Top 10 Parent Hacks of 2006

Happy New Year, all! Our reveling plans (low-key though they were) got shelved due to colds (we've all got 'em), so Rael and I spent our New Year's Eve playing Excite Truck on the Nintendo Wii. (Did I just admit that out loud?)

Anyway, I noticed that the Top 10 list was getting a little voting action today, so I decided to hold off posting the winners till now. And so, without further ado...

The Top 10 Parent Hacks of 2006

10. Keychain hacks
9. Send your used stuffed animals and toys to children in Iraq
8. What to do with your kid when you're in a public restroom?
7. Flickr as kid entertainment
6. Use dry erase markers to remove permanent marker scrawls
5. Cell phone as baby monitor
4. Closed-captioning helps TV-watchers learn to read
3. No-sew modular Halloween costumes
2. Sharpie your cell phone number on your kid's belly

and the top Parent Hack of 2006 is...

1. 'The Problem' is the problem -- not the kid

Honorable mention goes to the following hacks, all of which had the same number of votes as #10 but, through sheer chance I suspect, didn't make it onto the list:

• Extra spoons as restaurant entertainment for baby
• Best float trip toy: a bucket o' river rocks
• Juice box wings

I'd like to thank those of you who voted -- this was a fun experiment. Thank you ALL for making 2006 such an incredible year for Parent Hacks. Here's to a happy, healthy, hack-worthy new year.

Comments

[Stu Mark]

Please, post details on the Wii and Rael's (and your's) reaction to it. We're considering one, but we want to wait until real people play it first. How'd it go? Was it awesome?

[Marlo]

Yes, more Wii information is needed (perhaps a review?). It is still out of stock everywhere. I need an excuse NOT to buy it. I so want one... for my son, ya that's it.

[Parent Hacks Editor]

Stu and Mario: Happy to write a review. I (of course) was clueless about the whole Wii/Playstation crisis, and didn't even realize the Wii was a game console (I heard "Nintendo" and thought "handheld"). So when Rael managed to snag one around Thanksgiving time, I had no idea it was such a big deal. Anyway, details are forthcoming. Basic jist: it is awesome, and I'm not particularly into video games, for several reasons.