Sports wormholes, startup Chaos and the myth of "free Time"

Starting a business is not for the faint of heart. It basically is just signing up for a game of whack-a-mole. Every time we check off one task, three more pop up - website updates, shipping labels, template design, food themes, social posts, customer emails, figuring out which app is supposed to magically save time but instead takes two hours to learn just to decide we don't we really need it.

And that's before remembering we still have full time jobs: mom, taxi driver, cook, maid. 5 kids. Pick ups, drop-offs, laundry, grocery, dinner. "Mom can you make my lunch?" "Mom did you clean my jersey?" "Mom! I forgot my cleats!" Not to mention since we have multiple kids in activities, my husband and I have to be on opposite sides of the city at the same exact time, playing rock paper scissors for who gets to be with the kid who has indoor game that day. Sports, sports and more sports...that is pretty much everyone's life these days. Also, just saying...do the kids know how to say the word DAD?? Is there some conspiracy that the dads teach them at a young age to never say that word...unlike the 5,000 times a day they do with mom? Are they bribing them with chocolate or V-bux? Are they threatening bodily harm? What is it? We don't know how but however Dads figured it out they are winning!

Ok enough of that mini rant...but here's another one while we are venting. When we were growing up, kid sports were not like this right? This crap is a totally different story. I didn't even start playing volleyball until 7th grade, literally didn't pick up a volleyball until then. I practiced and played a fraction of what these kids do...and it was still enough to get a full ride to a D-1 college and be a High school All-American...And I didn't start at 6 years old like they do now, it was more like 13. Explain that one, and explain where all of my weekends are going. This shit makes my old schedule look like a lazy Sunday stroll. And for what? Spoiler Alert: most of our kids are NOT getting athletic scholarships! No matter how much we want to believe little Jimmy is different and will be the next superstar...he's not and he won't! (He's special sure, and we love him dearly but come on! If you ask him what he wants, he'd probably say he'd rather be a Youtuber anyway....which is another completely unrealistic pipe dream but thats a whole other can of worms!)

So why do we as parents surrender every weekend to the fields, courts and dugouts? Honestly? I don't even know. Maybe its a mix of guilt, FOMO, having to be on the bandwagon with the other parents, or that intrusive thought of "well maybe he could go pro if I get him more lessons. And if I don't he will end up living in our basement til he's 40!" That thought is a big dirty liar and it only exists to make you miserable! Just sayin..

No matter, our calendars are broken and our wallets aren't far behind. Which brings me back to why Well Spread exists. Yes, our grazing blueprints save money by cutting down on the over making, over shopping (and over thinking) of hosting. Yes, they will make your spread look beautiful and insta worthy AF (because yes, appearances still matter... even if you wish you could just live in your sweatpants forever) But the real gift? TIME. The one thing none of us can ever get back or get enough of.

Case in point: This past weekend, both my family and Bailey's were trapped in the sports wormhole-baseball, football and basketball..oh my. We tried to make plans to actually hang out. My middle kids had games, my oldest had homecoming, my little ones are just nut-cases who have no chill, and Bailey was held hostage by a baseball diamond all weekend long, but still...we had a plan: Throw together a quick spread, open some drinks, take a deep breath and enjoy something for ourselves for the first time all weekend. Reality? Didn't Happen.

But if it had, food would have been setup and ready to feed the kids (and dads) in 20 minutes. Would have been shoveled into kids mouths in the 30 seconds following and we would have been off the clock for the rest of the night! Feet up on the couch enjoying a strong glass of something. Thriving! Instead of the actuality of just surviving on concession stand nachos and broken dreams. But thats life..try another time, and another after that, and just live for those few fleeting moments when everyone's schedule lines up and you actually get to spend time with friends and hang out. And the only sports you see are on the Tv in the form of the Jet's blowing another one. Sounds so nice right? Well unless your a Jets fan of course, but still...

So here's the truth of it all: We can't fix youth sports, we can't get every parent on the same page to take it down a notch and stop making highlight reels for 4 year olds, and we can't make more time! But we can make the little pockets of time we do have be easier and be better (taste better at least!). That's the whole point of why we made Well Spread. Quick, gorgeous, stress-saving setups for the people and families who are juggling everything, holding on by a thread, and still want to look like they've got it all together. We're with ya, and we're here for ya!