Tips to Surviving Life as a Sports Mom

You've got the minivan filled with gear, sweatshirts and fast food wrappers (and probably empty coffee cups!) Your calendar is color-coded by kid. You have papers listing dates, times, and field locations scattered through your home. You're Crock-Pot is always dirty, and there's a smell that you can't seem to wash out of the laundry, the bags, or if we're honest, your kids. You barely have time to pee, nevermind cook dinner.

Yep, you're a sports mom.

It doesn't matter if it's soccer, baseball, hockey, or any other number of time-consuming sports, it is probably dictating how you spend your evenings and weekends. It's affecting your ability to do laundry, clean your house, or meal prep. When someone asks what you're doing this weekend, you don't even have to check your calendar; you know you'll be on some field somewhere, cheering your heart out.

And loving every minute of it!

There are things we can do to make our lives a little easier and allow ourselves to enjoy this time rather than thinking about everything that needs to get done.

1. Use technology to your advantage! There are apps to help with everything these days and some that are designed specifically for sports moms. At the very least, using a calendar app that can sync to everyone's phone will put your family all on the same page, and that's setting you up for a win!
2. Utilize a meal service like What A Crock Meals. Just place an order and await your meal delivery! With plenty of choices of meal options that are sure to please the whole family, it is the best kind of easy dinner. Toss a meal in your slow cooker in the morning, and your hungry athletes can fuel up before or after their big game.
3. Use disposable to save time. Paper plates, plastic utensils, and slow cooker liners take away the pressure of doing more dishes when the schedule is super tight. 
4. Create a drop station at home. It could be the garage, a porch, a basement, or just a corner of the house, but having a spot where your kids can drop their sports equipment will save your home from clutter. The drop station also keeps everything contained, so you're not hunting down a lost cleat or a wandering ball 5 minutes before kickoff.
5. Put some ownership on the kids. Having them do their laundry or pack their bags takes something off your plate and teaches them responsibility and autonomy. For some, there's a significant learning curve, but if you're consistent, you will be so happy you're not the one doing everything!
6. Keep your car packed with the essentials. If your folding chair, blanket, and some snacks are in your car, it will save the day when you're rushing from work to catch the game. It doesn't have to stay in there forever, but having a little more "stuff" in your car during the sports season is a sacrifice that's worth it!
7. Make friends with other sports moms. If you're going to be spending hours near these people, you might as well get to know them! Sports can be a great community builder, and everyone benefits from a united cheering squad. 
8. Accept help. Whether it's an offer to drive your child home or someone willing to bring you coffee for those early mornings, you deserve the assist. No one can do it all alone, and usually, we don't have to. Team up with those newfound friends (see number 7) and help each other make the most of the season.

Go, team! Hopefully, these tips can help you feel a little more prepared to tackle the season ahead. Even for those of us who will never have a professional athlete in the family, sports can play a huge part in our children's lives. It's incredible when we can support that. These are meant to be happy and fun times, enjoy them!