Hey, have a look at this dead, ant-filled grasshopper. Spiky legs!

While I knew there was no tornado, tonight’s hail storm still impressed me. The white wall coming in off the marsh was cinematic, but the real star came seconds later when the hail arrived.

I could tell right away that the chunks were big, and they looked like broken snowballs bouncing into the windows. It made me think about density, and how if this hail was made from rock, every window in my house would be broken.

It lasted a good 10 minutes, so we waited, listened, and suddenly it stopped. Out I went with a bucket for the kids, which is now in our freezer. Cooper ate some, and said it tasted like water.

This was big hail…maybe the biggest I’d seen since I was a kid. It was easy to spot actual golfball-sized hail, but it was melting fast.

Most of the big pieces had a distinct cloudy ball in the middle, about the size of a raisin, which was surrounded by thick, clear ice. This pattern was enhanced as they melted, and they began to look like sliced kiwi.

Here are some pics of the aftermath…

While searching for a particular Dr. Seuss book the other day, I noticed there was a wide range of colors on the bindings. Inspired by chotda’s rainbow bookshelves, I quickly threw the Seussian volumes into their proper ROYGBV order (I left all the white ones on the right). Not a mind-blowing display, but Coop liked it!

Since we don’t watch TV with the boys very often, we constantly have our iPods plugged into various devices. They have playlists, but mostly they like to listen to our music. So as we made our way through our nation’s birthday, I made sure they heard some songs about freedom. Here are five of them:

• Freedom, by Rage Against the Machine
• Fight the Power, by Public Enemy
• Get Up, Stand Up, by Bob Marley and the Wailers
• Freedom, by Richie Havens (live at Woodstock)
• Freedom ‘76, by Ween (this was just for fun)

The 4-year-old really liked Fight the Power, and I loved explaining why that was important. What’s weird is that I actually think he got it…kids are smart. Since I usually fly my “Don’t Tread on Me” flag the whole 4th of July week, I might as well keep on with the Freedom Playlist…I want my kids to know why this country is important, and why they should stand up against their oppressors when the time comes.

I was going through my browser history trying to find something, when I ran across a Google entry with my son’s name on it. When I opened the page, it became clear what had happened. Apparently he’s taken up egosurfing, and was googling his own name!

OK, so he entered a little more than just his name, but still - what a clown.

This is a detail from a scrap shot, but i thought it looked cool.
So, what color would you say his eyes are?

Ever since our son could walk, we’ve had a wide range of chalky goodness on the driveway. He loves the stuff. In fact, we all like adding to the weekly mural. These two characters appeared last week, and then with zen-like timing vanished under an evening rain.

With the holiday season here, I have been discussing gift-giving strategy with other parents. I’ve been surprised at the different concepts used. Below you’ll find some of the leading theories in the field.

• To Wrap or Not To Wrap - There are different schools of thought here, but the best strategy may be to ride the fence. Assembling and displaying a few key gifts will make a big impact when your child comes down the stairs, and give them an opportunity to play right away. In combination with displayed gifts, do try leaving a few gifts wrapped. You don’t want to rob your little one of all that paper-tearing excitement.
• De-Package, Then Wrap - The frustrations associated with modern toy packaging are well documented, and should not be ignored when planning your Christmas morning show. Most toys can be stripped of packaging, put together, powered up, and wrapped up without a problem. Not only does this make the toy immediately playable, but it also gives you a head start on throwing away packaging and storing manuals.
• The “I Think There’s One More” Present - As demonstrated in “A Christmas Story“, saving a highly-desired gift until the end can add some much needed drama on Christmas morning. Simply place the gift around the corner or hidden in the tree, and pull the old, “Do I see one more over there?” routine. Sit back, and let the happiness ensue.
• From Santa or Mom & Dad - This one seems to be a personal preference, so just get your facts straight. The primary objective here is to ensure presents that come from Santa were actually on the list sent emailed to the North Pole. If your son asked Santa for Batman, Santa wouldn’t bring him Spiderman - that’s just cruel.
• Save the Best for Last - I know this seems like common sense, but try to increase the desirability of each gift as the morning goes on. Socks first, Xbox 360 last.

I hope these strategies can be of some help, but just remember the most important part of gift giving - actually doing the shopping. So, lay off the blogs and go buy some stuff before it’s too late!

I am only a few years into parenting, and I already feel I have forgotten countless details about my son’s early years. Sure I remember what he wore on Halloween, and what his favorite toy was at age one - but what about the little things? How am I going to remember the times he made us crack-up, or what he liked to munch on for lunch?

I’ve decided to keep a Kid Log - a ‘klog’ if you will. It’s not really a diary, as I’m not putting time stamps on each entry. Rather, I’ve decided to write a few paragraphs whenever I can, in the hopes that someday this will be meaningful to someone - my son, his kids, or even my senility.

I write about the simple things: The time he made a joke, or the time he got scared by my dinosaur roar. When he fell out of his chair during dinner, or how he carried around a yellow rubber frog for two weeks. These activities sound pointless, I know - but I’m hoping in 40 years (heck, even 10 years) they will seem priceless.

Start a Klog today, before those fleeting thoughts float away.

With thousands of toys out there capable of decimating wallets, it’s nice when a child is attracted to something inexpensive. Some say the best toy is a free toy - this theory holds that your child will have more fun with the doll house box than the actual doll house.

This may be true, but there are many cheap items that will keep him entertained, especially if you buy lots of them. Small multiples can maximize play while minimizing the impact on your wallet. Try a few of these ideas with your little one:

• Balloons - A big bag of balloons kept in a shoebox can be a lot of fun. Use them as dump truck fodder, make it rain balloons, cook some balloon soup, or actually blow them up!
• Puff Balls - You can get these at a craft store, and come in many colors. Separate them into colored piles, fill other things up with them, or have a puff ball fight.
• Party Ice Cubes - I bet you’ve seen these at the store, probably in the dollar bin. They are plastic shapes filled with water, and are to be used as ice cubes for partys. They come in colored cubes, footballs, baseballs, etc. These are great little toys that can be put into containers, counted, or throw around
• Balls - Bouncy balls, golf balls, tennis balls, racquet balls, and even cat toys can be fun in large quantities. Put them all in a box or bucket, and let the fun begin. A huge collection of bouncy balls can be inexpensive, and go a long way.
• Pipe Cleaners - Cheap, check. Quantities, check. Creative, check. Fun, check.
• Marbles - These are great fun, and can be counted, separated by color, rolled around the floor, and thrown through glass windows. Well, be careful about that last one.
• Beans - Get a bag of mixed beans, a couple bowls, some cups, and a spoon, and watch you little one go to town. There are many imaginative games to play with beans, and you can even toss them into the yard to watch them grow.

These ideas may seem silly, but cheap creativity can go a long way. Open-ended activities can also help develop your child’s attention span. Pretty much anything that is small and can be stored in large numbers will be fun for your little one, just make sure they are safe.

When my wife and I were expecting our first child, we did the requisite registration at Babies R Us for all the essential supplies. When we hit the burp cloth section, my wife snatched the scanner out of my trigger-happy hand. I was about to learn something handy, and more importantly, cost-effective.

As with anything baby-related, parents (and grandparents) are suckers. If it can be monogrammed, color-coordinated, or bought in matching sets, you better believe there are countless people ready to lay down their cash. It is certainly no different with burp clothes.

You can buy every kind imaginable at your local baby store. The most expensive are around five dollars per cloth - that’s five dollars for something that will wipe up regurgitated breast milk and formula. And yes, I thought the same thing.

The solution is simple: Buy cheap cloth diapers. I’m not talking about the pre-cut cloth diapers that mimic disposables, but rather the old school rectangular swatches of fabric. I believe Gerber calls them “Flatfold Gauze Weave Diapers,” though I was unable to find a good link. We got a couple dozen of these, and basically kept them everywhere. Not only were they dirt cheap, but super absorbent - just getting them near the spit-up was enough to make it disappear.

If you have a baby with an inclination for spitting-up, keep your world dry with cloth diapers!

A big bucket of sidewalk chalk is a great excuse to get outside and be creative with your toddler. Even the long-lasting 52-count box of Crayola Chalk is an inexpensive and safe way to get your little one playing creatively, and the cleanup is simple (wait for it to rain, or grab the hose.)

We used crayons, markers, and paintbrushes early on with our son, but the big thick sidewalk chalk was the easiest for him to hold. By 10 months, he was already trying to draw circles and triangles with us, and our creative life was in full swing.

Here are just a few of the chalk activities you can do with you toddler:

• Numbers - Writing big numbers all in a row are a great way to get your little one running AND counting. Have her say the numbers as she walks down the row, or call out a number for her to find.
• Shapes - Draw each of the shapes (square, circle, triangle, etc.), making them large enough for him to stand in. Call out a shape and have him find it. You can also make each shape a different color to crank the learning up a notch.
• More Shapes - Find two areas far apart, and draw a set of small shapes (6″ each) in the first. In the second, draw a large set of each shape (3′ each). Show her a small shape (the circle for example), and then have her find the big one.
• Places - Draw the places you visit around the driveway, spread out like in real life. The park, grocery store, playground, post office, mall, and toy store can be just as fun to visit in your own driveway.
• Outlines - Body outlines are fun as he gets older, but you can start with hands and feet. Do theirs, then the rest of the family’s as a good lesson in size.
• Data - Draw important numbers and names to reinforce character recognition. It’s never too late to begin teaching things like names, addresses, phone numbers, 911, and birthdays.
• Characters - Replicating personalities from videos may not teach your toddler a lot (though, you could probably use the drawing practice), but she will enjoy talking about them. This is a good way to jump-start her imagination with some familiar content.

The possibilities are limited only by your creativity, so drop the six bucks today and give it a shot. I imagine the games will get more complex as time goes on, but for now the simple ones are effective - and I bet your toddler will love them as much as ours.