Bunchland

Cupcakes are a global obsession, and because doing this kind of heavy thinking is part of the service we offer to our faithful readers, we’ve got a theory on why: they’re small and cute and tasty. Today’s Bunchland offers you guys two ways to get in on the cupcake fun.

Sarah threw a cupcake birthday party for her two-year old on a small budget and with minimal work, and we got the downlow from her on how she did it, from where she bought the chef hats the kids wore to the grownup cupcake party that took place in her kitchen.

We’ve also got the scoop on Cupcake Camp, a global series of parties where people get together to share and eat cupcakes. We bet there’s one happening in your city that you could check out with your crew.

Cupcake Party

Every family does mealtime differently. All we know is food and family go together like PB and J. In Munchland, you show us how your family fills up their tummies.

Pickle Soup, Robot Cake and Cheese Eggs are just some of the recipes you can learn by tuning in to Big Kitchen with Food, a cooking show hosted by 6-year-old Julian. His dad and producer, Ben, says Julian saw a cooking show that came on after cartoons, and one day announced that he wanted to film his own cooking show. So his parents pulled out a camera and shot the first episode of Big Kitchen with Food, in which Julian demonstrates how to make spaghetti sauce. It was raw and unpolished, but it was the start of something big.  Read more...

Bunchland is kicking down your front door and invading your home sweet home. Well, after you’ve politely invited us in, served us tea and offered to show us your family’s treasures.

Have you ever daydreamed about quitting your day job and living on a farm with your family? Shannon Hayes isn’t your typical overall-wearing farmer: she has a PhD in sustainable agriculture and has penned a number of books with titles like The Farmer and the Grill and The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook. Her latest book is Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture, in which she describes how her family of four lives on $45,000.

 Read more...

Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham fronts the Toronto-based hardcore band F*cked Up, winners of the Polaris Prize (which if you’re a Canadian rock band is like winning the Nobel or something). He’s known for his onstage antics, which include stripping to his underoos and covering himself with peanut butter. But we know him as a loveable proud papa who lives for making his little dude Holden laugh. We kind of want to hug his whole family. And his Play List? Totally rocks.

Playing Holden his first record: For me this moment held a lot of significance because I was introducing my obsession to the new love of my life. I debated long and hard about which record it would be before finally setting on the Rivals cover of “Here Comes the Night.” Though Holden pretended not to care, I could tell that he concurred that this truly was one of the greatest songs of all time. I’m very aware of the dangers of trying to force my tastes on him, so I’m hoping that I can introduce him to a variety of different styles of music and let him develop his own tastes.  Read more...

Bunchland loves to hop on our imaginary jet plane and take imaginary trips to amazing places all over the world. Sometimes the families who live there even show us around. How cool is that?

Rayanne Dupuis is an opera singer living in Paris with her husband and daughter.

Describe a perfect day spent with your family in Paris, from beginning to end.  Read more...

Bunchland likes to give props to families who love helping the planet and getting down and dirty with nature. The ones who really knock our organic, pesticide-free cotton socks off get our coveted Gosh Darn Green! Award.

Mark Frauenfelder may just trade in his King of the Internet crown for a King of DIY crown. He’s co-editor of superblog Boing Boing and editor-in-chief of DIY bible MAKE Magazine. His book Made by Hand is hitting shelves on June 1, and it promises to inspire families to slow down and make stuff.  Read more...

Squished between all the dentist appointments and teacher conferences on our calendars are those wonderful things called “holidays.” Or sometimes they’re called “birthdays” or even “parties.” For Bunchland families, there’s always a reason to celebrate.

Kessa’s daughter Jessie asked her mom for a pink-and-purple fairy/princess party for her 3rd birthday. Rather than hit the dollar store for cheap plastic tiaras, Kessa, designer of the storybook-inspired children’s clothing line Patouche, got busy sewing and created an enchanting day for both the kid and grown-up guests.

The families were invited to Geneva Park family camp in Southern Ontario for a day of chilling in the woods by a beach. Kessa planned a few simple activities that fit the theme, such as making tutus, headbands and wands.  Read more...