Author: confessionsofasportsmama

Vettex Doubleguard Mouthguard with Lip Protection

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Sports Mama Review: Vettex Doubleguard Mouthguard with Lip Protection

Hey Sports Mamas! I’m back with another review for you all! 

As a football player, mouthguards are a must. No ifs, ands or buts about it! No. 1 was recently sent a Vettex Doubleguard Mouthguard with Lip Protection to try out. They offer 4 key features; ultimate protection, breathability, comfort, and no boiling needed.

They are custom fitted with double impressions to absorb shocks and lock down defense for lips, teeth, and braces. This makes them safe for braces and orthodontics. Vettex are also made with pliable thermo rubber for extra comfort. The adjustable strap attaches to helmets and face shields… no more lost mouthguards! As a sports mama, I know you all can appreciate that! 

They also have two built-in breathing channels to ensure maximum breathability and airflow during play. Another cool feature is that you can skip the boil! Vettex are ready to wear right out of the package (they can still be boiled and molded if your athlete prefers). And finally, they come in 23 different colors… players can rep their team or any other cause near and dear to their hearts.

So what did my collegiate QB/WR think about them?

He really likes them! Says he can breathe easily while using it, great range of colors to choose from, and they look good (in big part due to the minimal branding). The only drawback he gave is position specific; he said it’s tough for him to talk/call plays when he’s in at quarterback. He did mention that Lamar Jackson uses them though! At only $11.99 each, I’d definitely encourage your quarterback to buy one and form their own conclusions. 

I hope you found this review helpful! If you did and are ready to purchase one for your athlete, click here.

Good luck to your athletes this weekend!

*** Vettex was kind enough to send me their product, however, all thoughts and opinions are solely my own (and my collegiate athlete’s!) ***

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How to Mail Your Collegiate Athlete Homemade Treats!

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Sports Mama Tip: How to Mail Your Collegiate Athlete Homemade Treats!

Two posts in a week?! I’m on a roll! Just wanted to jump on here really quick and share an idea with you all, especially for the mamas with collegiate athletes.

We never stop missing our kiddos; no matter how old they get. And whether they like to admit it or not, they miss home too. They miss us, their siblings, their room, pets, and of course homemade food! Because let’s be honest, those dining halls get old. Quick!

I recently started mailing No. 1 baked goods. One of his absolute favorite things I make are rice krispie treats. I use this recipe here. It calls for more butter than the original recipe, as well as vanilla extract. The recipe also has you stir in whole marshmallows at the very end and cautions against packing them down very tightly. They come out ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

Perfectly sweet, moist, and fluffy. I have to stop myself from digging in the pan one too many times!

So how did I get them from VA to PA, you ask? I mailed them!

Once they were completely cooled, I cut them into squares. I then individually wrapped each square in saran wrap. And finally, I put each individually wrapped treat in a freezer bag.

And added a little handwritten note, of course!

I then headed over to my local post office and mailed them. Two days later and he had homemade rice krispie treats! And I had a happy boy!

According to google, they should stay fresh for up to five days. I advised him to put them in the fridge *if* he still had any on day four. And that was a BIG if.

College kid not a rice krispie treat fan? No worries! Two of my sports mama BFFS were telling me that they’ve mailed their boys cookies and brownies (one of them mailing all the way to Florida!). No complaints whatsoever!

I posted about them in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook group and received even more tried and tested ideas:

  • protein balls
  • muffins
  • candied pecans
  • oreo truffles
  • homemade tortillas
  • blondies

I will definitely be trying some

many of them! Speaking of the Facebook group, have you joined us yet? 57,000+ real sports mamas, just like yourself!

I hope you found this post helpful. Do you mail your collegiate athlete something not mentioned above? I’d love to hear about it!

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Adult Beverage Gift for Coaches

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We had our end of season football banquet about a week and a half ago. It’s hard to believe that this is the final one for No. 1. Four high school seasons came and went so quickly. 

As in years past, I took the lead on coordinating coaches gifts. I began as I always do by collecting money from the parents. I sent out an email asking for donations. I never specify an amount. The actual wording in my email states that “no amount is too little (or too much!)”. I’ve found that this is the absolute best way to go about getting the most participation (and money!)

We’ve previously gifted our coaches personalized photo balls, framed photos signed by the players, shirts, and gift cards. I knew I wanted to do something different. Besides being unique, I also wanted it to be useful. So here’s what I came up with!

A bottle of their favorite liquor, personalized glasses, and personalized coasters. Seriously, how cool of a gift is that?!?

Here is a close up of the glasses and coasters.

Both were purchased at HomeGoods. The etching and engraving were done by someone local.

On to the tags…

Because let’s be honest, coaching a team during a pandemic is definitely deserving of a drink (or three!).

The coaches were so excited about their gifts. They absolutely loved them!

They also each received a gift card.

And our Head Coach was given this awesome signed frame.

It says “Behind every fearless player is a fearless coach who refused to let them be anything, but the best they can be.” Inside of the word “coach” are team photos. This was another Etsy find.

Here are a few photos from the banquet. 

We had posters with baby photos of our Seniors and Coaches. (It was actually recycled from our Senior Banquet where we used it for a guessing game). So much fun!

And what would a banquet be without a little cake…

Or two?

I’ll miss high school football… but I am looking forward to seeing my boy on the college field!

*** For more banquet and gift ideas click HERE and HERE. Don’t forget to join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group either!

DIY Candy Leis for Senior Night!

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Team Mama Idea: DIY Candy Leis for Senior Night!

Another Senior Night is in the books for No. 1! We celebrated our Senior basketball players last week during the final home game of the season. I can’t believe how fast time is going.

I wasn’t Team Mama for a change so not only did I get a chance to relax, but I was totally surprised as well!

There was this cute balloon display, which also served as the perfect photo backdrop.

Each Senior had a banner.

Our Team Mama made special programs which included photos and bios of each of our Seniors. The team managers each got a beautiful bouquet, us Mamas got roses (in our school colors, of course!), and our boys got leis!!!

In Hawaii, leis are given for many celebratory events, especially graduations and birthdays. To honor our Seniors on Senior Night, our Team Mama made them candy leis!

I absolutely loved them! So unique and special. And guess what? She was sweet enough to give me the instructions to share with you all! So if you’re interested in making a candy lei (or several!) for your next celebratory event, keep on reading.

What you’ll need:

  • fun-sized candies 
  • cellophane
  • curling ribbon
  • scissors 
  • tape

What you do:

  1. Roll out your cellophane (about 7 inches wide) and lay out the fun-sized candy bars on top to see how long you’d like to make the lei. (She used approximately 10 candies). Be sure to leave enough space between candy bars to tie the ribbon.
  2. Cut the cellophane to size and fold it over the candy bars, enclosing the candy into the cellophane. 
  3. Tape ends of cellophane, creating a tube.
  4. Cut 10 pieces of curling ribbon (approximately 10 inches long) and begin tying the ribbons between each candy bar. Leave a 2 inch space at the beginning and end of each cellophane tube.
  5. To close the lei, tuck the 2 inch cellophane end into the other and tie a ribbon to close it.
  6. Curl the ribbons between each candy using scissors.

After the game our boys had pizza and cupcakes.

Hard to believe that No. 1’s basketball career is coming to an end. Seems like just yesterday he was shooting the ball into No. 2’s baby swing… bittersweet, for sure! 

We’ll miss you Class of  ’22!!!

*** Special thanks to our Team Mama, Kristin S. for her help with this post! Also to Paolo Films for the 5th pic.

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DIY Photo Cupcake Toppers + NEW Senior Night Ideas!

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Team Mama Idea: DIY Photo Cupcake Toppers + NEW Senior Night Ideas!

It happened, Mamas. Senior Night for No. 1 was this past Friday. And guess what? I actually made it through without crying! I know, I know. HOW?!? Well, for starters I was crying on and off all week long. I was also running around like a chicken with my head cut off making sure that everything was set and that everyone knew where to be, and what to do. And finally, I spent waaaay too long doing my makeup to cry and forever look a hot mess in pictures. #FORREALS

Senior Night actually began at 4pm for the team (3pm for us mamas). We arrived earlier than we normally do to set up for our pre-game meal. We wanted to make it extra special for our 16 Seniors, so we decided to set the table for them. We found a bunch of football themed supplies, as well as plates and a table cover in our team colors at our local party store.

We let the Seniors choose what they wanted to eat this week, and of course they chose Chick-fil-A. I mean, can you blame them?! We picked up assorted chips and fruit to go alongside the chicken sandwiches. 

And for dessert…

They had individual bundt cakes, with these super cute, photo toppers!

They were one of my favorite details of all! Sure, you can order them. But it’s more fun (and cost effective!) to make them yourself! 

Here’s how.

What you need:

  • Wallet sized photos (2 for each player)
  • Foam board
  • Scissors
  • X-Acto knife
  • Glue
  • Cake topper sticks

What you do:

  • Cut your photos. I decided to round the edges a bit. If you have a pair of those scissors that cut decorative edges, they’d be perfect for this!

  • Trace photos onto your foam board. You only need to trace one photo for each player as the toppers are double sided.
  • Cut out the shapes you traced using an X-ACTO knife. Then glue them on to the foam board.
  • Once you’ve glued your photos on both the front and back, stick one of the cake toppers into the bottom of the foam board- no glue needed!

That’s it! So simple yet they were totally one of the stars of the show!

Here’s a look at how the rest of the night went.

My football mama BFF ordered this amaaaaazing balloon display.

Did I exaggerate?!? It was a show stopper! So many people stopped to take photos in front of it. 

We decorated the fence at the bottom of the stands with banners and balloons.

Each Senior had a fathead (click HERE to learn how we made them) as well as a poster.

Us Senior Mamas got cowbells with our boys’ numbers on them!

As well as an orange rose with a hand written thank you note from our player… sniff sniff.

We also wore our sons’ jerseys. SO fun!

The night was absolutely perfect. The sky was the most beautiful it had been all season long!

I can’t believe it’s come and gone so quickly.

Once a Spartan, always a Spartan! WE LOVE YOU, SENIORS!!!

I hope you found this post helpful. For daily sports mama inspiration, be sure to join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group!

*** Click here and here to read my previous Senior Night Ideas!

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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 10, 2022 at 9:52 PMI LOVE the class of ‘22 balloons! Do you by chance have a link to purchase?ReplyReplies
    1. confessionsofasportsmamaOctober 11, 2022 at 9:06 AMIt was ordered/set up through a local company here in VA. Sorry!
  2. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2023 at 5:24 PMThanks so much for this post. I am the opposite of you: I am definitely not a sports mama but just got an email about Senior Night for my son and was looking for ways to help make this a special occasion. Your post contains so many helpful ideas. Thanks so much!!ReplyReplies
    1. confessionsofasportsmamaSeptember 26, 2023 at 8:03 AMSo glad I could be of some help! Sending you and your Senior hugs!