I just can't get enough of playing with ice. It's such a fun medium. You can slide on it, crack it, see through it and use it to stir your hot cocoa.

Trail report

You don’t need a chain saw or an art degree to sculpt with ice.

In your pack

• rock salt
• spoon
• ice

Read more »

Just wanted to share this photo I took in Yellowstone a couple weeks ago.

Trail report

Develop/improve gross motor coordination, improve throw and revel in the pleasure of knocking things down with this fun snowball-throwing game.

Read more »

Like most things in my life, I feel like this blog could use a little organization. Fortunately, I love organizing. My mom tells tales of how as a baby I’d open the Tupperware cabinet, pull out all the containers and then put them back in neater order than she had them.

Despite my best efforts, my life with little ones is in constant need of clearing out, cleaning up and figuring out what goes where. At least once I get this blog straightened away no can mess it up except me. (That’s not to say that every post will be in the following format, but most will.)

Without further ado, I introduce to you my new format! I stole it from my guidebook to cross-country ski trails. Sneaky, huh?

Make the perfect snowball

Read more »

It's week three of guest postapalooza! You folks are doing such good work, so I am just going to rest on my laurels and observe.

I think of winter as snow, cold and ice, but Debi has a different perspective from her sun drenched home in southern California. Today she is sharing some ways to have winter fun--without the snow.

Read more »

We've been cross-country skiing every weekend since mid-December and it has been wonderful. There have been bright sunny days and stormy, snowy days. Tours where I broke a sweat in a t-shirt and tours where I stayed bundled up even on the steepest hills. When you head into the woods, it is hard to know what to expect--the environment is so dynamic.

Regardless of the temperature or the visibility, we like to talk about how other critters handle winter. How do they stay warm? What do they eat? Where are they?

Read more »