Fire safety is no joke. The best method to keep you and your loved ones safe is prevention. Making sure your house has the necessary safety measures in place, such as smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, is pretty easy to do. I mean, WWStBD (What Would Smokey the Bear Do)?
If you’re going to invest in a safety precaution, why not at least make it enjoyable a la the Chick-a-Dee Smoke Detector (Generate Design, $79.00)? You could go for a boring old smoke detector, but this one is both functional and cute (another two-fer!). This bird-shaped gadget acts just like a standard smoke detector in that it will emit a sustained 85 decibel sound when smoke it detected. However, it differs in that it also replicates a chick-a-dee-dee call when a threat is first detected, making it a lot more pleasant during those all too often false alarms due to intense cooking experiments. With the bird perched on a branch, you can either mount the bird directly to the ceiling or use the branch itself as a mounting system for a more authentic look.
Also known as the Rockin’ Robin’s cousin.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 7″ x 7″ x 4.75″
-Creative smoke detector
-Bird call at first sign of threat
-Sustained 85 decibel sound at smoke detection
-Control light flashes once a minute
-Battery included (1.5 year lifetime)
-Available in white and white/black
-3 year warranty
A long time ago, I realized that I needed to have a calendar is plain sight or I would never be able to keep track of the days. Sure, I also use it to write down appointments or birthdays, but it’s mostly there for a quick reference. I find it a lot easier to zero in on the correct date when I’ve marked off all the days gone by. However, I can’t stand doing this to a normal calendar because then it just looks messy and sad.
Instead of defacing your important calendar, why not get one for the express purpose of fun? The Bubble Wrap Calendar (Generate Design, $29.00) joins practicality with an innocent pastime: popping bubble wrap. Seriously, who didn’t love to pop bubble wrap? Now you can actually have an excuse to pop one bubble every day to mark the passage of time. The calendar lays out all twelve months of the year and their respective days on one sheet. Each bubble includes the date and day of the week as well as any applicable holidays, with weekends bolded for quick reference.
Please try to restrain yourself and not pop all the bubbles at once. I know, it is really hard.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 48″ x 17.5″
-Pop a bubble for every day
-Weekends bolded for quick reference
-Type set in Helvetica Neue
-Keep calendar out of sunlight and heat
-Made of thick paper and plastic
I’m all about trying to help out the environment because even though the world probably won’t end this year, global warming is totes here and with impressive force to boot. Don’t believe me? Why don’t you take a walk outside today and enjoy the 70+ degree weather on the first day of SPRING. To quote a friend, it is “lutes redic” how warm it is.
There are numerous ways to cut down on your consumption (many of which we’ve talked about here), but the biggest one is simply to stop using all things disposable. Just think of my how many trees you use every year because you don’t want to wash a dish! The Light Up Neon Blackboard (Things You Never Knew Existed, $19.98) eliminates at least some of your paper waste by functioning as a reusable dry erase board. Not only can you write messages to your heart’s content without worrying about your environmental footprint, you can make them light up! That’s right, this portable blackboard comes equipped with an illuminating marker that will make your messages visible in both the light and dark. It also promotes maximum portability through the use of an integrated leg stand and battery-powered technology.
I know it’s a bit early, but how awesome would this be for a Halloween party?!
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 9″ x 5″ x 0.5″
-Mini portable neon blackboard
-Includes 1 illuminating marker
-Built in leg stand
-Messages visible in light and dark
-Wipes clean
-Uses 3 AA batteries (not included)
Why is everyone so obsessed with glowing items? Show me someone out there who doesn’t think glow sticks are cool and I’ll show you a liar. Seriously, if it glows it’s gotta be awesome. Let’s look at the evidence: Lite-Brite? Awesome. Glo-Worm? Awesome. Rudolph’s nose? Super awesome. It doesn’t look like the novelty is wearing off anytime soon.
The Glo Nightlight with Portable Balls (Amazon, $56.21) is a great example of practical glowing technology. On the surface, it looks like a generic nightlight – funky design, but with your basic monster-banishing principles. What sets this light apart is that you can remove each of the balls from the base and they will continue to glow, no batteries required. Ok, so no batteries must mean you have to charge them up before each use, right? Nope, these babies are ready to go at a moment’s notice. Each ball is powered by a low energy LED (won’t be hot to the touch) and will fade to dark after 30 minutes of glow time (no shutoff needed). The balls will light up and change colors, but only when on the base. When removed, the balls simply glow a white-green light.
Whatever happened to Glo-Worm? Somebody needs to investigate that, right quick!
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Multi color nightlight
-No charging required
-Fades to dark after 30 minutes
-Color selection lever
-Select one color or color changing
-Low energy LED base
-9 volt power adapter included
-BPA free, Phthalate free, and PVC free
A lot of people like to romanticize starting a family, but let’s get real here – it’s not all fun and games. Perhaps the most serious impact children will have on your life is a severe lack of sleep. It’s not their fault; they need constant attention and they can’t tell time. If you’re waiting for your child’s attention seeking to wane, then you’ll be waiting forever. At least you can do something about their knowledge of time telling.
While your baby girl might not know exactly which predawn hour it is, the Multimedia Photo Clock (SkyMall, $89.99) will at least let her know that it’s too early to wake Mommy and Daddy. The key here is a clock that displays both the digital time as well as a photo representation of day or night. Using this combination, you can teach your children when it is time to get up and when it is time to go to bed simply by looking at the picture next to their bed. If you’re not down with the pre-programmed sun and night images, you can always upload your own teaching images. The clock itself is not only a fully functional alarm clock and digital photo frame, but also a music/audiobook/video player.
This still doesn’t mean you’ll get to sleep in – that’s a luxury of the past.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 5.5″ x 6″ x 1″
-Teach children when to get up/go to bed
-Pre programmed awake/sleep images
-Can also be photo personalized
-Alarm clock
-Music/audiobook/video player
-Digital photo frame
-Available in Blue Peace, Green Numbers, Pink Peace, Pink Stars, or White
-Ages 2 to 8
-2011 Award Winner from Parent Tested Parent Approved
