Becoming a sports mom

Growing up, we were always playing some sort of a sport. From summer leagues in our little town to tournament ball, out of state every weekend type of thing. Naturally, when we had our first kiddo, we could not get a ball and bat in his hands fast enough. He turned 2 and we were pumped up!!! Thinking only ONE more year!!! 

We signed A up the very first season we could. He turned 3 on the day of his first soccer game, he barely qualified!! Shortly after that, I regretfully had to accept the fact that he was not ready. This was a moment I realized sports was something I wanted for him. He had issues with the spectators, the yelling/cheering, the wet grass. Blah. I was let down, but only by my own expectations. 

Fast forward a bit...

We played our first season of tee-ball, with 'coach mom' (it is as fun as it sounds). Imagine 3 year olds playing tee-ball but it was the absolute cutest thing. My oh my it was an amazing test of my character, though. 

We are now in our 3rd soccer season, and only getting better!!! It has been so much fun watching A take control on the field and enjoy something so very much!!! Even if it is soccer (my apologies soccer fans- we are a baseball family). 

A kid-sport post wouldn't be complete without a little briefing on the kid-sport parents... They are one.of.a.kind. I proudly stand amongst the crazies. That loudmouth mom at the games I used to keep score for as a summer teenage job, I am that person now!!!! I coach from the sidelines. I embarrass my adorable little soccer player, I'm sure of it. I LOVE IT. 

I can say, with certainty, I have no idea where that loud voice comes from... Considering I barely speak up in a large group of people (yes, I am 29 and still bashful 😳). The only explanation could be the excitement I have for my little player!!! 

I enjoy being out at the park for practice and games. From temps 110-45 (it is currently 45 as I type this, at practice). 

There is nothing that compares to watching your quiet, bashful, timid kid enjoy something. If that means freezing my booty off - so be it (I count stand to lose some lbs anyway ;) ). 

The only possible thing better is watching BOTH of your kiddos on the same team!! 

If you have tried sports and it wasn't quite your kids thing, try again!! I promise you will enjoy it as much as they do!!! 

How I became a ‘short order cook’ to my kids

We all remember going to our little’s well-baby check ups & hearing the doctor tell us, ‘Don’t be a short order cook.’ Despite their advice, over time - I am just that. Here’s how it happened & why I am perfectly content with it:
When our oldest was a baby, he ate everything! He loved fruits & veggies. Even though Daddy & I did not, we offered a large variety of foods to him, because being a picky eater is definitely not easy - plus it is extremely annoying and frustrating (still as an adult). It was after Aaden’s 1st birthday when he abruptly stopped eating just about everything he once enjoyed. We assumed it was a stage & reintroduced at a later date. Aaden was not having it. That is when things started to change for us. We honestly just wanted him to eat. Multiple trips to the store for different things, ways to camouflage healthy foods, to literally sticking with 4-5 main things he would eat. If you have had a child refuse everything you put in front of him - then you get it. If not, this may be hard to understand. Frustating does not cover the surface because you know your little was just begging for those yummy strawberries just the day before, & months before that...
We got to the point where we were tired of seeing him turn things down & we knew he was hungry. We stuck with those selective foods for a while & started re-reintroducing. Nope. Rejection. Again. By this time we have just about given up - who thinks feeding a little should be this hard, take this much work - we were researching different things to do all the time. So, I became a short order cook for my 2 year old, & by that point, I was ok with it. I was relieved to see him eating, even if it was the same thing everyday. I was happy there weren’t huge fits at each meal & snack time. He was enjoying eating again - & I was enjoying a happy little man.
*Disclaimer - I understand picky eaters do not all have differences*
By the time we were able to get a good list of foods together about 6 months had passed and we started noticing some behavioral things. We had an early diagnosis of OCD - which definitely explained some of the issues with eating. Months & years went on and our evolving diagnosis has grown tremendously. We currently have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), & Aspergers. After learning many things of SPD, we have pin pointed the culprit.
Once we started speech therapy, one of the first questions asked by the therapist was, ‘Does he only eat light colored food?’. Honestly, this was something I never put together. Aaden’s foods are: Cheese (sliced, shredded, string), yogurt, goldfish, chips, fruit snacks, bread, chicken nuggets, cereal, pizza, macaroni & cheese (only elbow noodles though ;)  )... It all of a sudden made sense.
I definitely just got a little deep with you guys - but my point is: short order cook, at home chef, non picky eaters, you have to do what is best for your family. What works for you may not work for others. While ideally I would love to cook one meal for my family of 4 - that just isn’t possible at this stage of our life. I still think there may be a time when that happens, but for now - I am good with how we handle feeding time. An extra few minutes in the kitchen to avoid a 30+ minute fit is worth it. 100%. It is what works for us & keeps my kids healthy.