How To Survive Football Season in 6 Easy Steps

If your man is anything like mine, we are all entering ‘the season”. Don’t let football turn your home into a house divided. Weekends become a time warp of college and pro football games, fantasy draft picks, game day clothing, replays, NFL game day and lots of hot wings. You know who ends up with the short end of the stick these next few months? Mom and the kids. Unless you yourself are a die hard football fanatic and you watch all the games eagerly with the same enthusiasm as a kid on Christmas…let me lay it down for you in 6 easy steps.

1. Stock up on chili beans during the Kroger 10 for 10. Just do it, have all the supplies on hand to whip up some crock pot chili and call it a day. Easy meals make game days more bearable so you don’t spend an hour prepping food, an hour serving the food and an hour scrubbing dishes. You can even pick up some crock pot liners if you are super lazy (like me) and just skip scrubbing that darn crock pot all together. Same goes for wings. When that chicken goes on sale, STOCK PILE! We have a deep freezer and right now its filled to the brim with game day foods.

2. Agree on a football day plan ahead of time that you both can live with. COMMUNICATION people! Talk to your man and agree on how much football you can handle. For us, its one game a day on weekends and only after the kids go to bed during the week. My hubby is more into the pro football, the Falcons, so we don’t typically watch a lot of college game day stuff. I have found in the last year that a compromise of one game a day makes for a happy life. Especially when its saturday, sunday, monday and thursday…how much football can one person take?

3. Set your expectations early. Just because a football game is on does not mean he is excused from his normal duties. He can still change diapers, fold laundry, play with the kids, or unclog a drain. I try to manage the expectations early and use commercials to my advantage. Hey, if hes just sitting there he can match socks or fold towels, right? We all know the TV can be paused and resumed in a few short minutes, and then he gets to skip commercials. Win, Win.

4. Get into it. I know, I know…its football, but your husband LOVES it girl. Go ahead and join the draft or ask your man to create a wives draft and you ladies can all compete over which uniform is best or which butt looks nicest in the pants. Whatever. Just try to get into it and make it a family event. Call up the other wives from the football pool and host them for a chili cook off. Maybe some of the other wives would be willing to host a game day and you can turn it into fun with friends. Pick up some cute jerseys of his favorite teams or yours and a yard flag. He will appreciate your enthusiasm and it will be more fun all around.

5. Go to a game. This one seems obvious, but get out of the house and go to a real game. I went to my first professional football game last year and it was so fun! The Falcons games are really a blast and they give you a chance to have a date that your hubby can really enjoy. You can eat in the stadium or go for grub nearby at a restaurant. Make sure you check the rules before you go, you will need a clear bag to bring anything inside. To order one ahead of time, check out Amazon and get a cute Falcons specific one!

So now you are ready to tackle (see what i did there?) football season and enjoy it! Fall is my favorite time of year, and I am not about to let football get the best of me and my marriage! I hear so many women complain about how much football their husbands watch, lets nip that in the bud and turn this football season into fun for everyone.

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