Well, we did it. Survived our first hockey tournament of the season — and by “survived,” I mean barely kept the dogs, the kids, and my sanity intact.

Friday started with me scrambling to get sub plans together (because of course I had to take a day off right when the school year is just getting rolling). By the time we loaded the car — hockey gear, bags, snacks, pillows, chargers, dogs — it looked like we were moving across the country, not just going to a weekend tournament.

And let me tell you, the dogs did not make things easier. Within five minutes of getting to the Air B&B our Lab broke the blinds. Five. Minutes. Later, the puppy chewed the bed like it was his personal chew toy. Cue an emergency trip to the store for a new cage so we didn’t get banned for life.

Meanwhile, I was also busy managing my three other children — aka the “hockey rats.” If you’ve ever been to a hockey tournament, you know the siblings form their own little wolf pack, running wild through hotel hallways, eating snacks at alarming rates, and somehow convincing you to hand them money for vending machines approximately every 10 minutes. Between shushing them at the rink, chasing them out of the pool, and pretending not to notice when they made a fort out of blankets, I burned more calories than any spin class could ever dream of.

But here’s the thing — in between the chaos, the hockey was incredible. My son played well. He hustled, he skated, he gave it his all — and his team? They are stars! Watching all those kids celebrate together, and seeing the pure joy on their faces, made every bit of the madness worth it. And honestly, the parents were just as excited. This team is made up of the kind of families you’re lucky to find in sports — supportive, fun, and ready to cheer their hearts out.

So yes, I came home with chewed-up furniture, a new dog cage, and probably a few more gray hairs from wrangling the hockey rats — but my heart is full. These weekends are exhausting, messy, and sometimes borderline ridiculous, but they’re also the moments we’ll laugh about for years.

Busy mom. Teacher. Dog wrangler. Snack dealer. Hockey taxi. Wouldn’t change it for the world.