Canadian Tire is our go-to store for all our sporting goods needs!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

It has been a really long, cold, dreary winter and early spring here in Canada. My kids have been going stir crazy in the house, and have constantly been asking when “shorts weather” is going to come. Only in the last couple weeks has the mercury climbed high enough for serious outdoor play.

As soon as the temperatures started to rise, so did my boys’ excitement. Their baseball season has started, and my sons couldn’t be happier. My six year old started rookie league ball which means more games, travelling to other towns and cities, and increased skill level. My younger son just started his first year of instructional ball and he is so pumped to be wearing his new jersey.

Chatter around our house these last two weeks seems to be centered around baseball. The boys hauled all of their equipment out of the bins that have been stored in the garage all winter. It soon became apparent that there were are few items that the boys needed to practice their skills this year. My older son needed a baseball glove that fits his growing hands (his old glove was purchased at least two years ago, and no longer fits!). The little guy needed a “big boy” baseball bat of his own; clearly the plastic “baby bat” that he used when he was two years old was NOT going to cut it any longer!

So off we went to Canadian Tire to pick up the baseball gear we needed. My older son picked up a Rawlings baseball glove that fit his growing hand much better. The younger son bought his very first “big boy” baseball bat, a metal one that can help him out at batting practice.

Ready, set, go, these boys are ready to play ball!

My kids both naturally gravitated to baseball, it really didn’t involve any push on our part. We are a family of sports fanatics; watching football, baseball, hockey and auto racing are hugely exciting for us. While my husband was a very active child who was involved in many sports, I was not an athlete of any kind. We decided to let our kids find their own way, and choose any activity that caught their attention. My older son chose baseball at age 4, and his little brother caught the bug soon after.

Even though I am not an athletic person by nature, I like baseball because it allows us to play outside together in a really natural way. Baseball is a game which requires constant practice, and so the boys are always itching for mommy or daddy to toss them a ball. Even clunky mommy can lob the ball at them, and they don’t even seem to mind that my aim is a little wonky!

Taking batting practice is something this kid could do for hours!

It was a nice breezy and sunny weekend, and so it was perfect for baseball. It was nice to get outdoors and feel the sunshine on our skin. My husband and I both took turns pitching, one boy took batting practice, with the other alternating as fielder and ball retriever. We used the old tee ball base as home plate, and random sand toys for first, second and third base. No problem, easy peasy, and a baseball diamond is born. The pitch back behind home plate prevented the baseballs from flying off into our cars.

Daddy is pitching and our little guy is all ready to catch some balls.

It has been three consecutive summers that we have been playing baseball with our kids, and it has been great to see their development. They seem so much more natural in their batting stance, and in their ability to catch balls. Plus, getting out there in the fresh air encourages us all to stay active, which is a bonus all the way around. Because winters are so long in this part of the country, we definitely want to encourage as much outdoor play as possible while the weather is favorable.

Yours truly, the least skilled member of our family baseball team. At least no one complains!

We had a great morning playing baseball in the front yard. It was nice to park the “to do” list for awhile, and just focus on pitching the ball over home plate, and cheering on my little sluggers! Our shopping trip at Canadian Tire allowed us to pick up a few needed items to put our little leaguers “in the game”. You can check out my Google Plus album and see the fun we had shopping at Canadian Tire. It’s (almost) summer time, and it’s time to get out there and PLAY, whatever game you choose. Just make it FUN!