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

Follow up:

Trail report

Making a snowball sounds easy enough, but making the perfect snowball takes a little more effort.

In your pack

* gloves
* snow
* water mister (optional)

Getting there

The first step in perfect snowball making is finding the perfect snow. What you’re looking for is snow with a medium to high moisture content that packs easily and stays balled up. If you are blessed with light, powdery snow, you’ll need to up the moisture content. Look for places where the snow has warmed up (near a dark wall) or dig deep into the snowpack to find pre-packed snow. Or mist your snow with a spray bottle of water.

Scoop up some snow in both hands. Gently press the snow as you turn it, forming it into a sphere. Don’t press too hard or you’ll smoosh it. Also, you don’t want it to be so hard that it hurts on impact. The perfect snowball explodes on impact, covering the victim in snow.

Taking it farther

When the ball is the size and shape you want, dip it in water and coat it with another layer of snow. Brush off any rough edges for less wind resistance.

History hints

Students of Michigan Technological University rolled the world's largest snowball on February 10, 2006. It was 21 feet 3 inches in circumference (2.06 meters). They also have the record for most snow angels made simultaneously and largest snowball fight. All three records were set on the same day.