Genius Mommy Tips & Tricks

If you're like me, you love learning about those little things you can do that will make your life as a Mommy (or Daddy, for that matter) more efficient and just plain easier. If you're really like me, you forget all of those great tips about 30 seconds after reading or hearing about them. Ugh.

So I've decided to compile a list here and add to it as I come across new gems of wisdom. Please, please, please leave a comment if you have anything you'd like to share!

I'm launching the list with several goodies I found in the October 2011 issue of Parents Magazine. The magazine celebrates its 85th anniversary this year so the staff compiled tips from across the decades. Pretty timeless stuff. I hope you find it as helpful as I do!

Art To-Go

Save the cardboard tubes from paper towels and wrapping paper to store or transport your child's artwork home from school.

Tidy Treat

To avoid messy drips from the bottom of an ice-cream cone, put a small marshmallow in the bottom of the come before scooping the cold stuff. It absorbs any melted ice cream before it can leak out, and it makes a sweet surprise when your kids reach the end of the cone.

Art Smart

To make painting less messy, put old baby bottles to good use. Remove the nipple, snip off part of the tip, partially fill the bottle with paint, and reassemble the bottle with the nipple inverted. The bottles are less likely to spill and the nipple removes excess paint from the brush on the way out.

Clean Routine

One squirt from the liquid soap dispenser tends to be too much for little hands. To dispense a pint-sized amount, wrap a rubber band around the neck of the dispenser several times so the pump will only go down halfway.

Sticker Shock

Kids tend to gravitate toward food products with cartoon characters on the package, but most of those products are not the healthiest or least expensive choices. To keep everyone happy, add stickers of their favorite characters to the products you want to buy once you get home from the grocery store.

Don't forget to leave a comment with tips and tricks you've come across. It may just be the solution that another mommy needs!