It's that time of year again . . .the beginning of baseball season. At our house, this week has actually been the uncomfortable straddling of the last week of basketball with the first week of baseball for my oldest. Thankfully, the overlap is only a week!Since I have all of 2 years experience as a Little League mom I will share my vast knowledge in 13 points:
1. Allocate at least 2 hours for sewing on that Little League patch. To laugh at my past attempts, click here.
2. The patch goes on the left sleeve. I cannot tell you how many people arrived at my site in the last year by doing an internet search on "little league patch which side" and were sorely disappointed to find their question still unanswered as I lamented about sewing on the patch but never mentioned which side! So I'd like to give a big shout-out to all you devoted, computer savy, internet searching, Little League patch sewing on moms and say, it is left. The Little League patch should be sewn on the left shoulder of your little wonder boy's jersey! And use a thimble -- you're welcome!
3. During Little League season, the crockpot is your friend!
4. Be warned, you are about to spend hours in total outside on the bleachers watching your kid play. Baseball season can bring the weather extremes of uncomfortably cold and uncomfortably hot sometimes all within the course of one game. When in doubt, dress in layers and always err on the side of comfort, rather than fashion!
5. Although you enjoy watching the sport of baseball oh so much more than basketball, when you are either freezing to death or dying of heat stroke, you will be wishing for the days when your kid played an indoor sport!
6. If you have your toddler with you and you get engrossed in the game (or a conversation with another mom on the bleachers) for 45 seconds, you will find him right smack dab in the middle of a large mud puddle 50 yards away!
7. No matter how awesome the game is, the snack at the end will likely be the highlight for all the boys (at least up to age 8 or so).
8. Even though Tom Hanks said it best in A League of Their Own, there is usually some crying in baseball, especially Little League baseball. My experience, it is better to let the coach deal with it. Nothing worse than a mom on the field; if there is truly something broken or needing stitches, you will be called in!
9. Hear me out on this one moms, your boy does not care if his baseball pants are a pristine white. I believe they actually like them better with the grass and clay dirt stains on them so save your time and your stain removal tricks for a time when it really matters!
10. There is really not much cuter than a little boy in a baseball uniform!
11. Buy your son his own batting helmet and coach him to use only his helmet over and over again! I have a friend who is an elementary school teacher and she says every spring there are lice outbreaks with all those boys sharing baseball helmets!
12. If you are super paranoid about the lice (not that I am or anything!), then you can also persuade your husband into assistant coaching just so you know he'll be in the dugout to enforce the my-kid-will-wear-his-own-helmet-rule. But for this to work, you must also lecture your husband on the rule and the dangers of lice over and over again!
13. For all the hectic baseball season adds to your life as a mom, when you see your boy smile and wave at you from 2nd base, it is all worth it!
Find more Thankful Thursday, Thursday Thirteen , Things I Love Thursday & A Thousand Words Thursday.
I do not miss the T-ball/little league days! So many practices, so many snacks to buy, so many days in the cold!
ReplyDeleteI was distracted in a conversation with another mom, when I realized my youngest was missing... only to be found on the field running bases with his brother!
ReplyDeleteArgh! Another season is just around the corner.
Happy T-13!
You make me want to simultaneously avoid and enroll my kids in little league! Challengingly fun!
ReplyDeleteOh how I loved that season!! AND you did describe it well, haha. After YEARS AND YEARS of little league with 3 little boys I was sooo looking forward to dance, piano, or drama, or something, ANYTHING indoors when my daughter was born. So what was her passion? SOFTBALL!! She actually got on a travel softball team at 9 and then played YEAR ROUND all over the United States THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL!! HAHA I almost begged her to do something else. But oh how she loved a good competion. She also played soccer and volleyball. NEVER was there a moment we were not at a game. Sometimes they'd overlap and I would have to bring one unitform along to change into to go to her next game as we rushed to get there. If she hadn't been my youngest, that would have never flown. haha We had heaters for when it was soo cold you were frozen, and huge unmbrellas and tents for the heat. Sometimes we'd play as many as 4 or 5 games in a day, playing up till 11 at night. It was a whole way of life. But now that I look back at it, some of the most awesome memories anyone could ever have. So many places we traveled together and things we would have never seen otherwise. She went to Nationals the year she was 15 and it was one of the funnest things any of us had ever been on. ENJOY this time, the memories it will bring are worth every agonizing moment. Hugs, Debbie
ReplyDeleteBeen there...done that...and yes, there is life afterwards :)
ReplyDeletehttp://iamharriet.blogspot.com/2010/02/things-your-burglar-wont-tell-you-one.html
I guess I could write a post about Scouts and that whole 1 hour a week myth. Great post.
ReplyDeleteHope you'll drop by my blogs for my T13s at The Cafe & The Library.
ohh i could write an entire post on this! im with ya girl! my son has played dixie youth for 7 ears, two of those years also playing travel ball- yep twice a week games then all weekend! my husband and i now have our own travel team, this is our 2nd year! crockpots and cici's are our friends! also, white pants? you are SO right! rust out works great! i actually had parents texting me whining about them today (we all hate them) i think i may have actually talked my husband into black for next year ;) awesome post!
ReplyDeleteFun days! i enjoyed reading you list, it made me laugh and smile. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat tips...I'm bookmarking this page now :) Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeletelittle league was a great time for me and my children
ReplyDeleteMy daughter hasn't shown much interest in softball, both of daughters of a good friend play in 3 leagues a piece. The schedule is insane and I can't imagine how they do it. ~ Calico Contemplations
ReplyDeleteI had never even thought about the lice issue...I'm definitely buying J. his own helmet this year...
ReplyDeleteWe don't "do" baseball here in Newfoundland -- the season is too short. Ice Hockey is probably the equivilant sport. Thankfully none of my kids play :-)
ReplyDeleteLove your list!
ReplyDeleteWhen you talked about where you would find your little one, I thought for sure you were going to say in center field! Lol!
We don't have any baseball players, but my boys have started a 3v3 soccer session in prep for the spring season. So much for free weekends!
You made me smile.
ReplyDelete:) :)
ReplyDeleteMore than just annoyed
When and how do you feed those little leaguers? We have three teams this year and a very tight schedule. What do you pack to take to the games and practices?
ReplyDelete