Preparing for Baseball Season

I'm not one to be a fanatic about displaying my loyalties to my teams I'm cheering for, but my husband is.  That man has so many Pirate, Steeler and Pens gear, it puts some crazy Pittsburghers to shame.  And he wasn't even raised here!  Now of course, this has gotten worse since he moved up here over a year ago.  It's almost too easy to shop for him.  I just head to Dick's, ProImage, Sideline Store or kiosk wherever I am and I can find something he'll love.  Personally, it's been a challenge to find stuff for women that I would want to wear without looking extremely tacky.  Lots of women in this city love wearing jerseys, knee socks with logos all over them and black and yellow mardi gras beads while chugging a beer bong in the parking lot outside of the stadiums.  I understand, it's part of the tailgating experience.  Unfortunately for me, I work every home game for the Steelers so I can not partake in the tailgating festivities.  As much as I love my job, there are moments when walking to the stadium I hear music blasting from the RVs in the parking lots around me and become slightly jealous of the parties just beginning to rage at 8 am on Sunday mornings.  Then I realize its -2 degrees out and I am more than happy to sit behind my desk, behind glass in the control room with the best view in the house without a parka and gloves on.

Anyway, I have always loved the southern traditions of the girls getting dressed up for football games.  Not like some of the girls up here in tube tops and shredded jean skirts with stilettos and hopes that one of the players sees them out of the tens of thousands of people in the stands.  Well, I guess that's anywhere!  I was not used to the southern way of game day dress when I went to my first game at South Carolina and was quickly made aware that my jeans and tshirt were not acceptable.  At first I found it ridiculous, but then looking around at all the beautiful girls all dressed up in garnet and black from their adorable hair bows to their matching bracelets and necklaces, did I realize that I in fact LOVED this way of showing love for their team!  From then on, it's been tough to think anything less is acceptable.

Now, I am not opposed to jeans and shorts, etc.  Just that it looks classy, not trashy.  When I attended the College World Series in Omaha in 2011 to cheer on my husband (boyfriend then) and the Aggies, I wore shorts, but I tried my best to make them acceptable.  And that was baseball, I'm still unclear of the rules for baseball attire for women.  Which leads me to my point.  My husband is a die-hard Pirates fan, almost got traded to them at one point in his career, therefore, we attend many games.  Last year, I was pregnant and did not enjoy the sunshine and fair-weathered fans as much as I used to, but this year, I don't PLAN on being pregnant and want to enjoy our hometown team as much as Kyle does.  Without the tackiness, here are a few items I have found that I wouldn't mind wearing to PNC Park this season:

http://pin.fanatics.com/MLB_Pittsburgh_Pirates_Ladies/Nike_Pittsburgh_Pirates_Ladies_Cotton_Tank_Top_-_Black

http://pin.fanatics.com/MLB_Pittsburgh_Pirates_Ladies/Nike_Pittsburgh_Pirates_Ladies_Deep_V_Logo_Slim_Fit_T-Shirt_-_White

http://pinterest.com/pin/80079699596378579/

http://pinterest.com/pin/80079699596378585/

http://pinterest.com/pin/80079699596379243/

http://pinterest.com/pin/80079699596379264/

Unfortunately, in Pittsburgh, you never know what the weather will be, even in June.  So I think a couple of these outfits would work for me.  And if you prefer the bumble bee knee highs and tube tops, go right ahead, rock it girl.  At least the Pirates have fans!

Being a stay at home mom is overwhelming.  It is the most rewarding job, but it is also the hardest.  I'm struggling with my new identity as a married mother of two from being a career, single mother.  I made this choice.  And I decided I would work during football season with the Steelers, but now in the off season, I find myself struggling to find time for me.  Between diaper changes, meals, bottles, the swiffer and Clorox wipes, I have realized my mind is wandering to thoughts that are not positive or encouraging.  I feel lost and although I am maintaining control in my household (something I did not have before I was married), I see myself losing control of my identity.  I am reading that this is a very real transition and one that most women who make this choice go through.  I am seeing a therapist because of the backlash of my daughter's 4 month long colic.  Honestly, I was a zombie through it all and it is now bringing up a lot of emotions and thoughts I am having a hard time dealing with now that she has settled down and I am starting to gain back some sense of control.  Colic doesn't just affect your baby, it affects your whole family, in ways you never imagined.  My husband and I both had and do have different ways of dealing with stress and we are learning about them, about each other, everyday.

My therapist told me that this transition I'm going through is a gift and if I can just hold on, it is going to bloom beautifully.  I will see this new person I am growing into.  I know this is a growth period for me, and certainly my husband as well, but it is painful.  It is so hard.  I would never change anything about my life right now.  I am in love with a wonderful man who takes care of me and our family without fail, everyday.  I have an amazing son who is about to turn 8 in April who is so smart and talented.  I just am so in love with him too.  My daughter is almost 6 months old and becoming her own little person.  It's so amazing to watch her grow.  I pray every night over here in her crib that she would be a daughter of Christ, strong, powerful, gentle, compassionate and loving.  We have everything we need and want, but I still feel like I need to find "me" again.

Not only is it healthy to not let go of yourself, for yourself, but for your husband and family.  I believe the saying goes, "women marry men hoping they will change, and men marry women hoping they stay the same."  So I know as a wife, I want to remain, basically the same woman I was before we got married, but now, just improved!  The adjustments I'm going through emotionally, mentally and even physically (getting my body back) really takes it's toll on me some days.  I know the house doesn't have to be spotless but I feel like if I let it go, even for a day, it'll get out of control.  But having a clean house makes me feel better, and almost accomplished!  But I want to accomplish other things... I just have to figure out what I want to do!  But then I think about what I need and want to do for my children and my husband and I forget about all that.  I guess it's just the cycle I'm in right now.

This is just how I'm feeling today.  Didn't know if there were any other moms out there feeling the same way!  You're not alone!  Even though talking to a 5 month old all day can make you feel very alone :)

A Little Change-Up

I've missed writing.  I've missed it so much.  It's the one way I feel like I can escape into whatever is going on in my life and sort through all of my thoughts and emotions.  Unfortunately, having a newborn baby with colic and a 7 year old with his own schedule is not conducive to writing.  My husband and I have pretty much said that we have kind of lost the last 3 months of our lives.  My life has changed, and I feel like my writing should change as well.  So, while I am going to continue to write about sports, I'm also going to write about what I'm going through as a wife and mother.  After all, this is who I am now!  Let me back track a bit...

On August 23, 2012 the Lord delivered our precious baby girl, Averie Blayke, to us at 9:48pm.  She was 6 lbs, 7 oz. and absolutely perfect.  We were so very excited to add a baby sister to our family!  Braedon was a natural big brother when he first held her and she has loved him so much, ever since.  She also fell in love with her daddy right away too.  I finally had the family I had been dreaming of for so long.  I had a wonderful husband, son and newborn daughter.  Life was so sweet. 

Then around a month old, the "normal crying" got worse, and before we knew it, if she wasn't sleeping, she was crying.  All day and all night.  There was no relief.  No where to run, nowhere to hide.  I had a few offers from people to watch her so we could take a break but I felt like I would never talk to them again if I left her with them for more than 30 minutes!  I just felt so bad and such a failure as a mom because I couldn't make her feel better.  We did everything we were told, we did everything we read.  Tried it all, nothing helped.  Until about a month ago, we were looking for a new SUV at a car dealership and we realized, she didn't cry!  We were there for 6 hours buying this car and she was happy as a clam, and then just fell asleep when she was tired!  It was something we've never seen before.  We were afraid to talk about it in fear that it might come back.  So after that day, little by little, she has gotten better.  We are working on naps and sleeping through the night right now, so lots of prayers are being said!

I'm really wanting to get back into the things that were such a big part of my life pre-baby so this is my first attempt!  I've also started to go to the gym when Miss Averie wants to be happy for the nursery girls but that is also a work in progress.  I forgot how hard it is being a new mom!  Everyday tasks seem so overwhelming now!  But I'm going to try to write as much as I can.  Uh oh, nap time is over!

Steelers Report To Camp - It Just Got Real

As I was perusing around on my Facebook page I saw this little post and I had to laugh because it's so true, not just about me, but literally all female Steeler fans:

I guess we could say the same about our male counterparts but they have been focused on the triumphant season our Pirates are having and some aren't ready (including my husband) to admit football season has begun.  I have even found myself watching old football games on TV because I missed football.  I get excited when I see commercials like Under Armour and PlayStation's NCAA '13 come on. 

Ladies and Gents, it's time to break out the Polamalu and Roethlisberger jerseys in black, white or pink... bedazzle it, tie it up, or put on a collard shirt under it to make it fancy.  It's football season in Pittsburgh.  It's time for us to brush up on our stats and learn about our new guys and fight about whether or not they will make it.  We will also declare our love for our team by facebooking pictures of our sweetest gear, Steeler tattoos and newest slogans for the season.  We will start trash talking on twitter to fans of other teams and try to get our tweets noticed by our favorite players.  Our jersey's will be worn on Fridays at the office and of course we will wear our white jerseys for special occasions where we need to dress up.  The tailgate gear will be brought out of the garage with the flags, car magnets and face paint.  Whispers of fantasy football team names flutter around groups of colleagues and friends.  It's a beautiful time of year. 

As I write this, I am listening to the season's inaugural show from my dad and Tunch Ilkin broadcasting live from St. Vincent in Latrobe, PA as training camp opens.  They interviewed Max Starks and Brett Keisel today and apparently Keisel has a new t shirt campaign out and my dad already made Brett's fears come alive.  Last night, Brett was wearing his new shirt and my dad said how much he loved the shirt, "The Hunt For VII".  Unfortunately, what my dad said (and saw on the shirt) was "The Hunt For Eight".  Keisel said he knew then that no matter how many people said that nobody would screw it up, somebody would.  And that was Wolf.  So my dad came up with his own slogan, he's skipping the "The Hunt for VII" and "Going Straight For 8".  Keepin it simple.  Welcome to Steelers Season!!!

Engagement Photos!!

I haven't been blogging since a few things have come up in my life and has kind of deterred me from my actual life!  The big thing that happened was I became engaged!  My boyfriend Kyle popped the question when I was picking him up from the airport for Christmas.  He didn't act alone though.  Kyle bought my ring through my best friend Christie, and then they came up with how to propose to me.  Her mom is a great photographer so Christie and her mom, Joy, were at the airport the whole time and captured every moment and I had no clue!  I had no idea it was even coming!  I remember saying it was just like Kyle to do it right away because he can never wait to surprise me!  So, here is the video of our engagement!

Megan and Kyle Engagement 12-20-2011

For the Girlie Girl in Sports!!! My New Etsy Shop!

Well, I have always been a fan of southern tradition when it comes to sports and I have always wanted to create my own line of accessories for the "better lookin' fan" at the tailgate!  So I created my own Etsy shop to get started!  I created my first tree skirt while in Texas over thanksgiving and I'm going to start creating other ones that are themed to college and football teams!  Then I bought some chalkboard paint and was messing around with some wine glasses that I thought I'd put up as my first listing!  They are so cute and no two are the same!  I'm also going to tailor those to teams and personalize those to customers!  What better way to fuse together my love of football and being a girlie girl?  I encourage feedback and any suggestions anybody has!  I'm so looking forward to creating more items for sports fans who want to show their girlie side!  I'll be posting all new items that I list on here and I also created a facebook page that they will be shown on as well!  Thank you for your support!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pearls-Heels-and-Cleats/120426141405849

www.etsy.com/shop/pearlsheelsandcleats

Sidney Crosby's Living Situation(s)

So I should be writing about the Steelers @ Chiefs game tonight but I wanted to mention this article I just came across...

I was reading the Post-Gazette.com article about how Crosby just sold his house that he has been renovating for the past 2 years in Sewickley Heights and has now bought a new house he liked in Sewickley.  But he didn't buy the house because he liked it I guess, because he tore it down and is now building a new house.  That's besides the point.  My point is, when reading the article, I realized that Crosby is still living "part-time" at Lemieux's house.  He has been living there since he was an 18-year old rookie.  Now, this is either a genius move by Lemieux or its just the kid who doesn't want to move out of mommy and daddy's house.

Genius because Crosby hasn't got into any trouble "off the ice".  Most likely that can be attributed to being under Papa Mario's watchful eye, "be back by 2 am, young Sidney, I'll send a car so you don't do any of that drinking and driving and I'll know where you will be!" I didn't even know you could really do that.  But I guess if you are the owner of a team, you could do whatever you want to do.  It's actually brilliant to keep your young, star player in check, right where you can see them. 


Now from a different point of view, it could be a little weird.  A lot of us in our 20s have moved home because we realize its a tough world out there and its much nicer at home where we don't have to do our grocery shopping or cook.  Also, our economy sucks and with school loans taking each of our paychecks, its hard to keep up with rent and bills.  Unfortunately for me, my parents won't let me come back home... but I think it's better that my dad and I don't live under the same roof (love you daddy!).  Anyway, Crosby is not a normal 24 year old struggling to not have to put food back at the checkout counter because we came up $5 short.  The article said he lives between an apartment and Lemieux's house while he was building his $2.4 million house and now building his new abode. 


But why?  Why not just live on your own?  Most of us would kill to live at the Cork Factory, in a gorgeous loft in Shadyside or have one of those new Ryan townhomes around town!  I just don't understand why Sidney Crosby won't live on his own full time?  (By the way, this has nothing to do with Crosby as a person or player, just curious about his living situation!)  I wonder if there are any other athletes that do this?  I'll post the link below but it was just bothering me and I was thinking maybe somebody out there had read this and thought the same or different.


Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Sid buys and sells a home

UPDATE: Right before I was going to post this, I was informed by my boyfriend that the HBO series 24/7: Penguins vs. Capitals leading up to the Winter Classic showed that Alex Ovechkin lives with his parents in a townhome.  He even said he didn't know who was going to do his laundry on the road...