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50 shades of Rambling!

May 23, 2012

I know, I have not posted for a long time!  Well tonight, I felt I owed you all a post..If there are any of you are left.  Maybe it is the wine I am guzzling drinking...but tonight I feel like I will just let my fingers type whatever my brain spits out.  Hang on and enjoy the word vomit...I will hold your hair back (Like Mr Grey did for Ana!) um.....gross! 

Can you believe it is already May 22?  Holy Crap!  Last year at this time we were at our cottage for a month already.  My daughter had been enrolled in a new school to finish out her 1st grade year, our dock was installed, our boat was in the water, the leaves had been cleaned up, the patio furniture was out, and our summer home was clean and once agin in use.

What a difference a year makes!

We are still in Canada.  My kids will finish in the same school they started at this year.  I am working and will be staying in Canada the entire summer.  Our cottage is still shut down, our boat is still under shrink wrap, and we don't know when we will open our home. The shitty thing is that most of my summer clothes are at the cottage, and it is beginning to get warm here.  I might need to take a quick (if a 7 hour drive each way feels quick) drive to pick up some much needed items.

I am working...did I mention that?  I am working at a FABULOUS gym, teaching 6+ classes a week, plus a few more in other facilities.  I can teach anywhere from 6 - 12 classes per week when I sub.  My knees hurt, my back hurts, and I am spending too much money on iTunes...but I love it!  I will definitely have to do a post about a "day-in-the-life-of-a-fitness-instructor"!

Have I lost weight, you ask?  A little...but since I am mostly teaching strength-based classes...I am getting more bulky.  I think I mentioned before that I have a tendency to build  big muscle.....my arms are getting a little more defined, and I can see a big difference in my waist and stomach...but as luck should have it, I am still wearing the same size clothes!  {sigh}

I have just completed the second book of the 50 Shades of Grey series!  {wowza!}  I will start book three tonight and will probably be done my tomorrow.  I get why everyone is reading it!  If you have yet to start it..I suggest you do!  I purchased a Kindle, so I could read it in public without anyone knowing what I was reading.  I really am enjoying the book, and I think my husband is too.  He has not read it yet, but I will make him!  I do believe it is never too late to teach old dogs new tricks!

I can blog about the two pimples on my chin...{GRRRR} (yes, I still get pimples at my age...WTF?)

There is a new package of toilet paper in the entrance hallway.  I wonder how  long it will sit there until some poor person has to climb down two flights of stairs to grab it so they can wipe their ass because we are out of toilet paper in the bathrooms.  That reminds me to hide my own roll in the bathroom so I don't disturb my experiment.

I like red wine....Bogle Zinfandel to be exact.  It is sponsoring this post tonight.

I got my camera...a T3i.  To busy to take pictures!

I have five different colors of nail polish on my left hand....I never can find a shade I like at the store.

I think my pimples are from the microphone while I teach...{double GRRRR!}

There are no pictures in this post.....I am too tired.

I think LA is going to win the cup...then every celebrity will come out of the woodwork pretending they love hockey......{gagging with a spoon}!

I had my 36th birthday this month....why do I feel like I am now rolling down a hill?


We have been in here three years {record} but we have been in two different homes. Just rented third home for the next season....hope we get to come back.  I think there is a big cart standing in front of my horse!

Damn, Christian Grey is HOT! I  would trade a little Red Room of Pain for a closet of clothes and a ride in Charlie Tango!

It sucks watching parents get old!

Staring at the package of toilet paper in the entry hall as I type.......I will keep you posted on twitter as to when it is properly put away!

I just realized I have an Easter egg wreath on my mantle....I guess I should put that away.  I will do it when the toilet paper gets put away.

I have not seen my sister or father since Christmas 2010.  I saw my mom last summer for 24 hours.  I miss them.

I got a sunburn at the pool the other day....I am a sun worshiper.  I will regret it when I am 50, but for now I am pleased when I am tan!

I think I am buzzed!

This post reminds me of this.  I LOVE her posts! Even though we are not on the same political page.  Gini makes my Tuesdays better!

I was mentioned here.....{wow}. It is a discussion on Hockey Wives being hot or not.  I think the person linked to me to prove the "NOT" point. Oh well....I guess the two pimples on my chin took me out of that contest anyhow!

I sometimes go back and read past posts of mine  and wonder where I got my ideas.  This may be the wine talking, but I think I would read my blog if it weren't MY blog.  I hope other people like it too....if not, at least I do.

I wish my husband did more choreplay! He vacuumed the other day {hot}...but left vacuum in the middle of the living room {not hot}!

I hope I wake up a size two tomorrow...but that probably won't happen....EVER!

A man told me he thought I was gorgeous today while in line at Timmy Horton's.  I privately wondered if he had a Red Room of Pain as I said thank you!  I think I am reading too much these days!

My last sentence is a question for you...my reader(s)....

Have you read the 50 Shades of Grey series?  If so...twitchy palm, or stowed twitchy palm?

Cheers!


...and the finalists are

April 17, 2012



I would like to introduce the three finalists for the Discover Card contest...
DAY WITH THE CUP!

It is up to you to help select the winner by going to Discover's Facebook Page and voting for who you think deserves to spend the day with the Stanley Cup! 

Here is a preview of the three finalists....

Army & Hockey

I deserve to win a day with the Stanley Cup because my hockey team, Fulton Red Raiders squirts helped me get through the rest of my hockey season because my day had to leave. He had to leave on January 28th to go over seas to fight for our Country. He is a solider. Hockey was something that me and my dad did together, every weekend, my mom don't like the cold. My dad will not be back until almost the end of next year's hockey season, and I can't wait. So to win a day with the Stanley Cup would mean a lot to me, my dad and the soldiers, it would be awesome if the New Jersey Devils win, that's my dad's favorite team. Noah D.


My Knight Is My Trophy

l was looking for love and found it at a skating rink! My knight in shining armor was a defenseman with pads, skates, a helmet and rather than holding a sword he had a hockey stick. Ahh, l had found my true love. He had only one flaw, his favorite team was my teams' arch enemy for many years, but at least his team was also one of the original six. When we got married no cake was "just right" for us, so we decided what better way to start our wedded life than with a cake that looked like The Stanley Cup. After all, winning my husbands love was like winning The Stanley Cup for me.

Inventing Hockey from Thin Air

My son, Nick, was born with spina bifida. When he was nine years old, he decided he wanted to play hockey. Of course, standing hockey was out of the picture, but sled hockey exists for people like Nick. Because we live in Southern California, there was no sled hockey team for 500 miles. My son decided that hockey was important enough that he started his own sled hockey program from scratch. Of course, he had help from mom and dad (my husband and me), but Nick is the country's biggest hockey fan. Other people follow a team, and some people play, but my son thought hockey was important enough that he has invested himself and most of his spare time to bringing sled hockey to our area. When hockey wasn't available, he made it appear out of thin air! Now, Nick's team has eleven members, and about six more players who play with him occasionally. They're raising money to purchase more sleds and travel. He is such an inspiration! If anyone is a hockey fan, Nick is!

 Voting will be open until April 21st, with the winner being announced on May 6, 2012.  

Discover Card is the official card of the NHL!   
Be sure to follow them on Twitter and 'like' them on Facebook!

(I voted...but I won't tell you who I voted for until the winner is announced!)  

I was compensated for this post with Discover gift cards. All comments are mine and were not swayed by the compensation!  Be sure to follow me on Twitter for your chance to win your own Discover Gift Cards!

There's something about Stanley!

April 1, 2012

It is getting to be that time  of the year....





The end of the 2011-2012 Hockey season has quickly snuck up on us, and playoffs are right around the corner.  I once posted this little tidbit about NHL playoffs...

Did you know that if you watched every Stanley Cup playoff game....and each series possibly went to seven games...you would end up watching 105 possible games!  

There's definitely something about Stanley!  

The first time I met Stanley, I had just given birth to my daughter.  My husband and I were in Toronto, and we decided to check out the Hockey Hall of Fame.  
{via}
At the very end of the day, we went upstairs into a beautiful space known as the "Great Hall".  
{via}
In the Great Hall you will find a vault with the original Stanley Cup from 1892.  There are also displays of all the trophies awarded in hockey and the images of every Hall of Fame inductee.  In the center of the Great Hall is The Stanley Cup (a replica, as the real Stanley Cup travels all over the world.)
Of course, it is wise to take a picture of yourself with the cup. (However, it is not wise to do so right after birthing a baby!) The best part is that you stand right next to the Cup, and touch it as well.  No velvet ropes to keep you at arm's length at the Hockey Hall of Fame! 
Did I mention how I had just had a baby and was still carrying the baby weight?
The second time I met Stanley...was this night.  I have this day forever burned into my memory!  I am sure you can figure out why after reading the post.  Hanging with Wayne and Stanley in one day....Of course I was not carrying any baby weight this time, and conveniently I can not find a picture to save my life! Oh wait...here is one! {wink}

Thank God for Tales of a Hockey wife photo magic! 

The third time I met Stanley....it was a beautiful day in the fall. I cherish the photos I have with my children and Stanley.  There was a picture of my son sitting in Lord Stanley that even made a magazine!

My kids and Stanley! My daughter on the right was the baby in the picture at the Hall of Fame! 
Unfortunately, we have not {yet} had the opportunity to do this....





The Day With the Cup!  

Starting in 1995, each player on the Championship team gets to spend the day with the Stanley Cup.  Although I can tell you that there is a Stanley Cup ring in our house...my husband received it before the tradition of spending the day with the Cup began.  I can only hope we have a chance to one day eat ice cream from the bowl of the most famous trophy of all!  But until that day comes...Discover Card is giving one person a chance to spend the day with The Stanley Cup!



Do you know what you would do if you won?  

I am excited to work with Discover Card to promote such a great contest.  This is a first at Tales of a Hockey Wife...and although I have been contacted before to promote various products/services on my blog, it never felt like something I could relate to my blogging.  However, there is something magical about being in the presence of the Stanley Cup.  I don't care if you follow hockey or not.  When the Stanley cup is near, you cannot help but to reach out and touch it.  




To enter Discover's Day With The Stanley Cup...


  •  Discover is encouraging hockey fans to submit an original photo that best demonstrates their passion for hockey, along with a 1000 character or less description that answers the question, “I deserve a day with the Stanley Cup because…” Entries can be submitted to Discover’s Facebook fan page by visiting www.discover.com/StanleyCup and following the instructions. 
  • After April 12, three final entries will be chosen and posted to Facebook where the public will have five days to vote for their favorite entry. The contestant with the most votes by 11:59 p.m. ET on April 21, 2012 will be deemed the official Day With the Cup™ Winner, and will be awarded the ultimate hockey package, which includes spending a day with the Stanley Cup, celebrating with family and friends, having the experience documented and featured during game one of the Stanley Cup® Final, as well as round trip airline fare, hotel and tickets to one of the games of the Stanley Cup Final.  
  • Day With the Cup™ is open to all legal residents of the 50 United States who are at least 18 years old. Legal guardians of children under the age of 18 are eligible to enter on behalf of their children. All eligible entries will be judged by representatives of the Sponsor and an independent judge to determine three Finalists based on the on the following criteria: originality and creativity of essay, enthusiasm as demonstrated in essay, appropriateness of photo to theme and sincerity of essay.
Did you know Discover Card is the official card of the NHL?  It is also the very first credit card I ever received!  I was eighteen years old.  Twenty years later, I still have (and use) my Discover Card.  Maybe it was destiny that my life would revolve around hockey?  I have probably spent so much money over those twenty years on my Discover Card...that I could buy my own Stanley Cup! Although, it might be easier to just get my 15% Cash Back at shop.nhl.com when I use my Discover Card. 




Not only do you get the chance to spend the day with The Stanley Cup...Discover Card is also giving me two (2) $25.00 Discover gift cards to give away randomly to two of my blog readers!  Who doesn't want an extra $25.00 to spend?  All I ask is that you leave a comment on this post or on Twitter, telling me what you would eat/drink out of The Stanley Cup if you could spend the day with it. (Be sure to tag @hockeywifetales and @discover in your answer!)  I am intrigued by your responses, as I am sure you have thought about it on a regular basis!

I would eat this!





Be sure to follow me on Twitter @hockeywifetales as I share some of my favorite Stanley Cup food/drink comments each day!  You can also follow @Discover  to find out the latest entry information for Discover's Day With The Stanley Cup!

I will select my two random winners of the $25.00 Discover gift cards on April 12, 2012...the last day you can enter to win a chance to spend the day with The Stanley Cup, courtesy Discover Card!


Disclosure: I have been compensated by Discover Card for the above post.  However, I would not accept compensation unless I truly believed in the contest I have written about.

 



 

St. Patrick's reposted!

March 17, 2012

Right now, my life is so busy I cannot think straight enough to blog...but I thought I would repost my St. Patrick's Day post from last year! Wishing you all a wonderful day filled with luck and good beer! 

Are you wearing green? Is the corned beef in the crock pot and the Guinness beer chilling in the cooler?  Well then...today must be St. Patrick's Day!  For some of you, maybe you will pull out the one green item you have in the back of your closet...something you only wear once a year so you won't get pinched.  Maybe you are like Megan Fox, and you borrow your 8 year-old's t-shirt...and it f*cking fits!
Image courtesy of Google Image Search

Anyhow...every year my husband gets a copy of the dates for the upcoming season sent to him.  As soon as we get this schedule, I narrow down a few important dates to see if my husband will be home or away.  These dates include...
  1. My children's birthdays
  2. Christmas
  3. All-Star break
  4. ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
Ever since I can remember, my husband and I have celebrated St. Patrick's Day instead of Valentine's Day.  We exchange gifts, give each other cards that profess our love to each other, and we drink Guinness while we dine on corned beef and cabbage.  
Image courtesy of Google Image Search
Of course it is not that we are jumping on some green bandwagon...we really do have reason to celebrate.  Our love was built on both of our love of anything Irish.  We both have Irish family roots.  My husband's mother was born on St. Patrick's Day.  We have similar tastes in music, such as The Waterboys.  I have had a four-leaf clover tattooed on my foot since I was eighteen (and a shamrock on my back).  I offered to buy him a Bushmills the night we met. (My favorite hard beverage...stirred not shaken please!)    We  honeymooned in Ireland.  Our children both have been given Irish names.  Let's be honest...who wouldn't want to find a reason to dress like this?
  
This is my son on St. Patrick's Day when he was almost one year old!  

That day we took our children to the local Irish pub to have a traditional Irish breakfast (skip the blood sausage please!).  As we walked in the place went nuts.  Here he is next to one of the bartenders showing off their matching green mohawks and guinness shirts!  Supposedly, this picture is framed on the wall of the bar...my husband and I are so proud!
Image courtesy of Google Image Search

From the moment you walk in our house (where ever that might be for the hockey season)...it is obvious that this is a home that takes their Guinness Drinking seriously!  Our framed artwork consists of prints by John Gilroy...best known for his Guinness Beer art.






As most bad parents do, we let our daughter take a sip of Guinness, upon her insistence, when she was almost three.  I can tell you she didn't like the taste of it, and this is how I know...

One day, after we had just returned from a two-week trip, I was sitting in our living room talking to my sister on the phone.  I heard my daughter make some strange gurgling noises and was acting like she was gagging.  As she came in the room, I could smell a putrid smell on her.  My immediate thought was that she had consumed a poison of some type.

ME:  What is wrong? What did you drink?

HER:  GUINNESS...(she said it as though she had just consumed a near fatal dose of arsenic!)

ME:  Guinness? I tried to think what poison could be mistaken for guinness....OH MY GOD, SHE DRANK OLD ENGLISH!!
Image courtesy of Google Image Search

Then I found it...My daughter had found a sippy-cup of old milk (over two weeks old) and had taken a sip.

(I will wait for you to stop gagging)....

In my daughter's mind, the only thing more disgusting than drinking two-week-old milk...would be Guinness!
Image courtesy of Google Image Search
Do you get excited for St. Patrick's Day in your house?





For my husband...
Image courtesy of Google Image Search
Image courtesy of Google Image Search
May your morning after St. Patricks Day find you well!


Slainte!

You say "Obsession" like it is a bad thing.....

February 29, 2012

Maybe you recall this post.  Maybe you participated in the Live Chat on my blog while we watched this show together.





The channel that allows us to peek into the homes of hoarders, watch a woman drink nail posh, and introduced us to Go-Go Juice and Honey Boo-Boo has done it again. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you...





This new show debuts on Wednesday March 7th on The Learning Channel (TLC)!  Unfortunately, I am working that night...but thank the Lord for Tivo!

The Good Wives Guide...HWT style!

February 25, 2012

{source}
The last few days I have had Michelle Duggar's (19 Kids and Counting on TLC) tips for being a good wife on my blog.  I decided to respond with my own reactions, thoughts, and agreements. Be sure to read some of the comments left for this post....and leave your own thoughts as well! 


1.  A husband needs a wife who respects him as a man: A woman destroys her husband's manliness by "being financially independent; love is killed by self-sufficiency."
I do agree that a marriage is based on a "dependency" that is EQUAL to both sides...but destroying his manliness is going a bit far! I know of a couple that could tell you about "destroying manliness"! 


2.  A husband needs a wife who accepts him as a leader and believes in his God-given responsibilities.
...And on the eighth day, God gave man responsibilities.  These did not include sitting on the couch watching golf while his wife cleaned the kitchen! 



3.  A husband needs a wife who will continue to develop inward and outward beauty: Your hairstyle, for example, can show "obedience vs. defiance" and "personal discipline vs. inconsistency," among other things.
HUH?



4.  A husband needs a wife who can lovingly appeal to him when he is going beyond his limitations and wisely respond to those who question his ideas, goals or motives: "Ask your husband to tell you when you have a resilient spirit; ask forgiveness whenever you do."
So it is OK to point out when he is doing something stupid?  I can agree with that.  But if someone else points it out, I better stand up for him...even if they are right about my husband? Once I point out his faults, I need to apologize for doing so?

5.  A husband needs quality time to be alone with himself and the Lord.
Michelle, I have a feeling when your husband has been in the shower for more than ten minutes it is not the Lord he is thinking about!

6.  A husband needs a wife who is grateful for all he has done and all he is doing. "Expect nothing and be genuinely grateful for each little evidence of your husband's love."
I get this one...I usually expect that nothing will be done around the house on a day he is alone with the kids...and I am genuinely grateful if the dishes made it from the table to the sink!

7.  A husband needs a wife who will be praised by other people for her character and her good works.
I guess that would be preferred than being married to a woman that people think is a B*TCH!

Talk Amongst Yourselves....

February 23, 2012

Michelle Duggar (mom of 19 kids that all start with the letter "J") spoke to women at a conference and passed along a few tips about the role of a wife in a marriage.  Go ahead and read these tips and talk amongst yourselves.  Tomorrow I will give you my thoughts about each tip...HWT style! 

 

1.  A husband needs a wife who respects him as a man: A woman destroys her husband's manliness by "being financially independent; love is killed by self-sufficiency."

2.  A husband needs a wife who accepts him as a leader and believes in his God-given responsibilities.

3.  A husband needs a wife who will continue to develop inward and outward beauty: Your hairstyle, for example, can show "obedience vs. defiance" and "personal discipline vs. inconsistency," among other things.

4.  A husband needs a wife who can lovingly appeal to him when he is going beyond his limitations and wisely respond to those who question his ideas, goals or motives: "Ask your husband to tell you when you have a resilient spirit; ask forgiveness whenever you do."

5.  A husband needs quality time to be alone with himself and the Lord.

6.  A husband needs a wife who is grateful for all he has done and all he is doing. "Expect nothing and be genuinely grateful for each little evidence of your husband's love."

7.  A husband needs a wife who will be praised by other people for her character and her good works.

A Valentine's Day Repost - CHOREPLAY!

February 14, 2012

Today is Valentine's Day!  Do you have something romantic planned?  Whatever you do, make sure you include lot's of choreplay!

This summer, my husband and I were having a disagreement discussion, in which I pointed out that I do 90% of all housework.  Our conversation went something like this (it actually went exactly like this, but my husband will probably tell you it didn't)...I have included visuals.

"I do 90% of the housework around here!"

"90%?"

"You don't even know 60% of what I do exists!"

Maybe I am exaggerating a little bit...my husband doesn't really do 10% of the housework, it is more like 5%!  

I was reading the latest Chatelaine magazine (similar to Family Circle here in Canada) and they had a Question of the Month...
What's the most romantic moment you've ever experienced?
Of course, there were your typical romantic responses...One man made his wife origami roses since they were short on money, one man booked a babysitter and took his wife for a romantic weekend, one man cut out 100 hearts and wrote romantic things on each heart before hanging them in the living room, blah, blah, blah...

Then it caught my eye...a small submission from Joyce of Quebec:
"For me, nothing was more romantic than the day my husband told me he would start doing the laundry.  He's great at helping me--it means I fall back in love with him every day!"

Ladies...I am talking about CHOREPLAY!  According to the Council of Contemporary Families (CCF), the more men do around the house the happier women are.
The reward for menfolk who help out around the house could be more sex. "We sociologists generally don't go there, but therapists say there's a direct correlation" between men doing more housework and the frequency of sex, said Scott Coltrane, a co-author of the article.

In a fascinating article, Dr. Gert Holstege says...
Of course, it’s tough for a woman to chill out when she comes home from one job, only to be burdened by a “second shift” of cleaning, cooking, and chaos. In that scenario, sex is just one more task on her to-do list. The goal of choreplay: to move sex to the top of that list by helping her cross off some of the less scintillating items.

I have a few sexy suggestions to spice up your choreplay this Valentine's Day...

Nothing like an adult video to get into the mood!
From the book by Susan Anderson
Don't be afraid to use "toys"!

How about a sexy little outfit?
Have a happy and satisfying Valentine's Day!

Question:  Does your significant other give you enough CHOREPLAY?