Being a baseball mom necessitates a constant state of readiness. You got to have a spare uniform stashed away somewhere and a basic medical kit always ready. Always being prepared with a few pairs of socks, a belt, a few extra cups, meals, and taking care of tons of other stuff may sound difficult.
While all of this seems like chaos, certain hacks can make your life easier. Save your time and effort by reading the detailed guide on life hacks for baseball moms! The ultimate goal of the article is to help moms playing baseball to enhance their skills, stay healthy, and enjoy the game to the fullest without compromising on any aspect of life.
Meal Planning and Preparation
Trying to organize meals around a baseball schedule can be difficult. You might not have time or energy to bake a casserole when you get home late from a game or practice with a hungry crew. Preparing and stocking your freezer with meals is a good idea in this regard.
Chicken Wrap
Get some pre-cooked chicken strips or pieces from the freezer section. Simply microwave to defrost, and then fill a warm tortilla with your choice of fillings (vegetables, cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.). It will hardly take you 5-10 minutes to have a meal that would satisfy hunger.
Canned Meals
Although most people consider eating canned meals in case of emergencies only, they could act as a reasonable alternative to your regular meals. You won’t have to cook anything and a ready-made meal will be available for you even after a tiresome game day.
Tacos
Put cooked ground beef into meal-sized quantities and freeze. Simply defrost the meat in the microwave, then stuff it into taco shells and top it with your preferred toppings (such as cheese, lettuce, taco sauce, sour cream). You can even use salsa as a dip. This is particularly recommended for someone who is looking for a quick snack for hunger at an odd time.
Barbeque Sandwiches
Get barbecue ahead of time from a nearby restaurant, split it up into serving sizes, and store it in the freezer. Just microwave it for a minute or two to defrost, and then stack it on a bun with some sauce. Crispy and flavorful! This could be a perfect way to start off your morning along with a cup of coffee.
Mexican Bowls
Get ready to eat by defrosting ground beef or chicken. Arrange on top of cooked rice with a layer of chopped peppers and onions, followed by a layer of cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc. Black or pinto beans would be a great addition and will also provide extra energy for a baseball game later!
Spaghetti
Create a batch of your go-to spaghetti sauce from scratch. Separate the meals and freeze them. Serve over freshly cooked spaghetti after a quick microwave defrost. You can have it for dinner or during evenings.
Meal Preparation Tips
Follow these tips to ensure you have meals prepared on time
Use a Slow Cooker
By using a slow cooker, baseball moms could prepare a meal in the morning before heading to the game and have it ready to eat when they return home. This would save time and effort, allowing moms to focus on their recovery and spending time with family rather than spending time cooking.
Plan Meals in Advance
Creating a menu plan may take more time initially, but once you know what you are preparing for the week, you may save time at the grocery store by not wandering and preparing certain meals in advance.Besides, you will save money and reduce waste by creating a meal based on what you currently have in your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator.
Use a Meal Delivery Service
If you don’t have the time or energy to cook your own meal, let someone else do that for you. Using a meal delivery service like UberEats is a great idea. Many companies also offer healthy, home-cooked meals that can be delivered straight to your door.
Benefits of Meal Planning
Following are some reasons that might be the push you need to start planning your meals.
- Saving money by preparing meals at home is possible by shopping for ingredients when they are in season and/or on sale.
- You can easily include protein, carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables into your meal plans if you give some thought to them in advance.
- If you plan your meals for more than a week ahead of time, you will be less likely to be stuck serving the same few items week after week.
Organization and Storage
It is not easy being a baseball mom. Before leaving the home, you must ensure that you have accounted for everything. The worst part? Despite all the checks, many baseball moms tend to forget important stuff. Have a system, to put it simply. Make sure everything has a place. This way, you are not going to forget the essentials.
Use a Labeled Equipment Bag
You need to have one premium quality bag to store all your baseball essentials such as gloves, bats, balls, and other equipment. Baseball moms can get a labeled equipment bag to stay organized and keep track of their equipment. Besides, you will not have your items misplaced or lost if they are stored properly. Focus on the size of equipment you plan on carrying since this will be an important factor when choosing the size of the bag.
Knowing that all the equipment is in one place and labeled properly gives you peace of mind and helps focus on the game.
Home Storage Containers
While a lot of equipment can come in an equipment bag, you always need to have some spare items as well. For example, a spare pair of gloves, bat, and even a couple of balls. Since you can’t really take the spares with you everytime you go out for a game, it is best to invest in a medium-sized home storage container where you can put all your items.
Neither will the equipment get lost, nor get damaged, as long as it is in the storage container. Besides, even if you have to fly with baseball equipment, the storage container will be quite useful.
Time Management
Becoming a baseball mom is a big commitment that may put a strain on your leadership, organizational, time management, and delegating skills. Maintaining order as a baseball mom need not to be difficult. Spending a few hours upfront at the start of the season getting organized will pay dividends throughout the year as you seek to achieve the ‘off the field’ objectives of your squad.
Making a Plan
Making a plan for the following day the night before provides you ample time to think about what has to be done and how you want to do it (i.e., what you want to accomplish, what you want to wear, what you want to eat for lunch, etc.). Put aside 15 minutes each night to organize for tomorrow. Take some time to jot down your top priorities in a planner. This will also help you remember most of the stuff you plan.
Take Control
Be resolute in establishing your standards, both at home and in the workplace/basketball court. Think carefully about what has to be done immediately and what can wait till later. Taking charge of your day and getting things done is possible with the aid of these early choices.
If you are always trying to prioritize everything around you, it will become more of a mess. Some things will have to be sacrificed if you want to focus on the game. For example, you might have to let go of the weekend plan of friends, just to ensure your training is not compromised.
Go Step-by-Step
If you can, try to get your most important task of the day out of the way first. Feeling productive first thing in the morning is a great feeling. You will find the motivation to tackle more of your day’s tasks as a result. By knocking off a major hurdle first, you will feel like you are making progress. Avoid automatically jumping to the quickest or least time-consuming option. Prioritize your “to-do” list items, starting with the most pressing, and working your way down the list.
Use Time Wisely Between Games
Between two games, you will be given a break. Make the best use of it. Re-energize, have a quick snack, wash your face, and unwind yourself. Close your eyes for a few minutes to rejuvenate your energy once again. If you have something on the back of your head, such as checking up on your children, do so during this break. This will allow your mind to be free of any clutter while you are playing.
Self-Care
As much as all other aspects are important, self-care still carries one of the biggest priorities for baseball moms. Here are a few tips on how you can create a good balance between self-care and baseball:
Live a Healthy Lifestyle
Get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise every week, which breaks down to around 10 minutes per day. Lean meats, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are all important parts of a balanced diet. If possible, talk to an expert nutritionist and get a customized diet plan according to your physical activity. And don’t forget to drink 6-8 glasses of water every day or more depending on the climate.
Plan Some Time for Yourself
Take a day or two off every now and then. Give your body some time to rest, both physically and mentally. Have lunch with a buddy, or relax with a nice book over coffee. Watch a movie or show.
Be Flexible
Your loved ones know that you can’t miss out on a game, but maybe you can skip the training session right? Try to be flexible in terms of your sport to keep your loved ones equally happy, but the key here is to strike the right balance.
Communication
TImely and effective communication is important to ensure balance between game and family life. Since baseball moms tend to be busier than regular moms, here are some ways to ensure you stay connected with your loved ones.
Keep Them Informed of Your Schedules
Being a mother and wife, people are connected to you closely and dependent on you as well. It is their right that you inform them about your game schedule, training schedules, and other stuff. This way, if they have something else planned, they can talk to you about it. Alternatively, try to inform days ahead so that you aren’t the reason for any canceled plans at the last moment.
Listen To Your Loved Ones
You might be too busy at a game lately. Your children and husband would be missing you and wanting to talk to you. When you take the day off, try talking to every person that matters. Understand their concerns, have deep conversations with them, and see if everything is going well in their lives. If there are any concerns, see what you can do about them. Try to interact and connect in a positive manner so that your busy schedule ahead can be compensated.
Conclusion
It takes a lot of effort to be a baseball mom, but it is worth it in the end. The aforementioned tips can help you keep your cool while still taking advantage of the many rewarding experiences that game has to offer. These proven hacks for moms can help them create a balance between the game and family affairs and ensure that no big compromises have to be made.