about folding her clothes either. 

So this was it....that was our trip!  And although to some it may seem trivial but I truly believe that it is our job as parents to give children the experiences that they crave.  Allow them to just have a taste of something different.  As my friend Jennifer put it...why wouldn't she want to go in it is all shiney and new!  I mean....it had automatic doors for crying out loud!  There are a million experiences like this out there just waiting to be conquered.....for us this one was cheap...$1.25 wash....FREE dry.....

~Cora's Mom

Update: Daddy's home

Daddy is home which means everyone was up at 6am and Cora took her medicine on the first try.....which means:

We were on time today!!!!!

But a quick funny from the car ride to school this morning. 

Cora:  Mommy.....I don't like it when you tell people funny things I say.

Mommy: Sorry about that Cora.  I don't mind if you tell people funny things I say.

Cora:  You don't say anything funny mommy.

Have a great weekend!

~Cora's Mom

beep beep beep...............

Our evening started most fabulously with the early arrival of Steve!  YES.....Home one day early and even rode in on his white horse to save Cora from my evil Mommy clutches!  But because Steve had texted me to tell me they were coming home early I decided to make supper tonight.  The real kind....with a meat,  and veggie and a side.  Crazy I know!!  But it took me awhile to get it going and we did not sit down to dinner until almost 7pm.  That right there is a recipe for drama.....tired + hungry= a funny Cora story!

So let me preface this by saying that Cora has decided that she does not want anyone to laugh at her.  So when she says something and you laugh she gets reallllllly mad!  So it happens often because she says some funny stuff! 

So like I said....I am making a new recipe and it has fettucine with it.  So instead of putting the sauce on hers I just put the noodles on her plate and put some butter on them.  Well that started our dinner.  She didn't want those noodles she wanted angle hair pasta like she normally gets.  So Steve and I are talking about the week basically ignoring her not nice comments about my new recipe!  :(

So naturally the conversation led to our innability to get to school on time (not sure he is happy about the past three days).  So Steve mentions an alarm clock and Cora says "I have an alarm clock".  She has actually had this alarm clock for quite some time as I think I got it at Children's Orchard a few years ago.  So all of the sudden Cora starts getting very upset and starts explaining why she doesn't like this alarm clock.  Then she yells "This alarm clock is broken because all it does is say 'BLAM BLAM BLAM' "  I am not really sure how to spell the noise she was making but I am sure it is Onomatopoeia nonetheless.  But you guessed it.....we busted out laughing!  She got so mad that the veins in her neck were popping out.  I am not sure what she thinks an alarm is supposed to do but she doesn't want anything to do with one that makes noise!

When she left the table, Steve looked at me and said "Get to bloggin' "  I was worried that this one wouldn't be funny.  Kind of one of those you had to be there.  I am confident that she clearly hasn't become one with her alarm clock yet.  But now is as good of time as any to introduce her to a new one.....maybe one that has a subtle "beep beep beep....."

Party Pass

When Steve goes on travel the hardest part of being "One Man Down" is morning time and bedtime. The evening has always been "their time".  He has always been the one to bathe her and read bedtime stories.  I am sure that I don't do things just the way he does them.  In the morning he is up before us and wakes us up at 6am before he leaves. Which is why there is a running joke in the house that Cora is always late for school when he is not here. 

This morning started like any other morning when Steve is gone--rushing around, getting dressed, breakfast made, backpack packed and then I look at the clock.....7:00!!!!!  And Cora still has to take her medicine (which I haven't found an easy way to do yet) and she still needs to get socks and shoes on. Now I put out her clothes for her in the morning but I send her back into her room and she picks out her socks and shoes.  Next look at the clock......7:15.  I start yelling.  Then she is yelling back that she is looking for socks!  Are you kidding me?  There are at least 50 pairs of socks in there.  But to Cora.....she can't just wear any socks!  She must get the "perfect" pair of socks!

Oh yes.....Halloween socks!  So off to school we go and we run in the doors and I am given the blue card that has one more space for me to sign then I have to sign under "conference with the principal"  UGH!  She gets the tardy pass....I apologize to her teacher and I just take a deep breath.

After getting pj's on tonight Steve called and Cora was talking to him while she was sitting on my lap.  He was asking her about her morning and why we were running late.  And then she exclaims....."And I had to get a " PARTY PASS"  I laughed....it was all I could do.  So if I am indeed called to Mrs. Groome's office I will just have to let her know that every once in awhile we need to get a Party Pass and today was my day!
~Cora's Mom