Se7en’s Se7en Essential Parenting Tools…

Ever since I began blogging I have had in my head a lingering series of posts, and yet I never get around to posting it!!! Here is the idea…

Se7en’s Se7en Essential Parenting Tools

Se7en’s Se7en Essential Homeschooling Tools

Se7en’s Se7en Essential Blogging Tools

Se7en’s Se7en Essential Photography Tools

I could go on… and then on, some more!!!

But let’s begin at the beginning. Remember I am a minimalist by nature and would actually consider it sheer madness to say you have to have anything at all. Especially when it comes to parenting I think marketers have given us so many choices and so many “must-haves” that we are forced to stop and think what do we really need from time to time and it turns out you probably wouldn’t need to go to a speciality parenting store for any of them!!! The whole marketing madness begins before you are even have a child in your arms. Poor first time parents are smothered with lists and lists of essentials that are not that essential after all.

That being said, if I were to have had our kids in a hospital and if they were to give me a goody bag to go, then these are the things I would like to find in it. Indeed these are the tools that make parenting a smoother ride for me:

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  1. The Dust Buster: This is not so much for when junior goes trawling through the contents of the cereal cupboard but rather for days when I am helping someone with math, holding a baby, the phone rings and I remember lunch should be on so I toss the ingredients into the bread machine and press go and a light cloud of flour descends ever so gently onto every available surface. This only about everyday!!!
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  3. The Hot Glue Gun: Not only is this useful for fixing endless pieces of plastic um stuff (that really should be tossed but little hearts can be fragile and I respect that!!!), but the hot glue gun is very handy for sticking soles back onto shoes, “sewing” seams that you haven’t time to sew as you are dashing out the door, filling gaps in the freezer lining where your kid has tried to pry open the freezer with a screw driver (just to see if he could), for sealing remote controls shut so that no-one else can “borrow” the batteries – the list is endless and frankly this is a worthy member of the tool box.
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  5. The Humble Teething Ring: You are looking at our first aid kit. I don’t really use these for teething but we have a couple of them in the fridge for bumps and scrapes… I never buy plasters (after forgetting to buy them for ten years of my parenting life I eventually just stopped putting them on the shopping list). “Cold Things,” as they are called in our house, are the great soother and answer to absolutely any injury – be it physical or prideful… a cold thing is called for and almost always does the trick.
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  7. The Flashlight: Sometimes my kids are sleeping so solidly that I could literally launch a space shuttle next to them and they wouldn’t hear a thing, but luck would have it there are times when even the drop of a sock wakes them… At times like these I rely heavily on my stealthy flashlight to light a clear path for me as I leopard crawl out of the bedroom. Trust me on this – if you haven’t been there you will think I am insane, and if you have you will totally understand!!!
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  9. Duct Tape: Before I met the father person I hadn’t even heard of duct tape… I tell you where had I been. This stuff is brilliant. Tape it around your child’s rusty shoe. Long story – don’t go there! Not actually rusty shoes but he used his shoes as a bike brake and half the shoe was quite literally gone. Shoe taped and he joined the family on a hike with smooth silver sneakers. Otherwise, when a child complains that they are getting rained on, when they are snuggly strapped in their car seat – no worries hop on the roof of the car and slap some tape on it and your problem is resolved (albeit temporarily). This stuff is good for mending books, toilets, telephones – I tell you it is even good for entertainment when you are in a place that requires small children to behave better than any of the surrounding adults… just hand out a strip of tape and the ensuing silence – aaah, say no more!!!
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  11. Clear Contact Paper: We read a lot of books, and I mend a lot of books. I never hold back on books and a lot of our books literally get read to death. I must have used miles and miles of contact paper in my parenting life as I repaired well loved books.
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  13. A Camera: If you are making memories then you need to record them somewhere and somehow. You need a camera. The best you can get. I have always taken a myriad of photographs – I am useless at scrap-booking and photo albums, thank heavens for digital photographs and screen savers that flick through collections!!! Even if you don’t think you are making memories and you are just surviving taking a bunch of photos can help you remember those “just surviving moments.”
  14. And I am allowing a “se7en + 1 th” item…

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  15. A Computer: I know this one is a luxury, but really you have to store those photographs somewhere! And frankly I need direct access to Google because no amount of training could have possibly prepared me for the myriad of questions that I get asked on a daily basis: Did Shakespeare have a sister? How hot is the sun? How fast does a shark swim? Who invented spaghetti?… Endless I tell you. Not to mention – even mother’s need a break and what better place to take a break than catching up with on-line friends.

Update: Since you asked – here is a link to Shakespeare’s Sibling situation – you will never believe it!!! He was one of (se7en + 1)!!!!

That’s it – Se7en Essential Tools that smooth my way through almost every day!!!

If you haven’t entered this weeks GiveAway yet then follow the link and leave a comment!!!

And, if you did something fun with your kids or made a great link list then pop over and link it up to our Fabulous Friday Fun, not to mention have a look at the great links there!!!

This Post is part of The Thirty Minute Mom’s Challenge at Steady Mom.

I popped this post onto the Works For Me Wednesday Site – go and have a look there for all sorts of tips on absolutely anything.

23 Replies to “Se7en’s Se7en Essential Parenting Tools…”

  1. All good stuff, for sure!
    And here’s another use for duct tape: Making longterm hopscotches on the carpet!
    And the flashlight: Reading a book while sitting with kids in the dark — up to the moment when you can finally do that leopard crawl. 🙂

  2. These are great! Especially the “cold things”!

    I depend on my Ergo (we have a stroller, too, but they serve different purposes). 🙂

    thanks for visiting my blog!

  3. Hi H, Thanks for fabulous idea… I love your hopscotch idea. The mind boggles… we could make matchbox car roads and … all sort of things!!! Have a great day!!!

  4. You finally convinced me to get that Hot Glue gun. Been wanting one for ages…. off to Game, then.
    Oh, and i love your use of Duct tape for a quiet moment.
    Oh, and DID Shakespeare have a sister? Just kidding, I’ll google it myself 😉

  5. Okay, I’m totally with 5-7. I contact paper my books as soon as they hit the house.

    The camera, I think, should be number one.

    The computer is NOT a luxury! I know some people still see it that way. . . For those that are far flung from home (like military families) — it’s a lifeline.

  6. Hi C… I should have said in no particular order… and HOORAH for you!!! I don’t think I could breathe without my laptop… but I know of people that survive without them… I have to say that goes straight into the category of “weird but true!!! Also well done on sorting out your computer chaos!!! And today it is roasting hot swimming weather and we will be making snow – Thank-you very much!!! And I will be armed with my camera!!! Have a great day!!!

  7. We do the cold things as well. We also have a bunch of plastic “ice cubes” that were a free gift with something and we use those for booboos as well as holding on to when the weather is super hot, or for fun in the bathtub when the water was made a degree too hot for the comfort of the bathers.

  8. I just love this:
    “William was the first born son of John and Mary Shakespeare and thankfully survived childhhood unlike the two sisters before him”

    Especially the “thankfully” part in more ways than one….
    turns out…. 4 + 3 – wow fancy that, it turns out to be se7en +1
    hahahaha

  9. Hi JK, I never thought of using them for hot days and hotter baths before!!! I knew I would get great ideas when I posted this!!! Have a good week!!!

  10. This really is a helpful post! I’m not as creative with the glue gun, and I must consider the endless uses of such a simple thing. 🙂 Thanks, too, for your kind comments about “The Qualifier.” I’m glad it gave you a giggle…and it’s neat to hear from another Mom who knows…Have a beautiful day!

  11. Hi T, welcome to our blog – isn’t the 30 minute post a great place to meet new friends!!! Hope you have a fabulous week too!!!

  12. Hay N, You are so right about those pesky screwdrivers!!! I usually hand over all the dismantling to a child… this is something they are really good at!!! Have a fun week!!!

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