An Ignoble Experiment: [Parent Hacks] 2 new posts in Parent Hacks

Hello, ignoble.experiment@arconati.us, and thank you for subscribing to Parent Hacks. Got a hack you'd like to share? Send it to hacks@parenthacks.com, along with your name and Web address (if you'd like us to link to you).

links for 2009-01-29

Craftzine.com blog: More Harm than Good? More on the CPSIA

Excellent perspective from Dale Dougherty, publisher of MAKE: and CRAFT: and all-around smart guy.
11 tips for taking the kids out to a coffee shop | Quit Your Day Job

Marita also wrote this list! Thanks for the link, Kristen.
Search for Peanut Butter Product Recalls

The peanut butter recall has been expanded. Search this site to check the foods your family eats. (My survey shows several faves including certain Larabars and CLIF Bars and Trader Joe's celery/peanut butter snacks.)
Smart-Bottom Enterprises: CPSIA: Good Idea Gone Horribly Wrong

If you're a lover of handmade or second-hand toys and clothes, please read this and take action.
The Not So Tricky…Coat Trick (illustrated!)

My daughter still puts her coat on this way.

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On Parent Hacks at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/parenthacks/~3/LeK3YZjrREk/links-for-200-9.html

Photo valentine saves kids from having to sign each card

Jamie from Travel Savvy Mom offers this smart class valentine shortcut:

I'm convinced that for every child that loves making painstakingly handcrafted, one-of-a-kind valentines, there are ten who can barely be prevailed upon to fill in the blanks after "To" and "From". For preschoolers and kindergarteners especially, 20 valentines (plus 2 for the teachers) can represent a daunting mountain of penmanship.

Last year, when I was struggling through what seemed like a bottomless box of valentine cards with my 5-year-old, I wished there were a better way. It turns out, there was. When the valentines came home later that week, one stood out among the Hello Kitty and Spiderman cards: a photo of one of my son's classmates grinning broadly and holding a handmade sign that read, "Happy Valentine's Day. Love, William."

People would probably still have time to order from Shutterfly for another week or so. (Or, do a quick-and-dirty color print with the home printer. I'm sure they'd look great, but I wouldn't want to spend Shutterfly prices on throwaway valentines. -- Ed.)

Another option: starting now, have your kid sign one or two valentines per day. No daunting mountain of cards, writing practice, good habit-forming, too.

Any more ideas for simplifying the annual class valentine?