Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch

A few months ago, I bought a Groupon for Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch. The 5 of us could get in for $20, so I thought it was worth a try. The ranch is located about an hour northwest of us. I wanted to go before the weather got too hot. So today was the day!

Parking is on the grass.

We arrived 5 minutes before opening and waited with a few other families.

This ranch reminded me of the movie "We Bought a Zoo."  The animal exhibit area is fairly small, but the staff  did a great job with hands-on interaction with animals throughout the day.

We started by looking at some of the exhibits, including zebras, lemurs and kangaroos. Then we went to the petting zoo. Inside the petting zoo were goats, sheep, pigs, an alpaca and some rabbits. Animal food was available for $2.

Then the ranch announced there would be a presentation with an albino king cobra, so we headed over to that. It was fascinating, and we could get so close.

After the king cobra, the staff brought out a different snake to pet.

Then we heard the announcement that the safari tram was loading, so we walked over to that.

The first stop was a field of horses and zorses (horse/zebra cross). There were buckets of food attached to the tram, so the animals came right up close.

A zorse.

The next stop was a field of zebras, pigs, spitting camels and ostriches. The driver put food on the ground next to the tram, because we weren't supposed to pet these guys.

The last stop was a field of camels. I think these were the most entertaining. The food buckets attached to the tram were re-stocked.

What a grin!

Family pics with the camels:

The tram ride lasted around 45 minutes, and adults and kids all enjoyed the close-up interaction with the animals.

Next, we heard an announcement for a special bear demonstration, so we walked to that. These 2 bears were rescued by the ranch last year from an illegal photography company.

Then we walked to the picnic area to have lunch. I had read on the website that there was just a tiny snack shack so it's best to bring your own lunch...but the ranch actually just opened up a pizza restaurant and bar by the bear home. Maybe next time we'll try that.

Lots of people brought lunch--there were covered picnic tables.

In the middle of lunch, the barrel rides started, so the kids and I took a spin on those. The driver was a little wild, which made it more fun.

While we were finishing lunch, we heard an announcement for a demonstration with the lemurs. So we headed over to see them again.

Baby lemur.

We also went to see the kangaroos again, and Joshua liked this baby one.

We got to pet the tail of a lemur.

And then, as we were about to leave, the ranch had a presentation with a skunk. So we stayed for that.

We really enjoyed this ranch, and it was a great way to spend Mother's Day. We were there 3 hours total. We basically just listened for the announcements of the next presentation/demonstration. I think they have different animals presented throughout the day. The safari tram ride was definitely the highlight of the day. The staff all seemed very passionate about the ranch and the animals.

If you go, I recommend going in the spring or fall. And not right after a big rain, because we walked on a lot of dirt that would turn to mud. I don't recommend a stroller, as I saw a few people trying to push strollers through the gravel, and it looked very difficult. The petting zoo animal food was one of the only things not included in admission.

Overall, this is a fun place, and I hope we go back sometime.

Have you been to Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch?

Saving another $1000 a year

About a year ago, I wrote on this blog about how we cancelled our pest control and lawn fertilizer services and saved about $700 a year. This year, we are taking do-it-yourself home maintenance up a notch, and we are mowing the lawn ourselves.

Some of you may be thinking, no big deal, right? While others are probably thinking we are crazy to mow our own yard in Texas, where the temperatures are consistently over 100 degrees in the summer.

But, I calculated that we would save about $1000 a year by mowing ourselves, and that was all the motivation I needed. I asked for a lawn mower and lawn equipment for Christmas (I know, who does that???), and my in-laws gave me a nice giftcard that covered those purchases. We bought a lawn mower, edger/weed eater and blower about a month ago.

Confession--although I am days away from turning 40, I had NEVER mowed the lawn before. My dad or brother always did it when I was growing up. When Brian and I bought our first house, he mowed for a few months. But, we were both working long hours and he started graduate school, and we decided it was worth the money to save our precious time. So we hired a lawn service to mow our yard.

Two weeks ago I mowed for the first time, and then again today. Brian had to teach me how to work a lawn mower, since I had no idea how to even start it.

Both times took about an hour. I didn't think it was too bad. But, I mowed in 60 degree weather, not 100 degree weather. I might have to report back here to see how much I like mowing in August.

I think my husband is worried that my enthusiasm for saving money on mowing might fizzle, and he will get stuck with the mowing job. Nope! I took this on, and I'm determined to do it.

By doing our own yard maintenance and pest control maintenance, we are saving about $1700 a year. And that money is going to pay down our mortgage so we can get it paid off early.

Do you do your own mowing and yard maintenance? Why or why not?

Heritage Farmstead in Plano

I took the kids to the Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano today. This was our 3rd time there. I've been over the summer, and twice now over Spring Break, and it's definitely less crowded over Spring Break. In the summer, many daycares come and it gets very crowded.

It was $5 to get in, and the farm has many hands-on stations for the kids. The kids had fun grinding some corn, fed live chickens, saw other animals (turkeys, donkeys, goats, sheep), washed dishes and clothes the old-fashioned way, plowed a field, planted some seeds, walked on stilts, played some games, and went on a tractor ride.

Stilts

Lasso lesson

Making quesedillas outside

Milking the cow

One-room schoolhouse

Pretending to be Blacksmiths

Carrying the buckets of water

Goats

Plowing the field

Tractor ride!

Washing clothes

Feeding the chickens

Grinding the corn

Playing by the creek

I think it's a good experience for kids about age 10 and under. It's good to get outside and do something different! The farm is open all week, with a different main demonstration each day.