One of my favorite aspects of blogging is getting the opportunity to share glimpses of my daily life. Football especially NFL football is a huge aspect of my life that I can’t just gloss over. I thought it would be fun to provide a few snippets from our home game routine!

Kickoff @ 12pm v. San Diego Chargers

Wake up @7am, start laying out outfits and packing bags.

If you are looking for cute custom game day outfits, I would strongly recommend Blank Slate Designs. https://www.facebook.com/theblankslatedesigns/  I purchased the shirts and sent over some vague ideas and they delivered!

9am Donut/ Coffee Run

Always Shipleys Donuts.

Leave the house NO LATER than 10:30am

Pray for a quick nap for Joy on the way. Traffic on the way to Reliant Stadium is hit or miss.

The Texans are gracious enough to provide Game Day Childcare. It’s a win-win; Joy gets to hang out with her buddies and I get to enjoy the game without wrestling with her! I do go get her during the third quarter of each game. She loves the music and is learning how to cheer for Daddy!

I must stop for a lemonade at the exact same lemonade stand every game. It sounds silly but my little routine lets me feel like I did my part on game day and somehow it will alter the outcome in our favor.

Some of my favorite food stops in the stadium:

Killens BBQ for a BBQ sandwich, obviously.

The “Walking Nachos” stand where you get a choice between a bag of Fritos, corn chips, or Doritos. It’s then stuffed with cheese sauce, a choice of chopped beef, ground beef, chicken, or fajita veggies. They even have fresh jalapeños and salsa to top it all off!

Loaded Waffle Fries (with Killen’s Chopped Brisket)

Kernel Popcorn is the best there is!

I’m usually really nervous the whole game; I sit there worrying about injuries, false starts, and holding calls.  I’m blessed to have been to at least 50 NFL games. I do my best to keep this in mind each game I attend and try to make it a great experience for all of our guests despite my jitters.

Postgame

Unfortunately the game didn’t end the way we had hoped but we still have to finish the experience. Post game room to greet family and pervious teammates. My husband takes a minimum 30 minutes to shower and emerge from the locker room. Joy always spots him first and takes off on a sprint to hug him. I look him over for new bumps and bruises and we head home. We love see the faithful fans along the player’s lot exit regardless of the outcome.

After the game we either go out to an early dinner or crash on the couch and order food. Sometimes I’m prepared with a crockpot meal but game day takes a toll on the entire family. After a little rest, he gets up and does it all over again on Monday.

I also took some time to ask some of the other Lady Texans if they had any game day rituals and they are all pretty similar. Goal is to feed everyone, get them out of the house on time, and pray for an injury free WIN!

Amber Jackson (Wife to Kareem Jackson) 

She also starts the day with a Shipley’s Donut Run and typically has a house full of guests. She stressed the importance of leaving by 10:30 and always FaceTimes Kareem prior to kickoff.

Najah Martin (Girlfriend to Jadeveon Clowney)

She cooks breakfast for her guests, says a pregame prayer with Jadeveon, get their son dressed and out the door by 10:30.

If you are looking for some easy pregame recipes try my Gameday Quiche, Coconut French Toast Casserole, or Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal.

Stacy Clark (Wife to Chris Clark)

“We make sure to FaceTime Chris before the game and say a prayer as a family.”

Heather Su’a- Filo (Wife to Xavier Su’a- Filo)

“The only thing we do every game (home and away) is say a prayer over the phone when Xav is on his way to the stadium. Just a prayer of gratitude and safety. I think it gets us both in game mode, calms any nerves and reminds us how blessed we are. Lennox, our son, is usually wearing some Texans gear. He goes to the daycare provided by the team for half of the game and then comes up and watches the second half with me. He loves cheering! After the game, Xavier looks up at us and points. I can’t wait for Lennox to understand more as he gets older, these are such fun, special times.”

At the end of the day we recognize this as an amazing experience. It has it’s ups and downs but my husband gets to play the game he loves every Sunday and I get to serve as a witness! Football isn’t forever so we remain faithful and focused in this season of our lives. For more pictures from game day and portions of our daily life, make sure you follow my blog firstandfull.com!

You can also find me on Instagram, and Facebook!

If you’re not headed to the game, try some of my favorite appetizers while you enjoy the game at home.

Try my Chipotle Chicken Nachos!