Category: Mom Hacks

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Old gloves transform into a creepy toilet paper “butler”

May I hand you some toilet paper? HEHHHHH. Now you know what to do with last year’s gloves that no longer fit. This gag is super-easy to set up. Visit Stylewithasmile.tv for the full how-to. Got a Halloween hack? Post it on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with #parenthacks so I can share it!

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Turn leftover picnic supplies into reusable, adorable Halloween decorations

Turn the last few picnic supplies cluttering your pantry into easy, clever Halloween decorations. At Paging Supermom, Bettijo offers a set of free Halloween printables, including the irises for this eyeball door garland made out of yarn and paper plates. Tracey of the Australian Baby Blog turned plastic party cups into Halloween-themed luminarias with a […]

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8 Jack O’Lantern hacks to make decorating your Halloween pumpkin easier (including not carving it)

Pumpkin carving is one of my favorite Halloween traditions, but it’s not the most kid-friendly project, nor is it without effort and mess. Time to hack the Jack O’lantern. Parent Hacks readers are a practical bunch, and together we’ve come up eight ways to simplify Halloween pumpkin decorating. Perfect for kids of all ages and […]

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Turn a plastic drink carton into a pet food scoop

I HATE buying small, overpriced packages of anything. Because of this hack, the money I save on dog food will pay for the fancy pet food storage bin I now keep in my basement. I admit, I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself about this one. I invite you to follow me on Instagram — I […]

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8 tips for your child’s first Halloween

You know Halloween is a blast, but it can be scary and exhausting for a first-timer. Spooky costumes, strangers, creepy house decorations and sound effects mixed with a big dose of anticipation and sugar and you’ve got the makings of a toddler meltdown. How do you best prepare your toddler (and yourself) for her first […]

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10 ways your butcher can save you time in the kitchen (for free)

Calling all carnivores! If you cook for meat eaters, these tips will save you both prep and cleanup time and might even save you some money. Did you know that your butcher can start your meal prep before you even leave the grocery store?  Photo Credit: Robert S. Donovan via Compfight cc This hack took me […]

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DIY bottle holder lets babies feed themselves

I already love the Oball by Rhino Toys — it’s my #1 gift for new babies. But THIS hack? Damn smart. From sueb262: From the very first, my granddaughter has been independent. When she was about 2 months old, she started trying to hold her bottle herself, but it was too big for her hands […]

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Heat pancake syrup with your old bottle warmer

The bottle warmer is one of those baby gear items you just don’t need. (Am I right?) But that doesn’t stop people from giving them as baby shower gifts, or palming them off as hand-me-downs. At least Ingrid came up with way to repurpose hers: On the days we have pancakes for breakfast, we use […]

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Easier school lunch packing: designate a pantry “lunchbox zone”

My kids just started middle- and high school and I still hate packing their school lunches. The obvious retort is well, then, why don’t you get them to pack their own lunches? Because I also love packing their lunches. I should say: I love the nurturing, generous part of packing lunches. But I hate the details: […]

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Freeze french toast by the loaf for quick weekday toaster breakfasts

Jill’s simple tip makes french toast easy and quick enough for weekday mornings: Occasionally on a weekend, we’ll make a whole loaf of french toast, then freeze it. During the week, we just snap off a frozen slice and put it in the toaster. Egg and whole grain bread right there. If you add vanilla […]

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Your turn: Creative uses for…the binder clip

I love "new uses for old things" -style tips. The cheapskate declutterer in me can’t resist a) reusing an item I already have and/or b) avoiding buying another "unitasker" which will eventually make its way into the giveaway pile. As I’ve been sifting through the archives for book research, I’ve discovered that we’ve got the makings […]

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Why “art career” isn’t a contradiction in terms: my behind the scenes look at “The Boxtrolls”

Portland isn’t known for its show-biz glamour. We’ve got Portlandia and Grimm, but there’s not much celebrity glitz here in the Land of Clogs. So you might be surprised to know that just outside of town, housed in a generic set of suburban office buildings, is LAIKA Studios — premier creator of feature-length stop-motion animation […]

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