Obsessed much?

It's a fact - my children...well....the boys....are obsessed with baseball. I'm so used to it, that I even find myself daring to believe that it is normal, however my many conversations with friends indicate otherwise! A usual day in our household starts like most......the kids wake up, get up, come downstairs and turn on the TV. The wierdness begins when one of them pulls up the DVR list, and then selects one of the following : Prime 9, baseball tonight or the recorded game that went on past bed-time from the night before. They spend the next 30 minutes or more soaking up all the baseball facts/plays/wins/losses that they can, until the meanie-momster hits the off-switch and declares it to be breakfast time! The youngest doesn't always last the entire duration of the baseball show - he's bent on getting outside to work on his swing, or have an imaginary baseball game in the backyard, so still in his jammies, he ventures out, with a running commentary going on in a whisper. Breakfast is usually accompanied by shuffling of baseball cards, and discussions about what healthy athletes should eat in order to keep their bodies big and strong.....Now that it's summer, the lack of schedule essentially means that we could be doing a lot or a little....but it seems that no matter where we end up, baseball enters into the equation! At the pool, they worked out "pool baseball", where one would hit a wiffle ball in, then jump in a swim to an imaginary homeplate, while the other swam or dove for the ball! Any park is a prime spot for throwing, catching, hitting, fielding. Right now, we are in the midst of all-stars, so a practise schedule is what directs our week.....bless him, my older one is at a loose end if ever we are granted "an off day", and any opportunity to get in some extra batting or get to the field early, and he is on it!
Finally, it gets to the end of the day....the boys are showered, tucked in, lights are out and the final "goodnight" spoken. I pull their door nearly closed, and listen a little to hear their chit-chat as they settle down........usually the oldest begins to quiz the youngest on a random baseball question.....like which short stop in the american league he considers the "best".....or maybe he will begin a lecture on the team that they just faced in the all star tournament, detailing their strengths and weaknesses. They end the day as it began : BASEBALL ALL THE WAY!

Wardrobe mal-functions

The attire. The uni. Your kit. Whatever you may call it, the baseball uniform can be a major headache, or a source of pride, depending upon the demeanor of your child, and your household stress/busy-ness level. Many baseball Moms are WAY TOO familiar with the pre-game dash, as you struggle to locate the missing sock, the lost hat or the dreaded cup-knickers that you forgot to wash and you KNOW are buried and sweaty at the botom of the laundry hamper. And then there are the potential issues......the new socks that are too bumpy/tight/long/short/wierd.......the pants - not to tight, not too loose, the belt needs to fit just SO, are they babe-ruth style, or boot-cut.......the hat...well, no isses with hats so far in our house, and we seem to be OK with undershirts and shirts too.....but OH BOY.....cup-problems!!!!!!!
The cup......not an area of female expertize, yet we try our best to assist our boys with these essential protective garments! I am VERY proud of the fact that if my youngest falls asleep in full gear, I have figured out that I can actually REMOVE his cup without him waking up. The older one, poor guy had a legendary malfnction this year, when we bought him new cup-knickers that were too big, ad during warm-ups that cup actually FELL OUT and slipped down his pant-leg! Thankfully the baseball momster had all under control with spare-but-old ones in the ever-present cooler!
And the socks......who can forget the socks?! My current sock-complaint is when my boys remove them along with the smelly cleats, and then stash it ALL in the hall closet, to be forgottern until next game/practise! They seem to have no problem wearing CRUSTY socks, that could practically stand up by themselves.....heck, I think the stirrup-socks from this season probably could have walked away with no assistance because of this little routine! Of course if I was one of those "married-for-my-housekeeping-skills" types, I would have been SO on-it, and remembered each time to grab them and wash them, but alas, having the distractions of a preschool classroom to run meant my reliability in theis matter was probably only at 50%...
All this being said, you have to admit - when they step out, in their NEW uniform, be it all-stars, tournaments, or regular season, that MOMENT where the pants really are still white, and everything is still bright and new.....there is nothing like it. The smile on their face, the pride in their stance, it makes it all beautiful! You proudly take a picture, whether it is a mental snapshot that you file away, or the one you proudly post on facebook. It's another part of their baseball journey, one to treasure and enjoy. May these days never end!