Remember the day you figured out you could keep a diaper bag packed with everything except a fresh bottle waiting by the front door? And then when you streamlined that bag so that you could eventually leave the house with a diaper, a Wet-Nap, and a purple crayon? Well, it’s not quite as liberating, but I am striving toward that perfect streamlined organization when it comes to my older children’s spring sports survival pack.

You know the drill --  your child has a bat bag filled with his baseball equipment, (or soccer, lacrosse, basketball, tennis, volleyball or curling) but it’s all of those other items that families need to bring to the game that takes extra innings to pack every weekend. I’ve recently prepared just such a bag for the season to keep in the car next to the folding chairs so we are always ready.

Here are my necessities:

• I’m over the coolers. Seriously over them. The hard ones are too heavy for me to carry while pushing a stroller, the soft-sided ones leak all over. We never need that many ice cold drinks anyway, so I’ve picked up an insulated market tote, right, that allows me just to throw in a couple of cold waters from the fridge right before we leave and keep everything else dry on the inside.
• First Aid kit. Not a huge one with road flares and a silver blanket to stave off hypothermia in the Himalayas, just a couple of Band-Aids and an instant ice pack.
• Bug spray and sunscreen. Our fields moonlight as malaria proving grounds. I can’t tell you how many times I wished I’d packed the bug spray and I only remember when I’m getting eaten alive.
• An old blanket or vinyl tablecloth for the kids to spread out on the ground -- because you can’t spray for all of the itchy things
• Baby wipes and hand sanitizer. Because the concession stands are open.
• A small umbrella.

I think I might have just hit a home run in organization.  (And yes, I did just become that Mom--prepared and a spinner of bad sports puns.)

--Tracey Henry

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