This Weekend- Our Family Fun on a Budget

The first question I am often asked when people learn we have 8 children is how can we afford to do anything "fun" with that many kids. My answer is honest- it's sometimes tricky. The babies we cannot go canoeing with or take to Kings Island amusement park with us. Well, we can- we just opt not to. I think a lot of people are running into this scenario with the economy being in the state it is, and people just not knowing what to do anymore so they end up often not doing anything at all. I know we, as a family are really tight right now due to the impending school year coming up and having to buy new curriculum for our children whom we homeschool. (oh and we have 8 kids, Lol- that would make anyone's finances tight.)

This weekend we decided to take advantage of our city's festival scene. We had the Rockin' Green Tomato festival downtown which had a bouncy house, live music and a hula hoop contest. The farmers market was set up as well as local food vendors all offering samples. Now, by the time the children have sampled all there is to offer, they aren't even hungry enough to ask for a full size serving of anything. So we hit the festival scene for a good two hours and walked back through town, heading home.

Wait, did you catch that? We walked home. We have a gas hog van. To pinch pennies and save gas, as well as a step in a "greener" direction, we have pledged to WALK through town to places we need to visit rather then ride in our van. This has a trickle down effect. Walks to the 3Dips ice cream parlor or the Hamburger Wagon have now become adventures. We take a different route often. Walking gets our exercise in, and encourages the kids to talk about what they see. We get to know our neighbors better, thus building relationships. As previously mentioned, we save the gas money, and lower our carbon footprint together, as a family.  By the time we get home, the kids are usually ready for a nap or if we've made the trek in the late afternoon or early evening, they are ready to get baths and slip into bed- worn out. Clay and I have also started riding a bicycle to and from the grocery store and other places in town. ---And let me tell you, I can feel the burn after a few minutes. My thighs are STILL screaming from yesterdays excursion to Krogers. *Note to readers, prairie skirt and bicycling = stupid stupid idea. By the time I realized I had a skirt on and should have changed, I was halfway there and I was picking the end of my skirt out of the rear breaks after it was nearly ripped from my behind. Yes, Yes, I know common sense would have screamed "Hey before you leave, change your skirt"- but I blame mommy brain for that mistake. But I digress...

So after we hit up the Rockin' Green festival, we walked a few blocks away to Miamisburg Assembly of God's community festival. They offered free hot dogs, face painting, nachos, lemonade and water, games, bouncy houses and best of all free fun family games. Our city is full of churches-  as a matter of fact my street which is a half mile long plays host to a Wesleyan, Baptist, and Presbyterian church. The church entities in our city play a vital roll in hosting community events encouraging family time and getting to know your neighbors. We love to attend these festivals and events because they offer affordable (often free) wholesome family fun and opportunities for us to enjoy one another as a family to create memories.
Some photos from this weekend..-

Potato Sack Racing

 

Tug O War- Clay vs some of the kids :) 

Jack LOVED the bouncy slide!