Dream Duffel - The Best Friend for a Dance Mom

From time to time, I will review a product I find absolutely wonderful and a must have. Today, I will be reviewing the Dream Duffel (Link), a must have for any competition parent. 

The Dream Duffel is a rolling case that can transport all of your child's costumes, accessories, shoes, hats, make-up, etc. It is sturdy, and comes in 3 convenient sizes, according to how many costumes your dancer has. Psst....It isn't only for dancers - it works for skaters, cheerleaders, drama, show choir, etc. Any club where you have to transport multiple costumes and accessories and don't want to deal with multiple bags.

Case in point - my son is in 3 competition dances. Before I purchased the Dream Duffel last year, We had a garment bag, a hat box, a rolling backpack, cooler, blanket, pillow and pop up changing room. All of this carried into every venue. Let's just say, it got a little heavy.

I bought this little gem last year: 

A medium sized silver edition dream duffel. It is more rugged looking for the boy dancers and doesn't have the pink logo. I could fit my son inside this thing. It carries his hat box (for his cowboy hat), 3 costumes, 2 sets of shoes, an accessory box (with safety pins, bobby pins, rhinestones, glue, hairspray, Tylenol), his folded down pop up tent for changing, a small pillow, blanket, lucky stuffed wolf, and it still has room for more. I have not yet filled this thing to capacity. 

What makes this thing worth the price (other than its ability to store all my son's costume needs?). It has a fold down rack so I can hang his costumes! 

The left side outer pocket is a thermal cooler, perfect for a yogurt or cold bottle of water. The right side outer pocket can hold simple extras - like his Maui Wowi cup, napkins, fruit snacks. 

It comes with a patch that you can personalize with your child's name or studio (or anything else you wish to call it). It has heavy duty wheels that can go over any curb, curve, stair you might need to navigate around. 

The thing that sold me on buying a Dream Duffel is the story behind it. Dream Duffel, LLC, is a Minnesota based company founded by two dance moms, who's own experiences with trying to manage multiple bags and lead them to see that there was another way. An easier way. Their staff is built around former dance parents, competition dancers and dance teachers. They continually add to and improve their product. They boast a pet friendly work environment. If you stop by their Plymouth headquarters, you will see dogs of all shapes and sizes lounging around by desks and offices. Their friendly staff responds quickly to emails and phone calls. 

Dream Duffel has be featured on Dance Moms and recently partnered with Dancing with the Stars to help the dancers keep track of all their costume changes.  The Dream Duffel is sold by retailers worldwide. Yes, worldwide. You can find their product in dance stores, dance studios, dance retailers. Or you can purchase online. Their website is easy to navigate.

Accessories. Can I tell you about the accessories? Not only can you personalize your child's Dream Duffel, but they sell kits to do so. They have folding stools that can fit in a specially designed pocket on the side. They have garment bags with little pockets for accessories (I highly recommend these). Light up make-up stands. Cosmetic Cases. Hangers. Anything and everything you can think of you will need and more. 

If I were to grade the Dream Duffel, I would give it an A. Love, love, love my Dream Duffel. And so do the rest of their customers. Check out their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/dreamduffel) to see all the pictures of the dancers with their duffels.

One Crazy Cat Lady

I have 2 cats we rescued years ago from an animal shelter. I had originally just wanted one, since my son wanted a pet and he needed to start learning responsibility. So I found this adorable grey tuxedo kitten on the Animal Ark website. His name was Starsky (as in Starsky and Hutch) and he was the cutest little thing you could ever want. Then we met his brother, a black tuxedo kitten by the name of Huggy Bear. He was even cuter, because he has a little half mustache. I got to reading about kitten care and the cat experts say to get 2 kittens so they play with each other and don’t destroy your house. Perfect solution – so we adopted both.

Now my boys are grown and are some of the laziest kitties you will ever meet. Oh, they wrestle each other and go flying up and down the stairs, but they haven’t destroyed my house and don’t play with yarn. What? Cats that don’t play with yarn?

It’s true. I taught my cats not to play with my yarn. One – it is bad for them if they swallow it. It can twist around their intestines and kill them. Two – who really wants to buy an item with cat slobber and fur all over it. So, I trained my cats not to touch my yarn.

Cats are trainable, contrary to popular belief. A spray bottle and a quick spritz deters any unwanted behavior. Unless you have a cat like my brother.

His tabby named Lando loves the water. So much so, that when my brother takes a shower, he has to turn on the water and the shower head, and leave the room for a few minutes so his cat can play in the water. When Lando is done, my brother can take his shower. But, he has found an alternative form of training aid – a can of air. Lando hates it, so bad behavior is quickly averted with a quick spray.

I have also taught my cats to sit on command when they are given wet food or treats. I haven’t yet broken them of the habit of meowing at me very loudly while I prepare their can of wet food, or when I’m in the kitchen preparing my food, but for the most part they are very well behaved cats.

Cats are also more trainable if they have toys to play with. My cats love to chew on cardboard and plastic bags, which isn’t a big deal. The cardboard helps clean their teeth. Some of my yarn comes on these thick cardboard cones. When I’m done with that skein of yarn, I toss the empty cone on the floor and the cats go to town. Yes, I have bits of cardboard I have to clean up, but it is worth it to see my boys happy.

The two boys sleep in bed with me at night. They think I am a giant mommy kitty who purrs very loudly. Yes, I snore. So when it is bedtime, Huggy will hop into my chair and stare at me and mew (soft meowing) until I shut off the lights and head upstairs to bed. Then, as I’m checking my phone for the final time, he jumps up on the bed and nudges my arm and starts his loud motor running. Huggy has always been a loud purrer.

These boys are as much a part of the shop as my son. They remind me to get up every once in awhile and stretch, or remind me when it is time to go to bed. Starsky loves to cuddle up on my legs when I'm crocheting.

Now, they aren’t perfect. They like to chew on things that don’t belong to them, like shoelaces and power cords. In fact, whenever we buy a new electrical device, my son and I have to carefully wrap our power cords in black electrical tape.

But even if they aren’t perfect, I still love them and am so grateful they are a part of our household.

Dance Mom

I am a dance mom. My son is completing his 10th year dancing at our studio. He hasn't been anywhere else. And he loves it.

This year, he was dancing at the studio 4 nights a week, for about 4.5 hours total. That doesn't count the hours he spends at home practicing, trying to fix the details of his dances and get the technique just right. That doesn't include the extra practices he has on the weekends or the competitions where we can spend hours waiting for him to go on stage with his girls. That’s just class time. And what do I do while he’s dancing?

I’m at the studio with him. I’m not one of those moms who drops off the child and runs errands or goes home for “me” time. This is time my son and I get to spend together. This is me showing an interest in his chosen sport. This is me knowing what is going on with his dance, watching him and knowing what he needs to work on, asking him on the way home what his teachers gave him as corrections, and making sure he applies those corrections at home. This is me getting the inside scoop on dance competitions and when extra practices will be. And this is me showing off my craft.

That’s right, I crochet or knit when I am at the studio. Why not? 4.5 hours at the studio is 4.5 hours with yarn, making something to sell. Trying a new pattern. And, sometimes, selling at the studio. I had a mom come up to me the week before Halloween asking if I could make 2 hats for her daughters for Halloween (because it was supposed to be cold). Sure, not a problem. But had I not been there, I wouldn't have gotten that sale. I also rhinestone studio jackets for the competition dancers. I get most of my orders on the nights I am at the studio. I’m passing out business cards to moms who are thinking of purchasing the jackets, especially right before Christmas. I am networking in one of the most random places you can think of – because my son dances.

I am known not only as the mom of a boy dancer, but the mom who crochets and blings. I don’t sew, something I have to constantly remind the studio owner of when she comes up to me with a sewing question. No, sorry, that would be my wonderfully talented mother. My mom sews for the studio, making costumes and whatnot. She sews, I crochet. We work pretty well together.

I mentioned dance competitions. We are finishing his 7th year of competing. A lot of it is waiting. We have to get to the competition venue at least 2 hours before he is scheduled to dance. Find an out of the way place for his changing tent and Dream Duffel. Get him changed. Find where we are going to be practicing, because there are always last minute corrections. I bring my yarn with me and I am sitting on the floor of the venue (usually a school), crocheting. This is where the relaxing feature of the crocheting comes into play. It calms me and relaxes me because I have stage fright. Am I the one going on stage – oh, heck no! But it keeps me calm so that he stays calm and doesn't get all jittery. That’s one of the first things you learn as a competition mom – stay calm and keep your child calm. Bring treats with you that your dancer likes to eat. Don’t stress. Dancers dance better when they aren't stressed and running from one end of the venue to the other. Granted, sometimes there are very quick changes, and for the girls that can be a nightmare when you have to change a hairstyle and costume and make sure you have all the right accessories for the costume. I have a boy, so I have less to worry about, but still, it is a stressful situation.

Wear comfy shoes. I don’t care what you see on that TV show, “Dance Moms” with the moms wearing dresses and hair done  with heels. Wear comfy shoes and pants because you will be getting on the floor with your dancer in front of you, safety pinning a costume together or sewing it together because a seam came apart. You are watching their first routine, then rushing them off stage to get changed into the next costume which is due onstage in about 15 minutes. In reality, they will have other studios go ahead of you so you have time to change and to keep the competition moving, but still, you do need to change quickly. Then rush back to the practice area to meet up with that routine’s kids. Practice again. Touch up make-up. Rush the kids to the stage. Find a seat in the overcrowded room. Breathe a minute before your child goes on stage, then scream your head off cheering for the group.

Sounds stressful, doesn't it? It is. But you can’t show that stress to the kids. You are a duck on the water. Calm and serene on top, floating as if you don’t have a care in the world. Underneath – paddling like crazy. How do I do it? With my yarn. I pour all that stress into my yarn and crocheting. I usually have an easy pattern that I can pick up and put down at a moment’s notice. The repetition calms my nerves and allows me to be 100% focused on my son and what he needs. I even find rhinestoning very calming when I am at home. Glue, place rhinestone, glue, place rhinestone.

What is my point? I always have one. No matter what activity your child is in, a parent’s life is stressful. Work, activities, keeping the house clean, fixing dinner, remembering the grocery list, and spending time with your spouse and children. It is a miracle sometimes how much stress we can put up with. All the while keeping a brave face for your kids. Find something that relaxes you. While little Bobby is at hockey practice, bundle up with a warm coat and bring a book to read. While Suzie is at softball practice, take along some sunscreen and a Sudoku puzzle. Sit and support your kids not only during games, but during practice as well. They will thank you for it. They will know that yes, Mom and Dad work hard and it seems are never around, but they are around at that moment, watching you practice and get better.  They care and love you.  Yes, I realize that families have more than one child, and while they are at practice it is more convenient to go to the grocery store to pick up stuff. But if you are constantly running, with no breaks, you are going to break down. And be more stressed. And not sleep, because when you are supposed to be sleeping, you are worried about this that and the other thing. So, use the time your child is at their activity to have some YOU time, disguising it as time for you and your child. YOU time is just as important as spending time with your child or spouse.

I am sane because I use the time I have during dance class as ME time. Away from a messy house. Away from the responsibility of bills (if only for a few moments). I use the time to catch up on personal emails I didn't get to while at work, or correspond with customers on Etsy. Or simply, play a couple rounds of Candy Crush Soda and check Facebook. But what does my son see? He sees a mom who is invested in his interests and who is there.

Hooker? What is a Hooker?

Hooker: A person who crochets. A term of endearment in the crocheting world.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Jen and I am a hooker. The yarnie kind of hooker. Not the other kind. I am a single mom and a small business owner. I have 2 cats (hence being called a crazy cat lady by a certain friend’s husband), a talented son who frequently helps me with my online shop, and a room full of yarn.

Okay, maybe not completely full. We aren’t talking about a small room with no walkway and I have to swim through it to get to the one skein of yarn I need. Although, that would be pretty cool. A yarn vault like Uncle Scrooge’s money vault.

I live and breathe being a crocheter. I love yarn. I have a lot of yarn, and yet I always seem to buy more. A good sale, coupons from Joann’s, a Friday after work – almost anything will send me to the yarn store. However, I am very particular about my yarn. I dislike dye lots, which means that you can have 2 skeins of yarn made at different days or times, and they won’t be exactly alike. Annoys me to no end. I will go out of my way to find yarn that has no dye lots if I can. Red Heart Super Saver is an example of a no dye lot yarn. I can run out of RHSS and go to the local Walmart and pick up the exact same color and know that there will be no color discrepancy. However, Caron Simply Soft, while one of my favorite yarns for blankets, is a dye lot yarn, which means I have to make sure I buy enough of the yarn in one trip for a project. And I have to be careful and make sure all the yarn I am grabbing is the same dye lot. Otherwise, I have to get creative with my pattern in order to hide the color changes.

I also knit. I learned how to knit a few years ago when I was making a Christmas gift for a friend’s daughter. She is a HUGE Doctor Who fan. So I decided to make her a scarf inspired by the 4th Doctor. And of course, I couldn’t find a crochet pattern. So, I took the most basic knitting pattern I could find and learned how to knit. Now, I can create my own patterns for knitting, and I can pretty much follow any pattern I am given.

I also create patterns for crochet. I currently have 3 crochet patterns for sale in my Etsy shop, and I have ideas for so many more. So much yarn, so little time.

What makes me a Happy Hooker, you ask? Yarn makes me happy. I love the feel of it through my fingers and I love creating beautiful pieces that people buy or order from me. The careful repetition of stitches clears my mind of all the bad things that happen in life and is almost Zen. Even when I have to pull out stitches because I made a mistake. It calms me when I have a hectic schedule or the world seems to be falling apart around me. I have my favorite hooks, and hooks that I only use on certain projects, and spare hooks in case I break one or lose one. Just like a chef has his favorite knives and specialty knives, I have my specialty hooks. I’m not to that part with my knitting yet, but soon, I think. My favorite hook? My purple Boye H hook. I use that hook for so many projects.

So, that’s me. I welcome anyone who reads my blog. This blog will be about my life. Single Mom, Hooker, Business Owner, Crazy Cat Lady.