Funny Memories and Size-17 Cleats

Dear friends,

Happy birthday, Jackie Robinson! While raising three great kids, my husband and I spent more than our share of time at baseball and softball diamonds. Looking back over the years, I can’t believe how quickly time has flown and how much fun we had along the way. It all began with our very first unit study on baseball and softball. (We had two boys and a girl, so we had to cover both sports.) During this study, we learned all about American history, the sport, and many of its greatest champions. Jackie Robinson was among their heroes, and today would mark his 94th birthday! We all learned so much, the children’s fascination with the sport kept us involved in it, and we made some wonderful family memories. Here are a few of our favorite funny moments . . .

The first time one of the local moms in the bleachers learned that our son had to wash his own uniform, she was so upset with me. She and the other moms all washed their kids’ uniforms, and they were stunned that I was so hard on my kids! I explained that it was one of his responsibilities, and he was learning plenty along the way! I had to laugh when I heard her mutter that homeschool moms sure are tough. :) Not tough—we just have great expectations!

Then there was the time that baseball scouts were at a big high school tournament, and our son stood at the front of the dugout and entertained the entire dugout as he showed off his juggling skills. Everyone in the stadium could see the show, and I'm pretty sure that it was quite impressive to the scouts! :) He didn't have a clue that the whole stadium was watching. I have to say, we were laughing with all of the other folks there and enjoyed the show!

And there was the time our homeschool high school baseball team went to Texas to play in the regional tournament, and I received a frantic call about our son's cleats. They had torn open during a game, and he and his dad didn't know what to do. Realize that I was over a thousand miles away, speaking at a homeschool convention, and of course the call came right before I went on stage. My recommendation was for them to go find some duct tape, since it can fix anything. Why they didn't just go buy another pair of cleats? Because size-17 cleats have to be special ordered—you can't pick them up at Wal-Mart. The duct tape worked! 

So many great memories for our family, and to think that fifteen years ago, we knew NOTHING about baseball! We were a football kind of crew, but God had other things in mind, thank goodness.

Enjoy these days of football, baseball, soccer, or whatever sports or passions your children find to follow! The lessons learned and sweet memories made along the way are priceless and will last a lifetime.

Blessings,
Amanda B.

P.S. In honor of Jackie Robinson's birthday, we are offering Baseball for $5 when you use the code: PlayBall5. Get it now, this deal is for today only!