PLACES TO SEE: FLORA GRUBB GARDENS

 

 I have a love for plants and gardens. When the husband deployed a few years ago, I took Dylan and my sad self to visit his grandfather in San Diego. We went to the San Diego Botanical Gardens because I had heard they had an amazing children's garden (It's true. AMAZING. Visit if you can.). While there, on a whim, I picked up a book about container gardening. I went home to the desert and bought a ton of planters and went nuts. Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, flowers; everything went into that teeny, tiny yard in containers and flourished. I've never looked back. Now, I have a huge garden with raised beds and I love every moment I spend in it.

So, for Mother's Day, my family took me to Flora Grubb Gardens, a place that I've been wanting to visit since I first read about them months ago in a Sunset magazine.

 

 

Folks, I am in love with a plant nursery.

 

 

 So beautiful, right? They are dedicated to low water plants and trees and the options are so amazing. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. They have people walking around with fresh squeezed lemonade like old-fashion cigarette girls. There are pathways and garden art and a playhouse.

 

 

It's basically plant heaven.

 

 

If you are in the San Francisco area and love plants, Flora Grubb Gardens is a must see. DO IT.

Don't hold back, you NEED those succulents. Enabling and I don't feel bad.

 

Flora Grubb Gardens

 

1634 Jerrold Ave, San Francisco, CA 

GROWN LOCAL: UCDAVIS ARBORETUM

Our family tries to do local things on the weekends, either staying in our town, or in the surrounding areas. Grown Local posts showcase some of the best things to do in our area.

 

 

This past weekend, we went to the UCDavis Arboretum. It's just a 10 minute drive from our home, and really, we need to go there more often. It's a great way to spend an afternoon, walking the paths and just being outdoors. Also? Totally free.

 

 

The weather has been ridiculously beautiful here in our part of California. In the 70s in January.  The grown-ups around here have an edge of worry about them. These temperatures and no rain are a problem for a region full of agricultural worries. But the children can only think of being outside, no jacket, soaking in the sun. So we grown ups can tuck our worries of the drought away for an afternoon of frolicking in the arboretum, where there was no whining, at all, all afternoon.

 

 

Just happiness over choosing a path.

 

And the excitement of finding a tree that matches your shirt.

 

Hoping for rain but loving these little moments.

 

Plan your own visit: here.

GROWN LOCAL: FAIRYTALE TOWN

Our family tries to do local things on the weekends, either staying in our town, or in the surrounding areas. Grown Local posts showcase some of the best things to do in our area.

 

 

Fairytale Town is one of my absolute favorite places in our area.  It's a large park, full of play structures inspired by fairytales and nursery rhymes. I went there as a child, and love taking my own two there now.

King Arthur's castle surrounded by a moat greets you as you enter. To the left is Captain Hook's pirate ship.

 

 

 

To the right, the Old Woman who lived in a shoe.

 

 

In between there are animals, (the three little pigs! Mary's lamb!), Mr. McGregor's Garden where children can water plants and see an alphabet garden, Cinderella's coach and horses, Sherwood Forest, and the all time favorite of children everywhere, The Crooked Mile, a raised path through bushes that children run, walk, and laugh through, over and over.

 

 

Fairytale own has been in Sacramento for over 50 years and it is truly a treasure. Promoting both literacy and imagination, Fairytale Town inspires children to simply play. 

It is such a gift to have this park close to us to take our children to.

 

Planning a Visit?:

 

Fairytale Town

3901 Land Park Drive

Sacramento, CA 95822

Get directions

‎

(916) 808-7462

fairytaletown.org

 

Admission: $4 Weekdays, $5 Weekends and Holidays

Children 1 and under, free

 

Parking: Free

GROWN LOCAL: FARMER'S MARKET

Our family tries to do local things on the weekends, either staying in our town, or in the surrounding areas. Grown Local posts showcase some of the best things to do in our area.

 

Living in California is a food lover's dream; it seems that everything is fresh and local, from flowers to food to wine. We are lucky that so much of what we eat is truly local, grown within a 250 mile radius of us. And the farmer's market is the cream of the crop (figuratively and actually).

I love a farmer's market. You can't beat the freshness of the produce of course, but it's more than that. Seeing the people who grow food, and supporting growers and crafters in your area is important. We live in an agricultural based area, and are lucky to be able to show our children tomato fields and corn growing. The farmer's market takes it even a step closer, where they can meet the people in our area growing these vegetables and baking bread and raising free range chickens.

 

Woodland Farmer's Market

 

 

The Woodland Farmer's Market, our local farmer's market, is a great market. They've just moved to a new location in the heart of our little downtown on Saturdays and they opened this past weekend. We headed over to buy some fruits and veggies and flowers and bread, to enjoy the spring sunshine, and to see the alpacas, llamas, and baby dairy goats from local farms that were visiting for opening day.

 

highlight of the morning.

 

 



"Food says what's best about our region, and that we have a food culture that's worth preserving." -Richard McCarthy, in Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

 

 

The Woodland Farmer's Market

Heritage Plaza, near the Opera House

Woodland, CA 95695

Saturdays 9am-Noon

GROWN LOCAL: THE CROCKER ART MUSEUM

Our family tries to do local things on the weekends, either staying in our town, or in the surrounding areas. Grown Local posts showcase some of the best things to do in our area.

 

 

 At school, my son received a family pass to the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. Over spring break, we took a morning to go and explore. In my teens, I visited the Crocker several times, but it had been expanded greatly since I had moved away from home. They have an entire area for children now, along with a huge collection of California artists.

He wasn't sure about some of the pieces.

This was more his scene.

 

The antique china collections, one of my (nerdy) favorites.

 

In the children's area, called Tot Land, there is a electronic, touchable art board that has different media options that fascinated both the children.

 

 

 

There was also materials for arts and crafts, art books, and design toys.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids loved it and is was almost abandoned, so they had all the books and art supplies to themselves.

 

To top it off, you can have lunch at the Crocker Cafe by Supper Club, which has amazing food. They use several local ingredients, and have a wide variety of salads, sandwiches, soups and desserts. We just used the counter service, but there is also sit down seating with an even more extensive menu.

 

BLT for days.

 

The Crocker Art Museum is a great place to take kids in the Sacramento area. The museum is stroller friendly, there are a ton of docents willing to answer questions, there is a good, decently priced cafe, and art that is interesting to both adults and kids. The museum also offers art workshops for kids of all ages and their families.

 

 

 

 

Planning a Visit?

 

Crocker Art Museum

216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
916.808.7000 

 

Tickets:

Adults: $10

Youth (7-17): $5

Children (6 and under): free

 

Paid parking (meters)



LAKE TAHOE W/ KIDS

Snow. And lots of it.

Last weekend, we went to Tahoe for an overnight stay.  Let me start by saying winter is my least favorite season and the end of January is a. Complete. Drag. (ED: yes, I know I said previously that I love January. It's more like the idea of January and new beginnings, not the actual time of year.) I do not like being cold. I don't particularly like snow. I like looking at the snow. Preferably in a cozy cabin, with a warm fireplace roaring, unhealthy snacks, and a good book. I do not however, particularly love being out in it. It's cold and wet and I am not a fan of winter sports.  I can't imagine living somewhere where it snows for 4 months out the year. But I do love getting up to Tahoe in the winter. I know. This isn't making any sense. It's the-end-of-January-madness, bear with me, please.

So without further ado, my dos and don'ts for visiting Tahoe in the winter with children. Also, lots of photos.

THE DOS:

 Adventure Mountain. $20 per car to park, free use of the hills. Various cost to rent sledding equipment (we brought our own disk).


Adventure Mountain was my son's favorite activity, hands down. It's a snow park at Echo Summit, with several acres of groomed hills for sledding and tubing. They have tons of sledding hills, and it's pretty much a free for all. There were a ton of people there, but the lines move pretty fast. There's also a "lodge" to take a break in. Which is where my daughter and I hung out for the majority of the time:

Not impressed with the snow.

This is an improvement. Sorta.

But mama kisses and a binky inside are where it's at. That's Mama's girl.

 

The "lodge" was a little shabby (and not in a chic way) but warm and clean as it could be after a long day of people coming in there in wet, winter clothes. There was plenty of seating and a fireplace (but no fire). There was also some sort of concession stand (we didn't buy anything) and some sort of gift shop (which we didn't go in). All in all a good experience and a ton of fun for my oldest. Twenty dollars well spent.

 

 Red Hut Cafe

We went to the Red Hut Cafe for dinner. Simple, good diner food. They also had a fun soda fountain next door. Where my children ordered cupcakes instead of sundaes. What the what.

 

Cabela's (because we can't be that close to a Cabelas' store without stopping. And when I say we, I mean, my husband, the outdoors man).

 

 

                                            

 

Places like Cabela's always amuse me because I get to laugh about people who not only shoot a skunk but then have it stuffed for a trophy. My husband hunts and fishes, but I just don't get something like a skunk "trophy."

We don't need this.

 

Truckee

 

One of my favorite little towns. They have a great downtown with fun shops and good places to eat. Two of our favorites for the kiddos are:

 

The Truckee Variety Company Full of fun toys and gifts. It's often super crowded though, and pushing a stroller through there is tight. But it's the place my son always asks to visit in Truckee.

 

The Treehouse A child's clothing and toy store. Super cute clothes and nice toys (lots of Melissa and Doug, that type of thing).

 

 

 

 THE DON'TS:

 

Heavenly Village. Look. There is nothing wrong with Heavenly Village, a bunch of shops that are an extension of Heavenly Ski Resort. It's just not our thing. It's crowded and loud and expensive. We'd rather be in the snow. Some of us, at least. We originally went here for lunch, because it was fairly close to our hotel. But the restaurant we ate at, while the food was good, was entirely too loud and expensive (like everything in Tahoe). Also, we had wanted to use the ice skating rink, but it was super small and cost $20 per person! Pass.

Altitude Sickness.
Avoid this if you can, as it makes you feel like dying. Trust me, I KNOW.

And finally....

TIPS AND TRICKS:

-Renting a cabin is much better then a hotel, especially if you are staying more than one night. Being able to make your lunch, and have the room to lounge about make a huge difference. We have done both ways, and a cabin is highly preferable. And by the time you add up the costs of all your meals, the cost is about the same.

-The North Shore of Tahoe is much more family friendly.

-Snow clothes on kids under two: good luck to you. If you plan to play in the snow, take your gear with you, in a big bin or bag. That way, you can peel it all off and store it right there, instead of trying to strap wet, bundle up kids into car seats.



I promise, something with actual content soon. January is almost over, real thoughts will return. I hope. Thank you for bearing with me.

ED: I changed "bare with me" to "bear with me." Because I don't actually want to get naked with all of you. Sorry. Curse you spell check. You too, January.

-M.