Sports Mama Tip: Making The Most of YOUR Time at Practice

"I can't. My kid has practice."


Does this sound familiar? As Sports Mamas, we spend several hours out of our week taking our young athletes to and from practices. So many hours sometimes that we neglect doing things for ourselves.


Today I'm sharing five tips for making the most of your time at practice.

1. Read. Take your Kindle, a magazine, or one of your favorite books. Reading helps stimulate the mind, improves your focus and concentration, and can even help reduce stress.
2. Exercise. Walk or run laps around the field. Use the bleachers for stair/step exercises. No field or bleachers? You don't need a lot of room to stretch or do a few squats and lunges. Find a Sports Mama workout partner for even more motivation!
3. Plan. Pull out your planner and plan your week. You can meal plan and even write your grocery list. Come up with ideas of things to do next time you have a free weekend. Figure out how you're going to get all three of your kids, to three different sporting events, at the exact same time. (Yep, that's currently on my to-do list!).
4. Run errands. If you're comfortable leaving your athlete, of course. You can use this time to make/pick up dinner, swing by the grocery store, meet a friend for coffee, get a pedicure. Basically, whatever errand(s) you can fit into the hour to two hours that they're practicing.
5. RELAX. Drink some tea. Put your headphones in. Kick your feet up. Do nothing. It is perfectly okay to not be busy every waking moment of your life.

I hope you found these tips helpful and that you use some of them next time your athlete has practice!




"Success isn't overnight. It's when everyday you get a little better than the day before. It all adds up."- Dwayne Johnson

Team Mama Idea: Post-Game Snacks for Early Morning Games

I was snack mama again! This time for No. 3's team. (Click HERE to see what I took last weekend for No. 2's basketball team.) No. 1's team doesn't do snacks, so I'm officially done for the season. SCORE!


His game was at 9am, Saturday morning. Yawn! I wasn't feeling 100%, so I needed something a little easier than the basketball breakfast kabobs I made last season.


Here's what I came up with:

As you can see, I went with a breakfast theme. I bought bananas, mini chocolate chip muffins, and apple juice. I placed everything in gallon sized plastic baggies and used a Sharpie to write different little sayings on the white label area.

Bagging everything together makes both transport and distribution a breeze. If you don't currently bag your snacks, I highly suggest trying it next time you're on snack duty. I promise you that the extra couple of dollars spent will be well worth it!

The team (and parents!) loved them!


GO SWISH!




*** Sports Mama Tip: I bagged everything except for the bananas the night before. I waited until the morning to add them to slow down the ripening process. Because nine year olds and spotty bananas...

Team Mama Idea: Basketball Post-Game Snacks (NEW!)

Basketball season is in full swing! No. 1 has two practices, one day of training, and two games a week while both No. 2 and No. 3 each have one practice and one game a week. In other words, if I'm not at home, I can be found at the court 99.99% of the time.


Tomorrow happens to be my turn at snack mama for No. 2's team. Here's what I'll be taking:

Each player will get a Gatorade, a clementine, and a pack of Goldfish crackers.


See the theme I'm going for here?? I'll give you a hint, it starts with an 'O' and ends with 'range'!


I found these cute, free printable drink wraps on Pinterest! They fit the smaller sized Gatorades perfectly! All I had to do was peel off the original wrapper and tape the new ones on. That's it!

I also drew lines on the clementines with a black sharpie.

How cute are these "little basketballs"?!


Finally, I placed everything into clear cellophane treat bags. They make passing them out SO much easier!

As always, I was also sure to pack some extras for siblings.


I love the way they turned out! I hope the team does too!


Go Marshmallows!!! (Yes, that is the name No. 2's team decided on. *insert overly exaggerated eye roll* lol.)






*** Want even more post-game snack ideas? I got you, mama! Click HERE and HERE for some of my past ideas!

Team Mama Idea: Easy Basketball Brownies

No. 1's travel basketball team will be meeting at his Head Coach's house instead of the gym for practice tonight. The coaching staff decided to hold an evening of team bonding instead of regular practice to help them prepare for tomorrow's early morning game.


They'll be having pizza, playing games, and watching the movie Glory Road. The team has hit a bit of a rocky road these last couple of weeks, so the hope is that the extra bonding time will get them back on track.


Here's where the brownies come in...


If you're a regular to my blog, you know that I just love finding any reason to make goodies for my boys' teams! So it should come as no surprise that I volunteered to send my guys with waters, sodas, and BROWNIES. But these aren't your regular brownies, they're basketball brownies!

And here's how easy they are to make yourself!



All you need:

• Your favorite boxed brownie mix (I used two boxes to make sure I had enough for the team AND the 3 coaches).
• Circle shaped cookie cutter
• Orange colored cookie icing

Here's all you do:

1. Bake the brownies according to the directions on the box.
2. Once the brownies are completely cooled, use the cookie cutter to cut them into circle shapes.
3. Draw the lines on with the orange icing. I drew a line down the middle first, followed by a curved line on each side of that, and finally a horizontal line across.

That's it!

The great thing about cookie icing is that it dries super quick and once it does, the brownies are completely stackable which makes transport a breeze!


Hopefully the extra team bonding + the brownies will = a WIN tomorrow morning!


GO SYC!!!




*** Coach Hubby sent me these pictures. I think it's pretty safe to say team bonding night was a success! Oh, and they ate ALL of the brownies. #winning

*** Click HERE for my football brownies! ***

Not All Sports Mamas Are Created Equal

Not all sports mamas are created equal.


Some never miss a single practice; while others only attend games.


Some run up and down the sidelines ringing their cowbells and cheering at the top of their lungs; while others silently grin from ear to ear in their seats.


Some are decked out from head to toe in their athlete's team colors; while for others a simple t-shirt may do.


Some volunteer to be team mom; while others prefer to volunteer as needed.


Some know each and every rule of the game; while some still have to ask "what does 3 seconds mean again?".


Some are front and center for each and every game (rain, snow, or shine); while others prefer to watch from the comfort of their cars.


Some are quick to let it be known if they feel that the ref made a bad call; some just sigh and keep it moving.


Some like to sit and chat among the other mamas, while some enjoy keeping to themselves and catching up on their favorite book.


Some like to plan the end of season party; while others feel more comfortable helping with clean up.


Some have been sports mamas for over ten years; and some are in their rookie season.


You see, not all sports mamas are created equal.


And I'm here to tell you that it's ok. One type of sports mama is not better than another.


Each one is perfect for their own athlete.


So next time you begin to compare yourself to one of your fellow sports mamas, remember that you are exactly who your athlete needs.


You are present, you are positive, you are proud, you are perfect!

*** Join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook group and connect with an awesome group of sports mamas just like yourself!

What is a Sports Mama?

What is a Sports Mama?


Most would answer that question with the obvious answer; a mother whose child plays sports.


But us Sports Mamas know that we are so much more than that.


We are cheerleaders. We cheer loudly and proudly, win or lose.


We are photographers and videographers. Many times missing the live action to capture these moments forever.


We are encouragers. We encourage our young athletes to give it their all, even when they cannot see that their all is enough.


We are nurses and physical therapists. We wipe the blood, sweat, and tears. We apply ice to sprains and massage sore muscles.


We are psychologists. We listen to what is on their mind without judging.


We are advocates. We want what is best for them, and do everything in our power to help them achieve it.


We are chauffeurs. We drive from one side of town to the other (sometimes multiple times in one day!) to be sure our athletes get to where they need to be.


We are personal assistants. We wake them up for early morning games, we find their missing shin guard when they can't find it themselves, we tie their cleats.


We are broadcasters. We report the game, play by play, stat by stat, to family members who couldn't make it.


We are also uniform washers, water girls, travel agents, detectives, equipment managers, reporters, commentators, makeup artists, managers, maids, personal chefs, human megaphones, and life coaches.


We are exhausted.


We are super women.


But most importantly of all, we are BLESSED!












A big thank you to the awesome sports mamas in our Facebook group for contributing to this post. I appreciate you all!

Sports Mama Tip: Five 2018 Sports Mom New Year's Resolutions

Resolution (noun): a firm decision to do or not to do something.


At the beginning of each and every new year, most of us make a New Year's resolution. Sometimes it's to lose weight, eat healthier, spend less money. And according to one commonly cited statistic, only 8% of us keep them. I've probably been a part of the other 92% more often than not. But this year, I am aiming to be with the minority.


Today I'm sharing with you 5 sports mama resolutions that I not only think we can all benefit from, but more importantly that I think we can all actually keep!

1. Be present. I don't just mean physically showing up to practices and games. I mean paying more attention. Putting your book or smart phone away and catching as much of the action as you can. Being able to remember a specific play if your child brings it up later.
2. Be positive. Be positive about how they played individually, how they played as a team, how the coach coached, and how the officials officiated. Be positive whether they win or lose. Our job is to be their number one fan, not their number one critic.
3. Be supportive. Help out whenever and wherever you can. Get them to games on time, organize post-game snacks, work the clock, volunteer to carpool, fill in if the coach will be absent. All these little things greatly contribute to the overall success (or lack thereof!) of the team.
4. Be understanding. Understand that they won't always have a great game. Understand that they won't always win. Understand that they won't always play the position you'd like them to play. Understand that they are the athlete, not you.
5. Be their mom. Not their coach. Not the referee. Not their harshest critic. Be the one to pick them up when they're down. Be the first one to congratulate them after each and every game. Be the one they see smiling from ear to ear whenever they look up into the stands. Be the one they can always count on for encouragement. Be the one that loves them more than anyone else on the field or court!

Cheers to another great year, mamas!




What are some of your sports mama resolutions? Share them in the comment section below or in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group!