Magnolia Mamas : baseball mom

Showing posts with label baseball mom. Show all posts

Monday, May 13, 2019

Baseball Bedroom

I've been on a roll recently with some house projects and refreshing a few rooms here and there. I was happy to knock out the girls' rooms (HERE and HERE) and recently updated my patio which I will share soon, too!

One room that has been hanging over my head is my son's baseball room. I redid his room a while back and he's been loving it.

He had navy bedding, so I just switched out some of the accessories to go with the baseball theme.

There were still a few things I wanted to accomplish including a gallery wall. I went to Board and Brush with some baseball mamas last month and made a customized sign to include in his room. This forced me to sort through photos, collect some other items and finally get it all hung!

I got the large star and the H at Hobby Lobby, the baseball sign was a Facebook Marketplace find and the pictures I got printed from CVS. Super easy and I feel like I can add to it with more photos or memorabilia. He's so happy with it and told me when this wall gets filled up we should move to covering the other walls!

I do have another picture ready to add to it though. A few weeks ago we were at the Braves game we happened to be at the right place at the right time and he was asked to give the official "play ball" announcement on the field. He was SO excited and as soon as he came off the field he asked if we could add that picture to his baseball wall. :-)

We made a few other updates over the past couple months including his shelves that are getting overloaded with trophies, bobble heads and game balls!

He proudly displayed his bobble head collection here!

My dad gave him the glove that was his as a kid and he picked out a special baseball from his basket to put in the glove.

We also moved this small table and chairs to his room when we redid the playroom. He loves to draw so this is the perfect spot for that!

I'd like to think this room is "done" and although I'm sure there will continue to be some little chances here and there, I feel like I can finally check this one off my list!

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

How To Clean White Baseball Pants

Baseball season is back! My little guy had his first game last weekend and they totally rocked it. The team won in a big way and he was excited to get the game ball!

With baseball season back in full swing comes the constant cleaning of white baseball pants because he loves do do things like this...

And this..

And even if he isn't playing in a game he somehow ends up dirty!

I love him to look nice and clean before he gets started though and love the look of white pants. However, because he plays hard he always ends up with stains.

I used to just wash the pants with a regular load because I had no idea there was even a possibility of getting them clean again. Then a friend of mine with older boys who play baseball told me how she cleaned her boys' pants and I have stuck with that method ever since.

I have seen lots of different suggestions for getting white baseball pants clean, but this is how I do it in three easy steps!

STEP 1

First up I fill a large bowl or buckets with hot water and 1/2 cup of this White Brite by OUT. I purchase it at my local grocery store, but it is also available online HERE.

Then I put the pants in and soak them overnight. You can do it for a shorter amount of time, but I like to let it sit for longer.

Most of my friends use Iron Out by the same brand. I am convinced it is probably the same stuff just packaged differently.

When I take the pants out from soaking sometimes they are clean, but if he has stains that are really set in like from where he was sliding or something it will look like this.

STEP 2

Next I use what I consider to be the best stain removal product ever! Fels-Naptha is an old school bar soap and it is like a miracle worker. It's around $1 at most stores and lasts a really long time.

One time last summer the kids were playing a pick-up game after their real game had finished so he was already dirty, but then I look over and he's taken off both his shoes and his hat to use as a base. I was so mad and didn't even know where to begin with this.

But Fels-Naptha to the rescue. It gets anything clean! It takes a bit of elbow grease, but I scrub the stubborn stains on the pants with the Fels-Naptha and then they are ready for the last step.

STEP 3

For the final step I just throw the pants in with some towels and wash on hot water. I wouldn't wash with anything colored because of using the White Brite. I'm always amazed because when they come out they look BRAND NEW.

Edited to add: My fellow baseball mom told me last week that she was out of Iron Out and needed her boy's pants clean so she grated a bar of Fels-Naptha with an old cheese grater and soaked her pants with a cup of that and hot water. She said they came out looking brand new! It's a much cheaper option if you don't want to use the other product!

Do you have a trick for cleaning baseball pants? If so, please share!

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Baseball Moms {10 Essentials for Surviving Allstar Summer Ball}

It's no secret I'm a baseball mama. I've talked about it several times here before and my little guy is just so in love with the game. He and I have spent many hours practicing together...from playing catch to some driveway hitting sessions, he always wants the Mr. or I to be outside playing ball with him. All long his goal was to tryout and make the summer allstar team. He told me if he found out he made the team it would be the best day of his life. He says that a a lot about a lot of different things so this kid has a pretty good life, but he was so excited when he found out he had made the team.

We are two tournaments in and I am having just as much fun as he is! There is nothing I love more than cheering on my sweet boy doing what he loves. We even had Jen and Cute there for one of his games!

We're with a great group of kids and families and that makes it so much more fun. We are rookies when it comes to the summer ball thing, but a lot of these families are seasoned pros so we have learned from the best so I'm sharing 10 must-have essentials for surviving allstar summer baseball. And a lot of these things can be used for more than just baseball!

1. Tents
This team's tent game is on point. It is a well orchestrated event to get tents up and in place. With the hot sun beating down, it is the only way we can manage to stand sitting in the stands to cheer for our boys. It's amazing to watch one team break down, move tents and then the next team seamlessly move in with their tents.

2. Misting fans
This is probably one of the best inventions ever! It reminds me of the misting areas at Disney World. You fill a bucket with water, put this fan with a hose connected to it on top and when you turn it on the mist blows out and starts cooling us off. I always strategically place myself near the mister!

3. Bleacher seat cushions
This is being purchased as a Father's Day gift for two people I know this year. It is brutal to sit for double headers on the hard bleacher seats with no back support. These seats make it much more comfortable and will probably help my slouching, too!

4. Collapsible Wagons
You have to have a way to get all this stuff with you to the fields...especially if you have to park kind of far away! These soft sided wagons collapse so they don't take up much room in the back of your car, but they can haul a ton of stuff!

5. Cooling neck towels
I worry about the poor boys playing ball all day in the hot sun, but we do our best to keep them cool with fans in the dugout and they all have these cooling neck towels that they wear between innings or when they aren't batting. It really seems to help!

6. Good insulated water bottles/cups
A good insulated and leak-proof water bottle is a must. We go through so much water on these hot days. Our favorites are the Under Armor jug and a Swell or Corkcicle for us spectators. You can read all about which keeps water coldest the longest from my daughter's Science Fair experiment!

7. Cooler
A cooler with extra waters to refill cups, snacks, Gatorades and even extra ice is nice on those super hot days. We've been using this Yeti Hopper Flip 8 on tournament days and it is the perfect size! It holds several drinks, a big ziplock of extra ice and there is always extra room for some snacks like fresh fruit, etc.

8. Baseball Apparel
Love supporting our team with some of my favorite baseball apparel. I have a team shirt, but just ordered a few others like this and I'm eyeing these earrings, leather wrap bracelet and adorable baseball sandals.

9. A Big Tote Bag
While I'm at it, this super cute baseball tote bag is calling my name! I have a big bag I've been using, but the handle is about to bite the dust so this one might be my next purchase.

10. White Brite & Fels-Naptha
There is nothing better than some crisp white baseball pants. That is until your kids takes a dive into second base and gets them COVERED in red clay. I used to cringe, but now that I have a few secret ingredients to make white pants white again I don't even bat an eyelash. This cocktail of cleaners is seriously a miracle worker! First I soak the pants using White Brite and then rub a bit of Fels-Naptha on the really dingy parts like knees. Lastly I wash with some other white towels and the pants come out good as new every.single.time. You would think I would get used to the results, but I'm literally amazed every time!

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