I forgot how much I enjoyed it. When I moved a couple of years ago, the company that was delivering my produce said they wouldn’t be able to deliver to my new address. I haven’t found anyone to fill the bill until now.

During a recent trip to the Mission Viejo farmer’s market, I stopped at the Rockview Farms booth to chat. We aren’t big dairy consumers, so milk delivery was never something I considered. But, Rockview Farms delivers more than just milk. They deliver dairy of course (milk, cheese, yogurt) but also juices, bakery items, and even fresh pasta. And now, thanks to a recent partnership with Tanaka Farms, Rockview delivers Tanaka Farms CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) produce boxes right to your door.

I opted for an every-other week shipment. The produce is fresh, seasonal, and grown using organic farming methods. It arrives in a box that you return for reuse at your next shipment.

It’s like a little present on your doorstep. Each box is a surprise, including the freshest in-season fruits and vegetables.

Here’s today’s shipment:

Fresh kale, lettuce, leaks, onions, oranges, blueberries and more.

I like that I am supporting local, organic, sustainable agriculture, and buying produce that is in-season. I also like the “surprise” factor of getting some fruits or vegetables that I may not have found at my local store, or may not have ventured to try, like this Romanesco -

It’s like a work of art, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten it. I’m reading all about it now and looking for a good recipe. If anyone has one, please let me know.

I plan to put all this produce to good use in the next week or so. If I can’t use all in time, I wash, dry and freeze it for later use. Like the kale – I’ll use half now, and break up and freeze half later for using in smoothies.

You can also order Tanaka Farms CSA boxes for pickup at the Tanaka Farms produce stand in Irvine or at Whole Foods locations across Orange County. For more information on that program, visit the Tanaka Farms CSA Program page.

The past two weekends have seen the Ducks host two of their largest youth hockey events, the sixth annual S.C.O.R.E. Street Hockey Shootout and the second annual i3 Roller Hockey League Championship.

(For more on the Ducks i3 Roller Hockey League Championship, click here for a recap of the day-long event held at The Rinks – Irvine Inline.)

In the shadow of Honda Center and surrounded by palm trees, over 350 4th graders from 23 local elementary schools took to the parking lot pavement for the some street hockey in the sun.

As a part of the Ducks’ S.C.O.R.E. (Scholastic Curriculum of Recreation & Education) program, the Street Hockey Shootout tournament is the final component of an in-school program that includes 45 schools and over 4,500 kids who are playing street hockey as a part of their physical education classes. Funded by the Anaheim Ducks Foundation, the program is free to participating schools and includes a full set of street hockey equipment, training for the P.E. instructors and a 10-day curriculum.

The morning kicked off bright and early with Opening Ceremonies, welcoming all of the teams, players and their families to the tournament. Then each school participated in “round robin” style play, with the best from each pool moving on to elimination play.

In a rematch from last year’s tournament, the finals featured Friends Christian from Yorba Linda, reigning champion for the past five years, and Fairmont Private from North Tustin facing off for the S.C.O.R.E. Cup.

Wild Wing ceremonially dropped the puck and Anaheim Ducks In-Arena Host Kent Walls called the play-by-play, while Ducks Director of Fan Development Matt Savant gave the color commentary for the battle for the top spot.

The game was surprisingly intense. Fairmont jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but in the second half, not willing to give up their possession of the Cup, Friends Christian stormed back with five unanswered goals and won the game, 6-3.

Friends Christian’s goaltender, Blake Coelho, was named the tournament MVP. He was 6-0 on the day, with 1 goal against in group play. And after a rocky start in the final game, he stood tall, giving his team a chance for that sixth consecutive championship.

You would have thought it was Lord Stanley’s Cup that was awarded, as Coelho and his teammates ran around the parking lot, taking turns carrying the S.C.O.R.E. Cup over their heads. A tough loss for Fairmont, but smiles all around for Friends Christian as they continue to dominate this tournament.

Although her school didn’t participate in the tournament, my own 4th grader played street hockey for the first time this year at her school during P.E. class.

And she loved it.

Her classmates really got into it, and she updated me every time they played to let me know how her team was doing. When it came time for the final game of the year to determine the “champion”, she talked about it the whole way to school. Her team was the underdog and she was fully prepared to come home with the loss.

But as it happens in sports, sometimes the underdog pulls off the victory. She could hardly contain her excitement as she told me about their big win that day. There were tears and high-fives, but overall, plenty of fun. The kids had a great time. And after watching her little sister play ice hockey for the last year and a half, I know she truly enjoyed getting the chance to play this great sport too.

This is just one of the ways that the Ducks S.C.O.R.E. Program is reaching local kids through the sport of hockey. Whether it’s the street hockey program, donating 18,000 sets of school supplies, hosting the math and science based field trip, First Flight, at Honda Center, encouraging kids to read with their incentive-based program, Reading is the GOAL, or motivating kids to eat better and stay fit through the Captain’s Challenge program, the Ducks are impacting over 27,000 students from 250 local schools annually. And I suspect it’s an even larger number than that.

Another big thank you from this Orange County parent to the Anaheim Ducks for making a lasting impact in our local kids through education, health and hockey.

If you haven’t seen the May issue of OC Register Family Magazine, be sure to check out Suz’s Editor’s Note where she shines the spotlight on the Ducks S.C.O.R.E. program. Here’s a link to the digital version of the issue. Page 16.

]]> http://blogs.ocfamily.com/anaheim-ducks-s-c-o-r-e-street-hockey-shootout-tournament/feed/ 0 http://blogs.ocfamily.com/tips-for-a-care-free-summer-for-divorced-families-part-2/ http://blogs.ocfamily.com/tips-for-a-care-free-summer-for-divorced-families-part-2/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 14:31:46 +0000 Mommy Esquire http://ocfamily.churmmediablogs.com/?p=44069 Last week we published Tips For a Care-Free Summer for Divorced Families, Part 1, which you can read here. But family law attorney Kathleen Peterson has additional valuable tips for parents sharing custody of children with former spouses.

Guest Post by Attorney By Kathleen O. Peterson

1. Who Pays?  Sometimes divorce judgments are clear about how much each parent will be required to spend on extracurricular activities and sometimes they are not. Be careful before committing to a costly summer camp or program with the expectation that your former spouse will cover some or all of the cost. Unless he or she is required to do so in a court order you will likely be out of luck in trying to recover any expenses.

2. Be Aware of Travel Requirements – Where are you planning on going on vacation with your children? Are you lucky enough to be heading to Italy? Or on a Carribean cruise? Make sure you know what paperwork you might need. Is your child’s passport up to date? How many months until it expires? Some airlines or travel companies require that there be at least six months left on a passport for someone to start their trip. Do you need a certified document from the other parent giving permission for the child to go on a trip? You don’t want to be stranded at the cruise ship terminal in Fort Lauderdale because you didn’t bring the necessary documentation.

3. Try to Avoid Needing the Help of the Court to Make Your Summer Plans Happen – Every time children are on a break from school our courtrooms see an increase in people filing requests for orders concerning vacation and related issues. Keep in mind that in Orange County right now it usually takes four to six weeks to obtain a hearing. While it’s possible to seek an emergency order, such requests really should be limited to true emergencies. Judges quite reasonably get irked when someone comes in with an emergency request that is only an emergency because the parents did not plan in advance. If you are one of these petitioners, you will likely have your request denied and perhaps also leave a bad impression on the judge who may later decide more pressing issues in your case.

4. Remember That The Most Important Thing Is The Happiness and Welfare Of Your Children – It is easy to become annoyed with a former spouse who asks to have a carefully negotiated custody arrangement tweaked in order to take a vacation with a child. It is key to keep in mind that your child is the most important person in these issues. Don’t withhold permission for your child to take an amazing trip or to attend a family reunion just because the trip falls within “your” custodial time. Also, think carefully before extracting a “quid pro quo” from your ex-spouse before agreeing to a trip. The last thing you want is for your child to feel like a negotiating chip. Try your best to work together to make sure your child has the best summer possible – and not just this year but every summer in the future.

Kathleen Peterson is the owner of the Law Office of Kathleen O. Peterson in Irvine. She has more than 25 years of litigation experience. After many years with a large international law firm she opened her own practice in order to assist people in navigating some of the most challenging experiences in life – the end of a marriage, the failure of a business arrangement, or the challenge of resolving a difficult relationship with a key employee. She has been married to her college sweetheart for 27 years and is the proud mother of two college-aged boys.

I love this quote from Thoreau, ” Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you imagined.” I think that is good advice for anyone, in any stage of their life.

Today’s post is a pretty printable and homemade gift idea that you can use for a graduation gift idea. You may event decide to make one for yourself!

Grab your free printable here:

Go Confidently Graduation Poster Printable

Print and cut it out and place into a standard 5″ x 7″ frame. Decorate your frame for an extra special touch.

I used washi tape along the top and bottom edges of the plain white frame.

Enjoy!

Go confidently and craft! = )

Follow Pauline for more crafty chatter at Club ChicaCircle, or on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.

Every summer my little family and I plant multiple zucchini plants. We end up with tons and tons of zucchini, and then I ask myself why I planted so much. But, the zucchini are put to good use…I love to grill the zucchini, saute, stuff them, its great in salads, steamed, eat it raw, give it away to friends.. whatever! But of course one of my most favorite things to do with it is BAKE!

This is such a great recipe for chocolate chip zucchini bread (and if you have picky little one’s at home, they’ll never know that there are veggies in the bread, promise!)

Here’s what you need:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup applesauce
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• Cooking spray

Here’s what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

It’s good!

Knott’s Soak City, a 13-acre water park adjacent to Knott’s Berry Farm Theme Park, offers a wave pool or you can chill in the lazy river. For adventurers, there’s 17 slides (speed, tube, and body), or you can amp up the thrills at the Pacific Spin, which drops riders into a 75 foot, six story funnel. OMG, I know my wild childs will drag me on this.

And you may want to consider a Season Pass. With a Knott’s Soak City Season Pass, you’ll have unlimited visits during the 2013 season. You can go for the day or stay for an hour.

Prices below, or click here to buy your Knott’s Soak’s City season pass.

Knott’s Soak’s City season pass:
Adult Season Pass $59.99 – or 6 payments of $9.99
Jr/ Sr Season Pass $56.99 – or 6 payments of $9.49

Finally, if you can’t make Opening Weekend May 18, you can watch it all unfold as it happens, by following #SoakCityOC on Twitter for parkgoers’ tweets and pics. It’ll give you a look at all the kinds of fun you can have ahead there. My family and I will be a part of the soaked social scene May 19 for sure @DebLavdas.

Enjoy this fantastic weather!

More happenings ahead from me here, or keep up with me at DebbieintheOC.com, on Facebook and Twitter.

Wrong.

If you have children, especially small children, the time for estate planning is now.

Your estate plan allows you to plan for who will care for your children, makes sure that your property is transferred to the people you want to have it, determines who will handle the business affairs of your estate and who will handle the property you leave to your children.

If you still don’t think you need an estate plan, here are a few things to think about:

Why are you delaying estate planning?

For many couples with young children, the expense of actually sitting down with an attorney may be the leading factor in delaying planning their estate. When you’re trying to pay a mortgage, an estate plan may seem like a luxury you can put off until a later time. But consider the possibility that something does happen to you and/or your spouse. What would happen to your children? If you don’t decide who will take care of your children and put that decision into an estate plan, the court will make the decision for you. And that may very well not be the best choice for your kids.

Some parents delay estate planning because of mixed feelings about death, property issues, even marriage and family relationships. If these issues are causing you to put off planning your estate, take some time to sit down and discuss them with your spouse and really get a handle on your feelings. Once you’ve dealt with how you feel about these issues, you will have a much better handle on how to plan your estate and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your children and your property will be taken care of.

A reality check

Once you’ve examined your feelings surrounding the issues involved in estate planning, it’s time for a little dose of reality. Be very realistic about your resources and how they’ll be used. If you want your estate to be used for sending your children to college, you need to also think about how they will be supported until they actually reach the age to go to college. The first thing you need to think about is supporting your children. They need food, clothes and shelter first. College is a secondary consideration.

The time to plan is now

If you’re wondering if you need to hire an attorney to plan your estate, the answer is yes. While you can do a simple will with forms you find online, if you have small children, those forms are not going to design your estate in a way that truly benefits your children and ensures that what you really want done is done.

To get the ball rolling, this weekend a local law firm is hosting two free seminars for parents at My Gyms in Tustin/Irvine and Newport Beach; the kids are having fun and being watched while you are in the same room, learning what you need to know. What could be better than that? Get all the details at www.KidsProtectionWorkshop.com.

Darlynn Morgan is an estate planning lawyer at Morgan Law Group, a unique law firm that she created to truly make a difference in the lives of her clients.

It was probably only three.

I had a hard time bringing myself to put my key into the ignition.

Because if I did drive away from the arena, I would be forced to acknowledge that the Ducks season is actually over.

Truthfully, their season ended long before the final buzzer in their 3-2 Game 7 loss, and series loss, to the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Quarter Finals. In a “win or go home” situation, the Ducks were outplayed by the Wings from the drop of the puck. Another notoriously bad start saw them down 1-0 less than two minutes into the contest, and they spent the rest of the night chasing the game instead of playing it.

And although they showed a bit of life late in the final period, as Francois Beauchemin scored with just over three minutes remaining to bring the Ducks within one, I knew in my gut that we were not going to witness one of those miraculous comebacks that we had seen from this team all season.

As time expired, Corey Perry collapsed to his knees in a display of honest emotion rarely seen from the reserved winger.

And that was it. Season over.

Heartbreak.

The Ducks eventually gathered to make their way through the customary series-ending handshake line. And then they slowly raised their sticks, with the weight of the loss bearing down on them, to salute the home crowd who stayed to thank the team for their extraordinary season. Emotional doesn’t begin to describe the moment.

Standing in the dressing room after the game wasn’t any easier. One by one, as the players walked in to address the media, they didn’t have to say a word for me to know the disappointment that they were experiencing. I could see it on their faces.

But the professionals that they are, they kept their composure, didn’t make excuses and praised their teammates. They win as a team, and they lose as a team.

And Teemu. Oh, Teemu.

Many of us hung around, waiting for him, waiting to hear his reaction. Always the gentleman, he was (obviously) disappointed.

“We have to learn something from this,” Selanne said. “I think we deserved better than this, but that’s hockey. You never know. The playoffs are so much fun and very disappointing to be out of it right now, the first round. We were looking forward to going further and enjoying this more. That’s why it’s so tough. It’s too late now.”

And per the usual, he wouldn’t comment on his future, acknowledging that he needed time to clear his head before he could make such a decision.

Is this the way it ends for the Great 8? I won’t let my mind go there.

I’ve written before about this inherent need in sports to have a reason for why a game, series or season ends badly, as if there needs to be some explanation beyond the obvious.

I think for some fans, it helps them process the loss. There are plenty of well-written explanations as to why the Ducks lost this series to Detroit.

Whether you believe “Boudreau was outcoached” or “the Ducks’ best players weren’t their best players”, or that “they didn’t play with enough urgency”, it’s all out there.

But for me, the explanations do little to ease the heartbreak. And they never change the outcome.

I may be over simplifying this, but I will tell you that on Sunday night, I saw a Red Wings team that played better than the Ducks, and beat them.

That’s it. And that’s sports.

At the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there are 29 teams and their fan bases who will be experiencing some level of disappointment. Only one team emerges as the winner. This year, it isn’t the Ducks.

And I will tell you that when you stand a few feet from the players’ faces after a gut-wrenching Game 7 playoff loss and see the raw emotion in their eyes, it doesn’t ever leave your mind. Do not think for a second that their hearts weren’t in this. Their disappointment will not fade quickly, I assure you.

As I finally drove out of the Honda Center parking lot, the emotions came flooding over me, the same emotions I had forcefully kept shoved down for the better part of three hours.

In all honesty, it felt like someone had ripped out my heart, stomped on it, then tossed it onto the ice, where someone else promptly emerged from the Zamboni tunnel with a cold, metal shovel, quickly scooped it up and threw it into a trash bin.

And I doubt I was alone in my reaction.

But as I drove home in silence, I decided it would be best to reflect back on what a success this Ducks season has been.

When a team goes from 13th in the Western Conference to 2nd, and from last place in the Pacific Division to first–in one year–I think that’s a season worth celebrating.

Not many picked this Ducks team to even make the playoffs, let alone finish as a number 2 seed. They had an incredible, record-setting start to this shortened season, with plenty of dramatic highlights. They signed Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry to long-term extensions. And the youth of this team (Bonino, Fowler, Etem, Palmieri, Cogliano, etc.) is looking strong.

So despite the early playoff exit, there is plenty to be excited about with this Ducks team going forward.

And despite the heartbreak, I fully believe they exceeded expectations. After what Ducks fans endured last season, and in a season this year that some didn’t even think would happen, I call that a major win.

As I walked into my house late Sunday night, I caught a glimpse of the flowers and handmade cards on our kitchen table, gifts from my sweet daughters for Mother’s Day.

And as the sun rose Monday morning, it brought with it the familiar weekday routine of making breakfast, packing lunches and shuttling my girls off to school.

The emotions are still there. They will be for a while. And I’m okay with that. They are there because I care about this team and this great sport. And I don’t want that to ever change.

But in the midst of feeling upside down, sometimes life has a way of turning you right side up and nudging you back into normalcy when you really need it.

Thank you, Anaheim Ducks, for an incredible season we won’t soon forget.

It may be a long wait until October, but I’m already looking forward to it.

**Bottom photo via Christina Chin

I’ll start with owls and the color lime green

How cute is this little guy? If you know me, you know that I heart owls. I’ve loved them before owls became popular. I have owls all over my house. They just make me happy. I seriously would love to have one as a pet. Ha!

I also love the color green. Especially this bright shade of green.

I love buntings and I love making them. This is my latest one “Amore”. Again, if you know me and have been to my house, you’ll see these in pretty much every room!

Scentsy. I have a warmer in every room of my home, even my kids rooms! No flame, no worries! I turn my warmers on in the morning and turn them off at night. I love the way they make my home smell. Yummy!

I love my new colorful chair I found at an art fair last weekend. There’s that color green again! I’m in love!

Chevron print. Need I say more?

Essie nail polish. I’ve tried many nail polish brands. This one lasts the longest, and the colors are so shiny and beautiful.

I love this gardeners hand therapy lotion by Crabtree and Evelyn. It smells AMAZING, and is SO moisturizing. I found this little treasure at a cute little boutique shop in Rancho Santa Margarita “Willow Manor”. But they also carry a lot of the Crabtree and Evelyn line at one of my favorite shops- The Daisy Shop in the Mission Viejo mall. I could get into real trouble at that place!

“Justified”. My new favorite show. My hubby and I bought the first three seasons not too long ago, and only have two episodes left to watch on the third season. This show is so good, so addicting, and look at the main character “Raylan Givens” played by Timothy Olyphant. Wow!

WINE! I LOVE red wine! And this is one of my favorites. You’ll find this box, yes box! at Trader Joes. This is equivalent to 4 bottles of wine, and it sells for $9.99, what a deal! It stays fresh in the box, and is so yummy!

I’m also loving chalkboard signs. Oh did I mention how much I love wine? haha

My puppy! Meet Cinnamon. She is my 11 month old Shiba Inu puppy. She is such a good girl. I love this breed.

Last, but not at all least- my family!

There ya go, some of my favorite things. I’d love to know if you share the same love for any of these things. Have a wonderful weekend friends!