Little League and other kids' activities

So Little League baseball season began last month. Ethan (10) and Emmett (7) are both playing this year. This means for four months I (and my husband) will have absolutely no spare time and no life that doesn't involve baseball games. I guess I am willing to make this sacrifice, but at only a month in, I am already terribly tired of baseball - games, practices, trying to find the equipment and uniforms.

Kevin volunteered to coach Emmett's farm team this year. I was okay with that until he tried to convince me to be team mom. Nope. That didn't happen. I have enough things to deal with without nagging parents about snack bar duty and arranging team parties.

The real problem with baseball is the time commitment. If we only had one kid, that wouldn't really be a problem. With two playing (and Kevin coaching), it means the two of us are always at baseball. Literally, everyday but Sunday. Ethan has two practices and two games each week. Emmett has two games and one practice each week.

The real complication is that the practices and games are often on the same night, but in two different places. In our rural world, this means fields that are in different towns 15-20 minutes apart. Ethan has to be at games an hour before they start, but Kevin has to be at Emmett's games and practices early too to set up the field.

Normally we manage this fine - somehow. Wednesday it got ugly. I had a work meeting from 3-5 in Sacramento (an hour away). Ethan had a game at 5:30 (be there are 4:30) in our hometown. Emmett also had a game Kevin was coaching at 5:30 at a field 20 minutes away. We worked out that Kevin would take Ethan and drop him at 4:30 which would allow Kevin to make it to the field by 5 to set up Emmett's game.

My meeting doesn't let out until 5:30. When I check my phone, I have a voicemail from Ethan's coach stating that the game was moved - and he was concerned Ethan wasn't there yet. Then, I see a text from Kevin at 4:57 telling me Ethan is at the wrong field. I try to call, but there is no answer because Kevin is in the middle of the game.

I head back home and find Ethan at his game (he hitched a ride with another parent and played an awesome game). When I got home my husband tells me he didn't hear his phone when three parents and a coach from the other team called him to ask if they could take Ethan to the game. Thankfully, the other coach just gave him a ride, and we live in a great community where people help each other out.

Emmett, of course, decided to quit him game halfway through. He took off his uniform shirt and climbed a tree, refusing to come down until the game was over.

Kevin thinks we should sign up Ellis, the third child, for T-Ball next year, so we can have all three in baseball. I think he is insane.