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The Complete Guide for Beginner Hockey Parents

Sunday, November 11, 2018




Hey friends!
Hockey season is approaching fast for us here at the Howard home. It is a very busy time of year for us. Both of my kids, Kade and Leighton, play hockey; and my husband, Ty, coaches & plays as well. Hockey was very foreign to me for most of my life. When I met Ty, he introduced me to the sport and I fell in love with watching the fast paced and exciting game. When our kids started taking interest in it,  I REALLY had to learn the ins and outs. It can be a little overwhelming; if it wasn't for Ty I am not sure how I would have figured it all out, to be honest. Lots of equipment and not a whole ton of information about it online, that I could find. That is why I have decided to create this complete guide for new hockey moms, dads and players!



First I will start off with the equipment run down; what you will need and what you don't need but might want. **Keep in mind all hockey associations are different and many offer rental gear, what is included will probably vary!**

Hockey Equipment


-Helmet with Face Cage

Helmets range greatly in price depending on the quality. Typically at the younger age groups it is not necessary to buy the "top of the line" $300 helmet, because body checking is not allowed until age 13 or older. The fit is the most important thing when looking for a hockey helmet for your kiddo. It should fit tight, but also comfortable. The helmet should not fit your kid like a bucket, because ultimately it is what will protect your child from getting a concussion or any other serious head injury. Most helmets are adjustable in size & it is always a good idea to keep a phillips screwdriver in your bag so you are able to make adjustments when necessary, on the fly. It is best if you can go to a store where your child can try on the helmet in person, but if you are forced to order online, be sure to pay close attention to the sizing charts and follow directions for measuring your child's head. 
Most youth helmets come with a face cage. Keep in mind that if you play in an outdoor rink, the clear "fish bowl" style facemasks tend to fog up. PRO HOCKEY MOM TIP: If your child does have a "fish bowl" style facemask, a quick spray of Pledge Furniture Spray, will prevent fogging.
 Here are links to the helmets our kiddos have; Leighton's helmet (6 years old) & Kade's helmet (3 years old).
Another thing about helmets, when you are putting it on your child, you really have to PUSH HARD to get the snaps into place. The first time I did it I thought it was going to break! They do "wear in" after a while and become a bit easier. Don't be alarmed if it takes a little elbow grease to get the mask and chin guard snapped into place. 

-Hockey Skates

It is not difficult to find youth hockey skates online in the $500-$1000 range; but let's be honest, no beginner needs a skate that is designed for elite level play. Bauer and CCM typically make the best quality and most durable skates.
When finding a skate, much like a shoe, it is best that your child can try it on in person to find the best fit for them. Hockey skates tend to run a size or two smaller than a normal shoe size, this can make online shopping that much more difficult. If your child is still growing, it's a good idea to go for a cheaper pair, since they may grow out of them by the end of the season. Another option, if you anticipate them playing more than once season, is to purchase a higher quality pair in a size bigger so they can have room to grow into them and potentially use them for more than one season, without them wearing out. 
After you find the right skates, you kiddo will need to break them in.
Here is how we do it;

STEP 1: Put a hair dryer inside the boot of the skate, on high heat and high flow, for 3-5 minutes. STEP 2: Take the hair dryer out and have your kid stick their foot in immediately.
STEP 3: Tie the skates as tight as you can, then have the kids walk around the house in them for about 15 minutes. (If you don't have carpet make sure the skates have skate guards on them, click HERE to see the ones we like)

The heat from the hairdryer loosens the gels inside the boot of the skate and then molds to the child's foot, making for a perfect fit. Another way of "baking" the skates is to actually bake them in your oven. HERE is a video describing that process in more detail, if you are interested.
Before the skates actually hit the ice, they will need to be sharpened. You can take them to your local ice rink, or hockey pro shop to have this done. Beginner hockey players should have their skates sharpened at about 5/8". 

Here are the links to the skates our kids have; Leighton's skates Kades skates.

-Hockey Stick

First and foremost, when it comes to a hockey stick PRICE MEANS NOTHING. Crazy huh? 
Here are the main things you need to consider when choosing a stick:

1.) Material
Composite is the best material for an ice hockey stick. Wood sticks are cheaper, but they are super heavy, and not very durable. What you save in price will be made up in replacement sticks. 

2.) Flex
All sticks have a "flex number", this basically represents how "bendy" the stick shaft is. The lower the number, the more bend in the stick. The ideal flex number for your child will be roughly half of their body weight. For example, my daughter weighs 60lbs, so the flex on her stick should be around 30.  Here is a picture of a hockey stick "flexing", I just found it on Google!



3.) Brand
There are a lot of different brands out there. The three we like to stick with are CCM, Bauer & Easton. These companies have been around forever and their technology is top of the line compared to any other brands. They also offer high quality sticks at affordable prices. 

4.)Curve 
Curve is personal preference, which a beginner/child won't typically have. The curve won't make much difference for beginners. Leighton, Kade and Ty all have the same exact curve but in three different brands. The circled column in this picture is the curve they have. This curve is the best for overall performance. Ignore all the other stuff; it's a little confusing!


5.) Length
Your child's stick should come up to their nose height, when they are standing flat footed without shoes or skates on. When they have skates on, it should be just up to their chin. This is Leighton with her stick, flat footed. 

Here are links to Leighton's Stick, and Kade's Stick. 

-Shoulder Pads, Shin Pads & Elbow Pads

Does this remind anyone of rollerskating when they were younger? I remember we all wanted matching sets of these! Ha, ha! Shoulder pads, shin pads and elbow pads are all about comfort. You will want to chose the brand and size that fits your child the most comfortably and each child is different. Typically you can find these three items in sets for a discounted price. Here is the link to Kade's set. Leighton's did not come in a bundle but are part of the Bauer Nexus 7000 line, and all the pieces are available at Hockeymonkey.com. 

-Gloves

The cheaper the better! Yep, you heard me, you can't go wrong with any gloves. Find a good deal and you're set. 

-Hockey Pants (Breezers)

Breezers vary in price, but they are all pretty much the same performance wise. Be sure to use the sizing chart closely to make sure to get the right fit for your kiddo. Leighton's we got used, and Kade has these. 

-Mouthguard

Only 12U and older need mouth guards. You can get them at pretty much any sports equipment store. 

Those are all of the "NEED" items. Here is a list of some other things that you may want to get but don't absolutely need. 


- Shock Doctor Shorts

These are super cool shorts that have a built in jock strap, and velcro at the bottom of the shorts that you can stick your hockey socks to. Both of our kids wear these and it makes keeping the hockey socks on WAY easier. (They work for girls too, even though they have a jock strap! Just take out the cup and enjoy the conversation starter...)


- Hockey Water Bottle

Because the helmets have masks and are pretty difficult for kids to get off by themselves, it's best to get a water bottle for them that has a long bent straw or one that squirts water out into their mouths in a steady stream when it is squeezed. These are the ones we like. 

- Base Layer


Basically the same thing you would wear underneath your snow suit when you go skiing or snowboarding. The ones we have for the kids were from costco, they usually have them every year. It's nice to have at least 2 so you aren't having to wash them super quickly in between practices and games. The first year Leighton just wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt underneath her gear, but a base layer is nice to have.

- Skate Guards

I already linked the ones we like above, they are adjustable and stay on the kids skates well. We dress at home often times so it makes it so the kids can get fully dressed, and be able to walk from the car to the rink with their skates already on. 

- Practice Jersey & Socks

It is nice to have a practice jersey and socks to help with laundry and to keep the game jerseys/socks looking AND smelling and fresh. You can order socks through your association or on Amazon; same goes for practice jerseys. 

- Stick Tape & Sock Tape

Stick tape is thicker and colored, sock tape is usually clear. You can find them on Hockey Monkey, Amazon or your local hockey store if you have one. Some ice rinks sell it as well, (Ours will have them this year!). 

- "My First Book of Hockey", by the editors of Sports Illustrated Kids 

The kids got this book last year as a gift and it is a huge hit! It helps to explain the rules of the game (for the kids and the adults) in a fun way. I wish we had this book from the beginning! 



That is it my friends! I sure hope this helps some cold and confused hockey parent out there. Thanks for reading and please share this with anyone you think would enjoy or benefit! I'll be posting soon about the must haves for your hockey mom/dad bag, too! Happy Hockey Season!

-Kaci


A Night in Snohomish, Washington - A Hidden Gem

Tuesday, November 6, 2018



Hey Friends! 
Hope you all had an excellent weekend! Over the weekend, the kids and I made a trip over the mountains to see some of my best and oldest childhood friends. My first stop was my hometown, Enumclaw. Unfortunately I didn't snap any good pics of the area while I was there. Someday I will do a whole post about that sweet little town. It is nestled just below Mt.Rainier with gorgeous views of the mountain almost daily. After leaving Enumclaw I headed toward Snohomish. My friend and her husband recently bought a home there. I had never been to the area before, and I was surprised by how beautiful it was. 
Heading into the downtown area of Snohomish, there were gorgeous views of lucious green farmland and marshes. I am not sure if it is the changing of the seasons, or what it is exactly, but I have recently been in awe of how beautiful nature truly is. It is easy to let this beauty go unnoticed while we are all rushing through life, but taking the time to "stop and smell the roses", really has it's perks. Snohomish is definitely a place I would love to return to for some more exploring. Here are some pictures I took on our way out of town. 







It was a very quick trip, and there wasn't very much time for adventuring. We spent most of our time visiting, catching up and watching the Washington State Cougars beat Cal. But before the game started, we had dinner at Cathouse Pizza. The pizza was so flavorful and the energy in the restaurant was fun and laid back, perfect for a family/friends outing.




Thanks for reading! If you have any more hidden gems in Snohomish I should know about for next time, please share them with me! I love trying new places. I know there is some kind of "haunted" bar there that sounded like a neat place to explore sometime.

-Kaci

Trip to San Francisco - The Best Stops & Shops at Pier 39

Sunday, November 4, 2018



Hey Friends!
While we were in San Francisco we decided we had better make a trip to the famous Pier 39. Here we visited the sunning Sea Lions and walked around browsing all of the cute little shops. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for it. If you are in the area I would suggest making a trip here. Parking was a breeze for us luckily, we found a spot about a block away, for free. I would suggest taking the cable car down to the pier if you can, that way you can avoid having to deal with parking.
The pier had so many shops, we weren't really in the mood for shopping so we ended up only visiting a few spots. I don't enjoy looking through all of the nick nacky shops, and the kids really do not enjoy shopping, let alone "window shopping". This is our list of the best places/things to check out (with kids) at the pier.


Sea Lions

For some reason, the Sea Lions all like to gather on the open docks at the pier. There are hundreds of them, all squawking and flopping around; fighting for their perfect spot in the sunshine. Leighton & Kade both enjoyed walking the pier and watching the Sea Lions yell and knock eachother off the docks. They are entertaining, to say the least. This is also a good sightseeing stop, as it is just across from Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. 






Candy Baron

The first shop daddy spotted was the giant candy shop, Candy Baron. The nostalgic shop had buckets and buckets of salt water taffy and other bulk candies. It was obviously a huge hit with the kids, although the adults had fun finding their old childhood favorites as well. My favorite was always lemon heads and jawbreakers! Do you remember those things? I passed on the jawbreaker ( it was HUGE), and grabbed a few lemon heads instead. We ended up all picking out a few candies to have to eat throughout the trip. The prices were a bit steep, (as is everything else in the city) but the experience was fun.




The Carousel 

Just down from the candy shop, we spotted this giant two level carousel. It was $5 for one token or $10 for three, and it cost 1 token per person to ride. Ty's dad decided he would take the kids on; I get motion sickness fairly easily and Ty was still enjoying his spoils from Candy Baron. The kids loved it and it lasted quite a while. TIP: Bring cash, because not all debit/credit cards were accepted, only certain banks.  


Houdini's Magic Shop

Unfortunately I didn't get a very good picture from this place. We walked in and were the only customers in the shop. Immediately Leighton went up to the counter and asked the guy if he knew any magic tricks, since it was a magic shop after all. He said he did, then proceeded to do three different tricks for us and the kids. The guy was so freindly and fun with the kids it was great; he even let them use a "magic wand" to help him complete some of the tricks. The shop had tricks for all ages and interests. We didn't end up purchasing any, but included with each purchase is a private lesson on how to perform the trick. You got to go into a separate V.I.P. room where they would teach you. Pretty cool if you ask me!


Pier 40

It is just a short walk down the street to Pier 40. There you will see massive ships and submarines on display, as well as small maritime museum and some other historical info. If you want to actually board the boats and submarines, you need to purchase an actual ticket; but our kids found it entertaining enough to just walk by them and look from the outside, so we just enjoyed that. Leighton has recently become more comfortable with reading, so it was fun for her to stop and read some of the things to us aloud. 




Lombard Street

This last one is not at Pier 39 but is just a short drive from there. Lombard street is a famous street in San Francisco. It is known for it's one block section of hairpin turns. It is said to be the most crooked street in the world! The view from the top is pretty cool. Ty and I got out and walked down the street, and the kids and Ty's dad drove down to meet us at the bottom. The brick lined street was very neat to see; I tried to walk down the middle of the street to get a quick picture, but was quickly, and loudly reminded by a nearby "guard", that no one is allowed to walk on the street. The kids described the ride down as "like a roller coaster".  The first picture is from the very top of the street, and the second is just a neat looking house I noticed along the road. 





I know it's a short list, but like I said above, it worked best for us to avoid the lengthy window shopping and keep them engaged. The one thing we did not do while we were there was eat. It looked like there were quite a few fun little places to stop and grab a bite. Have any of you been to any you would recommend? Id love to know for next time, and someone else reading this might, too! Thanks for reading, as always!

-Kaci



Trip to San Francisco - Breakfast in the Big City

Thursday, November 1, 2018

We only spent two full days in San Francisco, but we managed to cram so much in those two days that I think I will spend this week writing about it in sections. I took about a bazillion pictures, and had plans to post while we were there but we had very little down time.
After a late night family dinner down the street from our hotel at a cute little downtown diner, and half night of sleep we were off! We started our morning with some breakfast at Sears Fine Food. It was just a couple blocks away so we walked from our hotel. We came at just the right time and were able to be sat promptly.



I would highly recommend the food and the experience. Everything was fresh and delicious, & the kids got coins to use in the old fashioned slot machines at the end of our meal. They are world famous for their pancakes and all of their juice is fresh squeezed. It even stated in the menu the fresh fruit used for my fruit and yogurt bowl was, "immediately rushed to the restaurant", at its prime ripeness. Service was great and the food was even better.


The place took you back in time, all the decor looked as if it had been kept the same for the past 80 years it had been open. The walls were covered in old photographs of both sights and people. There is a very interesting description of the history of the restaurant here, on their website. Apparently, the whole thing started with a retired circus clown, oddly enough. 


We didn't win any loot at the end of our meal, but the experience and delicious food was enough of a win for us. Do you know of any awesome breakfast places in the San Francisco area? I am sure in such a metropolis there are plenty.  I would love to hear about them for the next time we venture down there. Thanks for reading, be on the lookout for my next posts that will include our other adventures in San-Fran.

-Kaci

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