Parent Hacks

Encourage self-serve breakfast independence with "the Breakfast Drawer"

A simple way to make it possible for kids to make their own breakfasts.

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Amazon deal: 10% instant rebate on Pamela's gluten-free baking mixes

I don't usually post about items with small Amazon discounts, but given that the price-per-unit there is already good and that going gluten free can be so expensive and intimidating for newcomers, I decided this one was worth sharing. Discount ends December 31, 2011.

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Long-term thinking about Halloween candy management

Halloween is over! Phew. Now ask yourself this question: Next Halloween, will you have to engage in the same old candy-control struggle with your kids?

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Pump at work? Store milk + car keys in the refrigerator so you won't leave it behind.

If you pump at work, how do you remember to bring your milk home?

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DIY budget bento-style lunch kit

If you've priced out bento-style lunch kits, you know they're not cheap. Here's Courtney's alternative, made out of disposable (but reusable) food containers you buy at the grocery store.

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Not-As-Sloppy Joes: use hot dog buns!

That's right, we're building a better Sloppy Joe.

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Upside-down crazy straw + cup lid "locks" the straw inside a to-go cup

Raise your hand if your kid takes the straw out of milkshake and soda to-go cups, thereby dripping on, spraying or wetting something nearby. *Millions of hands go up around the world.* THANK YOU, HEATHER, FOR A SOLUTION.

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Extra lasagna noodles? Make single-serve lasagna roll-ups!

This would be way too fussy for me to pull off for family dinner, but for a few noodles? No problem.

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Sippy cup stand-in: lidded paper coffee cup

Angela's almost-spillproof hack comes in handy on vacation, or on a quick errand run.

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Divided food container inside a lunchbox keeps sandwiches un-smooshed

What's the bane of many kids' school lunch experience? Opening the lunch box to find a smooshed sandwich. Or bruised banana. Or crushed chips. Here's one easy way to avoid the problem without buying all-new lunchbox accessories.

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Five ways to repurpose kitchen tools...in the kitchen

Any geek worth his or her salt loves America's Test Kitchen. The obsessive trial-and-error to make the perfect roast chicken or fruit crisp or whatever. Entertaining and interesting to read, gratifying to cook. And the illustrations are fantastic. Well, Adrienne (Baby Toolkit) tweeted me with a link to this lovely...

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Turn a packaged meal into a mostly home-cooked dinner

Amida wrote up this brilliantly simple method for extending a pre-packaged one- to two serving dish into a family meal...

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Ideas for packing a little fun into your kid's lunchbox

I admire those who get creative with lunch packing...as long as they are doing it because they enjoy it. But it's not required. THAT SAID, some kids appreciate variety, and it's fun to surprise them with a little novelty every now and then. I'll let Sandi in Ottowa kick off the ideas...

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Pack lunches for schoolkids and at-home kids at the same time

If your family has a mix of school-aged kids and toddlers (or other kids at home, say, home schoolers) this hack might save you some time and cleanup.

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Makeshift corn cob holder: two forks

Not only will this hack protect tender fingers from steaming corn, it will keep most of the butter off of kids' hands.

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