The Hot Tip Exchange

Has anyone else noticed that while we have been blogging a lot more (hello devotionals), we have been chatting a lot less?  It’s basically like trying to talk while you are on a jog. Not so much lung power leftover. But, in spite of this, we have gone on living a very chatty real life. Full of small news and less than fascinating anecdotes.

Some of the small news that I keep wanting to share falls into the category of hot tips. Things that I have tried at home and found to be a big help. I thought that it would be fun to ask you all to share any of these sorts of things that you discovered in your own homes as well. Since Pinterest is crawling with suggestions like this, I want to limit it to things that you have actually implemented. Things that you can testify to the helpfulness of.

Here’s what I’ve got  in random and unconnected order:

I’ve had this canvas sweater stacker for a long time and never really found it to be super helpful in the closet. Suddenly it occurred to me to pull it out for summer shoes. I printed out initials  and traced them with a sharpie onto the front of each one. Clearly I have the perfect number of children to use this, but even without that happy coincidence, I think this could be useful. I would have been happy to have an extra one for diapers and wipes – since this is by the door in our house.

This is what I was trying to knit in the front yard in that first picture with Shadrach assisting. Teeny tiny dishcloths. I have a theory here, unproven. These are for my kids to use to clean off their faces, elbows, whatever, when I tell them to clean up in the bathroom. Big washcloths lend themselves to serious levels of sloshwashing. My theory is that due to ease of wringing out, these will work for them. Also possible – sloshwashing will takes itself to a new, cuter, and more colorful level. Either way I think I’m ok with it. These are super quick, mindless, and use up the random leftovers I always have from knitting real dishcloths.

 

This random metal box that I paid too much for at a farm yard sale years ago has been around. But now it is helpfully around. This is in the living room, on a shelf- but inside is where I keep all the hair things for the girls. Brushes, “pretties” as we call hairbands, and even the detangling spray. Many the morning that I do hair while they are at the table eating breakfast. I find hair ties and brushes all over the house, and they all go right into this. For us, it works.

And my last hot tip is to buy extra vegetable peelers, and a lettuce knife. These peelers are not too sharp, but work well. Often times when kids come in wanting to help with dinner, I have them peel potatoes or carrots. When it is one of the littler ones, I have them do it even if we aren’t eating carrots or potatoes for dinner. Both are cheap, peeling is great fun and good practice. I have also put small people at chairs in the kitchen with a funnel, a jar, an ice cube tray, and a little bowl of dried beans with a spoon in it. So long as you are nearby to prevent stuffing it into ears and noses, that is also a ton of fun.

The lettuce knife is serrated plastic – it would be really hard to cut yourself with. We are just starting a rotation of who is on duty to help with dinner, and the greatest thrill of all is cutting up the lettuce for the salad all by yourself. Also – until I got this knife, I always used a disposable plastic knife to cut brownies (and I hear cakes and cheesecakes work too) as it keeps it from clouding up on the knife – it just shoots right through even the most luscious of brownies.

So – I like to think that I have a ton more tips where these came from, but I doubt it. I may have maxed out here. You may have heard all the ideas I have had, ever. But I’d love to hear yours! Share in the comments – you know we can all use a few more hot tips!