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 :)

2nd Time's a Charm! Seveth Generation Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Andrea at Mama in the City for winning our Seventh Generation Giveaway!

Contest Re-Opened!

Unfortunately, our winner of the Seventh Generation Giveaway has also won on another blog site. So we are re-opening the contest for a couple more days. I urge you to make a comment at the original post of how your family goes green! The original post is found here!

Seventh Generation Giveaway - winner!

Out Seventh Generation Giveaway is now closed - congratulations to our winner RBM - you will be receiving an email notice shortly from us and Mom Central!

Seventh Generation - A Giveaway!

We have recently moved from the city to the country, which has been great. It's fantastic for kids, lots of open space, it's quiet, it's relaxing, it's great. One thing that has stuck out for me though that I haven't quite been able to get over yet is that there is no curbside recycling here. In fact, the neighboring city doesn't have it either. Really! I know! It doesn't stop our family from recycling though. We still clean and collect it all and bring it into town every two weeks, depositing it at the recycling station. It's just one way that we are trying to help the environment. I know it's just a little thing, but the little things can add up. The way I see it is that kids learn best by watching their parents. They too know how to recycle now. They are my designated sorters at the recycling centre. They especially love the change in their pockets after we hit the bottle depot :) A little incentive to help the earth.
Because it truly is the little things that matter, I was pleased when Mom Central asked if I would like to try the Seventh Generation products. Seventh Generation's goal is to make products that are environmentally friendly, even diapers. Sounds good doesn't it? You can join the 7th Generation as well! As a Nation member, you’ll have access to coupons, special offers and great tips for green and healthy living. Check out http://ca.seventhgeneration.com/community_ca
We would love to share some of Seventh Generation's products with you too. Simply tell us what your family is doing to become a 'green family'. One Clever Mamas reader will win a gift from Seventh Generation of a 100% organic cotton Seventh Gen Eco lunch bag as well as coupons for a FREE package of Seventh Generation Free & Clear Diapers, Free & Clear Baby Wipes and dish washing products!
Contest is open to Canadian residents and runs until September 16th.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Seventh Generation program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

My Daughter's first crush

It's official, my daughter has her first full on first crush. She's 19 months old. Her crush? Elmo. Yep, Sesame Street nailed it when targeting the toddler crowd. She goes absolutely nutty when she sees him anywhere! And I mean anywhere. If she gets even a glimpse of that furry red face, her own face breaks into a wide smile and she shouts, "Elmo!" with squealing delight. The problem? We have one Sesame Street DVD. That's it. And we don't have cable. We don't want it. We're not getting it. First thing in the morning my daughter asks for Elmo. Yep, even before her sippy cup of milk. If we go out, when we come home, she asks for Elmo. The Elmo disk finishes and she says, "mo Elmo" (more Elmo). Because I'm so completely tired of this DVD, I decided to go to the Sesame Street website with her. Big mistake. Now, when she looks at the computer, she points and says, "Elmo". My husband has also played Elmo for her on his iPhone on YouTube. To answer all you supermoms who say, "just say no" and "why are you letting your 19 month old watch TV", really...I don't mind my kids watching a little TV. That's a whole other blog post anyway. And we do say no to her about it. You should see her super style fits when we do say no. They are quite amusing. She's completely heartbroken about it. It's curious to me that my boys never went through big loving Elmo stage. They liked him, but it wasn't a big deal like it is with her. The last kid I saw with an Elmo crush was my friend Jennifer's little girl (now 9). She was exactly like this when she was a toddler. Which makes me wonder. Is Elmo the first 'perfect boyfriend' crush for little girls?

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Clever Mama Anna and her husband Andrew as they welcomed their second son to the world this week!