Do you need ideas for activities to do with kids? Tried and true suggestions that real moms actually do? Here they are! We’re asking families to share their favorites, to help you find yours.

Since we’re sharing other moms favorites, we thought it would be a good idea to share our own!

Meet Carrie

Hi I’m Carrie, writer for LittleGuide Detroit, #BoyMom to Lucas (4) and Sam (1) and am a odd combination of homebody and get out and go. I’m passionate about civic engagement and serve on as City Commissioner on the Livonia Library Commission. I’m running for City Council next year and to encourage others (especially moms with young kids) to run for office too I launched Vote.Run.Serve. Each month I’ll host two 30 minute conversations to help people find their own passion products. To kick things off my friend, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and I will be talking about Motherhood and Public Service. We’ll stream live on Facebook at 8pm on Wednesday, September 2. Back to mom duties, here are some of my favorite things.

Favorite Ways To Spend Family Time:

• Hide-and-seek with stuffed animals
• Home-Made Playdough
• Board games: Memory, Wild Kratts, Chutes and Ladders, and Daniel Tiger

Favorite Places To Go:

• Detroit Institute of Arts
• Greenfield Village
• USA Hockey Summer Drive-In

Favorite Bedtime Stories:

• A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
• I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park

Favorite Dinner Recipes:

• Everything But The Bagel Chicken Wings
• Slow-cooker Swedish Meatballs
• Zero Stress Breakfast Bake with Sausage, Cheddar & Scallions

Best Park/Playground: Maybury State Park 

I love going to Maybury because there are nature trails when you want to hike, a brand new playground with modern equipment and it’s next to the farm when you want to say hi to animals.

Best Movie/Television Show: Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum

I love all the shows on PBS (Sesame Street and Wild Kratts in particular) but I’m a history major and Xavier teaches my boys about historical figures and how to emulate their leadership traits.

Best Annual Event: Detroit Kite Festival 

We’ve gone to the Detroit Kite Festival every year and love it (we love flying a kite all the time now). Belle Isle is beautiful in the summer and it’s fun to watch kites and fly our own. It’s free and easy to get in and out which is an awesome bonus.

Best Life-Saver: Backyard Swing Set

We live across the street from a park so I never thought we’d get a playset in the backyard but after having my second, I realized any trip away from home took a lot of work. I found a $400 playset (currently sold out online but linked to similar) and it’s been a great investment. We only have to step outside to play and when the parks closed we were still able to swing and go on a slide.

Best Summer Destination: Clement Circle Pool

We live at Clement Circle Pool in the summer. There are two pools – a standard Olympic size with slide, climbing wall and basketball hoop for adults and older kids. And a zero entry splash pad pool that only goes up to 3 feet with bench seating along the perimeter. It’s the perfect size and space for younger kids to play safety and for parents to relax too. There’s also a brand new modern play structure at the park too.

“Pat Yourself on the Back” Accomplishment: Livonia Library Black Book Fundraiser

There’s so much going on in the world it’s overwhelming. This summer I started harnessing my frustration to try and make a tangible difference in the world. In June I started a fundraiser to purchase books by black authors and/or featuring black characters and raised $1,600! You don’t have to be a Livonia resident to check out the books either so it’s great for the entire region.

SHARE THIS: