Road trip in Greece during COVID times - Part 1

In November 2020, after eight months of the prolonged solitary lifestyle that coronavirus imposed on me and the rest of the world, I needed a break. Greece was the only “green” country we were allowed to fly to, so together with my friend Hadas, we conceived a ten-day road trip to mainland Greece, “Thelma and Louise” style, only without the bad ending. Beach season was over, so we aimed for the mainland. Beyond this, we did not have a set itinerary or any reservations. We decided to play it by ear.

Sprint parachute for kids - review

Sprint parachute—soccer training equipment for kids. Review by a soccer mom and a twelve-year-old soccer player.

Product tested: Kuyou Sprint Parachute.

Soccer mom review:
COVID times have caused many cancellations of soccer practices and forced my son and many other young soccer players around the world to train at home. As the quarantine first started, we ordered a bunch of soccer training equipment online. The parachute was one

Soccer rebounder for kids - review

Soccer rebounder for kids—review by a soccer mom and a twelve-year-old soccer player

Product tested: Kingsaid rebounder.

Soccer mom’s review
“I bought the rebounder in the hope that it would help my son practice by himself, since many times when he’s at home he doesn’t have training partners.
The rebounder arrived disassembled, but it was easy to put together, and so far, it has proven to be sturdy enough to endure short and longer kicks.

Wonder-the book-review

"Wonder". What a great book!

Wonder, by R. J. Palacio.

I read this book to my 9 year old son and we both loved it. It was too long for him to read by himself, but when I read it to him he was immersed in the story.
The book tells the story of Auggie, a kid with deformed face from New York city, as he starts going to public school for the first time at the age of 10.

Encouraging quotes for children

Motivational soccer quotes

I love quotes. We all face challenges and difficult times, and an inspirational quote at the right moment can supply the guidance and advice to help us keep going.
Here is a list of powerful quotes that have resonated with me personally. A few of these I used in my Sean Wants to be Messi book series, and all of them are included in my soccer journals.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't—you're right.” –Henry Ford

“If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough.” –Muhammad Ali

“There is not one path. There is not even the right path. there is only your path.” –Anonymous

Sean Goes To Barcelona

How to Get Your Child to Stop Playing Soccer in the House


or-
At-Home Soccer Drills for Kids


As a soccer mom, you might be familiar with the next scene: a rambunctious child running around the house, dribbling a soccer ball from room to room and off the walls, narrating his movement like a sports commentator: “… And he passes another player … and he’s passing another one … he goes all the way … he’s unstoppable!” And then BAM! The ball hits the wall and bounces back onto the TV. “And he scores again!”
Just to be clear, a goal is considered to be any clean shot to a wall that makes a loud enough thud, and it’s followed by a Ronaldo celebration, or perhaps the dab.
During the COVID-19 lockdowns and their various stages of home isolation and social distancing, these scenes repeated themselves quite often in our house. Though the routine is usually accompanied by me yelling “Stop it!” and “Stop it right now!” I must confess that this tactic has yet to actually work against that habit.
So I gave it some more thought, did some Googling, and came up with a new game plan that can be summarized in three principles:

The making of

Behind the scenes of creating the Sean Wants To Be Messi artwork

The colorful illustrations in the books, by artist Elettra Cudignotto , were based on collages of photos I put togther.
I used photos from the internet and models in order to create the compositions I envisioned.

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