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GO EASY ON THE ADVICE The last thing your child wants when he or she is feeling down after a tough loss is to hear you talk for the whole car ride home about what he or she did wrong or could have done better. Think about how you feel when things haven't gone your way. Do you want someone to list all of your failures or rehash what is already a bad memory? Don't make the drive home from the rink the longest 30 minutes of your child's life. IT'S NOT THE MILITARY, but hockey moms know all about MREs, as in Meals Ready to Eat. For many moms, mastering the art of crockpot cooking has been both a time and money saver. That way you can prepare delicious and nutritious meals that will be ready by the time the family comes home from the rink. Veteran parents also know the virtues of packing a cooler with snacks that not only provide kids with nutritious snacks, but it also saves a lot of money over the course of the long season by providing an alternative to the drive-through window. "When we have a long car ride, we try to pack a meal in a cooler because it's healthier than stopping roadside and buying junk food or spending that extra money," Colclough says. Teamwork Off The Ice Just as we applaud team- work on the ice, teamwork between parents can make the challenges of the season a lot easier to handle. One big way is through carpooling. "Try to carpool with people around you," says Skowron, a hockey mom and administra- tor from Pittsburgh. "Share the task with you. So you don't have to go it alone." When it comes to carpool- ing, it's important to remem- ber that in the minivan of life, there is no room for freeloaders. "Be thoughtful," says Bill Huba, a hockey dad from upstate New York. "Clean out the car before the trip if you're driving. If you're the passenger, offer to chip in for gas or pay for a meal. Be a good guest and a con- siderate host because it's a loooong season." THE ONLY CONSTANT IS THAT THINGS CHANGE From practice times to game locations, things have a way of changing over the course of a long season. As Huba has discovered, "Stay informed and check your email, voicemail and texts on a frequent basis. Know where you are supposed to go, when you are supposed to be there and give yourself enough time to get there. Having to drive two hours is bad enough, don't stress everyone even further by having to do a NASCAR race in a blizzard." 16 OCTOBER.2012 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM , CROCKPOT COMMANDOS Slay The Monster In The Bag A SMELLY EQUIPMENT BAG is the bane of every hockey par- ent's existence. The key to a sweet- smelling season lies in the airing out of gear after each use. Skowron is happy to tackle her sons' sweat-soaked undergarments, but she steers clear of their hockey bags. That's why she has carved out a small space in her basement where her twin 14-year-old sons can hang their gear on an equipment tree. While it can't replace proper dry- ing and disinfecting, McLaughlin employs air fresheners, such as Febreze, stinky gear. into her battle of the "If you have a hockey player in your home it is a no brainer," she says. The smell is bad enough, but the potential germs can pose serious health problems for young athletes. We all know that hockey is the greatest game there is, and the memories and the friendships we make during our time involved in the game will last a lifetime. It's important to not look too far down the road, past the next tournament, the next tryout or the next level. Live in the moment. It will help you appreciate the little things that hap- pen during the course of a season that will make up the memories for down the road. Let's face it, one day we'll all wake up and wonder where the time went. As Colclough puts it, "Let's face it, if you are not having fun somewhere on this journey, it'll be a long one." N TANK OF GAS AT A TIME ONE