Hockey Mom

It's that time of year again! My son's first practice is tomorrow and it's an early one (of course). This is year 3 of hockey season for our family and the last one with just one player on the ice. Our 2nd son wants to play next year when he's 5 (they don't start them earlier than that where we live). We are starting this season a little bit differently than before. My husband happens to be out of town this week, meaning I'm the one to make sure he has all of his equipment ready and sized properly. Thank goodness only the gloves need upsizing, they are still okay for tomorrow's practice, but we'll be hitting the sporting goods store shortly after that.
One thing I quickly realized is that the new stick needs to be sized and taped. In my head I was thinking, under the chin if he's on his skates, at his nose if he's not wearing them. But then I thought, well, is it if the blade is down? or, up on the toe? Thank goodness for Google. It is up on the toe. And yes, that was me in the carport with a hacksaw cutting the stick down.
Next on my list was taping the stick. Another hockey parent job my husband has always done. And again, thank you Google! I found a very helpful site complete with a video demo of what to do and what all the differences in taping a stick meant for the player.
I found the stick length guide at HockeyReviewHQ.com http://www.hockeyreviewhq.com/hockey-resources/hockey-stick-length-guide/
The How to Tape a Hockey Stick videos were at HowtoHockey.com http://howtohockey.com/how-to-tape-a-hockey-stick 
Both sites look great.  They are clear in their pictures and directions.  I'm sure they have many more resources in there.
I've also realized that this is the first year that our son doesn't need help with his equipment (with the possible exception of making sure his skates are tight enough) - he can do it all himself now.  So fantastic when I think on the 5 year old he was a couple of seasons ago who wobbled out onto the ice.
One more place I want to direct all of you hockey moms too (if you haven't yet found it) is Hockey Mom in Canada (http://hockeymomincanada.net/).  That's a great online community of Moms just like you.  I'm part of their Facebook community as well.  They often have good articles, blog posts and discussions on the go.   It's a great way to connect with other hockey moms and issues around the sport.
I hope you all have a great season!  See you on the ice :)