I definitely could not let the official start of basketball season at my son's school without commemorating the event with a fun basketball recipe. His team often has celebrations throughout the season and parents are always being asked to bring treats and donate their time. My son and his teammates love cookies and they love anything that has to do with basketball. I thought it would be fun to utilize my chocolate pop making experience to create some delicious basketball cookie pops for them to enjoy. Many of you probably don't know this but I worked at a gourmet chocolate shop when I was in college and learned quite a bit about creating delectable treats with chocolate. But that is a post for another day. In the meantime, check out this fun recipe that is so easy to make! Basketball Cookie Pops Ingredients: Oreo cookies 2 cups orange candy melts 1 cup brown candy melts Lollipop sticks Parchment paper Decorating bag Directions- 1. Lay out a … [Read more...]
Juggling Your Child’s Sports Schedule @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
This past weekend, things got a little hairy around here due to the fact that my son had games scheduled for both of the traveling teams that he is participating in this summer. Normally, we do a really good job of managing his sports schedule for both of his teams but, this time, we got jammed up with games on Saturday and Sunday. Although I realized that it would be tricky for my son to keep up with the demands of participating on two teams, I also know that the more he practices and plays, the better he's going to become at playing basketball. As a result, we have worked out a system for juggling his busy sports schedule and it has helped to alleviate some of the stress associated with being somewhat overextended. Here are some of the things that have worked for us thus far: Make sure you get a schedule of all the games that are planned for the season so you could plan ahead. Using Hotels4Teams allows you to book hotel accommodations as early as possible and to … [Read more...]
Modeling Good Sportsmanship For Young Athletes @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
The definition of good sportsmanship is when athletes exhibit respect for their opponents, conduct themselves graciously when they are winning or losing the game, and being fair during sports games. Unfortunately, sometimes parents get a little too competitive during athletic events and they don't always model good sportsmanship from the bleachers. As a Basketball Mom, I have experienced frustration when my son's team has been down by a lot of points, made technical errors during an important game, or even lost a tough game by only one or two points. It's not easy to watch the disappointment on my son's face when his team loses or when they get a bad call from the referees since I know how hard both he and his teammates work all year long. However, since we are the parents and the responsible adults, our children look up to us to be their role models when it comes to handling their emotions around losing with honor or conducting themselves responsibly as young athletes. … [Read more...]
Traveling To NYC For A Sports Tournament @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
Many of the sports parents that I am friends with around the country reach out to me when they find out that their child's team is scheduled to travel to my native New York City for a tournament. After all, most of them have never visited the Big Apple and coming here for the first time can be a little intimidating. One of their major concerns is usually how they are going to be able to afford a trip to a major city on their team budget. My experience has been that not only do they all end up having a great time while they are here, but that they also are able to take advantage of visiting some of our attractions as well during their stay. When it comes to planning their stay and needing some downtime activities, I always recommend that they use the City Guide that Hotels4Teams offers parents and coaches. They've compiled some great places for teams to relax and bond before or after the game. The best part about NYC is that it is that it is full of fun things for … [Read more...]
Using Your Time Effectively During Off-Season @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
Those of you who are sports parents know how important it is to plan for how to use your time effectively during off-season as well as maximize on that time when it comes to the young athlete in your life. Since my son plays on his school's basketball team during the Fall, his coaches always stress the value of making sure to get as much practice in as possible when the team's regular season is over. This is not very hard because, if it was up to my son, he would eat, breathe, and sleep anything that is related to basketball. One of the things that we try to also do during the off-season, aside from practicing, is making sure that we plan to save as much money as possible for the expenses associated with my son being on his school's team as well as the traveling team that he is on the rest of the year. Since we finally get a break from the chaos of busy season, we can focus on creating a reasonable budget for the rest of the year. Travel is one of our major expenses when it … [Read more...]
Budgeting During Travel Tournaments @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
The school year is almost over and most of you are probably breathing a collective sigh of relief because you know you are going to get a break from driving kids to extracurricular activities and sporting events. Around these parts, there is no off-season! My son participates in a traveling basketball team when his school team is enjoying their off-season. This means that I am still one busy mom at the end of the school year and during the summer. Those of you who have children who play sports know that it can become a huge expense. Aside from buying the proper safety equipment and athletic shoes, there is also the cost of traveling to away games, eating out when you are away, and travel expenses that you incur from having to take road trips and stay in hotels during travel tournaments, for those of us on traveling teams as well. Fortunately, I have picked up a few tricks over the years to help us budget during travel tournaments which I would love to share with all of … [Read more...]
I’m A Hotels4Teams Sports Mom! @hotelsforteams #Hotels4Teams #Ad
Since my older son was in third grade, I have been a proud Basketball Mom. He has always loved basketball and, if it was up to him, he would spend every minute of his life on the court. Seeing him grow as an athlete has been a tremendous source of pride for me because of the values that have been instilled in him when it comes to being a team player and pushing himself to the limits. When we started this journey years ago, I never imagined that I would begin to love basketball and even become one of the loudest moms in the bleachers cheering for my son. Basketball has become a huge part of our lives since my son plays for his school's team and is also on a traveling team during the off-season. So, basically, it's all basketball, all the time around these parts. Our family's love of basketball and our son's dedication to the sport is why I was so excited when Hotels4Teams asked me to become a part of their Ambassador Program. Since my son is on a traveling basketball … [Read more...]
Bring Your Kids To A NY Liberty Game! #ShowUp @NYLiberty @KidzVuz #Ad
Last week my family had the pleasure of going to see a NY Liberty game at Madison Square Garden. Although we are native New Yorkers, we don't often get to go cheer on our home teams due to our everyday work and school schedules. Thankfully, the summertime is the perfect time to share these activities together. My husband, father in law and son all decided that they would go see the game together since they are all huge basketball fans. It was so sweet to see three generations of the men in this family heading out to watch the NY Liberty do their thing. The Liberty have qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in 13 of its 19 years. This is a fact that my son won't let me forget. Led by Head Coach Bill Laimbeer, the Liberty are determined to improve on last year’s performance with top WNBA talent like Tina Charles, Epiphanny Prince and Essence Carson, veterans like Swin Cash and Tanisha Wright, as well as new … [Read more...]
Learn How My Family Keeps Up With Its Busy Schedule! #ThisIsWholesome @HoneyMaidSnacks #Paid
*This is part of a sponsored campaign with Being Latino and Honey Maid. This family is constantly on-the-go. If we are not rushing to get out the door every morning to get to work or school, we are driving to another state with my son's traveling basketball team. Although it's not easy keeping up will all of our activities at times, we enjoy staying active and we love spending time together as we do them. Through the years, I have picked up some tips that have allowed me to manage our time more efficiently to allow us to maximize on our schedule so that we could have enough time to do all the things that we love regularly. Before I share those tips with all of you, let me give you an idea of what our schedule is like on a weekly basis... Both of our sons play basketball. Our older son is on his school's Junior Varsity basketball team and plays on a competitive traveling team as well. Normally he has 1 to 2 games per week on weekday afternoons along with team … [Read more...]
Every Moment Matters! #CatchItAll @BestBuy @BestBuyWolf #Ad
*I participated in this campaign on behalf of Best Buy and have been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. You can probably tell from a lot of the photos that I post on social media that we are big basketball fans in this family. Not only do both of our sons play basketball, but all of my men watch it on television as well. It goes without saying that NCAA March Madness is a very exciting time in our home and we don't want to miss a thing! We use multiple screens to stay connected to our favorite teams but my personal favorite is my cell phone. After all, what better way to keep up with all of the excitement of basketball during this season, even when we are on-the-go. With our busy schedules, it is nice to know that we don't have to miss a single play thanks to our mobile devices. Best Buy helps keep you connected to the excitement with the devices and connectivity that make it … [Read more...]
