Every year, about this time, we try to make the decisions about what extra-curricula activities to get the children involved in.  Having five children, the potential for family blow-out is enormous if we try to fit a few activities in for everybody.  Yet, conversely, the potential for frustration and 'missing out' feelings if we do nothing.

Even though winter is a few months away, a lot of clubs take registrations now for winter sports.  We need to approach schools if there is not a club programme available in their particular sport.

Talking to other parents about this decision making process, I have had a few mums now, talk about how few activities their children do.  But in talking to them further, their children do ballet, music lessons, girls brigade, plus their sporting interests, not to mention their church/Sunday school.  Aaargh!!

For our own decision making, I tend to err on the side of doing less rather than too much.  It is a priority to me to keep the family sane and peaceful.  I am convinced that God has placed us in our little cul-de-sac and it is nice to be home here and not forever running around like a headless chicken. Our children have a lot of unscheduled time to 'just be'. Another priority is cooking nutritious meals economically from scratch. 

The sheer financial cost of some activities seems prohibitive to me as well.  I simply cannot justify spending so much money, when we are trying to live on a budget and cut our mortgage down asap.  I am a bit uncomfortable too, about children thinking the world revolves around them as they get driven from place to place.  I heard of a bumper sticker that said "If a womans place is in the home why am I always in the car?!!"  That sums up how I don't want to be.

We don't do nothing, far from it, we do swimming lessons as part of the homeschool week, and at times have used the homeschool group for other sports, some drama (last year they were involved in a movie of Romeo and Juliet), and outings.  My daughter had a year of dancing, but has no desire for more, so thats fine.  The children that have wanted to have played soccer for several years.  The children attended Sunday School, that may stop this year, we are praying about that involvement (a whole other blog entry!).  I encourage them to play music, but use bought curriculum at home instead of expensive lessons.  If they show musical aptitude I will reconsider lessons, but my aim is merely to introduce music at this stage.  My oldest son is able to bike about the city, so he is involved in a few more activities, such as a boxing gym, some youth group activities, he also has 'adventures' with his friends, like boogie boarding down the river, and camping out on an island.

I have made some errors in the past in involvement.  One year I enrolled the oldest three boys in expensive art lessons.  At the end I concluded that I should have used some of the same money, invested in a book like 'the Usborne book of art skills', some art supplies, scheduled a bit of time for art, not minding the mess, and we would have been much better off.  It would have been working smarter, not harder.

I feel like I am battling feelings of inadequacy, missing out.  That is me though, I am not accountable to the mothers of two who are never home, or the mothers whose children are musical, sporting, arty, and community orientated all at once.  It is up to our family, before God to decide what is best, and to trust Him that these are His children, and He wants the best for them, they will not be deprived from what they NEED.