Kim Suburban

The beginning of a new year for me always begins with the resolution to lose weight...On December 31 of each year, I always think back at how much weight I didn't lose.  It's depressing...Over the past 3 years I have gained a ton of weight.  It started during Cole's T-ball All-Stars.  Practice 3 times a week, a tournament every week and 1/2 for almost 2 months.  Fast food, beer, staying up late...it was like I was spinning around on the tea cups, grabbing whatever I could to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am at the heaviest I have EVER been.  I weigh more now than I did when I was pregnant.  My clothes, especially pants, haven't fit in a couple of years now.  The guilt and shame that goes along with that is heavy.  I look in the mirror and still see the same person from 3 years ago, but when I look at pictures I barely recognize myself.  I have become a bloated version of me. So on Sunday I took a huge risk and joined a group of friends for the Biggest Los

Before Cole started playing travel baseball, I was a rec baseball mom.  I had down to a science what I needed to take to the fields for that one game.  When he started playing travel baseball, I had to pack beyond the 1 game played at a local park.  It took me a few tournament weekends to get my baseball bag just right. These are the essentials: 1. A cooler - packed full of drinks for player (Gatorade & Water), parents and siblings (I pack juice boxes, extra Gatorade and water).  You will also need to pack food for the day.  Usually lunch and a snack for the ride home.  But for bracket play it can range from breakfast in the morning, lunch and through dinner.  Pasta salads and sandwiches hold up the best in a cooler.  Snacks, don't forget snacks: pretzels, goldfish, hummus, dips, sliced apples... 2.  A bit of cash.  For the gate fee and to purchase food & drink at concession.  Sometimes concession stands have unique items like boiled peanuts and snow cones.  Sometimes

We live in Florida where Travel Baseball season never ends.  Our team usually takes a hiatus during Christmas break and starts back up again in the middle of January. I thought it would be helpful to post the essentials for travel baseball families and what to pack in your cooler for double headers, local tournaments and out of town tournaments. First, be prepared to pay the gate fee.  Usually it's $5 per person for adults and most of the time kids get in free.  Be prepared to pay a higher gate fee for bigger tournaments, especially tournaments held at Disney.  Usually you can find the gate fee under the tournament information web page.  Let's talk about coolers & food ...most parks that you play in will have a concession stand.  Hotdogs and burgers from the concession stand get old QUICK.  And by quick, I mean after the first bite.  Buying lunch (and sometimes dinner) at the concession stand can drain your wallet faster than a kid with your iTunes password. I think

Baseball season is starting again...the Spring season is so much fun.  We've had a month off of travel baseball and almost 3 from rec ball.  I've enjoyed my time off from uniform washin', gatorade gettin', practice drivin, picture takin', always cheerin' baseball mom life. With an emphasis on the cheerin' part.  I'd like to take a minute to talk about cheering in baseball.  I'm the mom that cheers for EVERY kid on the team.  I believe in being positive and not cheering on a kid to bring another one down.  I've been cheering since Cole was in T-ball and I've continued with Aaron.  Some people hate it and others join in.   I want my kids to know that their mom is there, actively watching them play and enjoying every minute of it. 

As I was washing my face last night, the bathroom door crept open.  In lumbered a very sleepy 6 year old.  He looked at me and quietly said, "Momma I'm scared".  My heart sank to the depths of my toes.   I told him to get in my bed and that I would be there as soon as I got done.  When I opened that bathroom door there he was, sitting up straight as a soldier waiting for me.  I thought my heart couldn't sink any further than it already did, but this time it made it into the abyss.   I'm sure there are a lot of parents that would send him back to his room, but I couldn't, not tonight.  He was terrified of his dreams and needed to feel the safety that only comes from sleeping next to me.  As much as I need my good sleep, and we all know having kung foo fighters lying next to you does not equal good sleep, there is something comforting for me knowing he is next to me.  I know that one day the late night visits will end and I'll look back and miss them