I love visiting the Devonian Botanical Gardens, and the location (conveniently close to home) makes it perfect for a half-day family trip. I’m partial to the Japanese garden, but I love the riots of flowers happening everywhere this time of year. The kids were much taken with the butterfly house. OK, mostly Luka, but he was enthusiastic enough for two. (Teodora was taken … mostly with her shoes. And some dirt she mistook for playground sand, once she escaped the confines of her prison stroller.)
The Japanese garden at Devonian
The gardens were packed with moms and tots, which I guess is to be expected on a random Tuesday in August. (Actually, not so random. First Tuesday of every month is half price admission. Thrifty adventures, it’s how we roll.) All parent minds think alike, I guess.
Tranquility (when pictured without the sound of a hundred kids running around in the background)
All the pretty flowers:
(yes, I have favourites)
The weather was gorgeous, but hot. Hotter than Satan’s sweaty armpit. If I look slightly disheveled and mildly sun-stroked, it’s because I was. Tent-y cotton tops, for the win.
Shorts, J. Crew Factory; top, Anthropologie (via eBay); sandals & necklace, Old Navy; bag, MbMJ (via eBay)
Our family summer vacation this year was a staycation. Edmonton is a pretty cool place to hang in the summer, so this wasn’t as depressing as it would have been if we were talking about our mid-winter vacation. The kids like need to stay busy, so we cooked up a week’s worth of local adventures to keep them entertained.
One of our stops was the Edmonton Zoo. My last visit was about 7 years ago, and it wasn’t much to write home about, so my expectations were low. And they got blown out of the water! The city has done a tremendous job of expanding and modernizing the zoo, and making it very kid-friendly.
Urban Farm @ Edmonton Zoo
The boy loved the urban farm, although he spent most of his time there running away from any animals that got too close … only to start following them around as soon as they walked away. If this is in any way a window into his future dating strategies, his teenage years should be interesting.
We even had a little celebrity sighting when we spotted Lucy the elephant take her morning stroll. Lucy became famous a few years ago, after being at the centre of a court battle between PETA and the city.
Miss Lucy the elephant
The zoo is full of cute animals but, really, it’s all about these gingers for this lady:
Dat face thoo hai, is it time to get up?nope!
Call me biased, but they are the cutest, ever, period. Well, this little guy’s pretty cute too:
Arctic exhibit … now with extra local flavour
All in all, a really fun morning adventure. If you’re looking for ways to keep the kidlets entertained this summer, definitely give the Edmonton Zoo a try.
Non-photo bombed
Stay tuned for more staycation adventures. And a few more shorts outfits, because holy heatwave, Batman!
Skirt, Anthropologie (thrifted); top, Gap Factory; necklace, Banana Republic; shoes, Stuart Weitzman; bag, MbMJ (via consignment)
So, I turned 34. No big whoop, except that I’m now officially in my mid-thirties. It’s, like, odd … but only if I think about it. Don’t worry, I’m still shockingly immature. Moving on, how cute is this Edme & Esyllte skirt? I want to wear it constantly, and every time I do, I want to tell everyone that I thrifted it for eight whole bucks. Hey, here’s a fun game: guess how much the whole outfit cost? Go on, guess.
Can’t go wrong with candy
Answer: $89. Were you close? The necklace was a gift (thanks, mom & dad); otherwise, it would have been the most expensive item at $40 (on sale, you should really check it out). Yeah, I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself. It’s allowed on one’s birthday, yes?
Speaking of, my husband took me out for a date night to celebrate the fact I’m now a year older than him. (For the next two months.) We went to a joint called Meat.
It was delicious (that’s what she said)
The menu is well curated (read, short, very short), but everything we tried was delicious. As a pickle aficionado, I am telling you to order the pickle if you go. Best $1 I spent all week. Well, my husband spent it, but you know what I mean. The only downside of Meat is also, in a way, what makes it a really fun place to hang: it’s hipster heaven. We had a table near the door, which afforded us excellent people watching opportunities, and we marveled at the constant stream of hipster haircuts, hipster beards, hipster clothes, hipster babies. (We didn’t know this beforehand, but Meat seems to be a pretty cool place to bring your kids. Duly noted for future reference.) When in Rome … drink the hipster-approved soda. (It was delicious.)
Knee deep in hipster
My husband decided to try to get me drunk, and damn nearly succeeded. I know what you’re thinking, but I haven’t had alcohol in nearly 4 years (it’s a taste thing, not a philosophical thing) and 2.5% beer might as well be moonshine. And, for the record, it was also delicious. I absolutely hate beer and refuse to drink it, but this stuff tasted entirely un-beer-like. Paired excellently with my garlic fries and BBQ pulled chicken, by the way.
mmmm, tasty (and the food was excellent, too)
Too soon, it was time to go home. Midnight? Pfft. Cinderella ain’t got nothing on us. Forget the magical pumpkin carriage; the baby-sitting clock is much less forgiving.
