No Fall Sports (this year anyway)

David at about age 8 in 2003

For the first time in thirteen years, no one in this house is playing soccer this fall.

We've been a soccer family since my oldest child David was about six years old. (He's almost 20 now.)

Some years we'd have four soccer games on a Saturday morning, often in different locations. We've sat through hot sunny games, cold rainy games, even games that we huddled under blankets in our winter coats.

Emily after a muddy game in 2011
at age 14

We've picked up colorful new uniforms and passed down old soccer cleats. We've looked for sales on Capri Sun and made last minute runs to the grocery store on game day when we forgot it was our turn for snacks. We've juggled practice schedules and decided if Mom or Dad would go to the games.

We've kept camp chairs and blankets and spare shinguards in the car. We've stocked up on water bottles. We've figured out which long sleeved shirts work best under this season's jerseys.

But not this fall.

This fall we are taking a break from soccer so that the kids can concentrate on training for their black belt in Tang Soo Do karate.

Suzy in 2007 at age 5

The three kids still at home (ages 12, 14, and 17) are planning to test for black belt in February. They need to attend more karate classes at their PKSA school. I need to make sure they practice regularly at home.

James in 2010 at age 10

So we made the tough decision to say "no" to soccer or any other fall sports. That choice was especially hard on Suzy, the youngest, because she adores soccer and also because she has had fewer years of play than the others. She also is considering how to fit volleyball into her life and that's also a fall sport. So, there was no volleyball this year and her best friend is playing volleyball.

But it's just one season. By next spring, they will hopefully have reached their martial arts goal and will be free once again to play soccer.

And once again I'll be shivering on chilly fall mornings. I'll make sure to pack my blanket.

The Most Expensive Curriculum I Didn't Buy

Coming up for air. Wow, September is busy!!!

Lessons, soccer, writing classes. Helping the boy buy a car. Watching him apply for a second job, get the job, and then work 2 jobs after giving notice at job #1. Getting him ready to head off to college.

Did you ever wonder what $594 worth of college textbooks looks like?

Well, now you know.

Thank the Lord for financial aid!

He moves in on September 25th.

The Other Stuff

Suzy and Emily are going to learn to sew. I might look for a curriculum or I might just teach them what I know. Which isn't everything, but it is enough to mend and follow a pattern.

David is going to do a half-credit of Psychology using a free online course from about.com. He will also write papers to flesh out the class. He is fascinated with psychology so this will interest him.

He is also going to continue his programming study at Code Academy online - again FREE. I am not sure where he left off, but once he is back to it, I'll post about it. He also applied to learn virus removal at Geekstogo.com so if he is able to join that program, I will post about that too.

We will continue studying karate twice a week on Monday and Thursday afternoons. We have been learning for a year and a half now and have achieved green 2 (4th gup). Looks like we are on track for testing for black belt near the beginning of 2015. David does plan to continue after he graduates from high school.

And then, there's soccer. Three of the kids are on teams this fall, two of which are travel teams.

Choosing Kids' Activities

Something about standing in the shower makes me think. Maybe it's the fact that I really can't multi-task in there. LOL So, the other day, I was mulling something over in the shower.

I was wondering why parents give their kids so much choice over their activities. I don't intend to offend anyone here, so please reserve your judgment.

My kids don't get much choice over their extracurricular activities, nor over their curriculum - at least not in cases where I have a strong opinion. I know many families handle this differently, but for us? I feel that we as parents have the better perspective, including the wisdom to look back over our own choices and see where we might have chosen better. We also understand our schedules, our wallets, and our willingness (or non-willingness, as the case may be) to drive all over the county (or even the state!).

I don't have the sort of kids who want to sign up for everything. In fact, if I didn't sign them up for sports, art class, field trips, camp, etc..., then probably they'd just sit home. That's not acceptable to me. I want them to have cultural experiences, to be active, to make friends, to learn about the world.

As an example, probably only one, maybe two, of my kids would choose to play soccer if left to their own devices. But all 4 are playing this year. All have played soccer most years since they were five or six. The years they did not play, we ended up regretting the choice. Soccer works well for us, but it might not be the best choice for your family. My point is not to go sign your kids up for soccer, but find what works for your family and insist upon it.

This fall I've signed three of my kids up for gymnastics without even asking them. I want them to do something active over the winter since they won't have soccer to keep them moving and our climate is not conducive to a lot of outdoor activities from December through February (or more!). Other things we've tried over the winter haven't worked well for us, but I have high hopes for this. Anyway, my point is - I made the choice. They were not consulted.

At some point, kids must learn to manage their own time, desires, and money. I offer my older children a little more autonomy, as long as acceptable alternatives are explored. For instance, David chose not to do our monthly art class anymore. I required him to continue to explore artistic concepts on his own and he has. However, he also requested not to play soccer several years ago, so I gave him an alternative - be sure to include physical activity in your schedule two or three times a week in good weather. Just like soccer would require, you know? Did he do this? No, he did not. So he ended up back in soccer.

Some of you may be thinking - that wouldn't work for us. The kids wouldn't do it. Well, mine aren't usually happy about the idea either. Oh well. An opportunity for attitude adjustments.

They'll thank me later. Right?

Soccer Pictures 2010

David - Faith Falcons Homeschool Boys Fall Soccer
Emily - AYSO U14 Girls Travel Soccer - Renegades
James- AYSO U12 Co-ed Soccer - Dryden Team 1
Suzy - AYSO U10 Co-ed Soccer - Dryden Team 1

Suzy's Soccer

James's Soccer

Suzy Soccer Pix

As I mentioned in the other post, the soccer season is done for James and Suzy both. They will play again in the spring with the same teams.

I didn't order soccer photos for those two; 'twas sadly not in the budget, but I will get a pic of Suzy with her team in the spring. Don't miss the other post with Jamie's soccer photos.

Suzy is also a strong soccer player. She has scored four goals this season, one in the last game. She thinks ahead to where the ball is going to be and she has a powerful kick. She isn't fearful at all of getting in and kicking the ball. I am so glad we stuck with it for her, and even more glad that I'm NOT her coach. Remember all the issues she and I had? ALL GONE with Coach Laura. Suzy takes joy in the game!

Here is her slideshow. Sadly it is short. I am sure I have more pictures than this! Where are they?

James Soccer Pix

This past Saturday was the last game of the fall soccer season for James and Suzy. The kids play again with the same teams in the spring.

James is a strong soccer player and I think he will do great in the spring. He has a very strong kick and he often kicks left-footed. David tells me James is ambidextrous. Not sure if that's true, but he is skilled at left-foot kicks. He also runs hard and thinks ahead. He is very solid and plays at a consistent level. He also gives everything he has and plays hard throughout the entire game.

James with his team:












Here is a slideshow of some photos from this last game and an earlier game. You can tell the difference - Saturday's game was FREEZING and even James wore a long-sleeved shirt under his uniform.

Don't miss the other post with pix of Suzy!

David's Soccer Team

The Second Game

David is playing on a travel soccer team this fall. He went back and forth about whether or not he should play. When he finally decided to do it, it was still a source of much angst. I was glad he decided to do it, even though it means a lot of driving for me.

Practicing is not his favorite thing, but he does love playing the game. He is with a bunch of nice guys - all Christian homeschoolers. His coaches integrate prayer into the practices and have challenged each team member to read the Bible and discipline themselves physically.

Their second game was Friday night. They played a very good team and lost 3-0. Our guys played rather sluggishly during the first half and gave up those 3 goals. The second half showed stronger playing, but they couldn't come back from that deficit. Apparently the other organization's varsity team won state last year. We played their JV team! LOL



Dialup viewers - I apologize for the slideshows you cannot see. I do hope that if you click on them and go to the Picasa website, you can see the photos.

Unexpected Soccer

So, here's something unexpected. David is going to be playing soccer again this fall!

I've been encouraging him to play and he had three options - the AYSO U-19 division (he could play free, since I'm on the board now), a rigorous and well-established (but far away and fairly expensive) homeschool travel league, and a brand new homeschool team starting up (also a travel league but less expensive and based much closer to our home). He chose the new homeschool team.

I'm actually quite shocked he chose to play at all, although as I mentioned, I've been pushing it for a long time. He played soccer for eight years and then decided not to play last year, stating at the time that he'd never play again. Recently it seemed to me that he actually enjoyed soccer as a sport, but there was something about the last team he played on that didn't quite work for him. So, I'm glad to see him give it another go.

GOAL!!!

James SCORED a goal last night in his soccer game.

I missed that game due to an event the girls had last night. I was BUMMED that I missed it!

I asked him to tell me about it and he drew me a picture of it so I thought I'd share that with all of you.

I believe this is his third goal with this team. He's been playing better and better as the spring progresses. He has two more games - Saturday and Tuesday. I hope he'll be able to score again so I can see it!

GO JAMES!!!

Heart of the Matter - Extra Activities: Helping or Hindering?

Welcome to the Heart of the Matter Online meme: Extra Activities, Helping or Hindering?

What is your weekly extra-curricular routine? Do your kids take music lessons? Sports? Are they involved in church activities? How much time does this leave for family time? Are you over-scheduled or relaxed in your outside programs? Share with us your thoughts on this!



This is an interesting survey idea. Extracurricular activities abound for home-educated children, although I know that was not necessarily the case a few years ago. Lots of options means choosing wisely. Here is how our family has decided:

MUSIC - I notice that a lot of homeschoolers do participate in weekly music lessons, but we do not. We tried piano for Emily and guitar for David at our homeschool co-op a couple years ago. Neither one showed a great aptitude for it, and we didn't continue past that year.

We do sing as a family several times a week (as part of our family worship time), usually a capella, so they do study music at least a little. We own a piano and I bought Piano for Quitters for my husband this year. I have considered having my children go through that at their own pace. My husband has not yet attempted it. I took piano lessons briefly as a child and always wished I had learned to play more proficiently. I did play flute in school band for 8 years. The money involved in private music lessons is more than I'd like to invest.

SPORTS - All of my kids have played fall and spring soccer. The younger two are playing this year - James is in his fourth year, and Suzy in her third year. Emily played for six years and David played for eight years. This year David is helping me coach Suzy's team and also unofficially referreeing her games. We have not been involved in any other sports; AYSO soccer meets all the criteria I have for sports.

Soccer involves 1 or 2 practices every week and 1 game (sometimes 2) each week from August-October and April-May. We play on a local league so everything happens within 15 minutes of our home - with the exception of David playing on a travel team last year. THAT was definitely a lot more driving, thus more commitment.

CHURCH - Church activities also play a big part in our lives. We regularly attend Sunday School and Sunday morning worship. During the school year, our elementary age children participate in a Wednesday night program. We mainly allow them to participate in this program for the social aspect, since they don't tend to learn a lot of Bible content or memory in this program. The stories tend to be the same ones over and over from year to year, in our experience.

Our teenage son participates in youth group, and this has been a topic of much discussion - is it a worthy use of time? Will it draw him closer to the Lord or closer to our culture? For now, we have decided to participate. It meets on Sunday nights, which we like in some ways and in some ways we do not. Our 6th grade daughter is "old enough" according to the church, but we are not allowing her to participate until she is 13 (or maybe 12-1/2). She is only 11 now.

We also would like to be involved in a small group at church, but we have yet to find one that matches our priorities (children welcome) and also meets at a convenient time. It might be "one thing too many". My husband has been involved in a weekly men's group that met on a weeknight throughout the past year and it has been VERY MUCH worthwhile. The kids went along because I had to work those nights.

OTHER ACTIVITIES - We do tend to participate in a lot of field trips. Our group has Park Days and Beach Days during the warm months and we make these a priority.

Art class is held once a month for 3 hours and my older 3 will participate this year. Drawing is something I cannot teach and I think these are important skills. The teacher is a godly man and his testimony alone is worth the time investment.

Chess Club is something we did for a while, mostly for relationship purposes. However, we discontinued it when gas prices began to rise and when our schedule became busier. None of the children was highly committed to chess as an activity, so no one really complained.

Co-op is one of our most enjoyed extracurricular activities and one of the biggest commitments. I won't say much about it here, since I posted about it recently. Co-op meets every other Friday from 9:30-2:30 during September-November and January-April. This is our fifth year participating in co-op and it is very rewarding!

[EDITED TO ADD}
Keepers At Home - My girls are involved in a twice-a-month Keepers At Home group that two friends of mine started. To be honest, I am wishing I hadn't committed to it. It's 25 minutes away and it's in the evening, which is something I try to avoid - evening commitments for the kids. However, I really think it'll be a valuable group and it will allow Emily to strengthen some friendships and make new ones, as well as learn more about being a godly young woman.[END OF ADDITION]

I think that's about it for extracurricular activities. I find that if we write our activities on our calendar and plan our lessons accordingly, we accomplish a lot and still get to participate in many activities. Gas prices have made a difference in some of our choices, and if the cost continues to rise, we may opt out of a few more things.

Family time is important to us too, especially considering my recent experience with working full time. We do like to have family movie night, family walks, and play games together as a family. We try to eat meals together whenever possible.