Getting Ready for Summer (with some great new clothes from Gongshow Gear)

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My boys love all sports, but hockey definitely holds a special place in their hearts. So, it's not surprising that they are big fans of Gongshow Gear clothing, and they are always anxiously awaiting new additions to their website. Recently, Gongshow Gear released their Spring / Summer line, and my boys jumped at the chance to check it out. I'm sharing their favourites below.

My boys love hockey, but in the off season, golf becomes their passion... so when my boys were choosing their favourites, there were a lot of "rinks to links" selections.

My oldest son selected the white tee one up golf hat. It's a great looking hat that comes with a ball marker clip and a spot for a tee.

My oldest also selected the rep the leaf t-shirt. I really love how crisp and clean it looks.

My middle son also chose the tee one up golf hat, but he selected the black one. He also picked out the lights camera puck drop t-shirt. The black hat looks fantastic with the black t-shirt.

My youngest son loves golf too, but as a goalie, he couldn't resist selecting the tenders rock jr t-shirt. He also chose the palm-cool collected hat. I love the way the junior hats fit his head.

My boys are really pleased with their new clothes, and I love them too.

Are you ready for the transition from winter to Spring / Summer? If you are looking for a few new quality pieces for your hockey fan, I highly recommend checking out the new Gongshow line.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

*Disclosure - I was given GONGSHOW products for free in exchange for my honest review and promotion of the products. As always, the views expressed on this blog are 100% my own... and my boys genuinely loved everything they received.

You may also be interested in seeing how excited my boys were when they received their new clothes from Gongshow. 

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Top TEN gifts for HOCKEY fans and players (2020 hockey gift guide)

 ***Disclosure -This gift guide contains some products I own, some items that I received for free and a few affiliate links. Please be assured that the opinions in this blog are 100% my own, and I've only included items I think would make fantastic gifts for hockey fans and players. Also, if you make a purchase using one of my affiliate links, you will not pay any extra, but I may get a small commission on your purchase. Thank you!***

If you regularly read my blog, you know that I am a hockey mom to three hockey-loving boys. Every year, there are several hockey-related items on my Christmas shopping list, so today, I am sharing my top 10 gift ideas for hockey fans and hockey players. There really is something on this list for all ages and budgets.

1) Gongshow Gear - My kids and I LOVE this high quality clothing line, so it's no surprise it made my top ten list. This year, I let each of my boys pick his favourite piece of Gongshow clothing for this gift guide.

My oldest picked this awesome hoodie... The Statement Grey. It's warm and cozy, and the skate lace tie is a fantastic detail.

My youngest loves hats, and he was drawn to the great colours in this "Cold as Ice" hockey hat. (I love them too!)

My middle son (who is the fussiest when it comes to fashion) chose the "Toe Tiddy" grey and black hoodie. The zipper on the neck of this hoodie looks great... and the hockey lace tie makes it the perfect hoodie to wear to the rink. He loves his new hoodie!

My youngest is in "kids" sizes, but my boys are in "adult" sizes now. If you have a hockey lover on your list, I highly recommend checking out the fantastic clothing GongShow Gear has to offer.

2) Ollie Bots - These cute little wooden robots are made with love and tied together with hockey skate laces. The Ollie Bots project was started by my son's buddy and teammate (Oliver Smith) who sadly passed away at the age of 12 to a rare form of bone cancer. For a $20 donation, you can help raise funds and awareness for Ewing Sarcoma. Find out more here. 

3) NHL21 - If your hockey fan loves video games, you probably already have the latest version of this game on your Christmas shopping list. My boys are hoping to have the PS4 version under the tree, and if you have it on your list, you can order it here.

4) Hockey books - Books always make fantastic gifts, and hockey books are perfect for hockey fans. The Three Stars (below) looks like a good one!

5) Warm socks - Warm socks make great gifts and wonderful stocking stuffers for hockey moms and hockey dads. These ones are inexpensive and cute! (I ordered them for myself last year, and they are perfect for the rink.)

6) Microfibre Sports Towel - Great for sticking in a hockey bag for an after-game shower. I ordered the large one for my my oldest son for Christmas last year. Click here for the link to the one I purchased.

7) Hockey-themed labels and wall decals from Oliver's Labels - Personalized labels and wall decals make wonderful gifts for kids. I've recovered a lot of my boys clothes and sports equipment because of name labels. And, and how cute is this large jersey wall decal? Use my link, and save 10% with code: EastCoastMommy.

8) Summer Skates - My boys are huge fans of Summer Skates. They are comfortable, high quality, customizable, and stylish. The front of the sandals are made with REAL HOCKEY SKATE LACES, and you can add your favourite team or player name/number. They are perfect for summer, and we love them for hotel rooms too! (There are also Koozies available that make great stocking stuffers.)

9) Hockey games - Hockey  players are always looking for fun things to do "off ice", and Gongshow Gear has a variety of entertaining "saucer games" that are perfect for gifting this holiday season. My boys have the "sauceoff" game, and they love it!

10) Bags and Skate Guards from Pacific Rink - The hockey bags from Pacific Rink are the best around. They are high quality, stylish, and extremely well-thought out. They also have NEW skate guards that would make excellent stocking stuffers.

Any one of the these TEN products would make a wonderful gift for the hockey fan or hockey player on your Christmas list. My boys and I love all these products, and we've tried them all. If you have any questions, just let me know!

Happy shopping!

💗 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

A FANTASTIC Fundraising (and Holiday Gift) Idea for HOCKEY Fans

My boys are huge fans of Summer Skates. They are comfortable, high quality, customizable, and stylish. The front of the sandals are made with REAL HOCKEY SKATE LACES, and you can add your favourite team or player name/number. They are perfect for summer, and we love them for hotel rooms too! Summer skates make great custom gifts, and they also provide a fantastic opportunity for fundraising. I'm sharing all the information you need to know below.

*Disclosure - I was given Summer Skates for free in exchange for my honest review of the product. As always, the views expressed on this blog are 100% my own... and my whole family genuinely loves these sandals.

1) A new ALL BLACK sandal just launched. I love this versatile option, don't you? I ordered a pair for myself, and my youngest is already trying to steal them from me. 😀

2) A new TRAGICALLY HIP sandal just launched. Aren't these awesome? I ordered a pair for my husband for Christmas... but shhhh... don't tell him.

3) Summer Skates has a pink "fight cancer" sandal. The sandals are super-cute, and a percentage of every sale goes to fight cancer at Princess Margaret Hospital. With their customers, Summer Skates has donated over $100,000 since 2014.

4) Summer Skates offers custom team orders. How fun would it be to have a set of custom team sandals? Here's what you need to know:

a) 12 pair minimum order per custom logo

b) $29.99 per custom pair (volume discounts start at 50 pairs)

c) Order needs to be submitted with Vector File Format (or a one-time $50 Vectorization Fee and Summer Skates will provide you a file for future use)

d) You must have the "Rights of Use" of the custom logo you are submitting with your order

e) Summer Skates will send a pre-production photo proof in 2-3 business days for approval

f) Once Approved, Summer Skates will ship in less than 15 business days guaranteed (usually avg 10 business days)

5) Summer skates offers a 25% online fundraising webstore. This is a great fundraising opportunity because it is EASY, and there are NO setup costs. You get a dedicated online store (e.g. here), which will allow you to sell your custom team sandals and koozies plus additional designs... which will allow you to reach a large audience of team members, family, and friends.

The fundraising team gets 25% of net proceeds.

6) KOOZIE (drink holders made with skate laces) make great stocking stuffers. They come in 2 packs, 4 packs and 6 packs.

7) You can get a FREE matching KOOZIE when you buy an NHL player sandal now. Who doesn't love getting something for free? It's a wonderful gift idea for a super fan! We have an array of Toronto Maple Leaf koozies in our house.

As a hockey mom to three boys, I've purchased a lot of hockey clothing over the years. Summer Skates really are the perfect gift for hockey fans. They are stylish, customizable, high-quality, and comfortable. (And as a mom, I love that they are washable. You can pop them in the washer and air dry them to get rid of stinky bacteria!) 

I highly encourage you to add them to your "gift to give" list this year. Let me know if you have any questions.

💗 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (If you have questions about sizing, this chart should help.)

DIY Hockey Valentine

My boys have never liked giving out those "store bought" class Valentine's. So, every year, I have tried to come up with a new idea for a treat or trinket they can share with their friends. My older two boys are too old for Valentine's this year, but my youngest son still needs a fun card to share with his friends. Given that he is a lover of all things hockey, I decided to create a simple DIY hockey Valentine this year.

I started by taking a picture of him at the rink. (As you can see, he's trying out being a goalie this year, which is not good for his mother's heart. lol)

Then, I used photo editing software to add a fun message to the top of the Valentine. I love puns, so the Valentine says, "You are top shelf. Happy Valentine's Day!"

I used Picmonkey.com because it is easy to use, you don't need to download anything, and it's free.

I printed the 4x6 photos, used an x-acto knife to cut two slits in the pictures, and inserted heart-shaped suckers.

And it works for players too! I made this one for my nephew. (You can take a picture of a child shooting top shelf and use "You are top shelf" or you can use a little poem like... "Red lines are red. Blue lines are blue. Hockey is fun, and so are you!"

Isn't this an adorable Valentine?!?! I made enough for my son's class, and it didn't take me long at all.

If you have a hockey fan in your life, you should totally give these DIY Valentines a try this year. You could do a similar thing for other sports too. What sport do your kids play? Would they like this ideas?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)



PS - If you want to give Valentine's to give your teammates, these tags are adorable. Click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer and print it like a regular 4x6 photo. Use ribbon to attach it to a package of Excel gum, and you are good to go!

You can find MORE easy and inexpensive 

Valentine's Day ideas 

here.

If you have a hockey fan in the house, you might also like this hockey post.

Hockey Mom HACKS (decor, parties, crafts, advice, and more!)

As a mom to three boys that eat, sleep, and breath hockey, I have learned a couple of useful hockey tips and tricks over the years. Today, I am sharing some of my favourite hockey mom HACKS.

1) Hockey Decor - If you have hockey fans living in your home, they are going to want to fill their spaces with hockey decor. Check out my boys shared hockey room here. I love that it reflects my boys and their love for hockey, but it's still stylish and not overdone.

2) DIY Hockey Artwork - I love the idea of creating DIY artwork, and I have created a few DIY hockey projects over the years. Check out the hockey stick name art, jersey canvas paintings, hockey card quote artwork, and hockey prints that my boys and I have made. Pretty special, right?

3) Hockey Advice - I'm not an expert, but I have had three boys in hockey for many years... and I've learned a few lessons along the way. Click the links to check out my tips for new hockey moms and my "perspective" advice for hockey parents.

4) Hockey Food - I'm not a nutritionist or an expert on feeding high performance athletes, but I am a mom of three very active boys who are always moving and constantly hungry. Generally, I try to feed my boys a healthy and balanced diet, and on game days we stay away from high fat and fried foods. This often means having "easy to grab" snacks in the fridge and packing a cooler when we are on the road. 

You can find a few of our favourite lunch and snack ideas here. I also highly recommend buying a few banana cases. Bananas are a great nutritious and inexpensive pre-game snack, and they travel really well in these plastic cases. I love them!

5) Hockey Travel Tips - When travelling, always pack a cooler.  It will save you money, and it will help you to eat better too. Other fantastic items to pack are: 

• babywipes (great for cleaning up on the go)
• ziploc bags (perfect for packing snacks, separating wet clothes, and filling with ice for makeshift ice packs)
• laundry dryer sheets or air freshener (which is wonderful for combating hockey stink in the hotel room)
• clothespins (for closing hotel room curtains and keeping the light out at the crack of dawn)
• cards (useful for occupying kids between games when they need a little downtime)

6) Hockey Valentines - Every occasion for a hockey fan has a bit of a "hockey" spin. The cute Valentines you can find here fit the bill perfectly!

7) Hockey Christmas Ideas - In a house of hockey fans, even Christmas has a bit of a "hockey" spin. Check out our favourite holiday hockey hacks here.

8) Halloween for Hockey Fans - Every hockey fan needs a hockey pumpkin on October 31. Pretty cute, right?

9) Simple Coach Gift - Coaches are special people that volunteer a lot of their time to help our kids. I love the simple "thank you" gift idea you can find here. (Free tags included.)

10) Hockey Tape Organizer - This is a simple idea, but you'll be glad you tried it. No more searching for tape before the big game!

11) Simple Hockey Decor - This simple DIY hockey wreath is perfect for Canada Day, but it is wonderful for other times of year as well. Find the full "how to" here.

12) Hockey Parties - If you have a hockey fan, the odds are good that at some point you will be hosting a hockey party. I have some fantastic ideas for DIY hockey food, decor, activities, and more here. I also have a fun idea for hockey party favors or team treats (with free printable tags) here.

Are you a hockey mom or dad? What is best / most useful tip? I'd love a few new ideas!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)