Trophies2Go Blog

Ewww!  What the heck is that?  Why it’s a Honey Badger, the most fearless animal in the animal kingdom.  A pop culture icon, the Honey Badger don’t care, he takes what he wants!  He just eats that cobra!

This crazy nasty creature is our 2013 Product of the Year!

If you don’t know about The Honey Badger, you need a YouTube education!  Check the video out (warning:  This contains R-rated language, not ok for young ears!)

Now that we have that out of the way, we love Honey Badgers, and decided that we needed a Honey Badger trophy.  We worked with our supplier JDS, and they designed a custom Honey Badger Trophy just for us!  Only available at Trophies2Go, this is our newest and most fun trophy EVER!

If you know someone who’s a real spitfire and just goes for it, consider awarding them a Honey Badger.  Or if you have a group full of spunk, perpetual-ize your Honey Badger for years of enjoyment and laughs!

That Honey Badger – what a crazy, nasty critter!  He don’t care!

Cheers,Jessica

“The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.”Dan Rather

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Henry Adams.

Most of us can remember a specific teacher who believed in us, pushed us, or lead us. Really, where would we be without them?  Teachers help us move in the right directions, explore new worlds in a safe environment and introduce us to what our future might look like.  When we are young, they are so special to us and we often form very strong bonds with them.  When we are older we appreciate how amazing they are.  So giving of their time, attention and knowledge for not quite enough in return.  In college we hold them in such high esteem, they are the experts.  We often look back and for the first time realize how much an elementary or high school teacher taught us.  And when we have children of our own, we trust them to do the same for those we hold most dear.

We show appreciation to our teachers in many ways.  At the elementary school that my kids attended, we had a luncheon for them every year the week before school started.  We volunteered in the classroom helping with the kids or cutting out snowmen shapes or making copies of assignments so the teachers wouldn't have to stay after school.  At holiday time, many of the kids will bring in small gifts of appreciation (including Starbucks gift cards).

We celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week the first full week of May.  This normally includes a different activity each day of the week.  One day the kids bring flowers from their gardens or make paper flowers.  One day they write personal notes.  The next might be a breakfast or lunch.  Parents are organized to bring in the food and serve the teachers.  Lattes are brought in one morning and sometimes we even offer free chair massages.  It's all crammed in one week, but they feel pampered that week.

We can do more though, throughout the year.  Encourage your kids to verbally thank their teachers often.  A teacher's highest reward is being appreciated by his or her students.  They, like all of us, need to know that what they are doing is meaningful to someone else.  That they make a difference.  I'm sure they know that they make a difference 'in general'.  But to be told 'Thank You' for a specific act of assistance really brightens their day.

I asked my middle school age daughter to help me brainstorm some great gift ideas for teachers to help them feel appreciated.  I was thinking tickets to a concert or play.  She said it would be best to make something personal for them.  A card, a picture, something to put on their desk or hang on the classroom wall.  Something that shows that you spent time thinking about all they do for you and you wanted to do something for them in return.  Smart girl.

When my daughter left elementary school, she felt nudged to do something for her principal.  (I'm pretty sure they met in his office on her first day of kindergarten, so they had quite a history.)  So she made a card, drew a lovely picture of herself for him, and from her heart wrote about how much she appreciated all he had done for her over the years.  I could tell he liked it.  Later that day when he saw me, he went to get the card out of his office and sat down with me so we could read it together.  It was obvious it touched him.

How can you thank a teacher today?  How can you tell them you appreciate all they do?  Spend some time thinking about this with your kids, then do it.  You'll be happy you did!

Nominate your favorite teacher!

Here are some ways we, here at Issaquah Trophy & Awards, like to recognize our local teachers.

Macaroni Kid Teacher of the Month.  Recognizing the dedication of teachers in the Snoqualmie Valley, Issaquah and Sammamish areas.  You can nominate your teacher here.   http://snoqualmievalley.macaronikid.com/article/366871/teacher-of-the-month-nominate-a-teacher-today

Star 101.5 Teacher of the Week.  Honors outstanding teachers for their hard work.http://www.star1015.com/contestsevents?contest=6831

Have fun recognizing the teachers that are so important in your family's life.

Blessings, Anne

Issaquah Trophy & Awards has selected the Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation as it's 4th quarter Awards for a Cause recipient.

This foundation was created to support children in need, primarily in three target areas:  children from low socio-economic backgrounds, mentally and/or physically challenged children and children at risk.

The Foundation affords young individuals the opportunity to realize their potential and achieve their dreams by supporting charities and children’s organizations.  For more information on Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation, visit www.countonmefoundation.org and make sure to check out their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/JimMoracountonmefoundation.

We have selected a variety of football, soccer and corporate awards as products that will benefit the foundation. Purchase any of these awards during the 4th quarter of 2012 and we will donate a portion to the the Jim Mora Count On Me Family Foundation.

The recipient for the 3rd quarter of 2012 was Susan G. Komen, 3-Day.

Blessings, Anne

Hey Team Moms-

Are you tired of bringing the same old granola bars and juice boxes for your kids to eat after their sports games?  Are you looking for new snack ideas that are healthy, delicious AND easy to pack to practice and games?  Below are some ideas of snack foods that will get you out of the rut!

These girls are tired from all that play! They need water and a nutritious snack to refuel!

Before buying snack for the entire team, there's a couple of things you need to know.  First, be sure to check for allergies before deciding on which snacks to bring.  Also, check for any other food restrictions, such as vegetarians, etc.  Second, you want to minimize germs, so give a quirt of hand sanitizer to each player before handing out snack.

During The Game

If you're giving out a snack during half-time or another break, you want to make sure the food is easy to digest.  Choose something mild so that the kids don’t get a stomach ache once they're up and moving again.  Fruit is always a safe choice, along with water.

After The Game

The main goal is to help the child recover and rehydrate from exercise.  I’m not a nutritionist, so if you have questions, please consult a doctor.

Food To Avoid:

Caffeine sodas.  They act like a diuretic, further dehydrating the body.

High sugar snacks, such as candy bars, cookies, donuts, cupcakes, etc.  They spike blood sugar, followed by a steep drop in blood sugar, which can cause fatigue.  These foods also lack antioxidants, which help protect the body after exercise.

Junk food, like potato chips, etc.  Serving these after exercise is not modeling a healthy lifestyle.

Foods to Consider:

All of the snacks mentioned below are finger foods, and do not require utensils to eat.  They can be packaged individually for the entire team.  I have snacks arranged by category, but of course you can combine foods from different categories if you want.  I also have some suggestions of things that go along with the food by the side.

Vegetables

Baby carrots, Red bell pepper slices, Celery sticks, Cherry tomatoes, Cucumber slices, Sweet Potato chips (these are cooked), Great to serve raw veggies with salsa, hummus or ranch dip.

Fruits

Apple Slices - can go with almond butter or peanut butter, Applesauce, Bananas  - can go with animal crackers, in sandwiches with peanut or almond butter, Blueberries, Clementine tangerines, Grapes, Melon cubes, Oranges – can go with mild cheese (like Bonnie Bell), Pears, Raspberries, Watermelon

Fruits, especially berries, and be mixed together in small plastic bags for a nutritious snack high in antioxidants.  Another idea is to make fruit kabobs, with 3 different pieces of fruit on a skewer.

Dried Fruits and Nuts

Raisins, Dried Cranberries, Almonds, Cashews, Trail Mix (low salt), Plain Popcorn, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Soy nuts

A fun idea:  Have each player bring their favorite dried fruit, nut, popcorn or whole grain cereal to the game.  Mix them all together to make a ‘team trail mix’.  Divide out the resulting mixture among the kids!

Dairy

Cheese cubes, Cheese sticks, Cheese slices cut into shapes using a cookie cutter, Yogurt sticks, Frozen Yogurt, Hard Boiled Eggs

Whole Grains

Healthy Muffins – zucchini, carrot, pumpkin, banana, Corn bread, Cereal Bars (watch for sugar though), Whole grain cereals in baggies -  Cheerios, granola, Whole grain crackers with fruit spread or nut butters, Bagels – with peanut butter, cream cheese, almond butter, Oatmeal cookies (low fat, low sugar recipe with dried fruit)

Other

Tortilla chips with bean dip and salsa, Tofu cubes, Tofu dogs, Mini rice cakes with peanut butter, Turkey cubes

Cold Stuff

Frozen Yogurt, Frozen Fruit Bars, Frozen Grapes

Drinks

Water (the best to rehydrate hot, sweaty kids), 100% fruit juice (can be high in sugar, but better than soda), Soymilk, Chocolate Milk, Sports Drinks (only after 1 full hour of exercise)

Other sources for Healthy Snacks

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Center for Science in the Public Interest

I hope this helps you choose some healthy and easy snacks for your kids on game day.  By choosing healthy foods, you are setting a great example of wellness for your child!

Cheers!
Jessica

Every October, the city of Issaquah celebrates the return of the Salmon to our hatchery by hosting the Issaquah Salmon Days Festival. It’s a weekend full of fun, food, games, music, art and community pride. This year the Issaquah Chamber hosted a Splash Mob for the month leading up to Salmon Days.  Participants visited businesses to find decorated salmon.  I decided to learn more about my city by 'Splash Mobbing'.  My daughter went with me for most of the visits which made it even better.

Overall, I learned that there are some very creative people in Issaquah.  The salmon were decorated in many ways, from disco ball (Issaquah Family Chiropractic) to no decoration at all (you know who you are.)

Here are my favorite things that I learned:

Someone at Fischer Meats is a big Seahawks Fan.  If you like football and like to tailgate, you need to try their burger patties with the bacon already in.  Oh my!

I wish the Issaquah Coffee Company existed when my kids were young.  They have an awesome play area where your little ones can hang while you relax and enjoy a great cup of coffee.

The State Farm, Tom Sessions, office has some very friendly staff.  I enjoyed talking with them.

There are some really amazing stores in Gilman Village.  My daughter and I had fun walking around there to see Lucky You, Clean Scapes, Issaquah Coffee Company and Palettes and Pairings.

It smells heavenly when you walk into Mint Salon and Spa.

When visiting Adventure Kids, my 11 year old wanted to stay behind to play. That looks like a fun place.   They also now have Sunday hours.

My vote for coolest salmon decoration goes to Pogacha.  Did you know that they have All Night Happy Hour in the bar on Thursday nights. They also have some really fun entertainment scheduled.

Splash Mob Salmon at Pogacha--My Favorite

At Illuminate Contracting, they offer bathroom remodeling as part of their general contracting.

Sterling Bank is the largest community bank in the Pacific Northwest.

Hot Yoga Experience has an October Sauna Challenge.  Check it out!

At Museum Quality Framing I found some great ideas for my son's senior pictures.

The best part of participating in the Splash Mob is that I went into some establishments I might not have tried before.  I know, that's the point.  Next time, I hope there are more participating businesses on the plateau.  I need to learn that area better.

Enjoy Salmon Days Issaquah!

www.salmondays.org

Blessings, Anne