This blog post title, Mom on the Go, is a bit like my site name: Go Mama O.

Moms are ALWAYS on the go. There’s always something to do. Downtime is a precious commodity…especially this time of year!

Go Mama O. has a cheerleading kind of ring to it. And these days, I am a cheerleader for my two kids who play on five teams (soccer, baseball regular league, baseball tournament team, and softball). Laundry is one of those things that I always have to do to keep up with my active kids.

There’s a lot of shuttling kids around too: managing family logistics and calendars, keeping our pantry and fridge fully stocked for our family, and planning fun stuff too. It can be lots of short trips in the car – to and from school, to and from practice and games. We switched our daughter’s piano lessons to virtual this month to accommodate sports schedules.

Whew… we’re almost through the busiest month of the year and school is almost done. June will slow down a bit, and we’ll have some long, lovely summer days ahead sprinkled in with some baseball tournaments.

It has been fun watching our kids play on various sports teams. They have great coaches and teammates, and we enjoy socializing on the sidelines. We hang in there through tough games and celebrate the victories. My kids say that I’m well known for my loud clapping! Sorry, kids, I am your biggest (and sometime loudest) fan!!

Above: Here we are cheering on our kids on cooler days in Wisconsin. Upper right: My daughter stops to pick flowers after a soccer game. Lower left: all of the layers on a cool, windy day; this is soccer mom life. Right: My son in yellow going after the ball.

At ages nine and eleven, my pre-tweens are figuring out what activities they like.

My oldest wants to try everything it seems! I’m proud of her for making friends on her teams and starting a new sport (soccer) this past year. She is quite the cheerleader on her teams! Most recently, on the soccer field, she waved to the person she would be guarding on the other team. She’s a friendly competitor!

As she starts middle school next fall, I know she will be surrounded by a bigger group of classmates and she’ll find her friends and make new ones along the way. I’m so stinking proud of the young woman she is becoming. I’m doing my best to give her space and structure when needed.

My youngest is more competitive than my oldest. He has fun playing soccer with Daddy O. as his coach and gets along well with his teammates. His baseball league coach, who just met him this season told me what a great kid he is and whatever we are doing, we should keep doing it. These positive comments from coaches, teachers, and community members truly mean a lot to me.

After his first baseball tournament where they faced some tough opponents, I asked him what he thought about the day. He said he had fun even though they lost more than they won. I’m proud of him for playing hard and supporting his team, no matter what.

It’s sometimes hard as a parent to watch your kid strike out, miss goals, or get pushed around. I try to hold my tongue in the stands (but that doesn’t always happen)! I know I have to keep my competitive side in check, and rather think of the life lessons that sports are teaching my kids:

  • teamwork
  • resilience
  • positive mindset
  • listening to your coach
  • managing your time
  • taking care of your equipment (doing your own laundry will come soon)
  • staying organized (not just relying on mom and dad)

We aren’t aiming for an athletic scholarship, but we are developing character and building life skills.

So yes, I am glad to be a Mom on the Go, supporting my family’s crazy schedule. It is a blessing to balance my work, family life, and kids at this stage! Now I’m off to work on that laundry!