HIGHLAND | Sue Fowler isn't the average mom, and she doesn't have the average family.

With five children, ages 8 to 16, who combine to play 12 sports, Sue is almost always on the go.

Fowler (nee Vermejan) was a standout in basketball and volleyball at Morton High School. She also won five consecutive state championships as a pitcher and a second baseman for Hessville's 16-and-older softball club.

And Sue's involvement in sports didn't end when she graduated from Morton in 1982. She constantly attends her children's games and practices, and she has coached several CYO softball and volleyball teams.

Sue came from a sports-oriented, five-child household. Sue grew up playing in the backyard with her twin brother, Tony, a former basketball star at Purdue Calumet and a Hammond Sports Hall of Fame member. Her husband, Rich, a 1979 Morton graduate, played high school basketball and was the youngest of eight children.

The husband and wife of 18 years have watched their children follow their athletic footsteps.

"It just seemed like that's the route they took," Sue said. "It just seemed like that's what they loved to do in the backyard. We finally put a net up for pitching and batting because they totally destroyed my garage and my siding. ... But that's how we grew up, too. Our windows were all broken up in the back."

Rich takes trips to Indianapolis nearly every night as a driver for UPS. He sleeps during the day, so Sue has to do most of the running around with the kids.

Oh yeah, and she has a part-time job at Highland Jewelers, too.

Those are just some of the reasons why Sue Fowler can proudly wear the tag of "super mom."

The following is a look at a day in the life of Sue Fowler, a "super mom" from Highland:

May 1

Hectic morning

7:30 a.m.

Sue Fowler's day started with a mad rush to pile her five children into her 2003 Chevrolet Astro van and drive them to school on time.

"And we never do it without yelling and screaming," Sue said.

She dropped her two oldest -- Richard, 16, and Brooke, 15 -- off at Highland High School before taking her three youngest -- Brittany, 11, Danielle, 9, and Steven, 8 -- to Our Lady of Grace School.

"Usually the morning gets kind of chaotic," said Richard, a sophomore who is on the baseball and basketball teams at Highland. "We only have two bathrooms."

"Everything is crazy," said Brooke, a freshman who plays softball and volleyball for the Trojans. "Everyone is running around getting their stuff ready, and my mom is yelling at us to get out the door."

School's out

11:30 a.m.

Our Lady of Grace had an early dismissal, so Sue's after-school routine began sooner than its normal 2:30 p.m. start.

She had to hurry her three youngest kids home and help Brittany and Danielle get started on their homework because they both had softball practice later.

"Sometimes my wife and I laugh," Our Lady of Grace athletic director Ray Puntillo said. "We have three kids, and we thought we were busy. They have five. How do they do it?"

Delicious delivery

2:50 p.m.

Sue didn't want Brooke to play a softball doubleheader at Kankakee Valley on an empty stomach, so she went to give her oldest daughter a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich from Subway when school let out.

"She does a lot for us," said Brooke, who stayed at the high school and traveled to the games on her team's bus.

While Sue was waiting for her quick parking lot rendezvous with her daughter, Deb Wiesemann, a fellow softball mom, asked Sue why a reporter and a photographer were following her.

After Sue explained the situation, Wiesemann said, "You've got the right woman. Every time I turn around she has more kids."

Driving in circles

3:33 p.m.

Danielle, a third-grader, had to go back to Our Lady of Grace for a First Holy Communion rehearsal.

Sue said she's accustomed to constant back-and-forth driving. She estimated she buys gas three times a week.

"You just kind of get used to that," Sue said. "There are days when I come home and I'll say, 'Just give me five minutes.' Sometimes I just need to lay down for five minutes and recharge. But you just get used to being in that big van."

Before she boarded her maroon Astro, Sue put some action figures into her purse because Steven, a second-grader, was coming along for the ride.

Showing support

4:14 p.m.

Sue was looking forward to watching her oldest son, Richard, a sophomore, and his Highland junior varsity baseball teammates take on Griffith.

After two innings, Highland trailed 1-0.

"This is the worst part of having a kid out there," Sue said. "I'm a nervous wreck."

But Sue's son calmed her down in the bottom of the third inning when he hit an RBI single to tie the score 1-1 and later scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Trojans a 3-1 lead.

"My husband always teased me about how the kids all look like him," Sue said. "I say, 'As long as they have my swing, they're OK.'"

An early exit

5:21 p.m.

At the end of the third inning, Sue had to leave Highland's baseball game and return to Our Lady of Grace to pick up Danielle from Communion practice.

"I can't imagine how she juggles her time," said Don Bence, who met the Fowlers when he was the president of the Highland softball league from 2002 to 2007. "I know she works part-time, and she has five kids who are all great athletes and in multiple sports. Just all the running around she does -- I'm sure it's very difficult for her. But she's always there and she never misses a game. She's always there for the kids."

Receiving reinforcements

6 p.m.

Sue said she doesn't really enjoy listening to the music of Miley Cyrus, otherwise known as Hannah Montana, on the radio, but she tolerated it as she drove Brittany, a sixth-grader, to her softball practice at Southridge Elementary School.

Brittany's coach, Eric Parker, offered to give her a ride home, and Sue graciously accepted. Sue and her husband, Rich, said friends who help by driving their children are invaluable.

"That's basically the only way we make it because there's too much stuff going on at one time," Rich said.

Another practice

6:07 p.m.

After Sue dropped Brittany off, she hurried to take Danielle to her softball practice at Meadows Park.

During the trip to her youngest daughter's practice, Sue drove by Highland's baseball field and glanced at the scoreboard for a quick update on Richard's game.

"Oh, we can see the score," Sue said. "It's 8-1. Good job."

When Sue arrived at Danielle's practice, her coaching instincts kicked in. She noticed one of the girls was holding her mitt with her palm facing the ground while trying to field ground balls.

Sue talked to the coach, grabbed a glove and took the field. A few minutes later, the girl was scooping up grounders with ease.

Hitting books, bed

7:39 p.m.

While she was driving home from Danielle's practice, Sue got a call on her cell phone. It was Brittany. She was reminding her mom that she needed to pick a dress to wear the next day at a National Honor Society ceremony at school.

"Oh, that's right," Sue said. "Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it."

After Sue and Danielle returned home, Sue started making sure all unfinished homework was being done.

"They're all honor roll kids, and I hope to keep them that way," Sue said. "It's a daily work in progress.

"I'm probably on them the most about grades. I always tell them, 'You can't rely on your baseball or your softball. It's going to be your grades that matter.'"

Then Sue made sure her children went to bed on time, so they could wake up bright and early and do it all over again.