• Hopeservations

    Find the WONDER in EVERY Day!

    “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.” – Albert Einstein HEY Y’ALL! It’s me, Hope here – doing what I do and writing a Hopeservations about it! So check it out… I went to the beach this morning, did my usual early wake up to get there in time. Whoa…was it a beauty! As most of you know by now, this a nearly daily thing. It can last anywhere from five minutes to five hours, depending on my schedule and frame of mind. If time permits and I just want to “BE” – I could…

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    Don’t Call it a Dream, Call it a GOAL!

    “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” – Pope John XXIII Hey y’all! Hope here, with a question and a little hopeservation about our kids, sports and being their parent… So I just returned from our annual summer vacation, and jumped right back into the summer swing of life with none other then? You guessed it… VOLLEYBALL!!!   When it got me to thinking, do you remember what you did two years ago today? Turns out,…

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    WHAT DO OUR BOYS NEED TO HEAR?

    Boys. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are neat and deep-thinking, or clumsy, loud and messy. Some are seemingly clueless to the world around them, while others appear fully aware. My boy stands well over six feet tall, towers over me, is skinny to the point I feel like I could wrap my arms around him twice, has long blonde hair past his shoulders and loved donuts! He is blessed with looks that seem older then his years. Yet he is only 12! So this is both a curse and blessing to his world. He is the youngest following behind two sisters – one just a year older…

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    Who’s Ready for Summer?

    Okay people this is off my typical Hopeservation topics but that is what’s great about Hopeservations, it can really be an observation about ANY’thing and the thing I’m observing right about now is giving a huge nearly there, year end shout out because we are in the home stretch babeeeee’! All my social media’s (primarily FB) are littered with proud parent’s posting pictures of their children’s accomplishments, graduation status and the like…and yeah…mine are coming too! Oh you betcha they are and thank goodness for them too because it makes the final few days to the finish line well worth it. All the nights checking homework, going through folders, being…

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    How to Help Navigate Any Age Child Through Negative Self Talk & 36 Kid Tested Affirmations

    Two years ago, during my oldest child’s junior year of high school, it was at the conclusion of her volleyball season, she earned “Most Improved Player” which was a high accolade considering she stepped up and into a completely new position she had never played before as the setter…and then was recognized as one of the “Most Valuable Players” which was an unbelievably high honor considering she was the same girl that made varsity her freshman year with the knowledge that she may not play and in fact did not step foot out onto the court ONCE the ENTIRE season… That 9th grade season the only time she stepped foot…

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    A Little Parenting Pep Talk & Ten Quotes

      Not sure what your dream is, take a look at your children. Their dreams should be your dreams too. I am not saying forget your own pursuits and desires, but don’t get so wrapped up in doing you that you lose focus on what they’re doing… That’s when they start to lose their way, when your not watching, cheering, talking, motivating, modeling, leading or actively engaged! They need you present in their presence! Talk about the big things, little things, silly things, dull things and everything in between. Find the balance. Seems simple. Right? Well we all know it isn’t, and parents need pep talks too. Because, let’s be…

  • Hopeservations

    How To Be An Effective Sports Parent – Do’s & Don’t

    “The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose.” – Ernie Banks It is that time of year when children, ages 6 to 18, spring youth sports and club seasons are kicking into high gear! So as I reflect on past seasons and prepare for seasons to come, I am provided lots of opportunities to consider both the benefits and challenges to us parents who have kids involved in sports. Just the juggling act of time and finances involved in this “pay to play” type arena is enough of a stretch but ohhhh, the rewards and the enormous amounts of structured, fun family time can’t be beat!…

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    It Is About The Journey

      So this evening, I was catching up with an old friend and we were talking about life….when he said, “life is a journey and if I had fun along the way, then that is cool.” I couldn’t entirely disagree with him. I mean, I am a big proponent of living life with the journey in mind and not simply the destination. After all, we have been taught that it is the journey that is most important but in our western culture we also get very caught up in the destination. I personally am a journey type of gal, but of course the destination or as I prefer to think…

  • Hopeservations

    Nine Weeks Till The Rest Of Her Life

    As we come to the close of Spring Break 2018, another milestone to this school year is checked off the list. At the start of tomorrow, there will be only nine weeks remaining to this school year. Nine weeks. Nine weeks that I can barely even conceive of. Nine weeks to wrap my mind around the idea. Nine weeks where the words and emotions flood in and out to the point I can’t seem to formulate sentences. Nine weeks of encapsulated feelings about this tiny blip of time that will speed by like a literal snap of the fingers. The nine weeks I am having difficulty grasping is the final…

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    Motherhood Is…

    …when your oldest comes to you at the end of a long day and asks for a hug. You gladly wrap your arms around your newly adult child yet you sense the weight of the world on her shoulders. So you ask, “what’s wrong baby, are you okay?” and she mumbles “no” into your shoulder, then proceeds to cry while snuggling in deeper…and in that split second, instinctive mom moment you know where all the weight is coming from. You hear their fragile feelings through the unspoken quivers and between the muffled sobs. You just hold them tight, let them cry those big tears…and tell them it is okay, everything…