For those who have a little snow on their front lawn, you can foster creativity by painting snow. Chocolate Muffin Tree shows you how to splatter paint with kids.

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Found this great idea on Pinterest. Simply poke holes in the caps, and squirt. Helpful if you don’t have paintbrushes or squirt bottles on hand.

(Don’t forget to follow Pretzel Crisp on Pinterest!)

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Not only will the kids appreciate this, but they are quite the work of art. Imagine lining these up along the walkway for a party. Click the link below to make ice colored glass.

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Some children prefer to stay neat and clean. Have a hot chocolate and tea party while lounging around a snow table. This is snow sculpturing with a practical purpose.

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No snow on your lawn? Not in the mood to stand out in the freezing cold for hours? There are plenty of cool activities for the indoors.

For all of those foodies out there, scoop up a bit of clean snow and add in only a couple of ingredients. You don’t need children as an excuse to make this, if you ask me.

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Teach kids about glaciers with this activity. They will have so much fun playing with ice they won’t even realize they’re learning.

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This is great for ones who like to get down and dirty. Most of the supplies are easy to find at your disposal. See how at Delia Creates.

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Although this painting post takes place during the warm weather (note the short sleeves), you could collect icicles and pieces of ice to design your own artwork. If it is not cold enough for icicles, use ice cubes.

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How cool are these? Reminds me of the tie-dye shirts I wore as a kid. Mom 2 Posh ‘Lil Divas incorporates art as well as science in these colorful ice spheres.

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Yet another activity for any temperature. Use borax to grow gorgeous crystal snowflakes. These could double as decoration around the house.

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Home-made play dough that looks like snow. This is guaranteed to keep them entertained for hours. Just don’t let them try to eat it like I did.

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These are totally for the grownups. It looks like snow, but it’s not! Just some Epsom salt, glass jars, and candles. Add them to the mantle of your fireplace or as a centerpiece for a dinner party.

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This is quite possibly my favorite feature, intended for the adult who loves to entertain or look at something pretty. Use a similar process like the colored glass to construct stunning candle holders. For the first time I actually want the temperature to drop.

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Whether you need a way to survive the long, cold days or looking to experience a little winter in a hot climate, there’s something for everyone. Happy snow!

• Tackle your To Do list in person. Instead of emailing or calling a coworker, walk over to their desk. When you get there, stand while you talk about things and then walk back to your desk. If you continue to do this throughout the day, all of those calories will really add up. Plus, you’ll get in some serious face time with your colleagues.
• Pace while you talk on the phone. Standing and walking around your office or home is a great way to sit less and get moving. I use my cell when I walk and talk, but you can also invest in a quality headset or use a speakerphone to maximize your mobility while you chat.
• Take a 10-minute post-meal walk. Ten minutes might not seem like a lot of time, but if you take a quick 10-minute walk after every meal of your day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), you’ll rack up 30 minutes of activity. How’s that for effortlessly fitting in exercise?
• Park in the farthest spot in the lot. When grocery shopping or running errands, I like to find the farthest parking spot from the front door of the store I’m about to enter, so I have to hoof it from my car. Doing this to and from the store gets me out of the driver’s seat and moving.
• Get off one stop early. If you regularly take public transportation, get off the bus/train/subway one stop before your ultimate destination and walk the rest of the way. Instead of zoning out and sitting, you can squeeze in a brisk walk.

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Tina Haupert
Carrots ‘N’ Cake
http://carrotsncake.com
Columnist, Health.com
Twitter: @carrotsncake

Edibles are Adapatble

Grab some fruit around your home and fill a vase, or a few. I have done this with fruit that is not yet ripe enough to eat or leftover from a recipe. It not only produces a pop of color, it also frees up space in your pantry or fridge. The fruit also lasts longer than flowers. Do not limit yourself to fruit. Browse around your kitchen for other items that can be used, so long as they do not need refrigeration.

Candy is a wonderful way to brighten your tablescape. Think: Halloween, Easter & Passover, Valentine ’s Day, and more. You can purchase candy from dollar stores, or use excess pieces from your children. They don’t need all of those cavities anyway!  The colors are limitless, so select a tablecloth or runner and find color-coordinating sweets to use.

Unpack Your Decorations

Although you have filled the tree, fireplace mantle, or walls does not mean you have to put the rest of your decorations back into storage. Place unused pieces into a large bowl for any holiday. Fake snow and silver ornaments are pictured here.

Simple Addition to Youthful Celebrations

Throwing a party for children? Add a finishing touch that the parents will appreciate. Here I used rubber amphibians from the dollar store. If your child (or borrow from someone else’s child) collects enough of one toy, grab it out of their room and toss them in. I envision these for a birthday party.

As the years proceed, art supplies will accumulate. Art parties are a rising in popularity so why not assemble this fool-proof décor?

Oh silly bands, you are everywhere. Just another example of a widely collected commodity that one can easily scavenge for around the home. Perfect for an older child or pre-teen celebration.

Less Flower, More Filler

Flowers can become fairly pricey and their short shelf-life creates more visits to the flower shop.  Most stores sell flowers in smaller amounts than a full bouquet (single, two, or three). One trick worth utilizing is to save money by purchasing two or three flowers, then filling your vase with something non-perishable. Costs less, and adds a little “oomph” to your centerpiece.

 I used plastic lanyard from my basement to fill in the vase.  You can find lanyard in more neutral and warm colors as well.

Here I purchased only three tulips, and filled in the empty space with shredded gift paper from my gift wrapping supplies.

 If you would like to prolong the life of your flowers, some flower shops have water tubes to place each stem in. You can also place a small glass vase within the vase. Fill with water, stretch plastic wrap over the top, and poke holes for each flower stem. Then, simply throw in your “filler” item(s). I usually just take a short-cut and wrap wet paper towel with around each stem. Cover in plastic wrap to keep your filler items from getting wet, then secure with a rubber band.

Don’t create a headache for yourself by replenishing your vase with bouquet after bouquet. Snoop around your home for unutilized accessories. You’ll be surprised how many options you have. Especially if you are a hoarder.

Pretzel Crisps® was on NBC’s TODAY Show again! In honor of Super Bowl XLVI, lifestyle expert, Robyn Moreno showed viewers how to host a chic, but inexpensive Super Bowl Party. During the segment, Robyn walked viewers from table to table, highlighting different entertaining areas including the beer keg, snack table, main course buffet and dessert table. For the snack table, she recommends serving healthy options like Pretzel Crisps® in toy pick-up trucks for guests to munch on.

You have 30 minutes

Nedd to quickly get in and out of the gym? Here’s an awesome running workout that I love to use when I’m crunched for time. By the end of 30 minutes, I’m always exhausted and drenched in sweat. If done as written, you’ll cover 3.35 miles in 30 minutes.

30-Minute Quickie Treadmill Run

Incline 1%

• 00:00 – 05:00: 6.3 mph
• 05:00 – 07:00: 6.5 mph
• 07:00 – 09:00: 6.6 mph
• 09:00 – 11:00: 6.7 mph
• 11:00 – 16:00: 6.8 mph
• 16:00 – 21:00: 6.5 mph
• 21:00 – 22:00: 6.7 mph
• 22:00 – 23:00: 7.5 mph
• 23:00 – 24:00: 6.5 mph
• 24:00 – 25:00: 7.5 mph
• 25:00 – 26:00: 6.5 mph
• 26:00 – 27:00: 7.5 mph
• 27:00 – 29:00: 6.5 mph
• 29:00 – 30:00: 6.3 mph

You have 20 minutes

Ever heard of a Tabata workout? They’re a great way to maximize your workout if you’re crunched for time. A Tabata workout is interval training of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times for a total of four minutes.

For this workout, the total time, including warm-up and cool-down, is just 20 minutes, but it will definitely challenge you! Instead of fiddling around and adjusting the speeds on the treadmill during the Tabata, I set it for 9.5 and then just hopped on and off as needed. For the 10-second rests, I stood with one foot on each side of the treadmill, and when it was time to run again, I held onto the rails and (carefully) started running at 9.5 again. It worked out really well.

You have 15 minutes

Only have 15 minutes? No problem! Clear some space, turn on some tunes, and get to work with this quickie, no-equipment-required workout. In 15 minutes or less, you’ll complete 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats. How’s that for a workout?!

Do 10 sets of the following exercises as fast as you can:

• 10 Push-ups
• 10 Sit-ups
• 10 Squats

You have 10 minutes

Ten minutes might not seem like a lot of time, but if you do this workout three times in one day, you’ll manage 30 minutes of activity. All of those minutes really add up!

Start with one minute of brisk walking then run for one minute. Repeat this cycle four times.

You can also do this workout on the elliptical, arc-trainer, or recumbent bike. Just pick up your pace for every other minute for 10 minutes!
–
Tina Haupert
Carrots ‘N’ Cake
http://carrotsncake.com
Columnist, Health.com
Twitter: @carrotsncake

It doubles both as a gift, and as a decorative for the festivities. Not to mention it saves you a little moola and time since there is no need for boxes or wrapping paper.

Here’s how you can create your own towel cake:

1. Select two regular-sized bath towels. Fold them both in half twice, the long way. It should appear similar to the towel on the left in the photo below.

2. Use safety pins to attach them together by the ends. Roll the towels up so that it becomes your bottom cake tier. If you need to, you can secure the loose end to the roll by using more safety pins.

3. Follow the same steps with two hand towels.

4. Now repeat with some matching washcloths. Fold them…

…pin them together, then roll and secure.

4. Pile up your rolls in order from largest on the bottom to the smallest roll on top. Secure them together with more safety pins if you would like for them to remain attached while transporting.

5. Select either some cloth or paper ribbons that coordinate with your towels and tie around each tier. You don’t need to tie around all three, it’s up to you.

Tip: Not all towels are created the same size. This can prevent the sizes of the towel roll from coordinating with one another. If this is the case, try initially folding the towels into thirds or some other way that makes it work. Also, rolling the towels tightly makes a thinner roll, while rolling them loosely easily fattens it up.

Fitting for just about any occasion.

If it is a housewarming party, select more mature colors.

You can purchase the towels off of a gift registry and create a, “cake” for the shower.

This one works nicely for a baby shower or birthday.

Just don’t let anyone try to eat it!

Contributed by Jasmin Fine, 1FineCookie.com