It's been all about high school football for the past few weekends as our oldest son, J.C. plays on his high school's JV Team. He starts at cornerback and is on special teams as well. His games are a huge family affair with all of us in attendance to watch each tackle, hit, blocked punt, and fumble recovery he performs.
It is no small task to pack for his games with enough to outfit and entertain the twins, 9 year old Cordelia, 11 year old Hayden, Hubby, and myself. Not to mention the task of double checking he has all he needs. I thought I'd share a list of some items we bring:
Fall weather is fickle so we have blankets, jackets, a golf umbrella, and
Coleman Rain Ponchos
for everyone as well as hats, sunglasses, and sunblock. Additionally, we had shirts made in school colors complete with J.C.'s jersey number so the kids can really have fun getting into the spirit of the game. My friend and blog sponsor, Jen from
Sugarlocks.com did all those.
Other must have items include my camera, video camera, and some small toys to occupy the twins. Snacks and beverages are a must bring as well. We don't do the full out tailgate since the twins are still fairly young, but we do bring plenty of snacks and their sippy cups.
Stanley provided me with two of my favorite football season finds this year. One is a
1 liter stainless steel vacuum bottle with a dual cup lid that turns into two cups. Made for outdoors this thing is STURDY, well insulated, and has yet to leak one drop. I think my kids will be bringing it to their kids games. It keeps cold stuff cold and hot stuff hot well beyond the scope of the game.
Our other big Stanley find sent is actually a
32 oz. water bottle my football playing son uses daily at, before, and after practices. It's made of that same outdoor stainless steel construction and has proven to be the only bottle to survive his practices. This thing takes a beating. On breaks he runs over to it, unscrews the large attached cap, guzzles a bit, and then throws it down on the hard ground until his next break. It even has an anti-roll design so it won't go far. Despite all the abuse this bottle takes, it only has a few scratches to show for it and hasn't leaked one drop on all his gear in that smelly bag of his. A huge relief because (despite the fact I've given him a wet pouch to protect his wallet, iPod, and keys) he has all his goods thrown in that same compartment with the bottle itself.
Fall weather is fickle so we have blankets, jackets, a golf umbrella, and Coleman Rain Ponchos
