Spring baseball mom checklist

I have been a baseball mom for many years. I have fine-tuned my bag of items that I bring to baseball games, to watch my son play ball. If you have any team gear or team colors, wear those of course. It is spring, and the weather can be unpredictable, so I like to be as prepared as possible.

Here is my unofficial list of what I pack for baseball games (may work for soccer or other sports too)

-Hoodie sweatshirt
-Light jacket or windbreaker
-Several fleece blankets
-Bleacher seat or crazy creek chair (an investment, but worth it!)
-Snacks for the kids (siblings) who may be with you
-Cell phone for texting and camera
-Socks if wearing sandals
-Water bottle (for each person)
-Cash for concession stand (I try to keep this to a minimum)
-Hat to keep out sun and tame hair in the wind
-Umbrella (keep out sun or rain)
-Tissues in pocket or purse
-Band-aids for trips and falls on concrete
-Sunglasses


Several of these items I store in my purse (tissues, band-aids, sunglasses, cell phone) and others I put into another bag, including hat, umbrella and blankets. Usually the weather changes throughout the season, beginning with cooler days in the start of the season, and ending with shorts and no blankets or jackets at the end of the season.

Four of us crowded under our old umbrella!

Depending on the time of the game (ours are usually at 5:15 or 7:30), I may or may not bring snacks. I try to make an easy dinner that we can eat before or after the game all together as a family. I like to make sandwiches, soup, spaghetti and salad, or wraps for dinner on those busy nights. I do as much prep work as I can before the 5:15 games, such as setting out the pans, making egg or tuna salad, making a green salad, setting the table, etc.,

Sometimes the chairs can double as an umbrella!

Of course, there are always times that things get forgotten. My girls will forget a water bottle, or the bleacher seats will get pulled out of the van. Sometimes we only have one or two blankets, sometimes the kids will sit on them. We have a picnic blanket that can be unzipped and helps keep out rain. But there are days that it really pours, and we just go back to the van.

Sometimes the kids will bring their own bags with toys, balls, coloring or activity books, a sweatshirt or jacket and notebook to write in. It helps the games go by faster when they get tired of sitting and cheering. The games can get long for little ones. I enjoy when grandparents come so that they can talk to and hold the kids.

I am ready for a great baseball season, I hope you are too! I may need my umbrella for games this week...

PLAY BALL!

 While it doesn't talk about baseball in the Bible, it does talk about running, which is part of baseball...

1 Corinthians 9:24
[ The Need for Self-Discipline ] Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Galatians 2:2
I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.

Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us...