Girls (and boys) just wanna have fun!!

According to a survey done by The Athletic Footwear Association, the #1 reason kids play their favorite sport is TO HAVE FUN!!! Sure we want to be sure they are picking up skills and putting in a good effort, BUT if they are not having fun they will NOT keep playing! 

Very good read if you have a minute....
http://www.insideyouthsports.org/2014/08/motivation-and-young-athlete-p

art-2.html

Keep up the great work Sports Moms!

As Sports Moms we know that involving our children in youth sports is beneficial.  It is one of the reasons we sacrifice so much for them to participate.  But did you know.....

Kids who play youth sports are less likely to:
-break the law or go to prison
-join a gang
-abuse alcohol or drugs
-abuse sex or become pregnant
-skip class
-have discipline problems in school
-drop out of school

Kids who play youth sports are more likely to:
-perform well in school
-have higher grades on national tests
-graduate from high school
-go to college
-become and remain employed
-become directors and managers
-become business and political leaders
-contribute to society by participating in social and charitable programs

The next time you are sitting in traffic, rushing from school to practice - keep this in mind.  You are helping to shape your child's future.  And THAT is worth all of the sacrifice in the world :)

Eau De 8 year old

I entered uncharted territory this week.  Our oldest is 8 and she is very active with gymnastics practice 3.5 hours a day 3 days a week.  This past week I noticed that she is now in need of deodorant (OMG WHAT??).  So knowing all the dangers of aluminum, I did not want to begin putting that into her body at such a young age.  So I went out and bought her Tom's of Maine all natural deodorant.  She is trying it out now, but this morning I read the reviews and most people say it doesn't work too well.  Which I am not that worried about because, well, she is 8 and how stinky can she get?

But in my research for reviews of Tom’s I came across this pretty cool website.  It is called Growing Basics www.growingbasics.com and is a line of personal hygiene products for big kids and tweens ages 6-13.  The products are all natural and non-toxic and most importantly for me do not contain aluminum, paraben, alcohol or sulfates.

They are priced comparatively to the other natural deodorants out there as well.  I just ordered a twin pack for her to try along with the Tom’s to see which works better for her, but I really like that the Growing Basics deodorant is created specifically for kids, while Tom’s is not. 

I will do an update once she has tried both products and I will share with you which one we like best!!

The great wait

Having kids who are active in sports means lots of juggling of schedules.  Sometimes there are conflicts, other times there are tight windows of time to get things done.  This leads me to something I struggle with often….the great wait.

While your child is at practice, do you just drop off and pick up (literally not leaving the car)?  Do you walk them in and drop off and then do the reverse when it is pick up time?  Do you stay and watch the entire practice?

Well I think the answer varies.  It varies depending on your child’s age, the length of the practice, the sport involved.  For me when Riley has gymnastics practice (3.5 hours long) I do a combo of things.  Some days I drop her off and pick her up outside the gym in the loading lane.  Other days I go into the gym myself and work out (always trying to squeeze fitness into my busy mom life).  It just depends on what all I have going on in our lives that particular week.

Now for Denton, because of his age, I will always stay.  Or when it is swim class I am for sure parking my booty there for the whole time.  But as he gets older I am sure that will change.  However, staying with him during his practices makes it difficult to get other things done – like picking up Riley from her practice or cooking dinner/running unexpected errands (dogs are out of food – again???).  That is when it really helps having an involved hubby.  We can tag team the drop off/pick up but there is still that lost time waiting….

I want to hear from you Sports Moms.  Do you stay?  Do you go?  If you stay, what do you do to pass the time?  Leave a comment below, or share this with a friend who you know would want to chat about it.