One of my greatest dreams has been to spend an evening at an ice castle.

While driving around Colorado I discovered a postcard in some town I was exploring. It had a drawing of an ice castle on it, with a horse-drawn sleigh in the foreground. The problem was- the ice castle was built in 1887, and had melted that same year.

My love of ice castles has only grown deeper since then, seeping into the everyday life of those who aren't nearly as impressed with the subject  as I am. I make everyone watch documentaries about the "construction of an ice hotel." Repeatedly. 

No one ever wants to go with me on my expeditions. They are usually very specific and not popular with the crowd. [for example: a trip to New Mexico to recreate Ansel Adams' Moonrise over Hernandez. Yes- I totally did it. By myself. [And got yelled at by a guy with a shotgun- story some other time]  

This icy adventure to Quebec was no exception- nobody wanted to go. Except- guess what? Now I found that I could actually force someone to accompany me on my adventures- because now I had a child. How awesome is that! I was smart enough to leave the baby with my mom. 

So- yes. I brought a kindergartner with me to sleep on a block of ice.  To say it was cold would be the understatement of the century. My dream of sleeping in an ice castle had come true! But I really began questioning how this had ever made its way to the top of the list. 

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to hear the unexpected outcome ↓↓↓

Right about now your home may slowly be turning into a zoo. So embrace it by charging an entrance fee, allowing visitors to see your little monkeys hanging from the curtain rods- or tame the wild beasts in your household by create your own menagerie. 

Click 'Read More' to get the play-by-play...                                           ↓↓↓

Baby, it's cold outside = the understatement of the century! Where does that leave you when the kids are begging to play outside when the temperature hits 15 below? 

Take the doldrums outta winter and go camping. Although my daughter loved it, I Do Not enjoy sleeping in subzero temps- AT ALL- so, we settled on indoor camping this time.

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to get the play-by-play...         ↓↓↓

There are a ton of ways to make s'more cupcakes. Just look online- the finished product looks gorgeous and is probably beyond delicious. Since the weather was frigid and blustery, I just used what was in the pantry to create the cupcakes pictured above. This is a really easy recipe that I used for our 'indoor campout' and, while it is not gourmet, the results are still tasty.  

Ingredients:
Box of Devil's Food or Chocolate Cake Mix
Graham Crackers
Marshmallows
Frosting [pre-made or homemade]

Prepare mix and bake according to box. Spread frosting onto cupcakes. Toast a marshmallow by holding it near the heating element of the stove- use a fork or skewer to avoid burns.

Top each cupcake with a graham cracker and a marshmallow. Serve to little campers. 

Nobody 'round these parts likes bananas- myself included, but everyone loves banana bread. This is the best recipe and is a healthy treat for the dreaded elementary school 'snack day.'  

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas [or whatever amount is sitting around in the kitchen]
1/4 cup applesauce- any flavor, mango-peach is awesome
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 egg
Pinch of salt
Dash of cinnamon + allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix bananas and butter into mixing bowl with sugar, egg, applesauce and vanilla. Kids can help with this. Use handheld beaters or a spoon to blend ingredients. Add baking soda, salt + spices. Add flour a little at a time, constantly stirring. Pour into a 4x8" loaf pan or muffin tins. Bake the loaf for 50 minutes to an hour and muffins for 20-25 minutes. Serve with a pat of unsalted butter or cream cheese. 

*RockStar Tip* Throw some figurines or decorations onto muffins before hauling them to the classroom- the kids will instantly think they taste better. The glow-in-the-dark wildlife silhouettes we chose came in a super inexpensive package. [there were also dinosaurs] Later, we used the extras to create a zoo adventure in the sandbox. 

Create a spooky batch of cookies- it takes about three seconds and requires no baking. Awesome for Halloween parties or to snack on while watching scary movies. 

Ingredients:
1 Box of Nutter Butter Cookies
8 ounces White Chocolate Chips 
Miniature Chocolate Chips <or> any candy that is tiny and round

Melt the white chocolate in the stove or microwave- whichever method you use, stir constantly to avoid scalding the chocolate. Dip the cookies into the melted chocolate or spread using a knife. Press two chocolate chips into the chocolate- these are the eyes. Done!

 

Detroit Design Festival 2013 featured the awesome concept that attendees could create their own path, meandering around town to check out any combination of the 60+ latest designs, innovations and installations from cutting-edge artists and designers. Happenings were conceptualized by a huge range of avant garde artists, including fashion and product designers, gallery and studio owners, cinematographers, interior and graphic designers, performance artists, boutique owners- the list is endless. 

Paths included varied categories such as the Youth Path, Community Path, Exploration Path, Enthusiast Path, Consumer Path and Practitioner Path. Stick with one specific path and attend coordinating events or choose a few from each to make your own way. Exploration promotes learning about new things and this was a excellent way to introduce children to art and design concepts. There was an amazing array of activities and interactive exhibits for all ages to discover.

Children were able to draw and crawl through a cardboard city from Neighborhood Fort, check out a Lego exhibit which depicted some of the city's iconic skyscrapers, create their own mask, and scribble at an artists studio created by coG-studio, an architectural design firm which specializes in creating spaces for youth.

Coming at you live- it's the Rolling Stones and their Rock & Roll Circus! The Stones themselves are created from clothespins, while the big top circus tent [with removable lid] is a project we did last week, and is made from plastic containers covered with papier mache.

To Make the Clothespin Stones:
5 Wooden Clothespins
Acrylic [or similar] Paint
Paintbrushes- All Sizes
Photo Paper + a Pic of the Stones from the Rock & Roll Circus Era

Paint the Circus version of the Stones using a photograph or movie poster for reference. Print out the photograph & cut their heads out. Glue each head onto the corresponding Stone. You are done and ready to recreate your own Rock & Roll Circus.

If you are really into it, add other cast members, such as Jethro Tull, John & Yoko, + Eric Clapton. Don't replicate The Who- unless you are looking to wage a Rock & Roll war- this is the rumored reason that the Rock & Roll Circus film was placed into the vaults until the 80s- Mick thought The Who's performance overshadowed the Stones. And you know the Ringmaster likes to share the spotlight with no one.

To Make the Rock & Roll Circus Big Top Tent:
Follow the Instructions here.

Stay tuned for more musical recreations- you should see what is next!

Now that the Stones are on tour- it's time to resurrect their grand musical extravaganza- The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus! The current tour is only hitting a select group of cities & probably not yours. So let's recreate the past, when Mick was the ringmaster- wearing glam makeup and holding a whip.

Let's start with the big top. Find an old ice cream container- the tub kind with the convenient handle. This is awesome because you- I mean the kids- can store the Stones inside when it's time to put everything away. Grab an old juice jug- the circular kind is preferable, but a rectangular shape will do. Carefully cut it off with a serrated knife. Cut an opening for the entrance into the big top. Place the juice top onto the ice cream lid, keep it in position with tape or hot glue. Now you are ready to begin the papier mache.

Use the recipe for papier mache listed here for the Skrillex Train project. Cover the lid with long strips of paper, keeping in mind that it should resemble a big top. Then cover the main tent. Allow to dry. Paint with acrylic paint. You can add a curtain to the entrance for added ambiance.

Next time we will work on The Stones themselves, well- clothespin versions of the Stones. Maybe a couple special guests will pay them a visit- Clapton, Tull, Lennon, did someone say Yoko- just like in the original Rock & Roll Circus.