Sports Mama Tip: How To Keep Up With Your Athlete's Schedule + GIVEAWAY!

Practices, games, team parties, out of state tourneys; the list goes on. There's definitely no rest for the weary us Sports Mamas! And in my house, if mama doesn't know what's going on, no one does!


So how do I keep up with it all? Three boys, four sports, and their completely different schedules. How do I make sure they all get to where they need to be, when they need to be there, with what they need to have?

I personally use a planner. A Mini Happy Planner to be exact. The size is perfect for us Sports Mamas' on the go lifestyle. I can easily swap it between my purse and my Sports Mama Bag. It has both a monthly and weekly layout, which I really like. The weekly layout has more than enough room for me to write in all three of the boys' activities, as well as my own appointments and my meal plan. If you have multiple athletes, I would suggest color coding. For example, No. 1 is blue in my planner, so anything and everything pertaining to him I write in blue. No. 2 and No. 3 have their own unique colors as well. I also like to use stickers. I'm obsessed with the Mom Life sticker book from MAMBI. For my sports themed stickers, I use FarmWifeBre on Etsy. I absolutely love them. They are the perfect size for my planner, great quality, and shipping is super quick!


I have been keeping up with my boys' schedules this way for years now. Coach Hubby is an IT guy, so he thinks I'm crazy for using a paper planner. Apparently millennials should be paperless. Ha! Something about having to physically write it all down helps me to process and remember it all.


I know that what works for me will not work for everyone else, so I reached out to the awesome Sports Mamas in my Facebook Group (have you joined us yet?) to see what they use to keep up with their youth athletes' schedules.


The majority of them use some sort of electronic calendar. Many of them use iCalendar or the calendars on their smart phones, some use Google calendar, and Outlook was also mentioned. One particular Mama mentioned an app called "Family Organizer". It allows you to create a family calendar which can be synced to everyone's device. She said that she can even add stuff to her daughter's day (i.e. an appt.) and it will send her a notification. How cool is that? I will definitely be checking it out soon!


Planners were the next most popular. (Woot woot. Planner girls stand up!).


After planners were dry-erase boards. The mamas that use these say they keep them somewhere in their kitchen such as on the refrigerator or in their command centers. The biggest pro is the ability for your entire family to see it as well as the ease of erasing should a game be changed or canceled. Color coding was also mentioned.


Lastly, were team scheduling apps such as TeamSnap, Shutterfly, Sports Engine, and the Sports Illustrated Play app. These are all great tools. TeamSnap is my bff during football season! Aside from sharing your team schedule, you can also share the team roster, photos, videos, and more. Most of these apps have both free and paid versions.


Youth sports can be overwhelming. I promise that being organized definitely helps cut down on the chaos. As you continue along this awesome journey that is #sportsmamahood, you will find what works best for you and your athlete(s).


I hope you found this post helpful! Remember to embrace the crazy, it doesn't last forever!




*** GIVEAWAY TIME: (CLOSED) Breanna Cameron aka FarmWifeBre is offering one lucky winner a FREE sheet of her sports themed planner stickers! Head on over to my Instagram page @confessionsofasportsmama to enter. GOOD LUCK!!!

Sports Mama Tip: My Go-To Sites & Apps

I rely on several websites and iPhone apps to help me make it through the season, especially when I'm Team Mama. Here are a list of the ones that I just cannot live without:

• TEAMSNAP- This has been my go-to website for managing teams for the past several years. There are paid upgrades, as well as a standard free version. Basically, it's your own personal webpage for your team. With this one site only, I am able to add our roster (including contact info for players, coaches, and parents), our practice and game schedules, track a player's availability, upload videos and photos, create a snack sign-up list, send messages (emails, texts, and IMs), track our win/loss record, and much more. There also have an app that you can download onto your smart phone.
• SIGNUPGENIUS- It's name speaks for itself. It's a free website that allows you to "say goodbye to reply-all emails and paper sign-up sheets". I use it to create all different types of sign-ups including for snacks, team tailgates, and end of season celebrations. It's quick, easy, and effective.
• FACEBOOK- You know what it is, I know what it is. We all know what it is! I like to use the "page" feature to set up a team page. It allows me to share info including photos and videos to help extended family and friends stay up to day with our team. Just remember not to post any information you wouldn't want to potentially be shared with strangers.
• MAPQUEST- Because I simply have no sense of direction. Embarrassing, but true. I use this app to get to just about every game...except for home games, of course. Ha!
• PINTEREST- Pinterest is my favorite site/app ever! Not only for sports related ideas, but for any other possible idea you could think of. Tired of the same old boring post-game snacks? Go to Pinterest! No clue what to give your child's coach at the end of the season? Go to Pinterest! Need some team spirit ideas? Go to Pinterest! I promise you will not be disappointed!
• ETSY- I like to think that I'm a DIYer, but let's face it. Sometimes a sports mama needs a little help! Etsy describes itself as a "world of vintage and handmade goods".  One of my favorite things to use it for is to purchase unique items including coaches gifts and spirit wear.

Have any go-to sites that you simply can't live without? Please feel free to share them below!

*** Update 7/6/18- It's been a little over a year since I originally wrote this blog post, and I have a couple of new go-to sites/apps that I just have to share with your all!

• Tourney Machine- The one stop shop site/app for keeping up with all things AAU Basketball. It allows me to view schedules, standings, brackets, AND results. The results are entered almost instantly, which is perfect for those games that I can't make it to because it's impossible for me to be in two places at once. And best of all, it's free!
• Waze- I know, I know. I'm late to the party. Coach Hubby has raved about Waze for sometime now, but I'm just now getting on board. I still use my MapQuest, but I do really enjoy the "non-directions" portion that they offer (i.e. real-time alerts regarding accidents, road hazards, and of course, police!). So helpful! And again, it's free!

In the words of one of my Sports Mama friends, Beth, "Sports Mamas gotta stick together and share the resources." Are you using and loving any apps that I missed? Comment down below or share them in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group!