Olliebop Blog | Inspiration, Ideas and Information for Busy Families | Parenting Teens and Tweens

An optimistic resource for on-the-go families.  Ollie and BOP join forces to go fetch products, tips, tools and inspiration to make this fleeting time in life all the better.

Playfully stylish. Somewhat sophisticated. Always optimistic.

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Playing: For All the Right Reasons

Great stuff this past weekend in the world of 6th grade lacrosse:

Ella plays for two LAX teams; ADK Lacrosse and Saratoga Youth Lacrosse. We feel so fortunate to have outstanding coaches for both teams — dedicated, caring, and knowledgeable.

On Sunday, Ella’s ADK team played three games in a tournament up north in Lake Placid, NY.  Many of the girls had already played on Saturday in another tournament, so it was a physically demanding weekend.

On Monday morning, I opened my email to find this follow-up message from our ADK Coach:

“… We asked the girls what their favorite game was and they all agreed game ’2′ was (still cheering as they said it).  Ironically, happens to be the game that we lost by 2 points to a U15 ‘aggressive’ team.   That tells us that they would rather play the more competitive teams and lose respectfully. They cheered more during and after that game than the two games they won. We believe this was the game that they really came together as a team. It was a great moment to be a part of and witness. We win games and lose games. Either way, it’s about the effort and learning each time.  Most importantly, playing as a team.” – Coach Mike Ballard 

The Team: ADK Class of 2019 with coaches Heather and Mike

ADK Team 2019

Ella in “the draw”:

The Draw

ADK Teammates:

DSC_0153

Here’s to kids playing sports for all the right reasons — to be challenged, to come together, and to strive. “Thank you” to all of the dedicated coaches who recognize what’s most important, and who work so hard to instill that in their players and communities. What you are doing is a beautiful thing. These lessons continue, and they matter! This is why we play.

In the Weeds

I’ve been in the weeds the past few months. Crazy, exciting, tiring, interesting weeds!

This has meant that posting has been pitiful; but learning and connecting in other ways has occurred instead. I have a revised plan for more realistic blogging — fewer words and quicker posts. Still fun; still optimistic; but simplified! Stay tuned… {to do that, click on “subscribe”}.

As a nod to my time recent in the weeds, I took my camera out this weekend to photograph our disheveled lawn — a metaphor for life these past few months. It seemed like an optimistic thing to do {and was much more restful than getting out the weed whacker}. Through the lens as I lay on my belly, our weeds looked all lit up in the weekend’s shining sun. As always, photography is restorative for me.

Here are my very own weeds. Behold!

My weeds

weeds4

weeds2

weeds9

weeds5

Anyone else in the weeds — literally or metaphorically? If so, a little reminder from my weeds to yours…  to rest easy, set aside the “shoulds,” and look for their beauty. It’s there, somewhere.

See you soon! Promise.

xo - BOP

The Truth: All the Way from Idaho

Hello My Dear!

I just looked up at the bookshelf here in my office — and paused to notice this creation I made in Idaho at Brave Girls Camp back in the Spring of 2010. It’s a kitschy and colorful little thing that features a personal “truth” I chose as part of an exercise led by Melody Ross. I sat and thought about my truth while breathing Idaho air, playing with crazy-cool art supplies, connecting with amazing women, and listening to lovely music. Good, good stuff!

We sang, we ate, we made art, and we made new friends. We also worked on hard things that weren’t entirely easy or happy {that’s the “brave” part}. And then this little piece came home with me in my luggage to upstate New York to sit upon my shelf.

And here she is with my very own truth, served on tiny silver platter.

Olliebop Art

Olliebop Art 2

Something to think about, right? Especially for those of us who happen to be pleasers {Ooh! Pick me!}.

Do I always live this truth? Not even close. Being a pleaser is too much a part of who I am for that. It’s instinctive. And honestly, I really l like to please other people much of the time.

But ever since making this piece I have been much more open to the idea that there is another path besides always doing what is expected and conventional. I do say “no” more often, I change plans sometimes, I buck the system occasionally, and I am less judgmental of people who make those unexpected choices. With thanks, in part, to this tiny cheerleader sitting right here on my bookshelf. She’s tacky, she’s sparkly, and she’s not winning any art awards. But I think she’s got something good to say.

Love, BOP

Meet The Boys {“Mac and Cheese!”}

It’s been a rainy, dreary day and I’m in the mood to share something light. Something that brings happiness to our house every day — our pets, Ollie and Pablo {a.k.a.”the boys.”} We have this thing in our house; Ella has decided that whenever the boys are being super cute, we have to yell “mac and cheese!” and everyone must instantaneously turn their attention toward Ollie and Pablo. Lest we miss epic cuteness.

You haven’t heard much about Pablo so far. I think the only appearance he’s made on Olliebop before is here. We adopted him after the launch of this blog — and Ollie had stolen the spotlight by then. So, meet Pablo! He is Ella’s cat, and he loves to sit upon us whenever he gets the chance.

EllaandPablo

Ollie and Pablo are best buddies. They wrestle every single day, without exception. Ollie gets down in play position and Pablo often makes little squeaky hunting noises which mean that he’s ready to rumble. Here’s one of the numerous videos I have taken of the boys in action:

Ella took the camera around the house on Saturday morning for her own Ollie/Pablo photo shoot. These are her pictures of the boys — first the lying around. And the waiting. For something to happen…

Ollie in waiting

Pablo

Then they casually inch closer to each other until one of them decides to attack. Pablo was the aggressor during Ella’s photo shoot, starting things off with a nice bite {nibble!} to the ear. And then the wrestling had begun — and one of us of course was yelling “mac and cheese! mac and cheese!”

OllieandPablo

I can’t imagine Ollie and Pablo without each other’s companionship. Without Pablo, I guess Ollie would simply be…

Ollie3

The cheese.

West Elm Platform Beds: Our Top Pick for Tweens and Teens

Families with tweens and teens often transition to a bigger bed and room configuration. For us, the change was prompted by the need for better sleeping options for guests, along with the kids’ desire to have more grownup spaces.

After doing some research last year I bought platform beds for both Hudson and Ella from West Elm. They’re perfect! I now know SIX tweens and teens who have West Elm beds as part of their new look. They’re affordable, stylish, high quality, and easy to assemble.

Hudson has a queen sized Chunky Wood bed frame in chocolate {$349 plus $50 delivery surcharge}. We didn’t bother with a headboard; it’s just against the wall with some extra pillows. We bought it on sale, so the price was even lower. For Hudson’s new look we added the Threshold Crinkle Quilt in Red and the Thomas O’Brien Sheets in “Tribal”, both fromTarget. Here’s a West Elm Chunky Wood catalogue shot below, in white. Note that Hudson’s bed in chocolate, with the red and taupe bedding looks totally cool and guy-ish!

Chunky Wood Bed Frame

This is the color of Hudson’s bed. We bought an extra thick mattress so that it wouldn’t be too low to the ground:

Chunky Wood Bed Frame - Chocolate

Ella’s bed is the full sized Simple Low Bed Frame in white {$199 plus $30 delivery for that size}. Again, we went without a headboard {though one could easily be added and West Elm has some great choices} and we bought it on sale.

Simple Bed Frame - White

It’s just the simplest thing, but that’s all we needed. For bedding she chose the Ruched Quilt in White and Ikat Dot Organic Sheets in Black, both from PB Teen. Looks crisp and classic!

Detailed View

These beds have everything we wanted in a new bed for our tween and teen: inexpensive and oh-so-cool, with zero parental hassle. Love it!

Apres Ski: Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

Hello there!

A quick post, after a 5 day vacation with Mr. BOP! Yep, just the two of us in Vail skiing — the first time we’ve gone anywhere significant in 9 years without the kids. It was glorious; classic Colorado powder and sunshine. An iPhone shot of our freewheeling selves… it was a very special treat that we will remember for a long time to come.

vailphoto

Lots of catching up to do now that we’re back, but wanted to say “hi” and thought I’d pass along that other fantastic soup recipe that I had promised back when I posted a new favorite —  Mexican Tortilla Soup {as, what else is better after skiing than soup?}. This recipe was shared by my friend Martha, after I devoured it at her house on a cold winter afternoon. Last time I made it, I snapped a picture of the ingredients — simple, and super healthy! Squash, ginger, leeks, and seeds to toast for garnish…

Squash Soup

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

  • 1 whole butternut squash
  • 3 T unsalted butter or olive oil
  • 2 large leeks (white part only), chopped
  • 4 t minced peeled ginger
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare squash by cutting in half, removing seeds, and placing cut side down on an oiled baking sheet.  Spread the seeds on the sheet, alongside the squash {check on the seeds part way through baking to avoid over cooking}. Bake at 400 degrees 40 minutes to an hour, until squash can be easily pierced with fork.  Let cool, scoop the pulp and discard the skin. Set seeds aside for garnish.

Melt or heat butter or oil in a soup pot over medium low heat

Add chopped leeks and minced ginger, stirring until tender but not browned {5 – 10 minutes}

Stir in the squash, along with: 4 cups of the vegetable or chicken stock

Bring to simmer and cook, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon, for 20 minutes.

Puree until smooth in a blender or food processor, in two batches if necessary

Return to pot and stir in: 2 cups vegetable stock and add salt and pepper as desired

Heat through.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with toasted squash seeds

 

I hope you enjoy this delicious, healthy soup. I’m off to enjoy one of the best parts of a vacation — the happiness of being home again!

The Best Customer Service Story Ever. {Pass it on!}

I have to offer a BIG TIME shout out to Zappos, who just delivered the best customer service our family has ever received. We had some footwear “issues,” let’s say, and Zappos turned our WOE in to WOW! I’ll tell you the full story, and if it impresses you too, please pass it along! I’d love to thank Zappos and our customer service rep, Danielle S., for a phenomenal experience by sending more customers their way!

So I received this in the mail yesterday — hand written and illustrated by Danielle {nice UGG, Danielle!}. Cool, right? Who does that in corporate America?!? Read on… it gets better.

Card from Zappos

As if it wasn’t already enough to be a VIP and receive free 24 hour shipping and free returns?!  I mean really, Zappos was already so great that it was bordering on ridiculous. And then, this!

Here’s the FULL AMAZING STORY which led to the arrival of Danielle’s awesome card at Chez BOP:

  • Ella {age 11} asked for UGGs, for Christmas 2011. Lucky girl received a pair — tall, with a zipper all the way up the inside. We ordered them from Zappos, and she loved them. And all was well!
  • After 11 months of UGG ownership, the zipper of one of the boots broke in November of 2012. She couldn’t zip up one of her boots. How sad!
  • We called Zappos, and the rep on the phone {wish I could remember his name} said that we were still under the UGG one year warrantee, so we should contact them. He nicely helped me find the spot on the UGG site to make a return request — and we learned that their process could leave us without boots for weeks {and to a 6th grade girl in the Northeast, this is a big deal}. We ended the call, and I felt that we were fairly treated. It had been almost a year, after all, and workmanship wasn’t technically Zappos’ issue.
  • Several minutes later, the friendly Zappos rep called me back, saying that he felt badly and Zappos would take the boots back — and we would have a new pair the next day! Jubilation! The style had been discontinued, so Ella chose the Bailey, which was less expensive than the first pair. So, Zappos refunded our money for the $30 difference and sent a label to return the defective boots for free. Happy ending!
  • Ella happily wore her replacement UGGs for a mere 2 1/2 months, when unexpectedly last week her big toe popped through the end of the boot! It was so weird. As we looked closely, it seemed like the leather of that boot was thinner than the leather of the other.
  • I sheepishly {no pun intended} called Zappos again and my call was answered by Danielle in customer service. I wondered if she was secretly thinking that I must have this horribly destructive kid — or that I was working the system. I confessed that we had gotten the pair in question as a free replacement less than three months earlier. And now, I was asking for another. Danielle was SO nice about it, sincerely apologizing for our inconvenience. She offered any other boot as a replacement {the Bailey in that color was out of stock}, so Ella chose the classic tall instead. Although about $30 more than the Bailey, Danielle insisted that Zappos cover the difference — and that we would receive the new boots the next day. I also received another shipping label to return the defective boots. For free, of course. Another happy ending!
  • And then… just a few days later the handmade thank you card from Danielle. Awesome happy ending!

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that I try to balance online shopping with supporting local businesses. You know that I love handmade {self-appointed Etsy superfan, here}. Promoting big business isn’t usually my thing {it’s counter to my small-town Vermont upbringing}, but this experience has placed Zappos in an entirely different big business category — doing to online shopping what Ben and Jerry’s did to ice cream back in the day.

I’ll wrap up with these fantastic words from Zappos’ site, elaborating on the first of its core values – “Deliver WOW through service.”

“WOW is such a short, simple word, but it really encompasses a lot of things. To WOW, you must differentiate yourself, which means doing something a little unconventional and innovative. You must do something that’s above and beyond what’s expected. And whatever you do must have an emotional impact on the receiver.”

Mission accomplished, Zappos! Bravo, Danielle {and nice customer service guy #1 whose name I can’t remember!}. With a great big “WOW” — from our family to yours.

P.S.   In case you’re wondering… Zappos and I have no special connection and I do not profit in any way from the promotion of their business. Just a satisfied customer, here.

How Did This Happen? Tween/Teen Time Warp

The days are long, but the years are short.

“The days are long, but the years are short.” I’ll never forget first reading that quote in Gretchen Ruben’s The Happiness Project. It struck a chord. How is it that some days feel like they last forever — homework, driving, house maintenance, meetings, to do lists. But, I also can’t believe that we have a 12 year old and a 14 year old now in our midst! Only one more year until we are a 100% teenaged household. We will adjust quickly and it will all seem normal eventually, but right now that’s hard to fathom.

Which brings me to two recent Mom moments. First, my focus upon a very ordinary pair of PJ bottoms. They are size 4T from the Gap; light blue and covered with little clouds. Ella got them them when she was three years old and they went all the way down to her chubby little ankles. They weren’t particularly large; just regular PJs.

The remarkable thing is that they still fit — NINE years later.  Like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – except instead of fitting four different people, they just keep fitting year after year! Something about this brings me joy.

Ella's size 4T Gap PJs -- still going at age 12!

And with Hudson, I have different kinds of sentimental “Mom” moments — like when I let him open up the back of my laptop the other day. He convinced me that I needed to upgrade my processing speed and next thing you know, I had given him permission to perform minor surgery on my precious MacBook. Not that it was such a major thing, but it registers on my maternal radar when my child knows a lot more about something than I do. And it’s happening more every day.

MacBook upgrade

MacBook Upgrade2

I’m happy to say that I am enjoying my faster computer, immensely!

It’s crazy how all of these kids — mine, and those I have known since they were babies — are SO big! Some of them are taller than me, and hairy, and curvy, and have deep voices. What?!? Some days {queue the home movies and forget it!} I really miss their littler days. Other days, all I can do is marvel at the amazing growth happening right before my very eyes. The days are long, but the years are short.

One sappy mama —  over and out.

Three Things I Loved This Wintery Weekend

Just a few things I wanted to share after the wintery weekend…

1) Ollie in the Snow!

What’s better than taking a dog out in newly-fallen snow? Ollie was a very happy boy when we went out to play. {Yes, my wreath is still up — my personal deadline for wreath removal is always Valentine’s Day…}

Ollie heading out

Ollie in the snow

2) Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Crock Pot

We made two kinds of soup this weekend. First up, Chicken Tortilla Soup {pictured below}, courtesy of Heather Likes Food on BlogHer. My friend Becky had raved about this recipe, and when Heather declared that:

“the only thing that could make it better would be a unicorn sitting at your dining room table with you”

I had to try it. And it was delicious! I loved that it could be prepped quickly in the crockpot in the morning, then we just lined up bowls of cheese, avocado, sour cream and tortilla chips at dinner time. Fantastic!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

The second soup I made this weekend was my friend Martha’s Butternut Squash Ginger soup. I’ll post that recipe soon! {Note: the Squash Soup recipe is now here.}

3) The Athleta Luscious Half Zip

View all three colors and order here. I received mine {in coastal green, which is really a beautiful blue} over the weekend and I love it so much! Mr. BOP and I are going on a long ski weekend in a couple of weeks {JUST THE TWO OF US!}, and I had ordered a few things for the trip. This top is ridiculously soft on the inside, and the ruching in front is so flattering. It’s $79, but it is one of those tops that is perfect around town, to the gym — anywhere. Based on reviews and looking at how it fits me, I would say that petite women might find it too long. For all others, I highly recommend! {Tip: it runs a tiny bit big. Order down in size if unsure}.

Athleta Lucious Half Zip

A Bonus Pick

If you’re still with me and you happen to have a tween/early teen daughter, I’ll throw in a bonus pick that I was loving this weekend when shopping online … girls’ swimsuits from Johnny B {ages 8-16}. I’m loving their prints this year, and we’ve found that Johnny B’s suits are well made and fit beautifully. And, they just went on sale! Although I’m all for snow, I’m happy to look ahead to summer too! I ordered a couple of suits for Ella and they’re on the way…

Hope you’re having a happy, cozy day wherever you are!

- BOP