Great Inventions

When I say great inventions, I"m not talking about electricity or the dual flush toilet, I'm talking about just the simple little things that make a mom's job easier.

Shall we start with the little cone-shaped "thingys" that sit over your floor vent and dry your mittens? I mean it's just fabulous! In the winter, your kids are coming in the house constantly with wet mitts and boots and hats. Each of these items, can be placed on the "cone-like wire vent topper" and then a short time later, they're dry and good to go again. Now that's a great little thing - even if I don't know it's actual name. I believe it was super cheap to buy, and it hasn't cost me one nickel in batteries, or maintenance plans, or repairs since. It's just some plastic coated wire, bent around in a clever way and built in the size of a floor vent. So simple.... so handy. 

Then what about the little storage containers that you use for leftovers, but all sizes use the same universal lid. Yes! Finally, any lid fits the damn container. Seriously... it's a good thing! Now the cupboard doesn't look like a Tupperware (pardon the brand name reference) explosion. Nothing repelled husbands or children more from packaging or saving leftovers like having to sort through a 200 piece puzzle to find the right lid.  Now, anyone can do it. And you should do it. Reduce, reuse, recycle you know!

Now another little invention that I have a love-hate relationship with is the "Magic Eraser." Those little formaldehyde sponges scare me. But they WORK!! They will clean anything nasty, old, moldy or scuffed. So they really do the job, but even the spelling of the word formaldehyde takes a scientist to put together. So hopefully, the scientist who put this formula together knew what he/she was doing. I just wear gloves, and breath in the other direction, and scrub vigorously. And it works, clean & good as new. I even scrubbed 2 years of puck-stopping off my son's goalie pads. 

In organizing things around the house, I'm in love with the label maker. Want to teach your 8 year old boy where his clean socks can be found? Label the drawer. He can read. Sock isn't a difficult word. And now, labelled, he has no reason to holler  "where are my socks?" at mom every morning. Another of life's great difficulties solved... with a clever little invention.