My parents were great parents. That's not to say "I want to be just like mom (or dad)", because we all want to be a little different. After all, the world is made of unique individuals right? My parents were great because they were very much involved in my life. That's the parent I want to be.

As a child I, actually had a little difficulty in that all of my friends liked my parents and wanted to talk to them. At parties, my friends hung with mom because she was fun to talk to (I suppose). My experience-bank is pretty full as a result of what mom and dad taught me. One of those teachings was quite simple, actually: to observe nature and my surroundings. Those teachings have formed my perspective on life.

This perspective is what drives me to pass along these experiences. I love taking the kids anywhere where they can observe nature, and recently one rainy, cool day we discovered the Conservatory at Matthaei Botanical Gardens! The icing on the cake was that visitors are allowed free admission Wednesdays from noon to 8 p.m.

So the stop by the conservatory to top off your experience-bank. On the next rainy day, allow your children warm their spirits in the warm, temperate atmosphere of the conservatory — and don't forget to take along your camera!

For more local activities, please be sure to check out my Ann Arbor Mom blog!

Photo: Tammy & Gabriella Mayrend enjoying the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Conservatory as taken by friend Iotis Even.