OT- Parents who have kids in travel hockey

[rjan67]

Well, I am a new travel hockey Mom! Both my boys made travel (rep) hockey this year after playing house league last year and I received their practice/game schedules today. Wow! I knew we were going to be busy! Any parents who have BTDT with any advice on keeping organized and getting it all done!
Thanks!

 

[kc1]

I'm also in the same boat this year, except that I'm a hockey dad. One son in Rep and the other in Select. We entered every practice and game for Rep son on the calendar and MS Outlook. That took a while. I've had the loin's share of the chauffeuring duties and I'm already a bit tired of it.
The biggest problem I see is dinner preparation. We picked up a slow cooker and are planning dinners of larger portions so we can freeze and defrost leftovers some nights.

I think a lot of the other parents carpool or take turns bringing each others kids.

 

[jakoky]

Hi there, while i did have a son who played hockey, i am the soccer mom...i had all my 3 kids playing rep soccer (travelling) for a couple of years...it was absolutely insane...i remember some sundays having to be in 3 different cities ...fridays were our only day off...and the one year, my oldest dd also worked and was cheerleading at the highschool....

It comes down to some serious planning...we were lucky that we were able to share driving as all the kids had friends on their teams...at least for practices, we had to drive only one way...lots of soup and sandwiches, eggs and hashbrowns, etc for dinner...

Now my oldest gradded, my son doesnt play anymore (took up golf ) and my youngest is still playing on a team that does extremely well...last season went from august to july for us as they made provincials...It is so worth it, watching them all play and do something they love...BUT find someone to share driving with at least once in a while and realize dinners many times will have to be quick....

 

[dancin Disney style]

Mine is not in hockey but in competitive dance which has a very similar time commitment. We do a lot of carpooling, even to competitions. Sometimes people just can't take days off work several weeks in a row. I am currently trying to get into a new routine for the year and it's been hard. Meals are the big problem right now. I'm planning to cook larger meals to have leftovers and I'll also try to cook a few things to have in the freezer. This won't be easy for me since I hate cooking and as a result I'm a terrible grocery shopper. On top of that I work a lot of evenings until around 7pm.

Anyway, I'm saying a prayer that I find a way to work this out.

 

[michelle1]

We've been doing the rep hockey for several years now and besides the meal planning tips already mentioned I can give you a couple tips for saving money. Many of my son's games are 1 - 1 1/2 hrs driving time so I always pack a small cooler with snacks/ peanut butter sandwiches etc because otherwise we end up stopping to grab something to eat after the game because he is starving. We eat out so much during hockey season because we are on the road so much so I try to cut corners where I can. The same goes for tournaments. All of the moms on my son's team think the same so we try to stay in a hotel that has a fridge and microwave in the room and bring food with us. We will usually go out for 1 dinner over the weekend but the rest of the meals we bring.

 

[rjan67]

Great tips! I guess I was focussing mostly on the meals at home and hadn't really even given much thought to tournaments. We have already received our first email about reserving rooms for our first tournament. Great idea about the microwave and fridge! One mom even told me she brings her crockpot and stuff in a cooler and makes a meal before they leave for the rink and has it ready in the hotel room! I guess I will be making lots of lists and planning! The hardest part will be the times when my dh and I have to go separate ways with one boy or the other. Anything else you can think of would be a great help! I do have a large calendar in my kitchen I have been keeping track on, but will put it also into a calendar in MS Outlook at work . This helps me to see everything so I can also plan for my work schedule. Any other tips for the rink? I know the boys will bring ministicks and their nintendo ds's. There can be some down time at the rink.
I appreciate the suggestions!

 

[dancin Disney style]

We've been doing the rep hockey for several years now and besides the meal planning tips already mentioned I can give you a couple tips for saving money. Many of my son's games are 1 - 1 1/2 hrs driving time so I always pack a small cooler with snacks/ peanut butter sandwiches etc because otherwise we end up stopping to grab something to eat after the game because he is starving. We eat out so much during hockey season because we are on the road so much so I try to cut corners where I can. The same goes for tournaments. All of the moms on my son's team think the same so we try to stay in a hotel that has a fridge and microwave in the room and bring food with us. We will usually go out for 1 dinner over the weekend but the rest of the meals we bring.

We've been packing food for years. I bought a mobi-cool cooler with the adapter. That way we have food and drinks in the car but also it doubles as a fridge in a hotel. I never have to worry about finding a hotel that has a fridge in the room. Aside from saving money, which is huge, it's a time saver on those mornings that you need to be at the event by 7am. In our case a 7am start times means getting up at about 4:30am to get ready.

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

My son rides so we spend 2 to 3 evenings after work at the barn riding plus he has his lessons on Saturday. Then in the summer there are shows which have us at the barn 6+ hrs.

I've found the slowcooker is my best resource these days - I can make a meal and have it ready when we get back from the barn. Either that or a casserole that I can stick in the oven with the preset time to come on so it's ready when we get home.

 

[branmack]

Wow, I never thought of a cooler for meals after hockey. My son has played rep hockey for 3 years and we normally eat out when he a has week night game. As for tournaments, I am always well prepared with lots of food, an electric cooler and small toaster.

Once spring hits both kids play travel soccer along with my son's spring hockey. For the tournaments in the spring, summer and fall the team always gets together and we have a big potluck bbq during tournaments.

One thing I can not live without is a wipe off calendar on the fridge as the schedual can get crazy. Luckly, I only have 2 kids and my DH can go with one child and I can go with the other. I praise people with more than 2 kids in sports, I don't know how they do it.

With all these sports we have a hard time trying to find time for Disney. Last year we went in May and miss some spring hockey and soccer. This year I have no idea when I will find time for a family vacation.