Nov 16, 2010

Gadgets I'm GaGa For

Pot Strainer.  So much easier to store and clean than its bigger bowl sized counterparts.  Its quicker to use than the bowl types, too.  This cheap thing is one of the best $1.99 purchases I ever made. 


If you are like me, you cringe when your kids drink from juice boxes and Capri Sun pouches. No matter how much you warn, those little hands and those curious minds will squeeze and spill them every time! This bad boy allows my kiddos to drink from juice boxes and capri suns without all that drama.  I keep one of these in the house and one in the car.


Yes, it is as you have seen on TV.  The Twin Draft Guard works great! We even went back for another.


We installed two doggie doors in AL and swore we'd never do dogs again without them.  So when Chewie joined the family, the dog doors were as critical for us to get as dog food.  This one gets Chewie onto the back porch and we have another smaller one that gets him through the door on the porch down into the yard.  Not having to jump up every time a dog wants to go potty or just plain go outside is a glorious convenience and time saver.


I love you My Tot Clock.  I wish I had discovered you back when I got Noah his other timer/nightlight/clock.  I swear by you.  This is the one in Anna's room and it turns light blue during her naps and she knows she can't get up until it turns yellow again.  At bedtime, it turns off (or dark blue if you like the light) and she knows she can't get up in the morning until it turns yellow again.  There is also a red light for time-outs and a green light for whatever other set amount of time you would like to have ready at the push of a button. 


Box Fan.  These bad boys are a nursery's best kept secret if you ask me.  We wasted several years relying on Noah's sound machine to drown out outside noise.  We even got one for Anna when she came along, but neither of those were as soundproof as a plain old $15 box fan.  We have one in both kids' rooms and they pretty much run 24-7. You just don't hear a thing over the hum. 


Although the season for this machine has just ended, it bears mentioning still.  This is a dehumidifier and during the summer months we kept it upstairs because it always felt so much hotter and more humid up there.  I was amazed at how much water it pulled out of the air.  If we ran it all day, it easily collected 2+ gallons a day.  That is a lot of water!


Bark. Collar.  Need I say more? 

4 comments:

Amy Faye Brown said...

I wish they had that cool alarm clock when mine were toddlers. The bark collar came up in our supper conversation as my children reminisced about Uncle Matthew's retelling of his adventures with it. :) Dehumidifier? May have to give that a whirl next summer because our house can get awfully humid.

Laura Koslowsky said...

A pot strainer...I'll have to look for one of those! I have a small strainer that is used to drain cans. Love that appliance too. I'll have to look for that clock for Samuel when he is a bit older. Oh and the juice pal...I totally need some of those too :) Fun post!

Kimberly said...

Amy - Oh yes, do invest in a dehumidifier. And we use it's counterpart downstairs in the winter (once the static and dry skin sets in) - a humidifier.

Laura - believe it or not I found that strainer at WalMart. As valuable as it turned out to be, as well used as it is in our house, I'm amazed I don't see it in more stores. I always have an eye out for a nicer one because ours is so worn now, but I only ever see the same cheap model at Walmart.

The White Family said...

Email me where you got the clock!