Challenging Times As A Foursome

There is nothing worse for a Mom than trying to make four individuals happy at the same time! And not just four individuals, this wacky group I call my family consists of two girls & two boys. One teenager, one younger & two adults. One who is content to stay home all the time, one who can't sit still. One who plays EVERY sport possible & one who lives for one sport. One who works out every day & one who is happy watching sports on tv. Two who love to create wonderful things in the kitchen, one who can't cook & one who would rather have Wendy's every night. My little foursome is a mismatch of characters but somehow we all seem to miraculously work together!

The biggest problem is usually finding one activity for the four of us to enjoy together, at the same time, without one wanting to go play video games, or without one texting friends saying how weird this family is! That is a challenge!

Last Valentines Day, that challenge was finally conquered! We found hockey! We were given tickets to a Winterhawk hockey game & three of the four of us were thrilled . Our teenage daughter was less than thrilled, wondering why in the world she would ever want hockey tickets for Valentines Day. But on the day of the game we caught her in a rare good mood (you know teenage girls) and trying her best to be a sport, she made sure she had a full battery on her phone (for texting her friends to tell them how lame hockey is)and headed to this hockey game, fully knowing she was going to hate it!!! Little did she know a lot of the Hawks are high school kids just like her. And she had absolutely no idea they would be cute! And so my little family turned into a hockey family! I am so excited that we found something the four of us can enjoy together.

Saturday night we had an opportunity to go to the Teddy Bear Toss game against Seattle. We had not seen this event before but I can honestly say that is was one of the neatest events I have seen in quite some time! After the first goal scored the crowd throws stuffed animals on the rink to be donated to local children's charities & many on the animals are delivered by the players themselves. Now keep in mind, this game was sold out so there were over 10, 000 people in the audience & the bears were flying less than two minutes into the game when Rattie scored for Portland! They flew & didn't stop! In all almost 11, 000 stuffed animals found their way to the rink! Needless to say, we are already making plans for next years Teddy Bear Toss. We are hoping to bring many bears to be donated!

The part that made it so incredibly cool was the way the players conducted themselves on the ice while the bears were flying. The goalie, who just rocks was carrying a huge bear and then a dog around the rink. Players were helping fill the trucks with armfuls of animals. A very cool thing to be able to experience. And it didn't hurt that we won 7-1!!! Let's Go Hawks!