I kept telling people that the 60+ degree temperature and sunny skies of last week was premature.  This weekend saw a return to more seasonal weather.  Saturday, I tagged along to the zoo.  Since I had to be back for mass at 6, I drove myself.  I did fine until I exited the turnpike and took the wrong branch off.  Fortunately, my mistake was remedied quickly as all I needed to do was turn around and head back.

Upon paying for admission, I decided to get a membership to the place since for some reason, I ave been quite a bit of zooing lately.  Not that that is a bad thing… as the slogan goes “I Love My ZOO!”  and not a bad deal either.  Discount prices to many zoos throughout the country plus I can bring a friend free each time.  Plus, I got to help a complete stranger by allowing him to get in on my pass.

Because the weather was cold and rainy, our band spent most of the few hours in the indoor exhibits.  The little ones spent a large part of it at the indoor play area.   They even took part in an activity in which they made toys for the birds!  The little one occupied himself with chalk and a beehive.  My little buddy!

After the zoo, we checked out Crazy Prices!  A very cool store with CRAZY Prices!  I picked up a fleece OSU blanket for $5 which usually runs upwards of $30.  Will come in very handy later tonight!  I looked at some hooded sweatshirts that were just as reasonable… BUT… wouldn’t ya know… the largest they had was a Medium.  I’m sure I’ll be back!

After returning and singing at mass, a friend and I closed the evening by watching Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.  And this leads me to wish everyone a Happy Pi Day.  If you don’t get the connection, watch the very fun film!  We won’t get into the hour loss.  Just happy that is behind us and can now catch up on a bit on the rest!  What a Super Saturday!

We live a little over an hour outside of Toledo, Ohio, so it’s the ‘big city’ we visit for extra shopping, better restaurants, and of course, the zoo.  We’ve discovered a little cafe just north of the Ohio toll road called Nick’s Cafe, and they have GREAT food (including Greek selections – YUM!!) that comes in HUGE portions at very reasonable prices.  Just thought I’d give them a plug since the place is never hopping when we’re in the there and I would HATE to see them go out of business…  Anyway, next to Nick’s (well, there is an abandoned honky-tonk bar between them called Bootleggers) is an old Frank’s Nursery and Crafts building that recently opened up as something called Crazy Prices.  The first time we noticed it, we were too tired to check it out, but last week we had enough energy left to  go in, and it’s awesome!  They have a variety of wares, from groceries and household items to furniture and clothing, all at discounted prices.  Like any store like this, some things you have to  be careful about since there might not be much of a discount, but when we went, they had a special sale – 50% off ALL grocery items!!  We ended up with about 4-64 oz. bottles of juice for the kids, lots of snacks and granola bars for school lunches, and a whole bunch of other stuff for around $21!  Plus, they give each kid a little squirt gun as a prize for “being good and letting mom and dad shop”, and they also give you a wooden token for each $5 spent – the token is good for $5 off your next purchase of $10 or more!  We will definitely be back!  There is also a location in Bowling Green, and if you go to their website, they don’t mention the Toledo location but it’s there on South Reynolds, just north of the tollway.  Better yet, we learned that this is a Christian organization!  Their mission statement:  The Vision of Crazy Prices is to see a chain of discount retail stores providing income to an ever-growing list of organizations that are supporting young people, many of whom are hungry  and  hurting, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

If you are in either the Bowling Green or Toledo Ohio areas and you like clearance shopping (my husband can’t get enough – we spent over an hour here last weekend and he wants to go back this weekend – no complaints out of me, I like to clearance shop too AND this gets me yet another trip to the zoo!!), check out Crazy Prices!