It was a perfect “between the busy” moment spent with Hockey Bob. An opportunity to talk about the past week, share funny stories and just enjoy being together on our walk to the Chelsea Farmers Market at the new Palmer Commons event space (304 S. Main St, Chelsea, MI 48118).
The wind blew lightly as we Continue reading “Chelsea Farmers Market at Palmer Commons”
Where in Ann Arbor, MI can you see an Arctic Fox, a Reindeer and an albino Alligator? The Creature Conservancy !
Warm sun on our faces, Alex and I entered and were immediately intrigued by the black swans floating gracefully in the pond directly in front of us. In the distance to the right side of the pond, Emus wandered down to the waters edge to get a drink. A gentle breeze created tiny ripples in the water, prompting me to take a deep relaxing breath.
Slowly walking to the right, Alex and I headed toward the main building. Immediately upon entering, we met Luna the albino Alligator. We watched Luna for quite some time, swimming back and forth in her enclosure. It never occurred to me that Alligators could be albino, or what they would look like – Luna is beautiful!
After visiting Luna, we saw countless turtles and snakes. As we wandered, a playful and talkative raven named Poe caught our attention. Poe loved to bob his head, and say his name – “Poe Poe!, Poe Poe!”. We saw a sloth, muntjac deer, crested porcupines, an armadillo, barnyard animals and more.
Sven the Reindeer was the featured animal the day that Alex and I visited, and we entered the center room of the main building to watch Sven on the stone stage. Sven proudly shook his antlers, and strutted the length of the barrier to show everyone just how beautiful he is.
Other presentations included cougar feeding, alligator feeding, and cougar play time.
The best part of the visit, was how many opportunities there were for hands on, interactive moments with the animals. Everything was very up close and personal, and in many cases you could touch the animals.
The entire location – indoors and out – had the relaxed, homey feeling of a farm, and people who work there are clearly passionate about what they do. The animal handlers were friendly, outgoing and eager to talk about the animals they care for. Alex and I were only there for a couple of hours, but we learned so much on our visit and walked away with a greater appreciation of the creatures that we share this planet with (and the people who advocate for them).
If you’re looking for a relaxing, low key outing with your kids in the Ann Arbor area, the Creature Conservancy is the perfect place to spend a couple of hours.
The Creature Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that takes in injured, non-releasable wildlife and occasionally acquires individual animal ambassadors to meet their teaching goals. To learn more about The Creature Conservancy, visit their Website.
At the end of this softball season, my daughters 12u softball team had the opportunity to play a game under the lights at UofM Alumni Field, and the girls were asked to choose walk out songs for their turn at bat. Alex was struggling to think of and choose her song, so I did what any self respecting modern parent would do….I turned to social media to crowd source suggestions.
The suggestions were a great mix of old and new, confident/bold, funny and nostalgic – something to fit every personality from many genres. I enjoyed the song suggestions so much I decided to share them here. We won’t go into the side conversations that were started due to my request to keep it “12 year old girl appropriate”, or the fact that someone actually suggested “Let It Go” for the sole purpose of annoying EVERYONE (I might be on board with that, but Alex wasn’t – HA)
In the order they were suggested (and yes I included a few questionable suggestions – because hey, that’s what you get when you crowd source), here are the best ideas for 12u Softball Walk Out Songs
Best Day of My Life (American Authors)
I Lived (One Republic)
All Star (Smash Mouth)
Mama Said Knock You Out (LL Cool J)
Celebration (Kool & The Gang)
Dancing Queen (ABBA)
Roar (Katy Perry)
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper)
Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Pat Benatar)
Jive Talkin (Bee Gees)
Centerfield (John Fogerty)
Another One Bites the Dust (Queen)
The Greatest (Kenny Rogers)
Enter Sandman (Metallica)
Back In Black (AC/DC)
Here Comes the Boom (Nelly)
All I Do Is Win (DJ Khaled feat. Ludacris)
Not Gonna Blow My Shot (Hamilton)
Wild Thing (The Troggs)
Youth Gone Wild (Skid Row)
American Bad Ass (Kid Rock)
I was really hoping she would go old school, but ultimately Alex chose All I Do Is Win (DJ Khaled) as her song.
Her team went on to win their game, 9-5. Go Gold!
In May of 2015 my family made a visit to Sea Life Michigan, at the request of my girls (ages 10 and 13). Having been to many aquariums in many cities, we were not sure what to expect, especially since this one is located at a mall (Great Lakes Crossing).
We ordered our tickets in advance, as that is what is recommended on the Sea Life Michigan website to ensure entry. It is a very new attraction, and due to the size they let in a limited amount of people at one time.
As we walked in, the kids received a “DIVE Log Book” with a question on each page. Once they find the answer to the question, they are to collect a “stamp” at the dive station. They present their log book at the end of the tour for a prize.
The tanks were well laid out, and there were a ton of interactive displays including “bubbles” they could stand up in to be “inside” the tanks. The touch pool was very small, but the attendants were knowledgable, and very interested in helping the kids understand what they were touching, as well as how the animals eat, live, and interact with their environment.
I really enjoyed this aquarium a lot, and even my big kids had a great time.
The tank displays are amazing, including this one at the end of the tour – my favorite!
Bottom line? If you are looking for a huge aquarium attraction with everything under the sun and a full day of viewing, you may be disappointed with the size of this cozy aquarium. However, it packs in a ton of interactive fun into a small space, and I liked the fact that it was not an all day event. My kids LOVED it.
