Four Kids: Four Different Ideas of Fun

Everyone loves a good deal, but I especially love a good deal that involves having some sort of fun with my family. 

With a family of six, getting a good deal on fun activities and outings isn't just exciting, it's imperative, if I don't want to create a dent in my bank account. If you know what I mean.

I have about a dozen apps on my phone that help me find all sorts of outings and activities that our family can take advantage of at a low or discounted price, and I am always on the hunt for the perfect outing for us. But as the kids get older this task has proven to get more difficult and trickier—because 'petting animals at a petting zoo is boring and for preschoolers'—this is especially difficult because of the fact that I have three teen and preteen boys that outnumber my daughter and I. 

So these days I get huber excited when I find something my kids—uhum, big boys—can actually enjoy!

So, this past weekend I found a great deal to go ice skating with the kiddos at our town's outdoor skating rink. I was super excited! It was the perfect day—sunny (not even a cloud in the sky), weather was in the high thirties and not even bit of wind—just perfect...until the boys announced that they didn't want to skate. As it turns out they had other plans; stay home and play video games.

And so it starts...

my daughter and I against the boys.

You know how some people say it gets easier when the kids grow up? I wholeheartedly disagree. It doesn't get easier, the battles are different.

When my kids were younger I would plan an outing and the hardest thing was getting them ready and out the door on schedule and getting from point "A" to point "B" without someone spilling milk or juice on themselves. We would get to our destination and the kids would enjoy it and then we would just leave when nap time came around or they got cranky. There was no bickering, no disagreements about who wanted to go where or long faces because they didn't get their way. These days this is my norm. 

This dialogues that go on in my house before an outing has made me come to the realization that with big families there will be different personalities and not every kid likes to have fun. For some kids fun is staying home and playing video games...I guess.  

But not in my house! After some coaxing, we were out the door—together—as the big, dysfunctional family that we are. We went ice skating and it was fun!

My athletic first-born, Jovan, had a blast!

Julissa truly enjoyed skating. 

Hubby and I :).

A couple of the boys decided that they didn't want to skate, and that was okay (alright not so much as alright but I accepted it) with me. They sat and people watched...

My big family is nothing close to being perfect—we have disagreements, we all have different ideas of what fun is—but in the end we agree to disagree, pull it together and go places...together. 

I wouldn't want it any other day <3!