Things to Share 2015-03-14

Volume 2 of things I’ve found to share recently:

In this installation, we have . . .

• “Hacking Vehicles”
• Маша и Медведь
• “Making Selves Without Straw”
  and . . .
• “Is that a Gun in Your…Pants?”

Better Baby Bath-time Baskets (With Suction!)

When you have twins, you’re always on the lookout for helpful tips to make everyday tasks a little easier. A while back, we saw a tip about using laundry baskets in the bath tub. It’s a great idea. It keeps wiggly kids from hitting their heads on the sides of the tub, it keeps their toys from floating away, and it lets one person handle two babies much more easily.

The problem comes when the babies learn to stand. Laundry baskets weren’t made to handle shifting, top-heavy loads, and the weight of a baby climbing up the side can cause them to flip over, which, of course, is dangerous.

Rather than give up on the idea, I decided to improve upon it. Enter, the suction cup.

Here’s how to make your very own no-tip bath-time baby basket for under $8.00.

Evernote for Dads, Part 1: Kids & Family

If you haven’t yet discovered Evernote, it’s a very cool application/service that allows you to store all sorts of information in a semi-structured, searchable repository that is available across all of your computers and mobile devices. If you already use Evernote, I’m sure you’re always looking for ways to make it more useful in your daily life.

Over the course of the next few posts, I’m going to share how I use Evernote as a husband and new dad.

The Fastest Way to Kill Motivation

Most of us want to be praised for doing a good job. Praise is a big motivator. Whether it’s a child cleaning his room, or an employee compiling a report, praise for a job well done will help get them to do it again.

You might think that means people all just looking for praise, and that not getting it will demotivate them. That’s not necessarily true. There are plenty of other ways to be motivated, but the best way to kill motivation is to ask, remind, or tell someone to do the very thing they just did.

Wait. No one would do that. Right? Wrong. People do it all the time.

The Truth About Babies

I’m going to let you in on a dirty little secret about children that those who have them will rarely admit. Those of you who have, follow along and see if you agree.

Here’s the secret: There is nothing fun about newborn babies.

Oh, sure, when they’re not yours, they’re cute, and soft, and fun to hold. Imagine, though, if the next time you held a newborn, the parents threw you a diaper bag and ran out the door never to be seen again. It wouldn’t be long before that cute little bundle of joy had your last bundle of nerves tied in a knot.