Cut to the Chafe.....

Spring is in the air!  The days are longer, the sun is brighter, the grass is slowly getting greener, and the chafing is starting.  Wait…what? Chafing? Yep, chafing.  Chafing occurs when something restrictive or tight makes a part of the body sore by rubbing against it. In Tyler’s case, chafing occurs on his thighs from his sliding shorts.   He never has to tell me when it happens, I just know. Picture a bow-legged man walking after riding a horse for hours.  Yep. That’s my boy.  Luckily, he only experiences it once or twice a baseball season or anytime we go to the beach. 

Probably one of the worst times was last spring when we were in Florida.  Shenango played in Orlando around Easter time.  It wasn't hot, hot but it was definitely hot compared to western Pennsylvania.  Not only did the team have games at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, but they also had some free time to visit the Disney theme parks.  On the second day, I noticed the bow-legged-ride-a-horse-for-hours walk in my son.  Crap!  I ripped apart my suitcase for something that I could give him.  Oh man, I had nothing!  I went into the resort gift shop to see if they at least had some Vaseline I could buy.  They had none but the resort next to us had some and they would get it for me.  Whew!  Plus one for mom saving the day, right?  Wrong! The container was big enough for maybe one application on my chapped lips. Because we were visiting the "greatest place on earth", they felt they could charge $8! My son is 6’2” with some pretty big legs!

I started asking other parents for help. I have to say, talking with other baseball moms about chafing can be a colorful topic!   All of them had different products they used for their boys and none of them had a problem sharing their stories.  I loved it!

Probably the best product I learned about was Monistat Anti Chaffing Cream – Yes, the yeast infection company. So what? If the boys can get past the pretty purple packaging and the fact it’s found in the “woman” aisle, they will discover that it works for preventing chafing.  One possible side effect for baseball players, they may grow a vagina if they use it too much.

There are a number of other products available to help avoid the “chub rub”.  Here are a few that I have tried with Tyler:

Nike’s Pro Heist Baseball Sliding Shorts:  These sliding shorts feature strategically-placed flat-seam construction to reduce irritation caused by chafing.  I call bullcrap! What’s strategically placed for one player might not be strategically placed for another. 

Vaseline – We are all familiar with Vaseline and as you sit reading this, you might be picturing where you have yours stashed.  Supposedly rubbing it on the area where the baseball player usually chafes will provide a lubricant so that any rubbing together of the skin isn't irritating and won’t cause pain or rash. Early on we tried using Vaseline because, let’s face it, Vaseline can be used for everything!  Unfortunately, it never worked for Tyler.  However, I love using it for my chapped lips! 

Gold Bond Powder – This was recommended to me for Tyler’s chafing.  It’s a baby powder like product that is “medicated”.  I’m pretty sure by “medicated” it means that it is full of acid!  This stuff burns!!!  If you are already chafed and want to see what it would feel like to have your thighs dipped in acid, sprinkle it on! 

Monkey Butt – Okay, I've never tried this or even bought it but I love the name of it!  The first time I saw it in Walmart I snapped a picture and texted it to everyone! The powder contains talc or cornstarch which absorbs moisture.  Monkey Butt has a product for men, ladies and babies.   They even have a gift set called…..wait for it…..Bare Essentials!  

Body Glide – A liquefied powder that turns into a dry, silky shield against irritation and rubbing.  I just ordered some of this from Dick’s Sporting Goods.  I think it would be best if Tyler threw this in his baseball bag as opposed to the Monistat. 

Ceiling Fan:  This is a great product for “airing out”.  After taking a shower and thoroughly drying off with a clean towel, let the chafed legs  “air out” for a few minutes. Lay naked on the bed with the ceiling fan on.  Okay, okay, maybe not!  But you have to admit, when it’s hot and humid outside come mid-August, you’re going to try this! 

It isn't just athletes that can experience the ohhh-soooo-not-talked-about-chub-rub.  Everybody gets it. Fat, thin, inbetweenie -- thighs will be thighs! If you have ever experienced the feel of steam sizzling out from under your shorts because the friction from your inner thighs was creating a heat like none other, then you understand! Unfortunately, my thighs have separation anxiety and I swear, cannot be apart for a second.  While sitting at baseball games in the summer, I sweat…..a lot! Sweating while working out is good. However, sweating while trying to watch your son play baseball is bad! Throw in the dreaded boob-sweat and I’m a hot mess!  It’s hard to be witty, dazzling and sassy when I’m melting! 

So, bring on the Monistat.  I wonder if they sell it by the gallon?

Enjoy the “Lasts” as much as the “Firsts”

When Tyler was growing up, as all parents do, I made a big deal out of his “Firsts”. His first smile. His first step.  His first word (‘Gup’…he always wanted to go up the steps to see grandma and grandpa).  His first pitch.  The list goes on and on. 

Now that Tyler is older and is ready to move onto bigger things, I wish I had paid more attention to his “Lasts”.   The last time he called me “Mommy”.  The last time we watched a Disney movie together.  The last time I rocked him to sleep and watched him sleep peacefully in my arms.  The last time he let me hold his hand. 

These are all huge milestones, and yet I let them pass without paying any attention to them. What would my thoughts have been if I knew it would be the last time he would climb onto my lap for a good morning cuddle? Or the last time he would hide under the blankets pretending to be sleeping so I would tickle him? 

His Senior year is full of firsts and lasts.  Last first brown bag lunch.   Last Homecoming. Last home football game.  Last first semester of high school. Last first golf match. Last writing assessment. Last finals week. Last Prom.  Last Sports Recognition Assembly.  Last first day of school. Why didn't I hug him that morning like I did just before he got onto the bus his very first day of school?  I really wish I had. 

Last high school baseball season.  Last first game of the season.  Last first pitch……..

I've thought about this numerous times over the past months but it really hit me hard the other day when I thought I was going to be late for Tyler’s game and miss his first pitch of the season. 

     His last

               first pitch

                           of his last first game

                                                     of his last season 

                                                                         of high school baseball  

There was no way I was going to miss his last first scrimmage!  I left work at 2:30 which gave me plenty of time to get to Woodland Hills High School in Pittsburgh.  My GPS gave me the arrival time of 3:34 PM.  Perfect!  It was freezing so that would give me time to change out of my high heels into boots and to put on my winter coat, gloves and scarf before the game started at 4:00. 

Cruising down Rt 79, singing along to my tunes, I was a happy chick….today there was going to be a baseball game! Yeeeehaww!  I exited Rt 79 to take the turnpike and came to the proverbial fork in the road (okay, it wasn't necessarily a “fork” but it’s my blog so I say it is!) …Harrisburg or Ohio. 

Can you guess where this is heading?  You got it….Ohio!  I picked the exit for Ohio!  As I continued to sing-along to Pink!  I started to notice barns and fields on my left and right.  Hmmmm…This isn't what I remembered seeing on the turnpike.  It wasn't until I noticed a sign that said “Beaver Falls 15 miles” that I looked at my GPS.  My arrival time changed from 3:34 to 4:10.  That’s when I realized what I had done!  What the heck! Why hadn't my GPS screamed at me to “MAKE. A. U-TURN. WHEN. POSSIBLE”?

4:10?  4:10!!!  The game started at 4:00!  I had to go 15 miles in the wrong direction before I could exit and turn around and head in the right direction.  The amount of profanity that came from my mouth was enough to make a sailor blush! Then tears came pouring out of my eyes because I knew that I would never forgive myself if I missed that “pitch”.  I’m sure that I looked like a crazy woman flying down the turnpike crying and cussing but I was hell-bent on getting there before 4:10.  

I pulled into Woodland Hills High School parking lot at 4:06.  I could see the players on the field!  I kept telling myself that they were just warming up, the game hadn't started!  After all, Kim Booher wasn't there yet! Didn't they know better?  Didn't they know I would be there as soon as possible?!? NOPE! The cuss words started flowing out again like word vomit.  I grabbed my bag and started towards the field.  “Started towards the field” meant I trekked up a gravel path to the field on top of a hill…a big hill….in high heels....against the wind...in the freezing cold. 

Tyler was just grabbing his glove to go on the field to warm up. It was the bottom on the first.  Out of breath, I gave Tyler a little wave and said, “I made it”.  He gave me the nod and trotted onto the field.  I guess getting the nod was better than nothing.  After all, he didn't know I drove like a banshee woman to get there in time.  He didn't realize that first pitch was on a list of many lasts of this year.  He didn't know his mother was full of emotion. Okay, he knows I'm full of emotion, he just chooses to ignore it.  

I opened the gate and walked into the dugout and started taking pictures of Tyler.  I made it!  I!   Made!    It! 

I did not miss Tyler’s last first pitch!  I did a little fist pump and silently patted myself on the back.  Then I noticed a young coach sitting on the bucket watching me.  Yikes!  I introduced myself and decided I wouldn’t embarrass Tyler any further by explaining to the young coach that I was full of emotion.  Let him find out on his own some day when he has children!

The bottom line is that the “Lasts” stink.  But it will lead to a new list of “Firsts” which means new beginnings, new opportunities, new memories, and new challenges.

And THAT’S exciting to me!

In the meantime, let’s PLAY BALL!

   

Got Bragging Rights?

I admit that I enjoy talking about Tyler and his baseball. Whether it is via conversation, Facebook statuses or blogging, I enjoy sharing about baseball. Everything he does is a lot of fun and writing about his accomplishments often occurs. But I try to be very careful not to regularly cross the line from being proud to bragging. I know I sometimes do cross the line (don’t most parents?), but I try to keep it in check.

So what is the difference between bragging and just being a proud parent sharing information?  I asked a friend that question when we discussed it briefly yesterday.  Her thoughts were that bragging occurs when you talk about your kid in such a way that it makes other kids look bad.  In other words, bragging transpires when you make yourself feel good at the expense of making someone else feel bad. For example, let’s say you know that 30 kids tried out for a spot on the local team, and your child was the only one his/her age to make the team. Don’t brag about your child’s sports prowess to the parents of your child’s friends.

Yes, I talk about Tyler on Facebook and on my blog.  Actually, I switched to blog format because I knew that I would be full of emotion this year and would talk about Tyler and all the ups and downs of his senior year.

Yet, is what I’m doing bragging?  Maybe some of my friends on Facebook think my photos are kind of bragging, an embedded “look at how happy I am with my kid and my life.” But if we take this turn down Facebook Lane, things could easily start getting ugly, because then, wouldn’t everything on Facebook be considered “singing your own praises”? Yes, everything, from a person’s picture of his/her World Series tickets or tickets from a Broadway Show (“Look how well-connected and/or cultured I am!”) to another’s pictures of his/her beach vacation (“Look at how well-traveled/happily relaxed I am!”) to another’s selfies (come on, a person wouldn’t be posting pictures of his/herself if he/she didn’t think they were pretty good-looking, right?).

Here’s the thing: I am pretty happy, emotional, but happy. I do get incredible enjoyment from Tyler and his baseball, and I’m proud of him. And I think a healthy level of pride, as demonstrated by posting pictures or status updates, is acceptable.

Are children less acceptable topics of pride for parents, than are the number of pounds someone lost on a diet?  Or maybe the number of miles ran during a workout?  Or a job promotion?  Why are any of these deserved moments of pride more acceptable than a picture of my son smiling (or not, knowing him) while holding an award for Pitcher of the Year?

They’re not.

I don’t get mad at my friends who post pictures of the amazing looking meals they’ve just cooked (I may drool a little, though). I’m not angry with friends who show pictures of homemade pies and cookies they are about to devour while I munch on celery and carrots because I battle my weight every day.

  

As someone who has never made a homemade pie in her life and has gone so far as to call burnt  cheese sticks “dinner”–maybe I am supposed to feel intimidated by these things.  But I don’t. Instead, I think, “Wow, I’m lucky to have such amazing friends.”

 Okay, really I think, “Wow, why don’t they make those pies and cookies for me?”

There is nothing wrong with being proud and sharing it.  If this is bragging, then BRAG, people, BRAG. I am happy when I see that my friends have things in their life that make them happy.  I don’t care whether it’s adorable kids, a new puppy, beach vacations, or great skinny jeans. I love seeing those proud-moment pictures!  I will “like” them, with no bitterness whatsoever. Boom-shak-a-la-ka-la-ka!!

So while others are posting accomplishments in the gym, kitchen and/or at work, I’ll continue to write about my son’s baseball. 

To me the bottom is line is this.........if I resent the happiness and/or successes of Facebook friends, then I’m not really their “friend,” Facebook or otherwise.

What's In Your Bag?

Tomorrow is the first game of Tyler’s last year of high school baseball.  Wait for it….wait for it….

I’m sooooo full of emotion!

I spent some time this evening getting my baseball mom bag ready for the season.  I’m not sure about the rest of you, but my baseball mom bag is a big part of who I am.  The style of bag has changed through the years, but most of the items have remained constant. 

 So, what's in my bag?  Below are the things that will travel with me to Tyler’s games this season:

Rain poncho and small umbrella.  These are for those unexpected pop-up type showers.  The big golf-size umbrellas are in the car. 

Towels.  For wiping dirty hands, face, spikes, baseballs…anything and everything.

Gloves and scarf.  It is spring in Western Pa! You never know what weather you will get.

Gloves for Tyler.  He's never used them, but I have them...just...in....case!

 Pitch counter.  I never leave home without this!  I keep pitch count on here and in the score book.

Camera.  I’m kinda embarrassed by how many pictures I end up with at the end of the season.  I have 100s of Tyler and his friends.  To make it worse, I take numerous pictures on my iPhone too!

Score books.  I always have two!  I take that back, not always.  I don’t keep a book during the high school games so I leave them at home. These are for summer games.

Notepad and pencil.  Not just ANY pencil.  I’m very, very picky with my scoring pencils.

Sunglasses.  I keep this spare pair in my baseball mom bag.  Again, Western Pa. weather so you never know what to expect.

Readers.  In case I forget mine in the car and need to read a text.  I just keep these in my bag.

Essentials!  Wipes, hairspray, deodorant, and Gold Bond Powder.  I think no explanation is needed for these items, right?

Miscellaneous items.  I fit all of these items in a little cosmetic bag.  I have contact solution, tape, pre-wrap, cough drops, safety pins, hand sanitizer, back-up pitch counter, oversized band aids, mirror, hair clip, hair band, Neosporin, ibuprofen, Axe body spray, eye black and Chapstick. 

Necessities.  Gum, seeds and Tic-Tacs.  I will throw in the Gatorade tomorrow right before the game. 

Hand warmers. These are a life saver for a pitcher!

 

I keep blankets, sweatshirts, toilet paper (true story) and a first aid kit in my trunk.  Even with all of that, I still often times feel like I'm forgetting something.  

I feel like I don’t have my A-game on yet!  As much as I’ve anticipated the start of the season, I’m not ready!  But come tomorrow at 4:00, I'll be ready!  Tyler will be the starting pitcher and I intend to have my spot up on the fence, camera in hand, ready to take a picture of the first pitch of his senior year.  

Play Ball!!!!!

This is the Beginning of Your Future....

 We visited La Roche again last weekend.  This visit was a little different from the others.  Tyler had to take his placement test for writing and math and get his college ID picture taken.  While that was going on, a number of different speakers presented information to us about areas such as financial aid, campus life, etc….

This visit made it real.  In a few shorts months; Tyler would be a freshman at La Roche College.

As we sat in the room waiting for the presentation to start, I eyed up the other incoming freshmen and parents.  I looked for anyone who seemed shady.   Of course, I looked for baseball players as well because that’s what baseball moms do!  I saw limited shady characters, possibly 2 baseball players and thus far, no tears for me.  Maybe I was getting used to this “college” thing. 

Because I’m a big nerd, I sat in the front row.  I pulled out my pen and paper and settled in to prepare to take as many notes as I could.  Marie Deem, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for Student Academic Support Services, smiled and welcomed all of us.  I thought, ‘Hey, she’s nice!  I like her’.   She explained the day’s events and then before dismissing the students for testing, she added, “This is the beginning of your future”.   

Wait! What? Oh, Marie! Why? Why, Marie, why??   I liked you! I felt I bonded with you!  How could you do this? You just ripped my heart out and stomped on it, Marie!

And just like that I was full of emotion.  The tears filled my eyes as I watched Tyler leave the room never once looking back at his momma.  He left with all those shady characters!  I sat there praying and hoping no one tried to slip him a rohypnol!  How was I supposed to concentrate?

But I did.  For 2 hours I listened to various speakers chat about different aspects of the La Roche experience. And I can proudly say that I only asked one question!   Finally, Marie let us know that the students were done testing and they were coming to join us. 

Wait! What?  Sweet! Way to totally redeem yourself, Marie! I take back all those plans I made in my head to create a voo-doo doll of you when I got home!

Because I’ve matured, I knew better than to jump up and run to Tyler as soon as I saw him.  Instead I sat patiently and waited for him to come to me and tell me everything while I sat and listened quietly without interrupting.

HA!  Yeah, right!!!! Me? Sit patiently?  Listen Quietly?? I walked over to him (speed walking counts as walking!) and listened semi-quietly! Hey, I’m full of emotion and I had questions! That was the best I could do!

We finished listening to the speakers and then ate lunch in the “Café”, as Tyler likes to call it.  I felt it my duty to explain to him what the “Freshman 15” was and that ice cream is not his friend! We visited the bookstore to purchase some gear and I introduced myself to the father of an incoming freshman baseball player (another story for another day).  We met with my BFF, Marie, and set up a preliminary schedule for Tyler and miraculously, I kept my mouth shut and let him make his own decisions about what courses he wanted to take. 

La Roche baseball had a double-header that day so we headed to the baseball field.  I walked a little behind Tyler as he walked towards the field.  As I watched him stop and just look out over the field, the field where he will play next year, my heart and head started swimming with emotion.  Pride. Love. Sadness. Adoration.  Apprehension.  Excitement. Loneliness.  Overwhelmed. 

He turned to me and smiled and said, “I love this view, mom.  I love this field. I can’t wait to play here next year.”  And at that point the only emotion I felt was extreme happiness for my son. 

I whispered, “This is the beginning of your future…….”

Both mine and his.