Parent Hacks

Return address stamps or labels double as ID

Michael's idea is one to keep in mind during the holiday shopping season: My child loves stickers and stamps. Any time he sees a hand stamp or sticker he wants one. So what better way to teach your kid how to learn his address? We use our address stamp and...

Read more →

Amazon Friday sale: Kitchen gadgets galore

If you've got cooks on your holiday gift list, check out the Amazon's Friday sale . I noticed a bunch of great deals on kitchen stuff today, including my favorite gadget, the KitchenAid hand mixer. I use my hand mixer (also called an immersion blender) all the time -- I...

Read more →

Plastic soap holder as crayon container

Tracy's smart hack works at home or on the road: We use a plastic bar soap holder (the kind that has a top and a bottom that you could use for travel or in your shower). Take crayons out of a standard 24-crayon cardboard box and put them in the...

Read more →

Featured find: Flip Video Camcorder

I love watching videos of my kids, but I hate dragging out the video camera. I find that inserting a camera between myself and the experience often turns me off to taking videos in the first place -- which is something I already regret as I watch my kids grow...

Read more →

Simple, beautiful Hanukkah crafts

Hanukkah's next week! But you've still got time for some lovely crafts (if crafts are your thing). Check out Amber's Hanukkah crafts at the always-fabulous Kids Craft Weekly. Toblerone chocolate box as a template for a Star of David stamp? Brilliant.

Read more →

Use del.icio.us to track gift ideas

If you're not already using a social bookmarking service such as del.icio.us, consider signing up for an account. So easy to use, so useful. I used del.icio.us to build my daily link roundups, and as a way to for us all to point out hack-ish links to each other (see...

Read more →

links for 2007-11-29

Show "Home Alone" To Raise Social Engineering Awareness Movies can be a great jumping off point for discussions about life lessons.

Read more →

Free art supplies: Paint color chips from the home improvement store

[Note: When I first posted this hack, I mistakenly thought Andi was talking about actual paint samples, but several readers pointed out she was referring to paint chips, the colorful cards that display different paint colors. Sorry about the mixup. -- Ed.] Andi's a braver mom than I...my kids didn't...

Read more →

Motion-sensing switch takes over when kids forget to turn off the lights

We are huge fans of the motion-sensing light switch in our house! From Ellen: My kids seem unable to remember to turn off the bathroom light. We use compact fluorescent bulbs, so the power usage is trivial, but it's a pet peeve of mine. Instead of turning off the light...

Read more →

links for 2007-11-28

How to Develop a Mindset for Math | BetterExplained Total geekery (in the best way) and caused my brain to short out a couple of times, but a fascinating, inspiring read. Via 43Folders. CityMama: NaBloPoMo Recipe #27: Easy and cheap homemade holiday gifts Stefania's all about the dee-licious food. Mmm....

Read more →

Amazon formula rebate ends this Friday

Just a reminder that Amazon's deal on Similac, Isomil and PediaSure products ends Friday, 11/30. The deal: spend $119 on selected products, enter the code SIMNOV07 at checkout, and get an instant $20 rebate (and free shipping).

Read more →

Still got Halloween candy lying around? Give it to the "goblins."

In case you're still trying to clear out the odd Almond Joy leftover from Halloween, Judi's tip may help.

Read more →

How to remove a band-aid painlessly

Rachael shares her solution to an age-old problem: Here’s my hack for removing those pesky band-aids that kids love to put on and HATE to have taken off: If you dip a cotton ball or q-tip in oil (olive or baby) and rub it against the band-aid, it will allow...

Read more →

Travel tip: Clean the DVDs!

Ginger reminds us: If you're traveling with a toddler and a portable DVD player, remember to clean the DVD's before you get on the plane! Believe me, that will be 2 minutes well spent. Didn't I hear somewhere (here?) that you can clean DVDs with baby wipes? Can someone confirm...

Read more →

links for 2007-11-26

Tessy & Tab Reading Club: Gifts and starter kits My daughter LOVES these sturdy little "magazines" that come in the mail. For ages 2-5, easy for little hands to handle, bright graphics and fun pre-reading practice. Highly recommended as a low-clutter (no lead!) gift.

Read more →