Shinguard Rash - The Cure

I am going to say this without exaggeration.  I've been wanting to write a blog post about shinguard rash for over a year.  I know, I know....it's a strange topic for me to blog about.  This topic, however, is near and dear to my heart because of these legs below.

Y'all know I am mom to Miss Olive who we used to call Lil O on this blog.  Then, she grew up.  Miss O is now in high school and is three inches taller than me!  Next week, she gets her learners permit to drive.

For at least four years, Miss O dealt from extreme shinguard rash from wearing field hockey shinguards.  We tried every type of shinguard, liner, cream, powder, you name it under the sun and nothing - I repeat, nothing! - helped her shins not be all red and rashy.  

....By the way...I asked Miss O if I could post a photo of the actual rash and she declined.  I told her it was a public-service-message-blog post.  She still declined.  

Then, we found a solution.

If I was religious I would thank some deity.  But, in this case, I am thankful to a sales person we met in Delft, Netherlands at a lovely field hockey shop there (photos below).  You see, the Dutch have mastered the game of field hockey.  Most of the best field hockey players in the world are Dutch.  AND, because of the popularity of field hockey, there are so many different field hockey brands and products there.

At this shop above, we checked out the liner and shinguard section, but nothing seemed too, too different from what Miss O had already tried in the States.  When we asked the sales woman if she had any recommendations for shinguard rash, she replied, "I get shinguard rash, too.  I only wear Stanno liners." 

Stanno liners?  What are those?  

Since the shop didn't sell Stannos, she directed us to purchase the Stanno liners online (as they are not sold in the States either). We had the liners shipping to our hotel in Delft.

...Cue ethereal music...and I'm serious.

These Stanno liners (with antibacterial technology) changed Miss O's life/legs.  To date, 18 months later, Miss O has not had shinguard rash once since wearing Stannos under her shinguards.  NONE.  How crazy is that!  The Stanno liners fixed her shinguard rash in under a week and have kept her from getting shinguard rash again.

Since Stanno does not mail directly to the States, we ended up buying more Stanno liners from a company out of the UK (link here) who was kind enough to ship more Stannos to the USA. We wanted enough Stanno liners for Miss O to last an entire week of field hockey (without doing laundry).

AND, here's some fun news!  I have two extra pairs that I would love to share with you.  Yes, love!  I want to give them away to two different people who also have tried every cure under the sun for shinguard rash and nothing has worked. I want you to find out if Stannos will fix your shinguard rash.  Field hockey players, soccer players, cricket players or any athletes in the USA with shinguard rash,  reach out to me.  I will send you a pair of Stannos to keep and try.  I just have two pairs (and only want to send by mail domestically), so I'll send them to the first two athletes that contact me.  Normally, I would direct you to leave me a comment below, but lately, my comments have been all spam, so I've turned off comments for a while.  You will have to be creative and find me.

Oh, and if you haven't seen Miss O in a while, here she is....not so Lil O anymore (photo cred: Mark22photos)

Grateful,

Jen

Dream Queue - An interview with myself

If you are new to this blog, here's something you need to know about me.  I generally have a Dream Queue.  

Depending on what's in the queue or what's going on in my life, that Dream Queue is either moving along at a lovely clip or pace or man, that queue is stuck.  Recently, my Dream Queue was totally stuck.  So, let's interview myself, shall we? 

.....By the way, if you have ever wondered what (life) coaching is like, this interview is what coaching is like.  A lot of thought-provoking, honest questions and not the coach giving advice.  Let's go to my inner self interview...

Hey Jen, what's a Dream Queue?

A Dream Queue is the place inside me where all of my dreams and big ideas go to wait for their turn.

Why do you capitalize Dream Queue?

Because it feels like it's a proper noun and deserves the attention and recognition.

What makes the queue stuck? (Hmmm...notice the lowercase....)

Great question!  What makes my Dream Queue stuck is time (or feeling like I have lack of time). Or that work projects or classes I am teaching need my full attention and that I don't have space for dreams-into-action.  Also, malaise and fear of the unknown.

What gets the queue unstuck?

Writing about it like I'm doing now.  Coaching.  I recently got coached on my Dream Queue and finally have some answers.

What are the answers?

The answers are that some dreams need to wait their turn.  Some dreams are more time sensitive. Some dreams require me to collaborate with others (which leads to some stuckness....who do I want to collaborate with right now? Not everyone floats my boat).  Some dreams ignite fear within me like "Will the time spent on this dream pay off?  Will my return on effort pay off?"

When you say "pay off" do you mean money?

Not necessarily.  Some dreams and ideas could generate extra income, but many dreams just generate joy - which to me is as important as real dollars.  Actually, now that I am typing this...I think both are true.  I like real money and joy.

So, what's holding you back, Jen?

Great question.  What's holding me back is feeling like I have to get XYZ done before I begin moving my dreams through the queue.  

What's true?

What's true is that yes, I do have some things that need to get done in life (like work, prepping for next semester, making sure my holiday shopping is complete, etc.) AND, in reality, those are excuses for letting my dreams sit in the queue for too long.  What you focus on grows is one of my favorite quotes.  I've been focusing on distractions and small wins.  AND afraid to put forth effort into bigger, dreamier projects that may - in the short term - not feel like they are paying off.

What's next knowing this?

I am just realizing something....I need more small, micro wins.  I crave more micro wins. Some of my Dream Queue ideas are so big that it feels like 6-12 months before I could see them paying off.  The fear inside me doesn't want to wait so long to see "if" a dream is going to take off, workout, or generate joy or extra income.  What I am also realizing is I need to take my big dreams and break them up into smaller chunks.  Then, tackle one chunk at a time.

Jen, why are you shaking your head?

I'm shaking my head because I missed this!  I missed that one, big dream is really just an accumulation of small, small steps.  

What do you want to commit to, Jen?

I want to commit to taking one of my dreams out of the queue and making a list of all the small steps - small wins - I need to accomplish to make that dream come completely alive. Then, I will start taking a step one after another.

Jen, how will we know you've done that?

I'll report back here.

💜

With new insight and apparently a dream about to become queue-less,

Jen

Gift Guide - Jen's Favorites

Y'all, this pandemic, I've been one consistent user and wearer of certain items.  Here are my favorites in case you need last minute gifts for others or yourself.  

Favorite joggers.  The fabric is so darn soft and they run true to size.  I love the camo print. Bonus:  Miss O loves their leggings.  Both look like Lulu knock-offs for ¼ of the price.

Be Hippy beanie.  I'm obsessed with this hat.  It's so cheerful and warm.

Leopard printed slippers.  I am on my third pair of these for the pandemic.  My feet love them.

Faux bun.  Because sometimes on Zoom you need a quick, last minute up-do!  And for $8, why not?

Winter jacket.  This REI quilted jacket is my absolute go-to.  It packs up super small, so post-pandemic we can all bring it on trips with us.

Running shoes.  Are you like me and walking (and jogging) a ton?  Brooks are my fav.  This model is my favorite, too.

Charcoal bags.  Being at home all the time, I find myself wanting our place to smell fresh and clean.  These bags help.  I hang 'em in all of our closets.  You are supposed to be able to recharge the bags in the sun every 1-2 months.

Coaching cards.  I use these powerful question cards to coach others and self-coach.  Right now, everything on Hello Strategies is half-off with free shipping!

Happy shopping, friends!

Jen

Year in Review 2020 Activity + Download

Hello, dear friends during a pandemic!  I'll write more soon and in the meantime, if you'd like a lovely tool to bring 2020 to a close and think ahead for 2021, here you go.

This is the same tool I use with coaching clients; you get to use it for free!  Enjoy the download here and feel free to direct others to Upcycled Education so they can download it, too.

I have a few more blog posts in the hopper.  More soon!

xo,

Jen

Life Updated + Obii App: Join me

Hello lovely blog reader.  Hello, Day 74 of staying-at-home.  I'm curious.  What is your pandemic life like these days?  What are you noticing and learning?  

Me?  I'm noticing and learning....

• More people in our area are out using the hiking/walking trails than I've seen in my 20 years living in Maryland.  Might that mean Maryland is becoming a more healthy state with all this outdoor activity?

• Speaking of the outdoors, you can ski again in Colorado.  A-Basin Ski Resort is reopening this week - not that I am remotely close to being in Colorado right now.

• Our family has not eaten out nor picked up to-go foods during this pandemic.  That means, we've cooked everyday for 74 days.  That is crazy to me.  One recipe our family has enjoyed is this one.  I use gluten-free flour (whatever we have on hand) to make it.  It has also given me a deeper appreciation for pickles.

• This pandemic, I've spent more time with my mom and sister (and of course, Miss O, Jedi and Mr. UpCyclist).  There are silver-linings in this pandemic - for me, family.

• More silver-linings:  Not setting an alarm for the mornings, barely driving, double walks/hikes with Jedi each day, recognizing good leadership, leveraging every feature Zoom can offer, and feeling like a global "pause" button has been hit.

I'm also noticing I am more creative lately with work projects and ideas.  It's like all of the ideas I have had for my college's coaching program finally get to have their moment.  I'm proud of AACC and what we have created.

To complete my work flow this summer, I am offering the app-based Life Tune-up one last time (until the fall) starting June 8th.  Won't you join me?  So far, 80 participants have completed it and I heard from one participant, "Every person should take this.  It makes you a better person."  I agree!  Plus, what else are you going to do this pandemic?  Seriously, join me.  You can read more about why I created the Life Tune-up here.

Starts June 8^th

Registration: https://app.obii.io/store?p=245

Price: $45 ($29 with code)

Coupon code: earlybirdsummer

AND, It's Memorial Day in the US today.  Thank you, Mr. UpCyclist and the other military service people! I am grateful for your service.

With gratitude,

Jen