#NoFilter

I regularly post an abundance of pics on Instagram. While they’re mostly of my children (what can I say they're my whole world), you will also find an occasional pic from a date night with my husband......probably before the football season starts (#coachswifeprobs). I love using Instagram as a virtual scrapbook to store my family’s memories. If this annoys you....please consider unfollowing me....that’s just me👦🏼👦🏼👦🏻👦🏼📱🤷🏼‍♀️.

While spending time on Instagram over the years I’ve noticed that the hashtag #nofilter has become quite popular (well over 200 million posts to be exact). Are people trying to prove to their friends (or followers) that they are so fabulous they don’t need a filter????? Why???? I’ll be the first to admit it....filters are my friend!!!! As a mama with 4 boys, I embrace a good filter. I don't always use them, but who doesn't like an occasional brightened up pic on a day when you have had little to no sleep (the mayfair filter is my personal fave). Let’s be 100% real....don’t we all need a little help sometimes?!?! Now if only those filters could “help” me with my “Mom bun.” 

My “Mom bun” is  the messy bun I am regularly sporting during the week because I am too busy caring for my tribe. If I happen see another mom wearing this messy bun...we’ll probably hit it off immediately. More than likely we just get each other and all that comes along with a busy family.

On a typical day of running kids to and from activities, being a jungle gym to my toddler, and refereeing the battles between my four boys.....my “Mom bun” just gets stuff done! 

So I think we need to start thinking of those messy buns as a crown ladies. A true queen who gives her whole self to help and love her people. Let’s be honest....she’s probably put aside perfectly blown out hair that day for someone small who needed her more.

This post is a shoutout to all the wonderful mamas out there. Use those filters as needed....don’t be ashamed of wearing your messy bun like a crown.....and remember how truly important you are to your kingdom. 

How a Coach’s Wife Survives Recruiting

One of the hardest parts, in my opinion, about being married to a college football coach is the time he spends on the road recruiting. Weeks apart in January, December, or May can be tough for any wife; it’s hard not having your partner there....kids or not. With kids however (four boys for this Momma 👦🏼👦🏻👦🏼👶🏼)   recruiting gets extremely hectic when he is not around!  I miss the little things he can help with....taking kiddos to school, changing our babe’s diaper in the morning, or some much needed adult conversation after a day spent with toddlers. Don’t get me wrong....I am used to handling the majority of responsibilities that keep our family/home afloat during the football season. But at least we are seeing each other every day during the season (albeit sometimes in passing).  We can go to practice, stop by Daddy’s office for lunch, and it’s even reassuring just to have him sleeping next to me every night. The weeks can get long during recruiting....there is not even a game to look forward to on Saturday. It’s a conflicted feeling because I understand recruiting plays a HUGE part in the success of our future football seasons....but that doesn’t make the time alone any easier. 

With 3 more weeks to the late signing period, I wanted to share with you my top 10 ways to survive recruiting......

1. FaceTime. It’s a way for you to see each other and check in. Plus if you have children it’s so important for them to see their Dad. He can hear about their game, how that test went, or just hear how their day went at school.

2. Me Time. Recruiting is my time to do the things I love to do....but never have the time to do (we all know how crazy life gets during football season). For me, it’s scrapbooking (I love capturing major milestones of my kiddos growing up), catching up on my favorite shows he does not enjoy watching (Real Housewives of Atlanta isn’t at the top of his list😂), or reading a new book. 

3. Get Organized. I am overloaded after Christmas with “stuff”, and during recruiting I feel the urge to go through closets, both organizing and purging. You can donate items you don’t use anymore to a charity, or sell things on one of those Facebook rummage sights.


4. Movie nights. Living in South Dakota, January is the coldest month of the year. Being cozy at home watching a movie with the boys is a favorite pastime when Dad’s gone. Pizza + movie candy + pajamas = happiness at this house.

5. Travel to visit family/friends. Before my kids were in school and busy with extracurricular activities, I frequently took flight or fired up the car for a road trip during recruiting . It’s much harder now with 3 kiddos in school and playing basketball, but I highly recommend this for wives with no kids or young kids.

6. Relax. This goes hand in hand with #2 (Me time.) Give yourself a pedi/mani....even better go get one. Take baths and give yourself a mini facial with a great mud mask. I found one I swear that is available at Walmart or Target for under $4. A little R&R is good for anyone.

7. Exercise. I bet half of you stop reading this post now😂. While it’s not everyone’s favorite, I know that after Christmas I always feel fuller and I can use some extra workouts to burn off all the Holiday treats. Plus, it’s it’s always great to get a head start with spring and summer around the corner.

8. Do something different. You can tell I’m a total Mama because my “something different” this January was buying tickets to a Paw Patrol Show. I took my two youngest sons to dinner at McDonald’s, followed by the show...it was a perfect recruiting season diversion.

9. Night out. Now you finally have the opportunity to catch up with friends that you had difficulty making time for during the football season. Who would say no to some good convo and a glass of wine? If your are lucky enough to be at a school where wives get invited to the recruiting dinners on weekends (thanks Coach Stig), consider yourself lucky, it’s as close to a date night as you are going to get during recruiting!

10. Prayers. With my husband spending long hours on the road with all kinds of Midwest winter road conditions, I’m saying extra prayers to help me get through the uncertainties and my worries.

So as my husband is on the road currently, I making the most of my days during recruiting season. Signing day is less than 3 weeks away....here’s to hoping the sacrifices our football families make will help our teams have amazing seasons in the years to come. GO JACKS!!!

Go e.l.f. your Shelf

What can I say....I’m just a girl surrounded by boys, who loves to get her hands on some great beauty products. Being outnumbered by 4 sons and a husband will seriously make you appreciate a little glam in your life. That being said, having a big fam has also taught me how to budget. Gone are the days where I can justify shelling out large sums of money at a the Mac counter. I love hunting for high quality beauty products that are at affordable prices.

A couple years ago I came across eyes, lips, and face.....or e.l.f. My love affair with e.l.f. started with their black Expert Liquid Liner, and my collection of their products has grown religiously over time.

I encourage you to put your own e.l.f. on your shelf this holiday season and add their products to your makeup collection. These are my top 10 absolute fave e.l.f. products right now:

1. Everyday Smoky Eyeshadow Palette. I am a HUGE fan of a smoky eye and use everyone of these colors.

 

2. Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette. A great one for a more natural eye. Love this one in the spring and summer with a great bronzer for a beachy glow.

3. Expert Liquid Eyeliner. My first and absolute favorite elf product. Only a couple bucks and it seriously works. Always in my vanity.

4. Beautifully Bare Satin Lipstick. Love the formula and how it feels on your lips. There are many great colors to choose from. My favorite color is “Touch of Nude.” I like to wear a dark smoky eye regularly, and this color balances out a more dramatic eye.

5. Lip Lacquer in Natural. Love this on top of nude lipsticks. Rich red is also fabulous during the holidays. The lacquer gives your pucker that extra gloss/shine we all want and love.

6. Lip Exfoliator. My second favorite e.l.f. product by a very close margin. It basically preps your lips by exfoliating dry chapped skin. With vitamin E, shea butter, avocado, and other great hydrating ingredients, your lipstick will go on and look fabulous with this product.

7. Natural Lip Liner and Blending Brush. I use this color with all my nude lipsticks, and some of my other lip colors. It has a great little brush on the end which blends into your own lip color so you don’t see a harsh line like with other lip liners. It helps prolong your lip color and makes your lips look fuller.

8. 11 Piece Brush Collection. A great set of reasonably priced brushes that I use regularly. 2 of the brushes are great for creating a smoky eye. There is also a Fan brush which I absolutely love to apply a bronzer for a light beachy glow.

9. Baked Highlighter. I love to use the Moonlight Pearls highlighter on my brow bone to give an instant eye lift. It is a fantastic all-around facial highlighter.

10. Mineral Infused Mascara. LOVE this mascara. It is a fabulous dupe (cheaper copy of a high end item) to the the Better Than Sex Mascara by Two Faced Cosmetics. The Two Faced mascara is $23 while e.l.f.’s is only $3. 

It won’t be hard to find this “e.l.f.” You’ll find it on the shelf at most stores, such as Walmart or Target. Or if your children are as good of shopping buddies as mine are, sign up for their emails and get a free shipping code for products sent right to your door. Happy Holidays to you all! Here’s to looking fabulous in the new year!

#FootballFamily

When I think about my life and what being married to a college football coach entails....it strikes me that there are quite a few ups and downs in this business. There are moves (9 times in 15 years for us to be exact), which lead to plenty of packing and unpacking. There is the experience of seeing beautiful new places for the first time, as well as time spent living in towns and cities that leave much to be desired. There is the excitement of seeing your husband’s hard work pay off in the form of a promotion or new job at a higher level.....and the disappointment of losing a job after a season gone wrong.  Even within the same season there are glorious Saturday evenings after a W, and miserable Saturday nights after a tough loss. Despite this craziness, I love being married to a football coach. One of my favorite parts of this business is meeting new people.....my #footballfamily. 

My football family encompasses more than just my sons, husband, and I. In fact, I've gathered new members every place we have lived. Through good times and bad, my football family has always stepped up and been there for me.

While we were at the University of Idaho, I had my second baby, and a coach’s wife (and dear friend to this day) came in the middle of the night to be with my 2 year old son while we went to the hospital. She was there for me when I was in the middle of  contractions—now that’s a football family at its best. 

When my husband has been on a staff that got fired, countless coaches’ wives reached out to me. Although it’s part of the profession, it’s never easy no matter how many times you've gone through it. Those wives continuously checked in just see how I was and to keep me in their thoughts and prayers. Those little moments when a fellow coach’s wife reaches out can mean the most. 

Even after my husband found a new coaching job, we were spending months apart, and that’s tough on a family. When I have been packing up homes with little kids running around, my #footballfamily has come to my rescue with packing paper or an extra moving box they had lying around. In all honesty...some of us coaches’ wives are truly afraid to get rid of those things. 📦 📦🚛🚚 Seems like as soon as you get rid of them, you need them again!

My football family is always up for a long drive to to an away game. It is always wonderful to see old friends from past stops on the coaching carousel. Even if we are now rooting for different teams, it does not matter, we are part of the same football family.

Many coaches’ wives like myself don't have the luxury of having family close by to help watch our children. I've had coaches’ wives help out at a moments notice when a babysitter canceled. They just get it.

But it’s not just coaches’ wives in our football family. We’ve become close with families of players over the years. One of my favorite traditions was when we were at Minnesota State University and we would have the “5th Quarter” after our home games. It was great way to meet and get to know the families and friends of our players. To this day, we are still close with some of those families. 

The players.....let’s not forget about those boys. They’re almost like having more sons of our own......what can I say......4 just isn’t enough👦🏼👦🏼👦🏻👦🏼😂. I hate when they get hurt, and I love seeing them succeed on and off the field. I know boys well....I feed them treats during game week....or an occasional meal at the house. It has always been an exciting day for our sons when the offensive line comes  over to the house for dinner. When one of them is successful enough to play football after college....you better believe one of my sons will be asking for that jersey for Christmas that year. 

So I am forever loyal to my football family. The ones who have been dear friends even though our zip codes and team colors might not be the same. The ones who cheer your team on....well unless you’re playing them that week of course😉! The ones who have been like an extended part of our own family. I am forever greatful for football....because it gave me my #footballfamily.

What's In My Bag On Game Day?

Like a team needs footballs, shoulder pads, and a good game plan.......a coach's wife must be prepared on gameday....especially if you have four babes (kiddos) like me! When it comes to gameday, "I go big or go home" (and as Vicki says on RHOC....I am not going home!) You'll typically find me on game day carting around my large football bag with my tribe👦🏼👦🏼👦🏻👦🏼. Though I have been teased before that it's my "Mary Poppins" bag, having the proper essentials are a major 🔑 when it gameday! Take a look at what's inside my bag:

1. Wet wipes/baby wipes: They are the Swiss Army knife of the parenting world. Trust me...you'll use them....kids or not.

2. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks. I am sorry but this mama does not want to miss one play in line at the concession stand--I want to watch the game! Plus....have you seen the prices at the stadium....I mentioned I have 4 kiddos....right??? 💵💰💸 I'll stash snacks any place I can to get them into the game......you gotta love zippers. 

3. Binoculars. We bring them to every game. It's a way to get a closeup on daddy....he can be very entertaining when he gets fired up.

4. Activities. I have been known to pull out some crayons and an activity book to entertain a child through the years. I am not afraid to bring an iPad either. I can remember back when my oldest two sons were little, a portable DVD player came in pretty handy in desperate times. Let's face it...a 2-5 year old can get bored at a game. Because I actually want to watch the game......I bring out all the stops.

5. Cheer gear. Somehow I have ended up with an abundance of foam fingers, Pom-poms, and cowbells in my bag.....the Eck fam doesn't disappoint when it's time to make some noise on third down💙😫🏈💛🗣🛎.

6. My phone.....lets be clear on this. I only use it at the stadium to take pictures....all those game day moments and scoreboard pics are great memories.. Nothing drives me more crazy than seeing someone staring at their phone during an important part of the game. No....I don't care about any other scores right now.....watch the game!!!!

7. If it's cold...handwarmers. When it comes to watching football in the fall, South Dakota is never going to be confused with Southern California. Being a Wisconsin native, I know how to come prepared for those chilly games. Just shake and throw them in your mittens...they'll last for the entire game and keep your hands warmer than your mittens alone. 

8. Cosmetic bag. Let's not forget my blog is called Beauty, Babes, & Ball. I keep a few beauty items in my bag to freshen up after the game. After a big Win, I don't want to miss an opportunity to get that great family pic under our scoreboard. A lipstick/gloss, bronzer/powder, brush, and hairspray. Just the absolute staples😉💄👍🏼.

9. Gum or mints. You need to have something to freshen things up so you can kiss your coach after the game. They have worked hard all week to get a Win.......and let's face it.....you've worked hard too.💋🏈.

10. Oh yes....a biggie....don't forget your tickets!!! Not something I like to admit, but yes, it has happened to me🎟🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

Just like coaches....it takes a lot for us to prepare for game day. So I'd love to hear from you.....what's in your bag on game day ladies?

Getting Off The Schneid

One great perk of your husband being a D-1 football coach is the annual wives' trip. It is one game per year where every wife on the staff gets to travel with the team to the game. Fly the charter, stay in the team hotel, take the bus to the stadium.....the whole 9 yards. (Why do they say the whole 9 yards anyway??? Everyone knows we need 10 for a first down😂🤷🏼‍♀️🏈🔟) Going into the this season, I have been fortunate enough to go on 6 wives trips in the 15 seasons that I have been married to the game. Some schools my husband coached at did not have a wives' trip (8 hour D-2 bus rides were not too glamorous anyway!), while others I missed with a baby at home or when was too pregnant to fly.....you know....typical #bigfamilyprobs🙋🏼🤰🏼👶🏼.

I have always looked at the wives' trip as a break from the chaos that comes with having four boys. While it is a short getaway, it is nice to not be pulled in four different directions for even one night....and I love going to a game where I am not ravaging through my bag frantically for fruit snacks...worried I am missing an important play in the game. It is tough for me to get out of Mom mode though....I usually start missing them before I even board the plane!

This year, I wasn't sure if I should even be allowed to travel with the team due to a little secret my husband referred to as "my record." Now I am a good girl....there is no police record that would keep me from getting through TSA 👮🏻🙅🏻✈️🤷🏼‍♀️😂. We are talking about "my record" on wives trips....Let's just put it out there....I had NEVER experienced an actual Win on a wives' trip before.....that's right I was literally 0-6 in the six wives' trips I went on. Was I an unlucky coach's wife??? In all fairness....it's not exactly easy playing at Florida State and Iowa where the 2003 and 2010 wives' trips losses we're encountered....but you would think the boys would find a way to win once in 6 tries!! Of all my experiences as a coaches' wife....I have to say there is nothing worse than traveling back with a team after a loss. There is so much disappointment in the air when that entire week of preparation and hard work just wasn't enough.

This season at South Dakota State, our wives' trip was to Bozeman, MT, for our game at Montana State University. My husband coached at Montana State right before we came to SDSU, and my youngest babe, Maverick, was born there. His middle name is Montana. Suffice to say...Bozeman is a very special and beautiful place to me....when I heard it was this year's wives' trip, I was on the phone getting that sitter lined up!👶🏼👦🏼👦🏻👦🏼📲🙋🏼✅

Unfortunately, our time in Bozeman was brief, as the head coach my husband worked for was fired right after the first season we moved there. He was the school's all-time winningest coach, but a 5-6 season (his first losing season, mind you) did him in. The new coach did not retain my husband on the staff, so we were on the move again. While it's tough to go through that when you were only there for one year....that's sometimes just part of the deal being married to a coach👉🏻👰🏼💍🏈

So while I was thrilled to be going back, I was also hungrier than ever for our team to get the "W" after all we had been through there. I think some coaches wives will get it....no one likes the feeling of not being retained on a new staff. It's just part of the business....yes....but it doesn't always leave the greatest taste in your mouth. I've always had a little bit of a grieving period after we were let go from a school.

After this last weekend....my grieving is over. I can now proudly say, this coach's wife is thrilled to have experienced my first "W" on a wives trip. My unlucky streak is officially over!!! We won 31-27! It was down to the very last play....but we won. A win is a win, and this is one that really felt good on so many different levels. Proud of our team....both players and coaches for battling till the end. So very blessed to be a Jackrabbit....GO JACKS!!💙🐰💛🏈

#DontMessWithTheJuJu

I know I am not the only coach's wife or super fan out there that has their own weekly rituals. Let us not forget that great Bud Light ad to the song "Very Superstitious".....It is only weird if it doesn't work......right😉👍🏼. We all have our own system to prepare for game day.

Despite the craziness of taking care of my four boys and working a full-time job, there are just some things I must get done for game day. Some may say I am overly superstitious....or that maybe I try too hard. I say do not mess with a good thing....aka......#DontMessWithTheJuJu

If we Win...I usually factor in everything that has happened the previous week. If I washed my suburban....you better believe I am going to be washing it again. Don't think I'll be forgetting my team car flags either (my sons will vouch for me on that one.) I've been known to drive right back home if I do. If we tailgated last week....more than than likely we'll be doing it again. Nails painted in team colors for last Saturday's win....yup....I'll be keeping the same game day color scheme for the next one🙋🏼🏈💅🏼✔️.

If we lose....(I hate even thinking about that....I mean let's not even put that out in the universe....right?!???)....but if we do...don't think you'll be seeing me in anything I wore for that game the rest of the season....it's just bad luck👖🙅🏼.

I remember when my husband coached at Colorado, I made peanut butter cookies for my husband's players before every game. When we lost halfway through season....guess who needed to come up with a new recipe🙋🏼🏈🍪.

Other coaches wives on staffs we had worked on have been known to hit the concessions/restroom when things weren't looking great in the game....in hopes that it would help turn the game around. I remember we'd keep sending them back down when we thought it was actually working🍿🌭🚽👍🏼.

So our football season officially starts this Thursday night. I will say, I have complete faith that our coaches have come up with an amazing game plan for the opening game.....and we have a bunch of very good players to execute the plan. I just like to believe that "my system" might also help light up a big fat "WIN" on our scoreboard Thursday night. 

So best of luck to all those coaches' wives and great fans out there who also have their own rituals to help with a winning season. Remember....it isn't weird if it works. Go Jacks💛🐰💙🏈!!

PS......I'd  love to know your traditions as coaches' wives or super fans to be game day ready......

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