Sports Mama Review: Faith & Grace Chenille Football Number Hat

September 2, 2024November 14, 2025 ~ confessionsofasportsmama ~ Leave a comment

FOOTBALL IS BACK, MAMAS!!! We made the 16-hour round trip to cheer on our boy and his team this past weekend. I’m exhausted, but I promise I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m riding this train until the wheels fall off… the days are long, but the years are short. Way. Too. Short!

You guys already know that I’m a loud and proud sports mama, so I was super excited when I was sent these cute, personalized hats from Faith & Grace.

Faith & Grace is a family owned, small business specializing in personalized items. I received their Chenille Football Number “baseball cap”. They come in 15 different colors and 2 different sizes (adult and youth). I love the fact that they are adjustable too.

I absolutely love it! It’s so cute and fits perfectly. The quality is great as well. I received SO many compliments. It’s the perfect way to rep your favorite player!

My college football mama BFF’s were so excited to rock theirs as well. I mean, are they cute or what?!

Not a football mama? No worries! They have softball, baseball, basketball, and soccer hats!

If you’re looking to add some new #sportsmamaswag to your collection, this is it! Click HERE to order yours today and be sure to use the code SPORTSMAMA for 20% off!

Here are a couple more ways I repped my #8.

I will always be his number one fan!

*** Faith & Grace was kind enough to send me their product, however, all thoughts and opinions are solely my own ***

8 Things I’ve Learned as a College Football Mom

August 14, 2024November 14, 2025 ~ confessionsofasportsmama ~ Leave a comment

No. 1’s college football season is about to kick off in 17 days! We’ll be making the eight-hour truck from Virginia to Ohio to cheer our boy and his team on. I seriously cannot believe that football is back!

This will be my third year as a college football mom, so I’m no longer a rookie. Here are EIGHT (in honor of my boy’s number) things I’ve learned along the ride:

It’s a full-time job. You thought high school football was a lot? Collegiate athletes (specifically D1 players) have jam-packed schedules; literally from sunup to sundown. A typical in-season day for No. 1 begins with 7am breakfast, followed by practice from 8-11am, lunch, 3pm lift, meetings from 4-7pm, followed by a walk-through until 8pm, dinner, rest and repeat. Once school starts in two weeks, class and homework will be thrown in. And yep, your professors still expect your work to be turned in on time… game week or not!
Summers are short. See above. No. 1 was home for less than 20 days this Summer. I never want him to feel left out of our family vacations, so I am always sure to schedule them around his availability.
Everyone is talented. There’s a reason only 7% of high school athletes go on to play in college. You’re competing with the best of the best. Work hard, be patient. Your time will come! Which brings me to number 4.
Redshirting is a blessing in disguise. Of course your child wants to play as soon as they get to college. They were ~~probably~~ always on the field (or equivalent for their sport) in high school. They wouldn’t be collegiate athletes if they weren’t! BUT, you will learn very quickly that the size, age, and experience of those you are competing against is drastically different. As a 19-year-old Freshman, my son had 24(24!)-year-olds on his team. (Think re-classing, redshirts, etc.) He was redshirted (as were 99%) of the Freshman on his team. This ultimately gives him an extra year of eligibility AND schooling. Looking back, it’s definitely a win-win situation.
It’s a lot of travel. For the athletes AND their families. Even though No. 1 didn’t play his Freshman year, he still traveled with the team as a signal caller. Hubby and I decided early on that if he traveled, we would too. Gone are the days of playing your local hometown teams. You will be traveling to several different states. Plan early! As soon as that schedule is released, start booking your hotel stays. The closer to game day it gets, the higher the rates will be. Not only that, but rooms sell out!!
Those post-game 10 minutes are everything. EVERYTHING. After each away game, the families gather near the busses to await our players. That is when you can sneak in that big mama bear hug. There is nothing I look forward to more. They make every single mile worth it!
Find your tribe. Because just like in youth and high school sports, it takes a village. We have an amazing group of families that we tailgate and cheer with. For home games, we also do post-game tailgates and feed our boys as well as any other teammates who are hungry. Such a great tradition!
It goes by fast! I’d say even quicker than high school. At least it feels that way! I feel like I was just crying my eyes out and dropping him off for Freshman year. How can this possibly be year 3?! So savor every moment, mama. Take it all in. The good, and the not so good. Remember that only 7% of high school athletes are playing at this level. Never let a day pass without letting them know just how proud you are of them!

Wishing you all a healthy, successful season! GO RED FLASH!!!

Sports Mama Review: SHOC Zero G Plus Football Visor & Visor Clips

October 24, 2023November 14, 2025 ~ confessionsofasportsmama ~ Leave a comment

Hi there, Sports Mamas! Long time no ~~see~~ blog. Like many of you, I’m knee deep in football season. No. 1 is in his second year of college football! (Seriously, how did we get here so quickly?!). Our weekends are filled with traveling, tailgates, and games. But I promise you that I wouldn’t have it any other way. The days are long, but the years are short, way too short.

Ok, enough with the sappy stuff. I wanted to jump on to give you all (especially my fellow football mamas) a review. How many of your football players wear visors? How many of them want a visor? How many of you have no clue what a football visor is? Well, I’m here to help!

No. 1 has worn a visor since youth league. Their primary purpose is protection. Visors shield players eyes from injury. They also keep grass and turf out of them. As well as reduce facemask injuries and penalties due to the openings being reduced, which block fingers from grabbing on to them and bringing you down.

And for many players they choose to wear them because: Look good. Feel good. Play good!

No. 1’s visor of choice is the SHOC Zero G Plus.

SHOC’s visors are made from the highest grade of ultra-light polycarbonate in the industry, providing the highest of breakage strength as well as the best UV protection. Because of their exceptional fit as well as the quality of the lens material, they are highly unlikely to crack. Making them the safest in the game.

No. 1 says the visor fits his Riddell Speedflex helmet perfectly. (Although this particular visor was originally manufactured to fit that helmet specifically, testing has shown it to fit ALL current football helmets in today’s market- with the exception of the Riddell Axiom). He also said that it is easy to put on and off and does not fog on him.

He’s tried other visors over the years and says that the SHOC is definitely his top choice and superior to others.

SHOC includes a storage bag as well as a pair of visor clips with every order.

Their visor clips fit all SHOC visors as well as ALL other visors on the market. They have 13 colors to choose from, from carolina blue to hot pink!

Don’t have a football player? SHOC also makes lacrosse and softball visors! Click HERE to purchase and receive 15% off your athlete’s visor today!

I hope I’ve helped answer all of your visor related questions.

If not, please feel free to reach out to me and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Enjoy the rest of your football season, Sports Mamas!!!

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

Sports Mama Review: Breanna’s Blankets

July 6, 2023November 14, 2025 ~ confessionsofasportsmama ~ Leave a comment

Happy *almost* Friday, Sports Mamas!

I know I’m not the only who saves their kids’ jerseys and sports t-shirts. I’ve saved them all! From basketball to soccer, football to track. From 4-year-old “Little Kickers” to a Division 1 quarterback.. if they wore them, mama’s got ’em!

I always knew that I wanted to make each boy a keepsake from them, so I’ve been storing them in a big old box ever since. No. 1 recently finished his Freshman year of college (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?). This felt like the perfect time to finally do something with his. Sixteen years of organized sports = a whole lot of jerseys/shirts!

Enter Breanna’s Blankets. A sports mama of 5 handmaking t-shirt and memory blankets. Owner Breanna (a member of the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group) reached out to me about her amazing blankets. As soon as I saw her work, I was sold. I knew that this was exactly what I had been waiting for.

She handmakes every single blanket. Turning your shirts and years of memories into a piece that will be cherished forever.

Here is the blanket she made for No. 1.

Isn’t it beautiful!?! When I opened the box, I cried. It brought back so many memories; from my son and his team winning the championship in youth ball to Senior Night to realizing his lifelong dream of becoming a collegiate athlete.

The entire process was seamless. I shipped the shirts to her, and she did the rest being sure to keep me informed along the way. I was even allowed to pick the layout order.

If you too have been saving your athlete’s jerseys and shirts, I can’t recommend Breanna’s Blanket’s enough. Her attention to detail was amazing.

She not only does sports blanket, but memory blankets of all types; baby clothes, wedding dresses, military uniforms.

Please check her out and be sure to tell her I sent you. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

*** Breanna’s Blankets was kind enough to send me their product, however, all thoughts and opinions are solely my own ***

Sports Mama Tip: College Football Game Day Must-Haves!

September 7, 2022November 14, 2025 ~ confessionsofasportsmama ~ 2 Comments

Long time no ~~see~~ blog. Life is still busy, per usual. We moved No. 1 into his college dorm room a little over a month ago. He had to report early for football camp. No. 2 is a Senior and No. 3 is a Freshman. My baby… a Freshman! I’m still working full time, momming, on the Board of our High School Football Booster Club, and trying my best to keep up with all things Confessions of a Sports Mama (including our Facebook group which by the way has over 30,000 members now!). Speaking of, have you joined us yet?

This past week I attended No. 1’s first college football game!!! Talk about all the feels. It was 5 hours and 45 minutes away from home, so I wanted to be sure that I was as prepared as possible. There was absolutely no turning around if I forgot something. So I asked for help in the group, and of course, they came through!

Here is a list of our college football game day must-haves, in no particular order. Except for the first.:

Clear stadium bag. Just about all other types of bags (backpacks, fanny packs, purses) are banned in most stadiums. The only bag you are allowed to bring in? A clear bag no larger than 12″ x 6″ x 12″. I found mine on Amazon. You can even find some with colored handles, for those of us who want to match them to our team colors.
Hand sanitizer. I always carry it. Pretty self explanatory. Came in super handy after meeting/shaking hands with parents, especially during the tailgate.
Sunscreen. Who likes to be sunburned? And because you already know that you’re going to be sitting in direct sun if you’re at an away game. Isn’t it funny how that always happens?
Sunglasses. Refer to the previous must-have.
FAN. Paper fan. A battery operated fan. A piece of mail. Anything to fan yourself with. Game day is HOT. Especially in the beginning of the season.
Portable phone charger. Game days are long. Nothing worse than a dead phone.
Poncho. Because Mother Nature. And because umbrellas are a no-go in most college stadiums.
Wallet. To purchase food/drinks from the concession stand. Or to buy some new team swag (can we ever have enough?). One mama suggested carrying cash too, just in case the credit card machines go down.
Spirit items. Cowbell. Pom poms. Streamers. We are their number one fans after all!
Positivity. College football can be an emotional roller coaster. Remember, they aren’t in high school anymore. Coaches are playing to win, not to make everyone happy. Cheer loud. Be proud! Only 7% of high school athletes make it to this level!