** I am reposting this if you missed it this weekend. Everyone is home safe and sound and the girls came in 7th in state. Way to go! Today marks an online travel sale day, if you are looking to travel, there should be some good deals today!
This is one of my softball players, I have 5 girls and so I have a few that play. She is tough and plays hard, she is also really competitive, I am not sure where that comes from 🙂
As you know Paul and Tucker went to Joplin MO to deliver all your donations that you brought in, they are spending the weekend on a work crew rebuilding a womans home/garage. She has been living with no walls and small children since May 22nd. We will have much more on that later.
This leaves me with 6 of the kids to go out of town for the weekend by myself overnight. As much as I want to complain about it I am truly grateful for a home to come back to.
Although., what kind of people play a state softball tourney in the middle of summer in Texas? It was 109 in the shade. It was so hot, it felt like you could cut the air with a knife. I don’t know how the girls were running and playing as hard as they were. I would have died!
When we go out of town I do it VERY frugally. I ALWAYS get a deal on everything form the hotel to the places we eat. When you travel as a team it can be difficult as someone else chose the hotel, the girls wanted to eat as a team and some of the ball parks do not allow you to bring in outside food. To cut costs when traveling with others these are some things that I do:
- Call the hotel directly and make sure we are getting a discount for booking together. I also check to see if I can get cash back from either Ebates, Shop At Home or for taking an unpopular room.
- Use Savings.com to find the best deals if you are able to book on your own!
- I start looking for Groupons in that city for places to eat cheaply. I will then pass those along to the team. I also always check Restaruants.com.
- I ask at the hotel for coupons to local restaurants and look for them in the lobby.
- I find out ahead of time if I can bring a cooler into the park, if I can I pack one full. If I can’t I leave one in the car full so we can eat lunch out there. I also ask if I can bring in water and food for my baby and if I have a toddler. Most of the time they will let you, as they do not sell food that they can eat.
- Even if things don’t work out as frugally as you want them to, just still have fun!
Our last game tonight started at 10:00pm. We got done and are back to the hotel room at 12:30am. I bathed the little kids and got them in bed, the older girls are showering and I am posting! The worst part is that our first game tomorrow is at 8:00am! We have to be there at 7:00am, so I am getting up in about 5 1/2 hours! Yuck!
Part comedian, part Dad, part athlete. He will boss around your children while they play ball.
Just as angelic as she looks, this girl could easily raise a Village by herself, and all the children would grow up to be President.
Self proclaimed, she would be a webkinz dog. Because, "they're cute, and puppies are too. And they're sweet and they always get along with other puppies."
This mini-Martha Stewart can handle ANY craft you send her way. She isn't all bows and rainbows, she's got karate kid moves!
Not "Pick-Me-Up" like caffeine, she wants you to pick her up! AND NOW!
Anything that can be destroyed WILL be destroyed!
Practically Perfect in Every Way for now! Nicknamed "The Panda" she is rolly polly and lives by the motto, "the little one, is KING!"
The resident Labradoodle, Miller got his name because Mom won and got to name the baby! Need something chewed up? He'll take care of it. Especially if it's expensive..
Oh my gosh… that’s a tough schedule. HERe’s wishing your daughter the best of luck, she sure is cute 😉
I wish I was more like you…I don’t know where you get the energy…but I want some of it!!!!
Just found your site, watched your episode on TLC and it was my favorite because….I have 7 kiddos to. Except I have the 5 boys and the 2 girls! (9, 8,6,5,3,2,& 8 monthes and my husband and I have been married for 10 years) I had to comment on this post because we were at a baseball allstar tournament last weekend! It sounds like our families are so similiar in some ways 🙂 I started couponing about 10 monthes ago and dont know what I ever did before! God bless you and I look foward to learning from you! Better run I have 6 pairs of pants to Iron for church tommorow 🙂
Oh my goodness. I don’t even know how you do it. Just reading your post wore me out 🙂
ah! the joys of baseball (softball)! i have 2 boys that play in the summer. it was a very cold, rainy, windy , miserable spring, with only 3 or so days in the 80’s. i can’t wait until it’s 90-100 and we’re complaining about the heat here in Idaho! good luck tomorrow! and thanks for sharing all the great deals.
truth!!!
Tiffany, At least it should be a little cooler. My son plays ball and this South Carolina spring has been a killer so far. Lots of liquids and make your own shade. Best of luck Ladies…
I can relate… we live in the Houston area as well and while I only have two kiddos, they both play select baseball and softball. We have baseball this weekend and softball next weekend and it is SOOO HOT! I have NO idea how these kids do it. But thank you very much for your “traveling with team” suggestions. I have just recently found your website and LOVE IT (it is very easy to understand and “user” friendly – escpecially for us newbies!)!!! Thank you very much!
I remember so fondly those days of softball with my daughters….either boiling hot or it’s 40 degrees and windy out in Katy doing the Christmas tournament…………NOT!
I was happy when my younger daughter switched to volleyball – same irritations and aggravations but at least it is indoors, ha!
WOW~ and I thought I was batty this weekend! We headed up to Wolf Creek after hitting Target for some Danables! 2 Targets (yep I a hooked… and refuse to wipe a store clean… even thought I wanted to at .24 a 6 pack!)
Praying you all get home to A/C quickly and most of all safely!!!
WOW!!!!! Thank you soooo much!!!!! I live in Pineville, mo about 30 mins south of Joplin!!! That is our main town that we go to and when the tornado hit everyone was just in shock here! We travel around to refinery’s and work in them so I am in houston about 90% of the year but I was home when the tornado hit! I was learning how to coupon from you in Houston so I had a pretty good size stock pile when I came home. I gave it all away to the people who needed it more than me and volunteered cleaning debri out of yards. It is such a blessing to have people like you driving 10 hours or so just to donate and help people you don’t even know! May god bless you!!!
God Bless You!
OMG! I was there in College Station at 10:30pm with you and never knew it! As with any tournament, we are always running behind. Our last game was supposed to start at 9:20pm and instead started at 10:40. I feel your pain. My car also said it was 107. I am, at least, thankful for the little breeze blowing through College Station. That is not a normal occurance at state. Congrats on surviving the heat!
How did you guys do?!
We came in 9th. We won the first two and lost the last two. Our girls just gave up while having to play in the middle of the night. They did really well considering they have only been playing together for a few months. Any group of kids that can play in 107 degree heat are winners in my book. I am proud of all the girls that played this weekend.
and I am so grateful for you
Does anyone have any suggestions on where to find the online travel deals? I’d like to book a last minute East Coast deal (NC, SC, or FL) 4 day trip for our family of 5. We are in KY.
Thank you!!!
Lynn