football and family – Lessons from the Sidelines

Tag: football and family

An Invitation for You

Posted on January 21, 2020February 25, 2020 by Beth Walker

Monthly Spotlight: Wives Who Thrive Lessons from the Sidelines

Last week on Instagram I gave a tiny window of insight into my “real job”. Which is something I realize I don’t talk very much about even though it fills the majority of my time each week. In case you missed it here’s what I posted:

Tiny peek into a “normal” part of life for this #coachswife .
Working remotely means getting to work from home wherever home is and I’m SO incredibly thankful for each and every one of my clients.
If you had told me in college that I would spend time dissecting Google Analytics and website rankings, find researching keywords fun, write blog posts in my head and send a text or email almost every week saying “don’t worry you aren’t being hacked that’s just me”, well, I wouldn’t have even understood what you were talking about ?

I recently had my annual review and set another round of quarterly goals. It’s been a running joke between my boss and me that when he talks about Google Analytics my eyes glaze over and the truth is that I’ve had to fight the instinct to run when he pulls up the stats. However, as I’ve grown in my role as a Content Strategist and my boss has helped me to understand the way behavior analytics helps our clients better tell their stories for their target audiences I’ve become a convert. I even (finally) completed my Google Analytics certification after avoiding it longer than I should have and I’m still alive!

But somehow this job where I get to cheer people on and help them to clearly tell their stories, reach their audiences, and serve their target customers with ethical practices is a natural fit.

Sharing about my day job was so fun! And it also led to a few conversations with people curious to learn more about my day to day work.

That’s Where You Come In

I’m a huge believer in two things:

1) Cheering on women who are flourishing in life

2) Encouraging women as they pursue their callings

These days there are so many women courageously pursuing their passions in unique ways that require out-of-the-box thinking. Achieving any goal takes intentional work, but when you throw in aligning that goal with all the other parts of everyday life that women can’t ignore it’s amazing when we buckle down and pursue our passions. We achieve goals because we understand that even with late hours, or lower starting salaries it’s more rewarding to live life in the sweet spot of where our calling and passions intersect rather than to settle for second best.

Month after month I’m delighted to hear wives announce they are finally taking the leap to pursue their master’s degree, start that side hustle, or turn that side hustle into their full-time job. Other times wives share that they are re-entering the workforce after years home with babies and finding themselves feeling whole again, regaining confidence they didn’t know they lost.

My favorite stories are the ones like mine, where wives step into a career that didn’t even exist when they were in college and yet now somehow it fits them perfectly.

Are You a Wife Who Thrives?

Does this post resonate with you? Do you recognize yourself in these examples? Then I want to share your story!! Fill out this Google Doc and I’ll be in touch! I’ll be featuring a monthly spotlight for as long as the posts keep coming.

And in case you’re wondering, while this blog generally focuses on articles written to coaches’ wives and about coaches’ wives these spotlight articles are for any wife! I have no doubt that sharing your story will inspire someone to pursue their passions and dreams and that’s the goal.

Let’s be a community that cheers each other on as we all thrive in our gifts and callings!

6 Things Saving My Sanity

Posted on August 21, 2018February 26, 2020 by Beth Walker

Football season is in full swing over here which means we’re all running a little closer to empty than I’d prefer. The boys are back in school as of today, so are adding homework and soccer to the calendar now in addition to practices. While I should add the disclaimer that compared to a college schedule our days are less focused on football alone, they are still very full. Coach has a full day of teaching, then there is practice planning, practice, film grading, school work, meetings, and that’s not including any interruptions like behavior issues.

With so much extra on his plate, I try to add a few more things to side of the task list, but with a full work schedule of my own this year I’m implementing a few new strategies to make it through game week with the least amount of stress possible. (ps- there’s a few affiliate links through here, no pressure, but if you use them we both save!)

Here are 6 things that are saving my sanity:

Plan to Eat

I started using the Plan to Eat desktop program last December and although I loved it, I wasn’t using it as much as I hoped until now! The Plan to Eat app is free and it’s absolutely changed my life.

Plan to eat is a meal planning program that allows you to store recipes, add them to a planning calendar, and create a shopping list. You can also follow other people to discover new meal plans.

Here are the features I love:

Auto loads recipe content from links even sorting by the type of meal
Saves all previous menu plans
Chrome add-on makes updating recipe storage section a cinch
Tracks how many times the same meal is planned

The calendar portion has space for 3 meals and a notes section as well. While I use this app for dinners, I could easily include additional meals. There is also a section for notes. I utilize this section to add things like “double rice” so that I remember I have 2 meals needing rice that week. I also use the notes section to build in days for leftovers and to remind me when we have a home game (which means we’re eating at the football field).

Meal Prep

I’ve written about meal prep before and it continues to be a favorite way to reduce the daily stress. I’ve got my strategy down to an hour or less by recruiting my 3 men to help. By rotating the weeks I prep roasted veggies for breakfasts and lunches with the week I bake gluten free breakfast muffins to stash in the freezer I am reducing my time in the kitchen and clean up.

My favorite meal prep strategy right now is to double and freeze. By utilizing my Instant Pot and 9×9 baking dishes, I can quickly double any recipe to use later in the month.

Shipt

I’ve been using Walmart’s Pick Up service for months, but when our local Meijer offered a home delivery membership for $49 for the year and included the option to sync my MPerks I couldn’t resist. Having the ability to have groceries delivered within a few hours of ordering without leaving my home is a luxury and I am so thankful for this amazing service!

Powersheets

The only things keeping me accountable to my goals these days is my Powersheets Binder and my accountability partner. Each month I fill out a sheet that lists monthly, weekly and daily goals as well as things I’m focusing on that month.

While the checking off of tasks each day is helpful Powersheets is much more than that. The tending and goal setting worksheets are what make this binder so helpful. Specific questions that include highlighting wins and gratitude each month have made this binder one that I will keep to look back and reflect on each year.

Lipsense

Working from home may mean I don’t need to dress up for work every day, but I still need to look presentable on video calls! Lipsense lipstick is amazing. It truly stays on all day! It took me a while to find my favorite shade, but the fun part about Lipsense is that you can layer colors to create a unique blend every day.

Even if I don’t wear any other make up I can hop on a video call and not have my client ask me if I’m feeling tired or sick. 😉

The Glorious School Bus

For the past several years I’ve driven my kids at least one way to and/or from school. Some years this was because we lived out of the area where bussing was offered, but mainly it’s been to reduce the morning rush. This year the bus pick up is the same time as we would leave our house because our kids are the last stop SO…no more school commute for Mama!!

I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. Not only can I start my workday 30 minutes earlier, but I don’t have to deal with the insanity with is parent drop off. Of course, I’ve assured my kids that I’m always available to drop them off if needed, but so far so good.

So there it is; the six things that are saving my sanity this football season and beyond. What are your sanity saving tips? I’d love to hear!

Pre-Season Camp Curse

Posted on July 31, 2018February 26, 2020 by Beth Walker

If you have ever been around a coaching family as their season begins you may have noticed a pattern. As soon as players report disaster strikes. While many assume this is coincidence, seasoned coaches’ wives know better. This scenario has what I have titled The Pre-Season Camp Curse. Lest you think I am being overly dramatic I’ve inventoried the past 17 Augusts and I’ll highlight a few of my favorite camp memories below.

Past August Disasters:

Three years in a row Ordell and I both broke our cell phones in August once accidentally emerging them in water on the same night while in different states.
One year a “quick roof repair” ended with on coach falling off our roof and Ordell in the ER after stepping on a nail (through work boots) that was likely 50 years old.
My favorite year was the one where both cars picked up nails in the tires on the same day and after returning from the second tire patch repair I discovered a “helpful” neighbor had called to have our water turned off due to a water puddle on the driveway.
That same home in August had a collapsed pipe which took 2.5 weeks to repair, causing our family to move onto campus for camp and live in a tiny guest house. Then upon returning home, we discovered the pipe repair had invited mice.
August is the month we accidentally leave the car lights on all night and awake to dead batteries.
It’s the month appliances break down.
The bank has messed up check deposits and then applied fees for overdrawn accounts.
Levi ended up in the ER one year for a massive poison ivy exposure where he ended up with a steroid shot and week of meds.
We had a major storm come through and a dying tree limb fell tearing the electrical box off our home and a neighbor’s and I awoke to a blocked in car and four men in the driveway arguing about who was going to pay for the tree removal…none of which was my husband.

Here’s How I Handle the Curse

While I can chuckle now at the insanity of past August disasters, I’ve learned that it’s impossible to avoid the crazy. What will happen will happen so instead, I’ve learned to implement a few strategic August boundaries to minimize the effects of the Pre-season Camp Curse.

Prep Ahead

Each summer I spend a little time adding meals to the freezer in anticipation of the days when dinner time is hectic in August. By preparing the basics ahead of time the expense of a “disaster” is reduced. For example, when the oven breaks we don’t need to eat out. Dinner is in the freezer. When the car breaks and we’re stuck at home we don’t need to order pizza, because dinner is ready.

I also prep ahead by using August to turn over clothing wardrobes, gathering school supplies and purging the house. These tasks keep my kids busy in those last days before school which minimizes fighting. These things also set us up to cost a bit through the fall. The yearly routines are necessary so it’s not seen as busy work.

Simplify

Much of August is spent on the football field, so there isn’t much time for fancy meals. Fresh veggies and grilled meat are enough to keep everyone running and reduces the grocery store stops as well.

The calendar is also simplified. We have one commitment at the beginning of August. Football. This doesn’t mean we don’t spend time with friends, but we do eliminate many things from our calendar. We don’t travel (we’ll do enough of that September-December), we don’t have overnight visitors (everyone sleeps in their own beds), and we don’t overschedule our days.

Ask for Help

When I awoke to zero electricity and a bunch of strange men in my driveway I couldn’t call Ordell, but I could call my friend Sharon. Her husband, a lineman was likely to have some idea of what I needed to do and say. Turns out Sharon did too and she also knew the men so she could put my mind at ease and help me ask the right questions.

When the pipe collapsed I asked friends if we could crash at their homes until on-campus housing was available instead of dealing with a home without water. This may seem silly, but I know plenty of coaches’ wives who would rather go it alone than ask for help…and it’s completely unnecessary.

When the boys were little I found babysitters in August so I could get a break from being alone with my boys all day. Simple things like running errands were no longer stressful and we were all happier in the end.

While the camp curse is frustrating, it doesn’t need to completely derail you! Take a breath, ask for help and head to the football field. All will even out once pre-season camp ends. And until then…may the odds be ever in your favor. 😉