Month: June 2021

We made a quick trip to Rowe’s Produce this morning to pick some strawberries & get some of their strawberry shortcake mix to try!

We have some strawberry plants at home but Emilia likes to pick them as soon as she finds a red one 😆

Today, I thought I’d let her pick all the berries until she lost interest. We didn’t need too many, so I carried her box, pointed out some good ones and took some pictures. She works fast & she loses interest fast 😂

I love that Rowe’s posts updates on Facebook to let everyone know how the strawberries are each day and whether or not they will be open. You can also get on their list to receive email updates.

They also have sugar snap peas and English shelling peas!

*They suggest that if you plan to meet other people there, you should really try to meet with them off the farm and drive in together. If you drive in separately there is a chance you will be directed to park at a different field, making it very difficult to find each other. They do not allow you to drive around looking for your friends or family.

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We made a special trip last week to pick up some local honey at the Living and Learning Enrichment Center. They offer farm fresh chicken and duck eggs and honey!

While we were there, we had the chance to meet the chickens and the new alpacas, George & Stella. How adorable are they?!

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My daughter LOVED the chickens. They are free-range, cared for by the clients of the LLEC, and so friendly. It was really cute to watch all of the chickens run toward us as we approached their coop. Farmer Mary introduced us to some of the chickens and picked one up so we could pet her.

We also heard they were preparing a special place for bunnies. Since our last visit, the bunnies have arrived!

I first learned about the center from a request on Instagram. Someone reached out and invited us to come visit, so I began looking at their website to find out more information about the center.

From looking at the website, I couldn’t tell if they were open to the community but I did see that they were selling local honey and fresh eggs that Friday.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a group of people on the porch and the friendliest dog, named Ruby. We purchased the honey and asked if it would be ok if we went to visit the alpaca. They directed us where to go to find them and that we could also visit the chickens! As Emilia and I went to put the honey in the car, we had the chance to speak to another staff member who told us a little about their vision for the center.

They would really like to see LLEC become a community space. They have several acres of property and would like to have a pathway for people to walk on when they visit. They have a lavender field and it’s possible they will be offering u-pick in the fall. In the future, they might even have a doggie day care on the property!

The Living and Learning Enrichment Center is incredible. The center provides amazing programs and opportunities for those with autism. The property is beautiful and everyone we met was so kind. I look forward to our next visit.

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I finally went to Nichols Arboretum! The peonies made me do it. I didn’t want to miss out on seeing the peony garden while they were in bloom. The bloom time is pretty much over but I made it just in time, there were still some beautiful flowers left.

We didn’t make it too far past the garden today. My little one had a couple melt downs while walking through the garden. She didn’t want to go home but she wanted to be held. So we found a quiet bench in the shade and just snuggled for awhile (I’ll never turn down snuggles).

When she was ready, she got up and started wandering the trail 🤷🏻‍♀️ She made her way back through the garden and allowed me to snap a few pictures of the flowers along the way.

Next time I’ll make sure to wear better walking shoes 🤦‍♀️ I’d love to check out the trails sometime soon.

Not knowing where to park is what kept me from visiting until now! Ugh, I know it seems silly but I get really anxious when it comes to visiting new places or trying new things. One thing that helps me is to do a little research before I go, so I know what to expect.

Here is some information that I found helpful from their website:

🌸 The entrance nearest the peony garden is:

James D. Reader, Jr.
Urban Environmental Education Center at the Burnham House
1610 Washington Hts.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

🌸 Visitors may park in the University of Michigan blue lot M28 on Washington Hts. for free after 5 pm weekdays and on weekends
🌸 Metered street parking is available at Nichols Arboretum on Washington Hts. and on Observatory St. Parking charges apply Mon-Sat 8 am-6 pm; free Sundays and holidays
🌸 Open 7 days a week; sunrise to sunset
🌸 Free admission

Peak bloom time in the peony garden is usually from late May to about mid-June. There are 800 peonies and over 10,000 flowers at peak-bloom! Next year, I’ll be sure to visit sooner.

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Cranbrook House & Gardens is one of my favorite places to wander with my little one, no matter what season. I loved seeing all of the blooms in spring and summer, but I was surprised by the amazing snow covered views in the winter.

There are over 20 beautiful gardens on 40 acres surrounding the house. My favorite is the Japanese Garden, with the gorgeous red bridge!

I have not had a chance to tour the house yet, but it will be on my list of things to do when it reopens ☺️

✨ Free admission to the gardens
✨ The house remains closed at this time but be sure to check for updates on their website!

https://housegardens.cranbrook.edu/

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Whether you’re looking to adopt or simply enjoy the company of some adorable kittens 🐱 check out Tiny Lions Lounge and Adoption Center!

✨Children ages 4+ accompanied by an adult are welcome
✨Tots 3 and under are admitted in half-hour increments
✨Babies who are not walking are free
✨Masks are required

Also! Check out their website for different activities, such as Kids’ Mewvie Nights, yoga, birthday parties, and other gatherings!

My little one LOVES cats. So much that she has FaceTimed with her aunt just to have her follow her cat around the house 😆 She even gets super excited just to see our neighbors cat through the window.

I’m sure you can imagine her excitement when she saw 14 kittens running around 🥰 It was so cute watching her wander through the lounge saying “it’s a kitty” and “I’ll pet you”. I was so proud of her for being quiet and gentle; and what shocked me the most is she never attempted to pick them up.

These little kittens are so fun to play with but it was even more fun to watch my little one enjoy it so much. She wanted to try every toy to see what they would play with 😆 Some of the kittens were so cuddly! I sat down in one of the comfy chairs and a kitten climbed right up in my lap for some love.

We had such a great time and I’d love to take her back. It’s hard not to fall for these adorable kittens!

Thank you Tiny Lions!

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My name is Sarah. I’m a stay-at-home mom to a very adventurous little lady, whose name is Emilia. I’m struggling to accept that she will be 3 this summer! I have no idea where the time has gone.

When I made the decision to stay home after Emilia was born, I knew I wasn’t the type of person to just simply stay at home with her. I wanted to do all the fun things with her and make the most of our time.

At just 6 months we started storytime, music in the park, the zoo, and walking trails. As she got older, we kept finding more and more places to visit and new activities to try.

Things were tricky during lockdown for the pandemic but we still found plenty to keep us busy. Our favorite thing to do was to explore new trails. We found all these little gems that I probably passed several times but never knew they were there!

I’ll be honest, I am not a writer! Just a mama looking for a space to share all of the fun activities and places to visit. My husband didn’t want to miss out on seeing her experience all these new things while he was at work so I have always taken a ton of pictures and videos for him to see. Eventually, I started posting them on Instagram and Snapchat for all of our friends and family to see.

I didn’t realize how many people were paying attention to our little adventures until just recently. I was blown away by the amazing things people had to say about all the activities we do together.

With the help of some friends and family, I decided to start this blog to share all of our family fun activities!