Sports Mama Tip: The Gifts Coaches Really Want!

We've all been there before. The season is beginning to wind down and it's time to start thinking of coaches gifts. If you're like me and are struggling to come up with (new) ideas, you won't want to miss this post!

I recently reached out to a bunch of coaches, and asked them what their favorite gift they ever received was. You might be surprised at the answers... spoiler alert, gift cards didn't make the cut. In fact one coach said, "wife takes cash/gift cards anyway!". Ha!

So what do they really want? Here were the top three responses (in no particular order):

A team photo signed by their players.

A ball signed by their players.

Handwritten thank you cards from their players and players' parents.

As you can see they all had a common theme, hand written memorabilia from their young athletes.


So the moral of this blog post, Sports Mamas? Sometimes (what we may think of as) less is more...especially when it comes to coaches gifts!






For daily Sports Mama motivation, be sure to join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group today!

Team Mama Idea: DIY Personalized Football Signs

No. 1 and his teammates made the PLAYOFFS!!! It's the first time the school has been in the post-season since 2015, so it's kind of a big deal. And the game is HOME! So you know me and my fellow football mama BFFs just had to do something special.


We decorated the fence closest to the field with footballs and balloons. Every player on the team, all 47 of them, had a football with their name and number on it.

Look how nice they turned out!

Did we buy them you ask? Nope, we made them! Want to learn how to make them yourself? Then just keep on reading!


Begin by designing your template. We used PowerPoint but you can use whatever software you prefer. You could even draw them out by hand, if you'd like.


Then add the players' names, numbers, and team name. Be sure to double triple check for any typos before printing!

After printing, cut them out.

Then it's time to work on the foam board. Take one of your footballs and trace as needed; if you have 20 footballs, you will need to trace it 20 times, etc.

When you are done tracing, it's time to cut again. We used X-ACTO Knives for this part.

Once they are all cut out, you can begin gluing the footballs on.

The final step (if you plan on hanging them) is to make a hole at the top. Depending on how thick your foam board is, you may be able to get away with using a hole puncher. Ours was too thick, so we had to improvise...

Yep, my girl broke out the power tools! Ha. A Sports Mama's gotta do what a Sports Mama's gotta do! Am I right?!?

That's it! Grab a few of your favorite friends and I promise, you can knock it out in no time.


Go get 'em, boys!!!

For more fun ideas and to connect with hundreds of REAL sports moms, just like yourself, be sure to join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group today!

Team Mama Idea: Personalized Football Pins

Homecoming 2019 is in the books! Spirit days, the parade, the big game (and big win!), and the ever so famous dance, of course!


A bunch of us mamas got together a few days before game day and crafted our little hearts away. We made new fatheads (click HERE for step-by-step instructions) and these super cute, football pins!

We personalized the pins with our players' names and numbers. Seriously, how cute are they?! Want to make one (or a bunch!) yourself? Then just keep on reading!




What you'll need:

• Foam footballs (can be found at your local craft store or on Amazon)
• Ribbon in your team colors. (We used 4 different prints; solid orange, blue and white polka dots, football patterned, and blue glitter)
• Pin backs
• Letter/number stickers or vinyl if you prefer using a Silhouette or Cricut
• Hot glue
• Scissors

What you do:

• Attach the name and number to the football.

• Cut the ribbons to the same length (we burned the ends with a lighter to help them from fraying). Arrange them in a similar fashion as pictured below.

• Hot glue the ribbons and pin back to the back of the football.



• When you flip it over it should look something like this. Let them dry overnight before wearing.

That's it! Super easy and super cute!

We made them for Homecoming, but they'd be just as perfect for Senior Night! You could even tailor it to your sport by simply switching out the football. The possibilities are endless!

*** Click HERE for my Personalized Photo Pins!!!

*** A big thank you to Kristy O., one of the awesome Sports Mamas in our Facebook group, for the idea! Not a member yet? Click HERE to join us!

Check out these other pins made by some of our other awesome mamas!

Photo submitted by Ericka C.

 Photo submitted by Heather P.

Photo submitted by Terika L.

Photo submitted by Sara O.

Photo submitted by Mindy G.





Sports Mama Tip: 12 Homecoming Proposal Poster Ideas

It finally happened, Mamas. No. 1 asked a girl to be his date for this year's Homecoming dance! Talk about all the feels. And he didn't just walk up to her and ask... nope, that's so late 90s/early 2000s. He "proposed"!


He made a poster, bought flowers, and surprised her at her (8am!) lacrosse game.

Back to the poster. Because let's be honest, it's all about the poster. It reads "I think we would have a chil-lax time if we went to Hoco together". Get it? Lax, lacrosse? I searched the depths of Pinterest to find it. When I shared the photo to the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group, I had a request to write a blog post with proposal poster ideas. So here we are!


Here are 12 sports themed proposal poster ideas:




Football

• Want to tackle Homecoming with me?
• You intercepted my heart. Let's tackle Hoco together.

Basketball

• Want to take a shot at Homecoming?
• I'd rather not pass on a shot to score you. Hoco?

Baseball

• I'm stepping up to the plate, can I be your Homecoming date?
• It would a home run if you went to Hoco with me.

Soccer

• My goal is to kick it with you at Homecoming.
• Homecoming would be a red card if you weren't my date.

Cheerleading

• I would cheer extra loud if I scored a date with you to Hoco.

Generic Sports

• I finally got the balls to ask you to Homecoming.
• Hoping to score a date with you to Hoco.
• #5 (insert jersey number) on the field/court, but #1 in my heart. Homecoming?

I hope you found this post helpful! Or that you save it for when that time in your motherhood journey arrives. I'd love to hear/see your ideas! Please feel free to comment below or join myself and hundreds of other real Sports Mamas, just like yourself on Facebook.


Happy Homecoming season!

***  Update 9/26/21: Here's this year's sign. I just love how it came out... and so did she!

*** And here are some PROMposal ideas:

Shared in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group

7 Things ALL Coaches Wives Know

Being the Coach's Wife isn't easy, but somebody's gotta do it! Here are 7 things all of us coaches wives know:

1. Coaching is a huge commitment. Even at the youth level! Our husbands spend endless hours, days, weeks, heck even months preparing for the season. They give it their 100%, for little to no pay at all.
2. During the season, your time with him will be limited. (Refer back to number 1). Then there are practices, meetings, games...
3. He has no favorites. Nope, not even our own kid. In fact, they probably have it the toughest. They live with the Coach. If something is weighing heavy on his heart or mind, you can best believe our kid will hear about it even after leaving the game!
4. Special occasions occasionally have to wait. I can't even begin to tell you how many of our wedding anniversaries were spent at the football field. Instead of pouting about it, try and make the best of it. Surprise him with a card and cupcakes to share with the team!
5. His players become family. He cares about each and every child on the team as if they were his own. As a result, so will you. You will more than likely find yourself chauffeuring a few of them to and from games, baking treats for them, and even crying when they cry.
6. Not everyone will like him. There will always be parents, players, and fans who think that they can do a better job coaching than he is. You may even hear them say it while sitting in the stands. Take a few deep breaths and try not to take it too personal, Mama. You know he is doing the absolute best he can.
7. We are their No. 1 fans! We listen, support, and do not judge. We are ecstatic when they win and heartbroken when they lose. We know exactly how much time, energy, and dedication they put into the season. And because coaching makes them happy, we are okay with it all!

Is your husband a coach too? I'd love to hear what you'd add to the list! Leave a comment below or join hundreds of real Sports Mamas, just like yourself, in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group.

Sports Mama Tip: 8 Protein Packed Snack Ideas That Your Athlete Will Actually Enjoy!

Both No. 1 and No. 2 will be playing football for their high school this year. My boys are growing up! The season may not officially begin for another month, but that doesn't mean that they are just sitting around twiddling their thumbs.


They are working on speed and agility, lifting weights, and eating high protein diets in an effort to put on healthy weight and muscle. I'm petite and Coach Hubby didn't even weigh 140lbs when he graduated high school, so as you can imagine, we don't make naturally big kids!


Sure we could drive them through the drive thru a couple of times a day and fill the house with cookies and chips, but that type of weight gain will do nothing but slow them down and decrease their performance as well as their overall health. We are trying to build muscle mass, not fat. And protein is a key part of this journey!


Here are eight protein packed snack ideas (in no particular order) that my boys love:

1. Kodiak Cakes. I buy the Buttermilk Flapjack & Waffle Mix. It's a pancake mix made with non-GMO ingredients and whole grains. There are 3 different ways to make them (add water, add milk, or add milk and egg) to increase the grams of protein from 14-21 per serving! I cook them in butter (hello extra calories!) and serve them with syrup. You can cook up a big batch and freeze them so that they last throughout the week (or longer depending on how many you make!). When your athlete is ready to eat them, simply pop them in the microwave for about a minute and voila!
2. Boiled eggs. Easy to make and even easier to eat! Each egg has 6 grams of protein. My boys will usually eat 3 in one sitting. This is another great make ahead food.
3. Nuts. The perfect on-the-go snack! My boys' favorites are peanuts and almonds. A one ounce serving (approximately 23) of almonds provide 6 grams of protein. You can even throw in some chocolate chips or M&Ms for that salty sweet kick!
4. Cheese sticks. Another on-the-go favorite! A stick of colby jack has 5 grams of protein while mozzarella has 7. Of course most growing athletes stomachs are bottomless pits, so that number is usually doubled in our house!
5. Milk. One cup of whole milk provides 8 grams of protein as well as calcium and Vitamins A and D. TruMoo's High Protein milk is No. 1's favorite and contains a whopping 25 grams of protein per bottle! I stock up on this stuff whenever I find it in my local stores. It comes in different flavors including vanilla and chocolate.
6. Peanut Butter. Just two tablespoons contains 8 grams of protein. You can add it to just about anything; smoothies, oatmeal, pancakes. My boys love it with sliced apples. And you can't forget about the oldie but goodie, PBJs. We go through a whole lot of peanut butter (and bread and jelly) in our home!
7. Protein bars. My boys have probably tried just about every bar out there, but not all are created equal. So what makes a bar a winner, you ask? It's gotta be high in protein, not too high in sugar, have a good amount of calories and taste good, of course! Our current favorites are One Bars (20 grams of protein- Birthday Cake flavor), Power Crunch (14 grams of protein- French Vanilla and Cookies & Crème flavors), and Gatorade (20 grams of protein- Chocolate Caramel flavor). I make sure they keep a few in their backpacks at all times. They are super easy to transport and eat post workout/game.
8. Protein shakes. Like bars, it took some trial and error to find one that they actually like. For premade shakes, I buy Premier Protein. It contains 30 grams of protein and comes in a variety of flavors, although chocolate is the only one my boys will drink. No. 1 also drinks whey protein, which he mixes with milk post weight lifting.

As a rule of thumb, if your athlete is trying to gain healthy weight like mine, they should be consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. For example, if their goal is to weigh 160lbs, their diet should include 160 grams of protein daily.


I hope you found this post helpful and that you try some of these healthy snack ideas with your athletes!


I'd love to hear some of your ideas! Feel free to share them below or in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group.

Sports Mama Tip: How to Clean Baseball Pants

Ah, baseball season... homeruns, sunflower seeds, and dirty pants! (Who decided that white and gray baseball pants were a good idea anyway? I totally blame a dad!)

 

Do these look familiar, Mamas?

 

 

Want to go from that... to this?

 

 

If so, then keep on reading!

 

What you'll need:

 

• Fels-Naptha (can be found at your local Walmart)

• Oxi Clean

 

What you do:

• Wet pants.

• Scrub Fels-Naptha directly onto stains.

• Scrub pants together.
• Fill tub/sink with hot water and a half cup of Oxi Clean. Allow the pants to soak for an hour.

• After an hour, throw the pants in the washer (warm wash/cold rinse) with a capful of Oxi Clean. Then machine dry.
• Voila! So fresh and SO clean!

Seriously, how amazing is that transformation?


I hope you found this post helpful. Play Ball!!!

*** A huge thank you to Lorraine V. for making this post possible by sharing her tips (and pics!). For more tips and tricks and to connect with hundreds of other real Sports Mamas, just like yourself, join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group today!