No place to hide

I'm one of those moms who stays at the soccer field during practice. Since I have two young ones always with me, I use the time to play with them at the field. We bring all kinds of balls and some books for downtime. I find we pass the time well together.

My peaceful alone time with the kids is in jeopardy now. I'm being followed by a soccer mom stalker! I like to be friendly and polite when approached by other moms. Now I think my friendliness may be my downfall at the field. Being the only mom available, this "stalker" seems to want to be my shadow. The other moms either drop off their kids or hide out in minivans. At the first couple of practices in the fall, I politely listened as this mom went on and on with one gossip topic after another. She would follow me all over the field. No matter where I would set up camp, I could count on being discovered by her. Even if I'm kicking a ball around with my kids, she is there right beside me. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I think I need some breathing room. My kids are starting to get annoyed and cranky when she shows up. Oh, if only a new soccer mom would step up to the plate and take this "field friendship" over! I dread when I see her minivan pull up at the field parking lot. Any advice on how to get out of this stalking relationship? It is going to be a long season!

Rushing to the soccer field

Getting everyone ready for the soccer field on a Sunday morning can be crazy. Here's my checklist of what I need to do before zooming off in the van.

1. Find uniforms, cleats, soccer socks and shinguards. They seem to go into a black hole during the winter.
2. Dig out the chairs in the garage. Not that I sit much.
3. Decide which snack will my little diva agree to at the field. I don't want a food meltdown if I can avoid it.
4. Enough drinks for everyone. We're at the field for 1 1/2 hours. You think we were going on an expedition through the Sahara.
5. Try to figure out what kind of ball will keep my kindergartner busy. Today he wanted his baseball glove and baseball. My daughter brought a Tigger ball. I carried it most of the time. I have to be careful that the ball doesn't get kicked into the game. I've lived through that embarrassment one too many times.
6. Bring books for my daughter. If I get caught talking to another mom, it's good to give her something so she won't pull on my leg too much.
7. When it gets warmer, I need to sunscreen the whole crowd. We would look like lobsters if we get a sunburn. Lotioning the kids is always a joy!
8. I need to remember to turn on my cell phone so I can stay in contact with my husband at another soccer field. I tend to leave it off in my bag during the weekends.
   
9. Now I keep baseball caps in the van. You never know when a kid demands a hat on a sunny day.
10. Maybe a mommy cocktail would be nice considering my stress level? Too bad that I can't handle a drink anymore :)

So I'm wiped out. I have to get back into soccer mode in order to survive the season. It turns out that I did forget one thing on my checklist this morning.

As I sat in the van and turned the key, my son in a wiseguy way said,

"Mom, why are you still wearing your pajama pants?"