New uses, common items

After posting about using binder clips for toothpaste I got to thinking about other things that have received a new use around here.

You may remember a post about lunch bags. Well, that was not the only time the bag got left on the bus. Josh and I talked about how he might better remember to grab his lunch bag. His backpack is too full to put the lunch inside. We talked about clipping the bag onto the closing strap - but honestly I don't think that strap could hold the weight of lunch regularly. And the I got the idea! A carabiner clip! The next time we were at Walmart, I picked up 4 in different colors for a whopping 99c each and clipped them on backpacks. Voila! No more lunch bags left on the bus! :D Now if my oldest would just remember to bring hers home. Baby steps, baby steps. LOL.

The Constant Toothpaste Mess

I know you fellow moms know what I mean! You want your kids to be independent, and of course, you want them to brush their teeth regularly, but allowing both at the same time can make some catastrophic messes!

One of the biggest problems we used to have around here was people squeezing the tube in the middle. Of course, some comes out, and some goes to the back of the tube - making using all of it nearly impossible. So about a year ago I thought to myself, surely someone has come up with a solution to this problem. Yes, they have. But WHO wants to pay $4.50 for each little piece of plastic with a slot in it? NOT me! Then I had a great idea, a new use for an item we already have. The binder clip! (One might call this a duh moment) As the tube is used, I simply roll the tube up and attach the clip.

Well, I thought I was pretty smart for awhile. And the binder clip does help solve the problem of how to keep the kids from squeezing toothpaste back into the rear of the tube, but (there's always a but isn't there?)... There is still a toothpaste mess! The kids squeeze out too much toothpaste, they put on the lid with toothpaste still gooping out, and a 1,001 other little errors that cause a constant, sticky toothpaste mess in the bathroom.

Enter the TouchNBrush. As I was heading out yesterday morning I saw a commercial for this product. The kids said "we need that!" Well, I don't disagree, in theory. But I'm not spending twenty dollars, plus eight dollars shipping, then they include the "free" sonic toothbrush but bump your shipping up by another $6 dollars, for some product that *might* help keep my bathroom cleaner. Luckily, several stores frequently carry "As Advertised on TV" products. :)

I stopped by Target and they had the TouchNBrush. Twenty dollars, no shipping, and I still got the free toothbrush. I was dubious, and willing to admit that I may be wasting twenty dollars - but that just tells you how much I hate that icky, sticky mess.

It was installed yesterday and it does seem to work well! I am pretty excited. There is of course still potential for kids to use too much toothpaste, and I am sure they will find some way to abuse this bathroom addition, but for now, I am a happy consumer. :)