Skip to main content

Embracing Being a Soccer Mom



It's official.  Soccer season has begun - again.  And this year holds a whole new weight to it as RW and ZJ are each on an academy travel team.  When tryouts came up last Spring we wrestled and wrestled with the decision.  It seemed we were at the end of the "little leagues" of soccer and it was either go big or go home - literally.  With much trepidation we went ahead and let them try out.  They each made a team.  RW in the U12 and ZJ in the U11.  They each have three nights of practice a week and games on the weekends - most likely in different cities.  Add the fact that our five year old, KC, wanted to start soccer as well and now we have more practices and an additional game somewhere else on Saturday.  

This was a huge decision for me and my husband.  He travels a lot so the idea of then going in separate directions on the weekend seemed like a ridiculous sacrifice.  Then the idea of me hauling all three boys to every single separate practice during the week - bringing dinner in a cooler, doing homework at the field, getting home long after dark with a kindergartner in tow - I just felt like it was all too insane. All for soccer? Suddenly I understood how it becomes possible to never have a family dinner together, much less sitting around a table in our own home.  How could I do this to our family by choice?  

But we just kept praying.  Truly we did.  I prayed that God would work it all out.  That somehow we would know if we had made the right choice for our family or not.  We could always quit after one horrible year, right? 

And guess what?  God did it.  When I received the news that two of the four nights our practice times would be in the exact same place at the same time I nearly fell over with shock.  In other words, it is almost as if they are on the same team.  And with two nights of practice already done I can report that my boys are loving it and are so happy we gave them this opportunity. 

But I am still determined not to eat fast food on the way home from practice every night.  I am still determined to make time for family meals - around an actual table -  even if it happens the moment they walk in the door from school.  I will get to know my crock pot better and remember to pack healthy snacks in the mini cooler to tote in the car to ward off post-practice starvation (and those Chick-fil-A cravings). 

And I am equally determined to be positive in the face of stressful schedules. Nothing worse than choosing to do something and then grumbling about it along the way to everyone in hearing distance. People hate that. I don't want to be that "I'm sooo busy Mom" either. Ugh.  All moms are busy. 

We have chosen this path and will make the best of it. There are unforeseen blessings awaiting us - new friendships, travel opportunities, growth in skills and personal fortitude, and countless photographic moments to capture the simple pleasures of life as a soccer mom.


Comments

  1. Great post. We struggle with these things, too - I always love your perspective!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Maggie. I love hearing that my random thoughts are meaningful in some way to someone else. Loved your blog BTW and followed you on IG and Twitter. Always happy to find a fellow Catholic blogger!

      Delete
  2. I love your determination to making good meals, snacks and keeping a positive attitude. I will remember these things when we start our busy schedule too. :)

    Great photo!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

~Grace and peace to you~

Popular posts from this blog

Locally Grown {stuffed green peppers recipe}

  Last weekend we took the whole family to a nearby produce stand.  We were craving something that tasted fresh from the garden and since I don't have my own garden, we found this place.     The fields were full of fall-colored flowered.  Can't wait for those cooler days to come.         But for now, we are reveling in the height of summer sunshine and produce.       It's easy to go overboard here and buy much more than you can use in the next few days.  I don't even like okra but they look so inviting in those cute blue crates.     These tomatoes inspired a caprese salad for lunch: tomato slices cut into quarters, hunks of fresh mozzarella, snipped basil leaves, salt, pepper and drizzles of olive oil and red wine vinegar.       These strawberries wound up being dunked in Silky Chocolate Fondue .       Every girl dreams of doing her shopping with one of these adorable woven baskets, doesn't she?       Even the boys had fun playing in the sand while I took m

Savoring Summer {Staying in the Season}

The desk full of binders, calendars, sports schedules and dreamy ideas is where I currently find myself, while my mind continues to stray back to the mountains and clouds of our trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We have been home for a week and I decided in future, I must come home better mentally prepared for the onslaught of emails and to-do items that pile up when we go away for two whole weeks. The fact that school resumes one week from today only intensifies the pressure to get it all done right away. Usually at this point in August I am eager for cooler, less humid days hinting at the beauty of spicy Autumn flavors. Not this year. I am so invigorated by my return to normal movement following the long recovery from knee surgery that I don't want these summery days to end. At least not until they officially end on September 23, 2014. This year feels like a do-over, the last one so consumed by injury, pain and slow, slow, slow recovery. My mind is bursti

Petals :: 52 Photos Project

Where I live the Bradford Pears have bloomed and blown and the Cherry Blossoms are in full blossom.  Even though that means our allergy season is now officially underway, I cannot help opening our windows every morning in hopes of hearing the birds singing to greet the day.  Springtime has conveniently coincided with my personal recovery process from knee surgery.  As I am slowly re-gaining mobility on crutches it seems an added encouragement that the weather is also improving and the trees are welcoming my return with their flowers. What a treat it would be to be able to put down my crutches in time for Easter Sunday and walk again on my own! (I am doubtful but one can hope.) Sharing with 52 Photos Project :: Petals