Canada's Baseball Mom II: Single Mom Baseball Tips

Editor’s Note: Too often we make the game about fathers and sons. In some cases it is true, but it is also about mothers and sons, as well as mothers and daughters. So, in our ever-expanding coverage, we now will feature a regular blog by an experienced baseball-loving single mom, Steph Van De Ven (Paris, Ont.) And yes, Canada’s Baseball Mom improves our content. Enjoy and learn moms of all ages, who have young players of all ages. We know in reality you are really driving the bus as the anchor of most baseball families.

By Steph Van De Ven

Canadian Baseball Network

It isn’t easy, but someone’s gotta do it - that was and has been my motto for years. It still is if I’m being honest.

As a single Mom you really need to hone in on your juggling skills and wear a ton of different hats when it comes to preparing for a tournament or weekend of ball. For me, one of the hardest things about being a single parent with a son on a travel team is just when you think you’ll get a minute to breathe, relax and unwind - you’re packing up the car and making sure your kid has his underwear and cleats.

As a seasoned baseball Mom, I’ve also developed useful skills in the organizational department as well as in the saving-money department and I’m more than happy to share with you how I did it all and still enjoyed every minute on the diamond watching my kid play.

Meal Prep

Hands down I would say the first thing you need to get near-perfect at is grocery shopping and meal prepping.

It’s not difficult to grocery shop, it’s more about the strategy. Instead of thinking about the usual items that land in your grocery cart - you need to put on your baseball Mom hat and think: healthy choices and the longevity of tournaments.

Which items will last the longest and be enjoyed the most? Plus: which foods are easiest to grab and go during any time of year? If you were to ask my son he would choose some sort of sports drink or chips. They can make it into the cart as a guest appearance too but let me detail what I mean and how I keep sane.

I’m a huge fun of creating snack packs - whether you use zip lock bags or a ‘snackle box’ - snack packs are everything.

I usually purchase:

- Granola bars

- Crackers

- meat/deli meat/already prepared chicken and steak

- Buns, protein wraps, sourdough bread (yes, I’m THAT Mom)

- An entire small jar of peanut butter

- Cherry tomatoes, grapes and bell peppers

- Chips, sweets and prepared muffins

- Cheese strings or a big block of cheese

If you’re heading into tournament season I would suggest that two nights before (not one, and not three: two!!) you wash, cut, prep and prepare all of the snacks and organize them exactly how you want to place everything in the refrigerator so that you’re ready to pack it in your coolers for the tournament and/or road trip ahead.

If you’re prepping for the week, Sunday’s are my day to do this so the week ahead is easy and (mostly) stress-free.

Finding Your Moments

Finding your moments can be as simple as driving down the street for 20 minutes after you drop off your kid at practice or the diamond in search of a nice hot cup of coffee and some social scrolling, or taking your dog with you finding the nearest place to go on a nice long walk.

As a single Mom it’s not just nice to have moments, it’s a requirement. You’re literally doing it all from the time you wake up until the time every head in your family hit’s the pillows. If you don’t take some down time to recharge, you’ll burn out and it just doesn’t fit in a busy baseball Mom’s schedule.

I’ve found some great cafes, parks and downtowns in Ontario as we travelled all over and really enjoyed that me-time that helped me feel rested and ready for a weekend or week ahead.

Truth be told? I’ve even enjoyed the 20 minutes inside my vehicle, before all of the chaos ensues just to sip, mentally prepare, and listen to a podcast that makes me laugh. Please make sure, no matter what time of year it is - that you promise to find your moments so that you preserve your peace while being a supermom.

Finding Your People

There seems to be a lot of ‘finding’ in this blog, but if you’re a single parent you can relate.

You’re resourceful, thrifty, clever, organized, and you find the way’s and people that work, help you and make life a little easier.

Cue: The Grandparents.

My son and I are blessed to have both of my parents with us, and when schedules don’t align, my family is right there ready to help me however I need. Usually it’s helping with drop off or pick up.

Of course, I think I’m invincible and I don’t need any help - but when I am at my most stressed out and I call for help - the feeling I have when I can lean on my parents to help is euphoric.

Try it! You’ll love it. You don’t have to do it all. You can - but you don’t have to.

Saying No is Okay!

If you are burnt out, stressed out, and just can’t make things work for an evening or weekend - whether it’s financial or emotional then just say NO.

We’re so used to getting everything accomplished in our ‘regular’ lives, that we expect the same results in our baseball lives but I’m here to tell you that sometimes it won’t work.

Maybe you’ve got a work engagement, event or meeting you can’t miss and it happens to be at the same time as your son’s ball practice and ‘your people’ are busy so you’re 100% stuck.

Guess what? Even though we love baseball and it’s a heartbreaker when you let your kid down saying no is perfectly okay and I’m going to challenge you to be okay with it as ball season starts.

You’ll likely be met with an angry child who guilts you into thinking that saying no is not allowed and I am here to give you permission to say no whenever you feel like it so that you can be present in all aspects of your life and theirs too.

Group Meals at Tournaments

I have a rule and it’s been the rule for 13+ years. We eat once with the team together at a local restaurant, and the rest of the time we eat our packed food, or grab something quick and take a breather, explore the town/city or rest.

This helps us because at away-tournaments the go-go-go mentality can creep up on you and exhaust you - so having a little space, down time, or room to breathe (or swim in the hotel pool) is always a bonus.

Financially it’s a smart move, and over the years I’ve seen more and more families adopt this as a go-to and steadfast rule to help alleviate stress and get some down time too.

Managing everyone and everything all of the time can wear you down, but if you plan a little, take down time, and rely on your people when you really need them I promise you being a single mom with a baseball kid will be a walk in the park.