Chess Solitare - Review

Timberdoodle recently sent us this cool chess game to review. Now, I must tell you that most of us are NOT chess players over here, with Pillar being the exception. I was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was it challenging enough for her, but I was able to learn the game as well! It was really fun!!

There are 60 different game boards divided into three levels of difficulty. "I" started off with the easiest! LOL Pillar started somewhere in the middle. The object of the game is to use appropriate chess moves to end up with only one piece on the board, effectively teaching chess "strategy". What a marvelous idea! It's a small compact game that can be played anywhere and the fact that it can be played independently or by yourself is a HUGE plus! We are a big game playing family over here, and this one definitely passed!!

The game sells for $17.50 and when you order it from Timberdoodle you are not only supporting a fantastic homeschool family, but you will also get to experience their awesome website and super fast shipping! Here's the link to get your own catalog-FREE!

Disclosure: This game was given to me for the sole purpose of this review. All opinions here belong to me and my family, we were not paid!

Sever's Corn Maze

Yesterday, I gave Rosebud a quiz and one of her answers referred to the fact that I am....uh hum....shall I say.....directionally challenged. So today we went to a huge corn maze. It was the size of 7 football fields! There were 26 signs to be found within, each with a letter of the alphabet on it. They gave you a map at the entrance and let's just say the girls decided that it would be safer for all of us if they led the search! LOL And can I just say that I am thrilled all three of them did GREAT! I was truly amazed. It was very difficult and took us well over an hour to wind our way around and around then find our way out! As you can see the girls were very proud to have made it through AND find all the letters! For an additional fee you could sling pumpkins at different bulls eyes.....

(Side note: This dad kept stepping into my view right when I took the pic. The first pic, not a problem, but by the 5th or 6th.....c'mon!"

It was so much fun to watch them aim high, aim low and then SMACK that pumpkin on the bulls eye and watch it explode!

This was the corn launcher. She landed all three of her pieces perfectly through the end zone!

If you look closely you can see the field goal next to the big bulls eye.

Inside the corn maze.....looking for the next letter.

Camel rides!

They also had an exotic animal petting zoo. It was by far the coolest thing I've ever seen! I was fascinated by the kangaroos. They had several mama's with baby's in their pouches! I've read about them before, but seeing them in person was so much better! Their legs, their tails, they were so strong! The pouches were strong yet thin enough that we could watch the baby's wiggle and squirm and stick out their hands and feet! Amazing!!

Not quite sure what she's doing with her head stuck all the way down in her pouch, but look how flexible she is!! Then there was the hay bale maze that the kids could either walk through......

or run across! Can you see Pillar in grey and Miracle in pink as they play tag??

Although the cow was fake, the utters if squeezed correctly would shoot out water. Yup....Pillar got me good! LOL

Having FUN in the maze!

Goofin' around, being silly!

It was truly a wonderful day!! We had so much fun together. I've always wanted to take the girls, but the price was too high. This year I found the deal of the century and was able to go. Wahoo!! I love it when the Lord does sweet things for me like that. Thank you Lord!

My Mom by Rosebud ~ Age 9

This is a cute idea. Copy this note, ask your child the questions and write them down exactly how they respond. Tag me back if you haven't done this, I'd love to hear the answers.

1. What is something mom always says to you?"Are you going to choose to have a good attitude today?"

2. What makes mom happy?"Good attitudes and no fighting"

3. What makes mom sad?"When I get hurt"

4. How does your mom make you laugh?"when she tickles me!"

5. What was your mom like as a child?"just a little bit of trouble, but not as much as Uncle Mike and smart and beautiful"

6. How old is your mom?"should I say 39 or 40?"

7. How tall is your mom?" 6 foot 1??? "

8. What is her favorite thing to do?"go somewhere with us and have a wonderful time (and no fighting)"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?"I don't know.....what do you do???"

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?"A CHEF!"

11. What is your mom good at?"Being Mom!"

12. What is your mom not very good at?"maps (I should mention that this one in particular got an AMEN from her sisters! LOL"

13. What does your mom do for her job?"daycare and someday a nurse"

14. What is your mom's favorite food?"Well....I know what your favorite dessert is."

15. What makes you proud of your mom?"when she doesn't even have to look at a map ONCE and gets us there real fast."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?"Snoopy"

17. What do you and your mom do together?"go shopping for the weekly groceries"

18. How are you and your mom the same?"we talk a lot and make friends easily"

19. How are you and your mom different?"You're wiser than me"

20. How do you know your mom loves you?" She always loves me. When you sing me my song... That's when I know you REALLY love me."

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?"Anywhere with us."

22. Where is your favorite place to go?"Walnut Grove!"