Category: family friendly

Weekend Getaway-Pt. 2 – All Aboard and an Art Museum

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family, family friendly16 Comments

Yesterday I shared a little bit about our crazy day getting to our destination, and about an amazing bookstore. Today is all about the train! Buckle up, this is going to be a long, photo heavy post. Maybe refill your coffee..

Our Airbnb was 40 minutes from the station, so we got up early to drive to Akron. I was super nervous. The train itself is not wheelchair accessible, however it does have an ADA car that wheelchair users can ride on. The area we sat in, the skydome car, is not at all, so our plan was to leave the wheelchair in the car and Billy would carry Wyatt up to our seats. I have no idea why I was nervous about this, but I was. I didn’t need to worry however, because boarding went perfectly.

We felt pretty fancy, heading up the small staircase in the train to our seats. There were about 8 tables that sat four people in our area, and windows above us, forming the dome. The car we rode on is called the Silver Lariat, and was part of the California Zephyr back in the day. Now it transports tourists up and down the tracks, alongside the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Wyatt absolutely loved every second of the ride. And so did Billy and I!! The ride was beautiful, and we saw a beaver marsh, lakes, trees, and a woman working on the most amazing cut flower garden in her yard. There are stops along the way throughout the park, but since we didn’t have Wyatt’s wheelchair we just rode the train as a roundtrip ride, a total of two hours.

This was such a fun way to start the day, and we loved it so much that we want to go back, maybe during the winter. I totally want to see snow out the window and pretend I am in the movie White Christmas. It was well worth the drive to go on this ride, and well worth the relatively inexpensive tickets for the skydome seats.

After the train ride, we went to the Visitors Center at Boston Mills in the park. We had some ice cream, and Wyatt completed his Junior Ranger Badge.

When we finished up at the National Park, we weren’t ready to pack it in quite yet. So we found a nearby nature center, the Brecksville Nature Center. The building was really cool, with carvings decorating the beams. It also had a nice sized trail that we could take Wyatt on in his wheelchair. We even saw a couple getting married in a small intimate maybe 5 or 6 person wedding ceremony. We tried to keep a respectful distance and maintained quiet while we passed them.

After tooling around the nature center, we were ready to head back to our house. We were a little wiped out! So we got some takeout, took it back, and relaxed in front of the television. We were packing up the next day to head home but we had one more adventure before we did.

We weren’t sure in the morning where we wanted to go; there are so many options! The Art Museum, the Natural History Museum, the zoo, the aquarium – we just didn’t have enough time left to hit them all. Thank goodness we are just around the lake and can go back easily enough!

We ended up choosing the art museum. I wanted to make sure that we had more than enough time to spend in the Natural History Museum, so we are definitely going back for that soon. And while Wyatt may not have had as much fun as he did on the train, he did have fun. Billy and I however really enjoyed our visit. There are so many famous artists on display here! Picasso, Van Gogh, Rousseau, Rodin, Warhol, and Monet. Sigh. Monet. I love Monet. And I got to stand in front of one of his Water Lilies paintings and it was incredible.

We also saw a dining room rug that once was in Louis the XIV’s palace. It was immense and absolutely gorgeous.

I also may have accidentally set off an invisible alarm system….ok, I did. But I didn’t mean to, and I wasn’t really breaking a rule. There were these chairs, you see, tapestry chairs with wolves in the center, and going into full homeschool mom mode, I was standing next to it, gesturing and pointing to the wolf in the middle and explaining to Wyatt how they were based off fables and blah blah blah – and my hand went over the invisible alarm in my wild gesturing apparently. The alarm was not silent. Wyatt’s eyes went wide and I was like what is happening. A security guard did come over and she told me I set off the alarm, and told me so many people do that – and said that some people even sit in the chairs!

Billy and I also went nuts in the Asian arts area, over all the pottery. We felt so knowledgeable after watching The Great Pottery Throw Down. We were throwing out terms like we were experts.

Wyatt was super bored in this area. He perked up when we went to the armor room though. Both Billy and Wyatt really loved that room.

I met them over there though, because I wanted to spend time fawning over the Faberge…

And I need to wrap this up!! We of course all had favorites. Wyatt loved the armor room the best.

In addition to the armor room, Billy really liked these two pieces, but particularly the Bats and Peaches dish.

My favorite pieces were the Faberge, a Monet called The Red Kerchief, which depicts Monet’s wife Camille, which is said to have been kept with Monet his entire life, as he loved it dearly. I also absolutely loved this painting of Nathaniel Olds, painted by Jeptha Homer Wade.

I love it so much. This is what it says about it on the website. (and on the placard under the painting)

The green-tinted spectacles worn by Olds were designed to protect the eyes from the intensity of Argand lamps, a type of indoor light used during the early 1800s. These lamps burned whale oil, and many people worried that its bright flames might damage eyesight.The painter of this portrait founded the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1854 and soon became one of Cleveland’s wealthiest industrialists. His grandson, Jeptha Wade II, was a founder of the Cleveland Museum of Art and donated the land upon which it stands as a Christmas gift to the city in 1892.

It also apparently has inspired Halloween costumes in the Cleveland area. I can see why, it is such a cool painting!

And like I said, I need to wrap this up. After exploring for a few hours, it was time to hit the road. Thankfully our ride home was uneventful, and we were all happy to see our pets when we tumbled into the house two and half hours later.

If you get a chance, check out the train and the Art Museum. They are definitely worth the trip!

Mini Trip Getaway: Shopping, Squirrels, and Starry Skies

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family friendly, Michigan14 Comments

Last year, it was wolves. This year, the stars. Every year for Wyatt’s birthday we try to find a nature inspired adventure; when he was little, they were closer to home, but as he has gotten older, we have ventured farther afield. Last year we travelled to Indiana to the Wolf Park Sanctuary, which was awesome and I thought, well, how the heck do we do anything to measure up to that trip? And then I realized, I didn’t need to. It wasn’t about that. It’s not about finding bigger and better every year – it is about finding a new adventure as a family. After that, it was easy to pick. And honestly, this trip was pretty darn fantastic in every way.

This year, we travelled to a town in Northern Michigan – Alpena, right on Lake Huron. Billy and I were excited because Lake Huron is one of the two Great Lakes we had never visited. We always visit the sunset side of Michigan, never the sunrise side. So this was a new experience for us too! I reserved a cute little AirBnB in a quiet neighborhood, that was advertised as being close to the lake and downtown and when we pulled up we were happy to see that it was just as perfect in person as it was online. A little corner house, filled with light, roomy and bright, and perfect for our little family’s little trip. We trundled in with all of our gear – so much when traveling with a kid! Games and technology and snacks and of course his gifts for his actual birthday. Cake and ice cream too, and all the things for a pancake breakfast per Wyatt’s request.

Our first night, after we had finished grocery shopping, we just settled in and were lazy bones, enjoying the comfort of the house. We ordered food from a place named The Nest, and it blew us away it was so delicious. Billy and I each ordered a different steak burger – Billy the Brie Larson, and I ordered the Classic Owl (of course). Wyatt ordered the grilled cheese from the Fledglings part of the menu, and wow, everything was amazing. Like, it was the best burger I have had in a long time, if ever. I definitely recommend this place if you are ever in Alpena, hands down. We didn’t dine in, we took it back to the house where we ate it picnic style on our picnic blanket on the living room floor. Wyatt loves a picnic, so a picnic we gave him.

We turned in early, and were up with the birds the next day, thanks to our own little early bird.

After a cup of coffee, Billy started making the big pancake and bacon breakfast for our new nine year old!

Wyatt loves Peppa Pig. Like loves Peppa Pig. There is an episode where Daddy Pig flips a pancake and a pancake lands on his head – so we were joking and wondering if Billy was going to end up with a pancake on his head, like Daddy Pig. Hence, the pancake on Billy’s head. He’s a good sport. Lol.

After filling up on pancakes and bacon, we headed out! Our first stop, downtown Alpena for a little shopping. You may not realize this, but Wyatt loves to shop. It cracks Billy and I up, because we are not shoppers. However my dad LOVES to shop, so apparently he inherited his love of shopping from his grandpa. Our first stop was Cabin Creek Coffee, where a polite pirate held the door open for us. It was so cute in there! Then we spent the next hour or so happily popping in and out of the shops. Our favorite by far was Traveling Ladders, an art/antique/home decor store. First the woman working was so friendly and welcoming, which is always nice. And the store itself was chock full of beautiful things – I could have spent all day in there marveling at all the little things. It is two floors, with the top floor being all antiques – just like the building itself is an old building. It was an old pharmacy and you can see the all the old bottles and boxes and shelves and drawers still there. It was really beautiful! I of course had to take a photo from the top floor of Wyatt and Billy way down there below! We also ended up buying a really cool antique/vintage poster for Wyatt’s room redo that is upcoming.

After exhausting all of our shopping options, we moved on! I had read about a small little island wildlife sanctuary right there in Alpena and that was our next stop. It was just the perfect size for us and it was so beautiful. It was really neat that it was a little island too. It was like this little peaceful oasis of nature, quiet, and calm right there in the city. And, we saw flying squirrels!!! We heard this weird noise that we thought was from birds, but nope, it was flying squirrels! We have never seen them in person so that was a first for us as well. They were so cute and tiny – and so loud despite their diminutive size. We also stumbled upon a geocache, and we added our names to the notebook and left a Valentines rubber stamp that I had in my purse, because I am a mom and become the holder of all things and you never know what you are going to find in my purse.

After walking around here, we were ready to go back to the house and chill out for a while. We played games, watched tv, just bummed around. We had a big night planned so it was good to get some relaxing time in there.

We hung out for a bit, then as dinner time rolled around we knew we had to get moving again for the main event of Wyatt’s birthday surprise! We had pizza followed by cake and ice cream, then bundled up for our night under the stars! Ok, not a whole night. Just a little while under the stars. Our destination – Rockport State Park! It has been designated a dark sky park, which means there is absolutely no light pollution. Being from the Detroit area, we are used to the dark being not really actually full dark at home. As we got closer and closer, the dark began to feel much closer, and the stars started popping out in the sky, little by little, and more and more. We could not have asked for a more perfect night for stargazing either. Clear, not a cloud in the sky, and a new moon, which means no moonlight either – just the light of the stars. We pulled into the lot, with Lake Huron in front of us, and Billy switched off the headlights. And then, it was pitch black. The dark just enveloped us, which I have to admit was a little unsettling at first. The woods surrounded us, the lake was in front of us, and I couldn’t see either of them. But I could feel them, if that makes sense. There was a chill in the air, and the waves were rioting below us, lapping against the shore with their slosh and retreat. The real show however was overhead. Never have Wyatt and I seen so many stars in the sky! It was like a brilliant blanket, and it seemed like there was not one available spot left in the sky for one more star. Orion was out, bold and bright. The Big Dipper and Little Dipper. It was just awe inspiring. We could have watched them all night (even though I was a bit nervous a bear would sneak up on us and eat us up) but all things must come to an end at some time. So after collecting a few rocks (Billy turned the headlights on for this) we headed back into town, leaving the stars and sky behind. As we drove to our little house for the night, The Decemberists were playing on the radio and it was just a dreamy way to end the evening as we headed back through the black. It had felt like we were the only people on earth for a little while and made us think big thoughts as we were reminded of just how wide and vast this universe really is.

This photo really does not do the sky justice – we didn’t have any other camera equipment with us besides our phone camera and Billy managed to get this one shot, which is beautiful. Imagine it though, with stars filling almost the whole frame because that is how it looked in person.

We of course had to examine our rocks before bed – and we learned that Wyatt really loves rocks. In fact so much, he wanted to take one to bed with him that night. So one rock became designated the bedroom rock and spent the night on the nightstand. It is on the nightstand here at home now, too.

And just like that, our adventure had come to an end. The next morning we packed up and headed home, stopping only for one thing – a roadside Paul Bunyan and Babe.

We had a fantastic weekend with our little guy for his birthday!

Wednesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Coffee Catch UP, day in the life, family friendly, mom life, nature12 Comments

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great holiday weekend if you are in the U.S., or just a great past few days if not! We had a pretty relaxed few days, with the exception of our July 4th celebration with my family. We actually celebrated on the Monday instead of yesterday and it was nice to have yesterday as a rest day. Because we needed it!

I have not seen a few of my cousins or their families since the fourth of July party last year! My cousin has been hosting and his house is absolutely gorgeous and perfect for parties, and the day is just so perfect and filled with laughter. Wyatt (and by default Billy) spent hours in the pool, where the kids just swam and splashed and used squirt guns, while the rest of us adults caught up with each other in the shade. Other dads did duck in and out of the pool, as well as a few moms. I loved being able to hang out with my brother and cousins – we had an hour or so where it was just the five of us sitting around the table, chatting and laughing and remembering. And all the food!! So much food. Everything was delicious but my sister-in-law made some sort of ooey gooey peanut buttery thing and oh my gosh, it was amazing.

The weather was a bit unpredictable – we would have a few hours of straight sun, then a stray rain downpour would unleash itself on us all. The first few the kids just kept on playing in the pool, and the last one was just crazy and we all ran off for the various areas of cover. Billy and Wyatt and I ended up in the best spot – we headed for high ground and the pergola covered patio – also where all the food was.

Tiny Bebe girl met the next youngest little, my cousin Mike’s youngest son. Little kiddo was slightly alarmed to see his mom holding a different baby. Lol.

By the time we left, full of sun, memories, food, and pool time, we were exhausted and ready to clean up and put on our pajamas. It had been a fantastic day though.

Saturday and Sunday were so rainy! We did do some fun stuff over the weekend leading up to the holiday though, despite the storms that kept rolling through. Between the rain and the air quality (again ugh) we were stuck inside but we made good use of it, playing board games and reading and completing our tiny art for our library’s tiny art show!

I am not an artist but I had fun anyway. It was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon, painting our “submissions” to the show. Billy and I have a few details to add to our paintings but I will be turning them in later this week and they will be displayed in the library the whole month of August, along with everyone else who registered. From left to right – Wyatt’s sun and moon, Billy’s Panda King isopod, and my little brown snail. Lol.

All this rain has been good for the garden and the plants though!

We managed to squeeze in one bike ride before the rain and air quality got bad this weekend. And we took lots of drives and ate lots of watermelon.

And that was that! How about you all? What have you been up to?

The Nutcracker Immersive

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Detroit, family friendly, holiday13 Comments

We have been on the go these past few days!

I declared last Wednesday Wyatt’s last day of school until the first week of January, and since then we have been just doing all the Christmas.

Thursday afternoon my dad, Wyatt, and I went to the Nutcracker Immersive Experience in Detroit. My dad and I are “get there early” people so we left at like 11:50 for a show that started at 1 and was an easy 20 minute drive. I was all parked in the parking garage at 12:10 and we both looked at each other and were like, “Well, we have some time before it starts”. I wandered to the street to see how far we were from the venue – which ended up being 250 feet so good on me for choosing a close parking garage. (The Detroit Opera House garage was a good choice but pricey at $20. There is also a lot on the other side of the venue that is gated and $10) So we listened to some Christmas music for a bit then decided to walk down and see if we could get in early. I was guessing we could because it was a Thursday afternoon before school was out for the day or for the holidays. And we could! It was in an old Detroit building with stairs up to the door, but they had a clearly visible sign pointing to where we could access ADA entry. It was a little old elevator that my dad told Wyatt had been around since the time of Lincoln but it did the job.

The doors opened, and we were the first people there! Or only people? We could hear the music all around us as soon as the doors opened and Wyatt was getting pretty excited! We got all checked in – Wyatt had a premium ticket where he received an ornament and my dad and I had basic tickets, because we wanted Wyatt to get the special treatment. There were four ornaments to choose from, and Wyatt picked the Mouse King. This was not surprising to me – Wyatt always picks the animal choice if there is one.

It looks pretty cute hanging on our tree!

Once checked in we were scooted across the hall, the source of the music. There were drapes across the doorway and the staff held them open for us as we entered the room (which was completely empty!). We were all awestruck. Seriously. We walked in at the perfect time – the projections and VR and the music were at a crescendo, a blizzard was swirling all around us, and we were absolutely immersed in the scene. It was pretty amazing honestly. Wyatt kept exclaiming “Whoa! Whoa!!” and laughing. Exactly what I wanted!


This reel is a composite of different moments – I didn’t want to add too many videos and drive you all crazy!

We spent about 20 minutes alone in that first room which was awesome. Then we decided to check out the ballroom upstairs.

This room was huge! And still very empty as you can see. It was actually so big that Wyatt wanted to wheel around everywhere and explore the space more than watch the show, but that is exactly why I chose this immersive version. He loves the music of the Nutcracker but there is no way he would ever sit through a full production of it. A 30 minute immersive was perfect.

We were in the ballroom for the end of the show, and we weren’t quite ready to leave. As there were not tons of people and no one waiting, we chose to go back down to the first room to see the snowstorm again before leaving. It was still just as magical!

Best photo of the three of us of the bunch that were taken. Lol. Oh well. We had a fantastic time, and would for sure do it again. It was a a great day of music and magical memory making, a very special day spent with my dad and my child.

The Details:

The Immersive Nutcracker in Detroit is at the Lighthouse ArtSpace on Grand River, right by the Opera House. They have a few different ticket packages to choose from, with the most basic ticket starting at $29.99. Parking was easy during the day, but it did look like there were multiple lots scattered all around. This area services Comerica Park, The Opera House, and Ford Field so it is a pretty main area of Detroit.

There are a few benches scattered around the rooms for seating, but I think if you go during a busy time, it might be difficult to grab one. I am not sure how close they pack people in, so if you have the ability to go during a less busy time like we did I would suggest it. Also, this could be very overstimulating and cause sensory overload for those who are sensitive to it. It is immersive, and they don’t kid around with that claim. There are even sensory warning signs on display. Wyatt and my dad are both sensory seeker type people, where I am..not. I was find with it but afterwards I definitely felt the need to decompress in a quiet space. So keep that in mind.

ADA Thoughts:

I was happy with the accommodations made for wheelchairs and those with mobility issues. The clearly visible sign directing us to the elevator entrance, the staff was also very friendly and made a point to tell us that the ballroom had tons of space to move about. I don’t know how it would be if it were crowded but with a light attendance it was perfect. I also would ask about epilepsy warnings if photosensitive epilepsy is an issue, at least for the Nutcracker Experience, as the scenes moved quick and there was some flashing. And of course the sensory warnings as well. Overall though, this was a very easy and fun trip out for us all! I would 100% go again!

Field Trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Detroit, family friendly, homeschooling, Michigan15 Comments

Circumstances have aligned that are going to make going places and doing things much more accessible for us. First, the wheelchair! Wyatt is working on walking but just doesn’t have the stamina or endurance to go very far, so we need the wheelchair until he gets there. And we have one now and life is easier! Second, the pandemic has reached a point where I feel comfortable taking Wyatt into places like museums again. We still wear masks but things are better for us around here. So I was super excited to take Wyatt to the museum!

We rolled up early in the morning., bright and early at 9 when they open. We are get up and go people, we are up early anyway (thanks to early bird boy) and I also like how empty a place is that early so, there we were. The only other people there seemed to be the people going to the Van Gogh exhibit (which I need to get to before it leaves) so we sort of had the rest of the museum to ourselves for quite a while. My mom went with us, as did Billy since he had the day off to go camping. (he headed out after our field trip). We had a great time.

First up were the Diego Rivera murals, the whole point to our trip. Wyatt has been learning about Diego River in art and I was really excited to be able to show him some actual, in person, works of Rivera. He could not believe how huge they were. They are pretty awe inspiring.

After we spent some time here, we moved on to the ofrendas, a special exhibit right now. I wanted all of us to see it, as this month Wyatt and I are focusing on all Hispanic artists this month and I also have some lessons about Dia de los Muertos as well coming up. My mom, Billy, and I were very moved by these personal and emotional creations. They were very elaborate and thoughtful. I was not comfortable taking photos of them for obvious reasons, but there were some parts I did feel it was ok to do so. These ofrendas were intended for public viewing to educate but also still were personal to the artist’s family, so it was tricky.

After soaking in the ofrendas, we wandered around the rest of of that floor. Wyatt was more excited about using his wheelchair than he was about the art and we had to keep him in check – I was slightly anxious my exuberant child was going to knock over a Roman bust or something.

Just a few more, I promise.

We didn’t explore the whole museum this time – I figured that this was enough for this visit and we can back and see the rest later. I also wanted to visit the gift shop before we left to look for Frida, Rivera, or Day of the Dead stuff. I could have poked around in there all day but my guys were getting restless.

The DIA offers a free educator pass to homeschool families which is pretty cool! I applied in September and received mine a few days later. I am looking forward to seeing what they offer!

Our first wheelchair field trip adventure was a success and I am looking forward to our future adventures!

A Morning at the Fair

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family friendly, Michigan11 Comments

This whole summer, Wyatt and I have been reading and talking about farms – we have visited farms, stayed at a farm, read many books about farms (including Charlotte’s Web), and still have some farm plans ahead of us. So when the Monroe County Fair rolled around this year, I knew we had to go.

I grew up going to this fair. Every summer, the first week of August, we would meet my aunts and uncles and cousins and spend an evening eating pie from my cousin’s grandmother’s church stand, probably a pie that she had made herself, riding the rides, climbing up and sitting on the tractors, and looking at all of the animals, my favorite part. As I got older, we didn’t go as a family anymore. But I still went. As a teenager my friends and I would drive down and hang out, when Billy and I started dating I dragged him down to the fair, I met my dad and my nephew there for a few years, and when we had Wyatt, I met my cousin and his family there, along with my aunt and uncle, for the first time since we were kids.

This year, we had to go. It had been too long. Unfortunately, there was a heat advisory for our area this weekend so we thought perhaps we should stay home. We talked about it since Wyatt is not great in the heat, but after some discussion, we decided it would be fine if we went early. So, first thing Saturday morning we took off for the fair, getting there just as the gates opened at 9 am.

It was a ghost town compared to the evenings, when the midway is packed and the smell of popcorn and elephant ears drifts at you from every corner. We were pretty much the only people there who were not there to take care of their animals, and all the 4-h kids and their parents were busy cleaning and feeding and mucking out stalls. The horse competition had started an hour earlier, so that was going on as well, horses getting made all pretty before entering the ring.

It was nice to have the room to move around and view the animals so early. Wyatt was so quiet, taking it all in. I don’t think he could believe how close we were to these huge animals! We started with the cows, and immediately saw the dairy cows from the farm nearest us, that we often get milk and butter and most importantly, ice cream from – the Calder Dairy Farm.

Next we moved across the street to my favorite building of all – the bunnies and the chickens!

I stopped and talked to probably every rabbit there. I thought of the hutch rabbits in Watership Down, and wondered what Hazel and his gang would think of some of these cute floofs – or the Flemish Giant who was lounging in a place of honor. He was as big as Wyatt! The small animal auction was scheduled for 11 am, but Billy was a real stick in the mud and said there was no way we were taking home a rabbit. Hmmph. One day. It is ok, I don’t think I could have decided between them all anyway! Well, maybe that little one on top there, the first photo. So stinking cute!

From here we wandered back to the larger animals, the sheep and the goats.

One young 4-H Club member was proud to tell us about his sheep, and he should have been proud. He also was keen to share his knowledge with us, and explained that in addition to shearing the sheep so they stay cool, they also do it so the judges can see the muscle structure. I hope that kid and his sheep earned a blue ribbon!

By this point Wyatt was having his hungriest moment and we were all turning into melted puddles from the heat and humidity. So we took a quick little break at the restaurant run by the 4-H kids, and Wyatt enjoyed a huge waffle.

Once we rehydrated and Wyatt finished eating, it was time to explore the barns of exhibits. I love seeing what these kids create! I even saw a few projects that I am going to incorporate into our homeschool year, like that little paper pie!

After this, there wasn’t much more left as it was still so early. The food trucks were just getting ready for business, the rides were not open yet, so we sort of circle one area and called it a morning. I was happy to see the church booth I used to eat pie at was still there, still serving pie. And has been for 75 years! We also saw these amazing woodcarvings.

And that was that. We moseyed back to the car, feeling pretty darn good about our morning! Although, I really would have liked one of those rabbits…

Jr. Ranger for the National Parks

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family friendly, nature2 Comments

This post contains a few Amazon Affiliate links.

So I mentioned a few things last week in another post that I was planning a longer National Parks post. Well, here it is!

My little niece had become a Jr. Ranger for the National Parks in this very park last summer, and was so excited for Wyatt to become one as well! Wyatt was pretty excited too, especially when he got his badges and his patch. It was really simple. We asked for the Park Ranger booklet for Sleeping Bear where we were, completed the activities inside while we toured the visitor’s center, and reported back to the ranger on duty. I explained that Wyatt’s speech is limited so reciting the oath would be tough, and she was so sweet and kind about all of it. Wyatt did repeat key words however, and listened and raised his hand – until he got shy about halfway through and hid his head on his dad’s shoulder.

Kids can either become Jr. Rangers and earn badges at nearly every National Park, or…they can do them online (unfortunately not every park has an online program)! I love that they offer some of them online, not all families have the ability to travel to all the parks, or even travel much at all, and these children can still participate in this free program! Since Wyatt was still excited about earning his badges at Sleeping Bear, I thought we would give the online version a shot. I chose Denali, since I don’t really see us getting there, especially when he is young kid. He is also familiar with Denali thanks to the PBS cartoon Molly of Denali, so it seemed like a good one to experiment with. And honestly we had a really good time learning about the different facets of Denali via the NPS website! Wyatt had to search the website, looking for answers to questions like, which sled dog would you like to meet (Nucha) and which animal that calls Denali home would you most like to see (moose)? Nucha is a cutie, I wish we could actually meet him! And he sounds like a dog made for Wyatt, sweet and charming and mischievous. After finishing up the questions, we dropped it in the mail! I guess they will mail his badge to us; I am curious about how long it will take!

Kids like to wear and display their badges, of course. My niece has a backpack that she puts hers on, and we saw a little boy with them on his hat. Neither of those options are quite right for Wyatt. A vest wouldn’t really work either, so I went online and took a peek at solutions, and found the perfect thing! A lanyard! He LOVES it, and will actually keep it on. So far he has three badges and two patches, although one is from Hartwick Pines State park, where we stopped on our way home. I figure he can pick and choose which badges he puts on his lanyard, and then we will keep the rest as well as any patches on banners, which I still need to order. I am considering getting one of those scratch off maps, or just a map of all the National Parks to hang as well.

I think this is going to be so fun to do with Wyatt! He is starting a U.S. social studies curriculum next year, where he will learn about all of the states, and I think for some of them we will try to visit a National Park, or do an online badge to go along with the curriculum.

I also mentioned in that post that Wyatt received a free lifetime membership pass for all the National Parks due to having a permanent disability. We got ours at the gate, but you can apply online here. They also have a senior pass , and free access passes for veterans and Gold Star families, as well as the general annual pass. Fourth graders can also get a free one year pass! So there are many different options out there.

I am already out here planning a trip to Voyageurs National Park with my brother and his family – and since we will be out that way, a few of the Laura Ingalls Wilder homesteads. You can rent a houseboat at Voyageurs! Has anyone done that?

We are very excited about this whole thing as you can tell. We really didn’t need anymore incentive to visit the National Parks but I think this does make it more exciting for the kids.

My proud little ranger!

Sand Dunes, Shopping, and Petoskey Stones

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family friendly, Michigan10 Comments

Day three! Vacations sure fly by don’t they? I think our plans for day three were the ones I was most looking forward to, and the day did not disappoint.

We had another nice slow start to the morning. Even though it was Father’s Day, Billy made the whole crew of us pancakes with strawberries from our garden on top, and Chrissy scrambled up fifteen eggs. It was cute to watch them cook at the stove together, with Rosie the dog at their feet.

We started out at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – the sand dunes and the view are something to behold! We were on Sleeping Bear itself, which has a descent down to Lake Michigan, but you are warned that the climb back up is arduous and to not attempt it if you are not sure you can make it the almost two miles back up. In sand. In fact, there is a huge sign, and a fine for rescue, to the tune of $3000. While we were there we saw a group of college age kids, in peak athletic shape and fitness, coming back up and they were exhausted. I have never attempted it. For me, I would have to plan on camping it or something and taking it a few steps a day. LOL.

I always panic at the top, like people are just going to topple over the edge – mainly my son and my mom. So I guided them as far away as I possibly could get them and then stood in front of my child who wanted to slide down, because, well, he is 7 and it was a lot of sand.

After hanging around the top, and apprehensively watching a family start to head down the dune, with a toddler and I am assuming the toddler’s grandmother in tow, we left the view behind and started in to town.

Before I go further, I want to mention something. Wyatt received a free lifetime membership pass to the National Parks due to having a permanent disability. When we drove up to the gate the nice ranger asked if we had anyone in the car that was 62 or over or had a permanent disability. We had both actually, but my mom declined and so we got Wyatt all set up. He has a nice membership card with his name on it that he can use forever! I definitely recommend looking into it if this is something that will benefit you or anyone that you know.

Our next stop was actually the Visitor’s Center in Empire. Mermaid Girl had become a Jr. Park Ranger last year and was very excited for Wyatt to do it as well. Which he did! He received a certificate, three badges, and a patch! I think I am going to do a whole post on this next week so I will talk more about it then.

And then with our new Jr. Ranger we all piled back in the cars for the super short drive to Glen Arbor for some shopping! We had a few must stops on our list..

Leelanau Coffee for Iced Miel Coffees, and then my very favorite bookstore in the world.

I wish I could just move up there and work here. I love it.

I always try to buy from the local author bookshelves when I see them on vacation and this time I picked a book called Words Like Thunder by Lois Beardslee.

Then we headed over to the Cherry Republic and hung out for a bit, eating french fries and ice cream and shopping.

It was starting to get late but we still had one last stop – Rocky Beach in Glen Haven. Glen Haven is a deserted little town with my family’s favorite beach of all. My stepmom took us there for the first time years and years ago and it is one of her favorite places in the world. Then it became my brother’s, and now you can add us to the list too.

My SIL Chrissy is a huge rockhound. She finds it super relaxing to sift through rocks, looking at them, and on beaches where you are allowed to collect them, she does that too. Rocky Beach is part of the Sleeping Bear so a no collecting beach but they had fun looking. And she got to indulge for as long as she wanted the next day at a different beach, finding several petoskey stones, including a pretty darn big one, the lucky duck!

By the time we left it was getting late and we were all full of sand and sunshine, and ready for dinner. So we made the drive back to our cottage, grilled up some hot dogs and veggie dogs, and that was that. We had a fire on the beach, some adult drinks, and went to bed, after a perfect day.

Wolfenoote, Baking, and Christmas Homeschool

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family friendly, hygge11 Comments

Wolfenoote! A totally 100% made up holiday, dreamed up by a child in New Zealand, and whose parents in a random online story shared that dream. And of course, people like me read it and were like, I’m in! Wolfenoote ” is about celebrating our pack – human and animal – helping where we can, and making the world a better, kinder place.” I love that! It is suggested that to celebrate, you enjoy roast meat, a cake hat looks like a full moon, and if you have a dog, give that dog a present! Human pack members can also receive a gift, but we haven’t done that part as of yet.

We spent the week in our homeschool reading stories that exemplified kindness, we talked about kindness and ways we could show our families and friends and communities kindness. Then on the evening of the 23rd we had roast beef and blue cheese sandwiches on toasted bread, and meatballs. Billy had that brilliant idea, and I love him for it. Thanksgiving was just a few days out and it seemed a little crazy to have two big meals in one week like that. And it was perfect. We had a picnic (inside) since wolves do not sit at tables, ate our sandwiches and meatballs, then it was time for cake! And frankly, that cake was awesome. I am not a baker so I just made a box cake (Aldi yellow) but it was delicious! It had to be that Wolfenoot magic. I also stuck a little wolf silhouette in it. We followed up dinner with some wolfy and nature readings, and voted whether we were going to symbolically adopt a wolf from the Wolf Conservation Center or donate to a local animal shelter. We decided since we usually do the wolf thing for the wolf moon in January, that this time we would donate to an animal shelter. After making this big decision, we listened to Wyatt’s favorite Okee Dokee Brother’s song, Howl. Twice. Loudly. With howling. And then it was time for little wolf cubs to get a bath and go to bed. It was a good Wolfnoote.

For not being a baker, I have been doing a lot of it! The cake on Wolfnoote, and then a Cranberry Pie for Thanksgiving. This is hands down my favorite pie to make. It is fast and easy, and tastes delicious.

I probably could have taken a photo of it after it was finished, and the lid top was on. I blame that wine for this bad photo decision.

Then it was December before I knew it! One thing I love about homeschooling is taking the month of December and trying to theme a lot of our month around Christmas type themes. I mean, I can’t with all of it, but I can quite a bit. It’s a little more work since I go off road from our curriculum and pull it all together myself (my weekends have hours filled with planning) but it is all worth it.

This week was all about gingerbread! We read multiple versions of the gingerbread man story, created gingerbread men from paper, and finished up with a “Gingerbread Cafe” and made our own gingerbread! Well, I did. I lost my helper quickly. Gingerbread takes a long time! He did resurface for the eating of it. As did my husband who was working from home. The gingerbread was a big hit. I didn’t think I liked gingerbread, but it turns out, I do. A lot! I used a recipe from @ofbeeandbear on Instagram, subbing out the spelt flour with just regular flour, and they are delicious.

We made gingerbread girls, boys, and of course, foxes. I need to make sure to copy this recipe down, as it is a winner and will be made every Christmas from here on out.

I feel like our Christmas homeschool is off to a fun (and tasty) start!

Have you done any baking yet? Do you like to bake? Gingerbread – yay or nay?

Greenfield Village – Late October

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn family friendly14 Comments

Saturday morning we woke up determined to have some family fun time. It’s been all work all the time around here lately, and we all needed a break. We tossed a few ideas around before deciding on Greenfield Village. We got there as the gates were opening, the day was overcast, and we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves which was awesome.

I love visiting this time of year. I love fall and Halloween, as you all know, and the Village is all dressed up in vintage Halloween decorations, as well as some spooky ones too. They do Halloween Nights there, with candy and live performances, but to be honest, we prefer it like this. Empty. Without the fanfare and other people. Plus, we can actually see everything rather than be part of a huge crowd in the dark. We did that once and while it was fun, we like visiting on our own terms more.

We walked around the farm, greeting all the animals who were enjoying their breakfasts al fresco. The horses, John and Wilbur, were on their way to plow up the fields and we gave them a quick wave as they went off to work.

We walked around the “town” area, by the Wright Brothers house, closed up refreshment stands, and creepy decorations.

And made our way across the spooky covered bridge, making ghostly ooos and boos as we walked through…

These scarecrows were terrifying. I stepped in close for a photo, and and had the weirdest feeling they were watching me back. I freaked myself out, imagining one would leap off its post at me, and after snapping the picture, raced back to Billy and Wyatt.

We toured around the homes, and headed back over the bridge, not knowing the scariest monster was still to come…

Such scary!!!

Needless to say, Wyatt had fun! And so did we! (I look like a crazy person…I was helping make scary noises with Wyatt…lol)

I love this time of the year at the village! I am so happy that this year they extended the length of the visiting season for members through November. I see some mornings there in our future for a few more weeks at least!