Family Adventure Days began when my husband and I realized that while we were all together at home on the weekends, we weren’t actually tuning into each other as a family. With the temptations of video games, tv, and the internet at home, we decided to set aside one day each weekend that we are able to leave the house and get out and have some fun together as a family. This began last September and has been the best thing that ever happened to the Jordans!

Hope you enjoy this post and be sure to enter my big Nestle giveaway (FREE Groceries) at the bottom!

Alright so this family adventure day is a little different for us because it is missing a key person but has eight additional ones in his place! Ricky (the daddy in our family) was at work when my mother called and asked if Brady, Katy, and I wanted to come with her and my other Auntlings to Tate Farms in Huntsville, Alabama. The kids were on fall break and I had a TON of work to do with Southern Plate and trying to get ready for the first big leg of my book tour (click here to see where I’m traveling this week). but you know what? A chance for my kids to spend the day with their cousins and grandmother just can’t be passed up so I put ye olde “to do” list on the back burner and we headed out.

Pictured above Clockwise: Jake, Lane, Brady, Austin, Elle, and Katy Rose.

This is me and my girly auntlings: I’m holding Elle, Morgan is to my left, and Katy Rose is in front.

Morgan really wanted to be on Southern Plate !

As you can see, the entire day was just one big old photo op amidst the fun!

We had eight kids with us and by this time my sister, Patti, joined us too.

I told Mama I felt like we were the Duggars!

Speaking of the Duggars. This is SaraBeth.

I got to meet her during the Southern Plate Scavenger Hunt and we had a great time getting to chat.

Turns out we are both big fans of the Duggars tv show! ~waves to SaraBeth~

She told me she is a big fan of Southern Plate and after meeting her, I’m now a big fan of SaraBeth!

Another great photo op of the kids at the Pumpkin house.

I LOVE this one. If you look real close you can see little Elle peeping out from the cotton!

Then to the corn cribs to play! This is always a favorite of the kids.

Katy Rose and Jake

Austin

Lane is smiling up on the left here. He is still reveling in the glory of guest blogging Honeybun Cake on Southern Plate a while back!

These kids think it’s really something to be on here and I am happy to accommodate!

You know, that’s the thing. Kid are so easily thrilled with the smallest things and it is so much fun to make them feel good!

Brady, Katy Rose, Me, Patti, and Elle.

This is on the trailer that takes you out to the pumpkin patch to choose your pumpkin.

Mama, Morgan, Jake, and Austin.

This is also the trailer that is pulled by the tractor that covers you in a thick layer of red dust if it hasn’t rained in a while.

~chuckles~

It hadn’t rained in quite a while…

Then you scatter to the winds on the hunt for the perfect pumpkin!

Victory!

Brady, Lane, and Collin.

And this is a picture we’ll always cherish.

I got pumpkin sitting duty as the kids took some time on the big farm playground.

This is really a neat place, lots of fun. You could easily spend the whole day here and never get bored. As it was we were here a few hours and were exhausted when we left!

Don’t have a pumpkin patch or farm nearby?

You can still have a great Adventure day out of picking out your pumpkin!

• Go to your nearest grocery store, talk it up on the way and let your kids pick out the perfect pumpkin!

• Take photos of the entire process to help make more of an event out of it.

• Afterward, take them out for ice cream, dessert, or even smoothies. Take photos of that, too!

• Bring the pumpkins home and let your kids draw faces on them with permanent markers.

• Be sure to photograph them with the finished pumpkin to instill pride in their job well done.

The key to a wonderful Family Adventure day is not about spending a lot of money or filling your day with amusement park type attractions, it’s in setting aside special time, declaring it special time, and spending it with each other as a family.

And now a little something for your family from Nestle and Southern Plate:

FIVE Winners will be chosen to each win a Nestle Coupon

pack that includes coupons to get everything pictured above FREE.

How do you enter? Simply leave a comment below!

Contest details : Five winners chosen at random using random.org. Contest closes at midnight Sunday, October 17th, 2010. Winners will be notified by email on October 18th, announced on Facebook, and posted on this post.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Special thanks to the wonderful people at Nestle, who truly understand the value of family time!

This post has been sponsored by Nestle. I have not been financially compensated for this post but Nestle was kind enough to give me the coupons to offer in this giveaway. These disclaimers annoy me so I’m gonna disclaim some fun stuff, too. I don’t like water because it tastes nothing like Diet Dr Pepper and I prefer caramel over chocolate. Oh, and I hope you win!

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I’d love to meet you! This week I’ll be traveling to:

• October 10 -Southern Festival of Books/Nashville(Speaking 1:30, signing books 2:30-4:30)
• October 11 – Books a Million/Huntsville, AL/7:00PM
• October 12 -Square Books/Oxford, MS/5:00PM
• October 13 -Davis Kidd/Memphis/6:00PM
• October 14 -Lemuria/Jackson, MS/5:00PM

For more information and other tour stops, click here.

Yesterday we ended up in the top 100 books on Amazon.com thanks to you!

Please click here to read the post on how you can help us get on the New York Times Bestseller List!

Family faces are magic mirrors looking at people who

belong to us, we see the past, present, and future.

~Gail Buckley. Submit your quote here!