We used to play chess before we had children. Then the kids came and grew and I’d find chess pieces in with their toys. Some pieces seemed to be lost forever. Fast forward several years. Joey got this game for his birthday. It is a really good game. There are two sides to it. The easy side teaches your children how to play the game. Each player picks a card and has to move that piece. The card shows and explains how to move it. If they can’t move that piece, or that one was already captured, play moves to the next player. It wasn’t long before Joey was ready to flip the board over, not use the cards, and play a real game. We definitely recommend it!

We crammed a lot in during our last three days on the road. There’s just so much to see in this amazing country of ours. Honestly, if you’ve never taken a road trip with your children, you need to. Our first stop was Dodge City. We’d been there before, but it’s got some really neat history. The boys got deputized by the marshal. I was bummed they took the schoolhouse out. The last time I made the boys all sit at a desk while I stood up front ‘teaching’ them. The next day we stopped at Royal Gorge in Colorado. Whoa is all I have to say. The boys weren’t sure about going on the gondola, so we walked across the bridge first. It supposedly can hold 2 million pounds, but that doesn’t ease the nerves when you can see down to the bottom through the wood slats. After a slow trek, we made it. We watched a cool film in the theater about its history and the fire that caused a lot of damage in 2013. It was getting really hot, but the boys really wanted to go to the play yard. It was up a steep hill, and…

The younger four boys, my mom, and I took a vacation to see some family out of state. The boys were great, and we had so much fun doing many different activities. First was the splash park. We weren’t sure how the Jacob would like it. He loved it! It was really fun to watch him get soaked all while cracking up. We took a trip to the zoo on a day we thought wouldn’t be too hot……The tiger was up walking around, and the lions were both sleeping right next to the viewing glass. We got awfully sweaty, but the boys had a great time. After spending some time with their cousins, we took a trip to the small town pool the boys’ dad went to as a kid. They love diving in the water. It’s a really neat experience for them. It feels like going back in time. Since we were so close, we had to take a drive to Pawhuska, OK to see the Mercantile. The boys and I had already been, but my mom hadn’t. We did some shopping and had a delicious lunch. At the end of our visit, we took them to a fun…

There is nothing quite like hitting the open road and exploring all America has to offer. My goal is to visit all 50 states. I have been to 29 so far! I’ve been to every state west of the Mississippi River, except for Alaska, Arkansas, and Louisiana. I would love to take a cruise to Alaska, but since I have a one year old, that dream will have to take a back seat. The boys are the same, except they have never been to Hawaii. This trip has been a little different, since it’s just the younger 4 boys, my mom, and me. Our trip started as we headed north through Big Sky country. All I have to say is….beautiful! We’ve stopped at four National Parks/Monuments/Historical Sites so far. The boys are earning their Junior Ranger badges each time. I think this is a great incentive to get the kids involved at each of the sites. They get a book and have to answer questions, do activities, say the pledge, and get it checked by a park ranger. It’s been a fun adventure getting all of us involved in trying to figure out the answers. The Little Bighorn Battlefield book…

We live so close to so many amazing places. Yesterday, I told the boys we were getting some sandwiches and heading off to have a picnic. We were first going to find a place by the river, but there were too many bugs. So, I decided to keep driving. We found a back road that said it led to a boat ramp. We turned and found ourselves on a curvy road surrounded by forest. When the road ended, we discovered there was a really neat beach/picnic area. We opted to park above and eat at one of the picnic tables in the woods, with a view of the lake. The boys then explored some trails. Once on the road again, we couldn’t pass up the chance to get some yummy square ice cream. The boys think it’s the coolest thing (pun intended 🙂 ). It takes me back to my childhood when we would stop in at Thrifty. It was a fun day, exploring nature and spending quality time together. Ohhhhh! I almost forgot….at one point we stopped in the middle of the road to take in the beauty of a female moose! Have I said yet how much I…