Team Mama Idea: DIY Wrestling Senior Night Idea!

Happy New Year, Sports Mamas! I hope you all are well. 

I wanted to jump on here really quick and share a simple, budget friendly DIY Senior Night idea with my wrestling mamas. Ashley Johnson, one of the awesome mamas in our Facebook group, recently shared this photo from her athlete's Senior Night.

I mean, seriously... how cute AND CREATIVE is this?!?

She made the singlets our of colored posterboard. (If you have a Cricut, you could use that as well). She then added the school logo, name, weight class, and year to each one.

I absolutely love the simplicity of this DIY! 

Be sure to join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook group for even more inspo. We're 77,000+ strong... and counting! Thanks again to Ashley for sharing her idea with us and allowing me to share it here on the blog!

Team Mama Idea: FREE Baseball Printable for Senior Night or End of Season Gifts!

With many baseball seasons wrapping up, I thought it would be the perfect time to share this post. Kelly S., one of the amazing mamas in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group (which by the way now has over 23,000 members!!!) was sweet enough to share not only the idea, but the printable to go along with it!

The cute, home plate shaped printable reads "On this dirt you've literally left it all- blood seat and tears. You've made friendships that will always be a part of you. You've fought side-by-side with the guys who relate with how bad you want to win. This dirt holds your laughter as tightly as it holds your frustration. Life goes on off this dirt but nothing can compare to the feeling you get while standing on it. Each time you look at this jar of dirt, know in your heart what it stands for and remember these years and all of the wonderful memories it holds."

Click HERE to download.

Once downloaded you simply print it out on cardstock, punch a hole in the top, and attach to a mason jar filled with dirt from the baseball field. You could make it even more special by adding their name to the jar.

They make the perfect Senior Night or end of season gifts.

If gifting them on Senior Night, you could have each player collect the dirt from the field as they are announced. Shout out to Adrienne W. (another mama in our group) for the idea!

Thanks again to Kelly S. for her help with this post! More from her can be found HERE.

And for more daily sports mom inspiration, be sure to join our Facebook Group!

Team Mama Idea: DIY Wooden Photo Collage Letters!

Senior Night for No.1 is next week!!! I can't believe it, mamas. Seems like he was just a Freshman yesterday. And a 55lb anklebiter two weeks ago. *sniff sniff*

Us Senior Mamas are getting together on Thursday for a craft night. We're making fatheads, posters, and these super cute wooden, photo collage letters!

I got the idea from Christina P., one of the awesome mamas in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group. By the way, have you joined us yet?? It's a private group for Sports Moms to connect and ask questions, share ideas, victories and defeats. We're over 2,500 strong...and growing! Here is the photo she shared that I used as inspiration.

Her daughter made one for each of her teammates. How sweet is she?!

Want to make one (or 10!) yourself? Then just keep on reading!

What you'll need:

• Large wooden letter (we found ours at Michaels)
• Mod Podge (we went with the Matte finish)
• Foam Brush
• X-Acto knife
• Scissors
• Photos (I used a total of 12 4x4 photographs, however, every letter will be unique.)

What you do:

• Lay your photos out. You will notice that I printed way more than I needed. I wasn't sure how many I'd need, so I erred on the side of caution. 
• Place them on top of your letter, one by one, until it is covered and you are happy with their placement. Use your scissors to cut them down, if needed. Do not worry if there is some overhang; we will take care of that later.

• Once you are completely happy with the placement of the photos, glue them down using your foam brush and Mod Podge, one at a time. 
• Once the glue has dried (I waited an hour), flip the letter over and trim off any excess using your X-Acto knife.

• The final step is to seal the photos with a thin layer of your Mod Podge. I waited until the next day to do this step, just to be safe. You simply put a little on your foam brush and brush over the entire letter. Do not worry, it dries clear. I promise! This will ensure that your photos do not come up at the edges and will give you a nice matte finish. 

That's it! Super easy and super cute! I'm not even gonna lie. I got a tad bit emotional as I was looking through the photographs. I really cannot believe how fast it has all gone.

Youth sports; the days are long, but the years are short. Way. Too Short. Remember to enjoy each and every moment, Mama.

*** Check out these letters made by some of the Mamas in our Facebook group using the instructions above!

Shared by Beatriz C.

Shared by Stacey B.

Team Mama Idea: Personalized Team Spirit Pin WITH PHOTO!

Our home opener is in two days! Being that this is No. 1's Senior season, my football mama BFF's and I are going ALL OUT. We got together for a craft night and made Fatheads (click HERE for a step by step tutorial) and these awesome photo pins!

I just love how they turned out! Don't you?! They are perfect for Homecoming, Senior Night, or any time you feel like showing a little (or a lot) of team spirit. Want to make one yourself? Then just keep on reading. I got you covered, Mama!

What you'll need:

• Cardstock
• Ribbon (you can use as many or as few different colors/patterns as you prefer)
• Photo 
• Pin backs
• Letter and numbers (we used glitter HTV, but you could buy stickers or even write them on)
• Laminating sheets (optional)
• Hot glue
• Scissors

What you do:

• Cut your cardstock into circles. You can use decorative edge scissors, if you'd like.

• Cut out your photo. We used a cup to achieve a perfect circle.

• Laminate your photo. This is not necessary, however, it will help serve as an extra layer of protection! 

• Cut the photo out and hot glue it to the cardstock.

• Arrange and cut the ribbons to your liking. Once you've done that, hot glue them together.

• Hot glue the cardstock onto the front and a pin back onto the back. That's it!

You can also take a break (or several!) and enjoy some yummy grazing food and a cocktail if you'd like. 

YES, PLEASE!

Here's how our fatheads turned out. We used the same photo for both these and the pins.

They are always so fun to make and even more fun to see in the stands! GO SPARTANS!!!

UPDATE- WE WON!!!!!

For more ideas, be sure to join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group.

*** Click HERE for my Personalized Football Pins!

Team Mama Idea: Organize a Senior Player/Mama Photo Shoot!

No. 1 is a SENIOR, mamas!!! He was in the sixth grade when I started this blog...CRAZY!

I'm team mama for the Varsity team, and my fellow football mamas and I have been dreading planning for this moment for what seems like the past 4 years. I have an entire board dedicated to Senior season on Pinterest. One of the things I just had to have was a photo of the boys with their mamas!

 

I mean seriously, doesn't it just make you want to smile and cry at the same time?!

Here are my tips for organizing your own:

• Choose a date and time. I chose the same date that the high school was taking their team photos. All of the players would already be there...in their uniforms. If you aren't as lucky, I'd suggest doing it at a practice or before a game (with the approval of the coaches, of course!). 
• Choose a location. Make it unique to your sport! Your team doesn't play outdoors? Take it inside. Don't forget to consider things like lighting and how busy it gets on that day/time.
• Hire a photographer. They don't have to be professionals. Know someone who loves to take pictures? Reach out to them! All they can do is say no. You could even do it yourself by bringing a tripod and setting the timer feature on your own camera (or phone!).
• Invite all the mamas. I asked Coach to send out an email to the team with details. No. 1 also sent a text to the players. Will they all be able to participate? Probably not. But it's worth a shot! They're all riding the emotional roller coaster right along with you. Remember that you will never be able to accommodate everyone's individual schedule, so don't stress too much.
• Set the dress code. Or not. I love a more uniformed look so I asked all of the mamas to wear a white top. Everyone has one somewhere in their closet! Another cute idea would be to wear their jersey, if they have additional ones.
• Enjoy. We all had such a great time; getting to know unfamiliar faces and reminiscing about our boys as itty bitty Freshman. They may not admit it, but the boys were happy to see their mamas too...especially the ones who aren't able to volunteer as much as some of the others.
• Share! I couldn't wait to get the photos back. So I know the other mamas couldn't either. I put them up on our website and shared them to our social media platforms as well. I also plan on having them printed and framed and handing them out at our Senior banquet!

Sending hugs to all of you Senior Mamas out there! Don't forget to join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group to connect with thousands of Sports Mamas, just like yourself!

Team Mama Idea: NEW Senior Night Ideas!

If you've been following me for a while, chances are you've seen my original Senior Night post. If you haven't, ummm... where have you been?!? Just kidding! Click HERE to read it.

Typically, Senior Night is the final home game of the season. However due to COVID, we celebrated our Seniors this past week at our home opener. We decided on this just in case of any unforeseen changes to our already shortened schedule.

Here's what we did to make the night all about them!

We ordered colored smoke for the team to run through at kickoff.

They absolutely LOVED it!

We also made Fatheads for their parents to hold as they walked out on the field together. Click HERE for step by step instructions.

I'm head over heels with how they turned out. Alllll the pun intended!

Each Senior received a 6ft personalized vinyl banner. This was definitely the priciest detail of the evening so we had their parents pick up a portion of the cost.

We lined them along the net behind the goal post so that they could be seen by not only the fans, but the players as well!

This picture was taken the next morning and it was super windy, but you get the idea.

As in years past, we ordered roses to which we attached hand written thank you notes from the Seniors to their parents.

Those notes are without a doubt my very favorite of all!

And because they will not be having a banquet and cake this year, we ordered cookies for an extra sweet (COVID safe!) treat.

How awesome did they turn out?!?

Our Senior managers were given these super cute gift bags courtesy of a Senior mama. SO thoughtful!

Despite the unprecedented times that we are living through, our Seniors and their families had a wonderful night. And our 35-14 victory was the icing on he cake... or cookies!

How does your school celebrate Senior Night? Let me know in the comment section below or in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group!

*** Click HERE for my most recent Senior Night Ideas!

*** Here's another fun idea courtesy of Facebook Group member Mandy A. They decorated their Seniors' lockers and left them each a candy bouquet! How cute is that!

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.

Click HERE to use mine!


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!