Simple useful things that took you too long to work out...

[MyCatIsAGit]

Like taking the oven shelf out of the top oven to use in the bottom (bigger) oven so you can fit 3 trays in rather than just 2.

10 years we've had that oven, juggling baking trays at Christmas and for kid's beige food and chips tea, in fact most days. Especially as top oven doesn't work v well.

Revelation this Sunday..

[stargazer2030]

Never thought of that either - brilliant ??

[MistletoeBUTNOwine]

That you can put a nappy on back to front to stop unruly babies taking them off

[Mull]

I like an occasionally glass of coke / lemonade. I used to buy bottles which would always go flat after I'd had 1-2 glasses. Then DH suggested getting individual cans. Honestly, it was like he'd split the atom

[spilttheteaagain]

Making mash on spur of moment for one hungry small child - microwave a whole potato for about 3 mins, scoop out middle and mash with a fork and a bit of milk & butter - done. Add instant gravy, cold meat and some frozen peas. Phew. Crisis averted in 5 mins flat.

[ShadowFire]

That the necks of a typical baby vest are big enough to let you wiggle them down past the baby's shoulders and off over the feet.

Invaluable if a baby has had a mega poo that's uncontainable by any nappy and gone halfway up baby's back.

[GerundTheBehemoth]

That it's better to squash an Oxo cube while it's still in the foil. If you open out the folding bits, then squash, the cube shape turns into a neat little pillow. Then you can tear it open and pour out the contents without getting Oxo crumbs all over your fingers.

[RachelWatts]

That if I comb my hair instead of brushing it, it's less frizzy and more manageable.

It took me 40 years to realise that, after being told by my mother that if my hair was dull and frizzy it was because I needed to brush it more!

[MyCatIsAGit]

Combing hair, yes, that took me years....

The oxo cube thing, that's fab.

[MyCatIsAGit]

Oh, and if I'm feeling tired and grumpy I should have an early night...that was a lightbulb moment.

I'm thinking of telling a colleague that if he re-read the minutes of the meeting he chairs (painfully badly) a couple of days before and looked at the actions and considered the agenda as well it would go more smoothly. I think that's blindingly obvious but occurred to me at the last one that he may not have thought that through....hmmm.

[SevTSnape]

That sucking on a hard boiled sweet prevents me from snacking so much. I graze a lot at my desk, so have put a fuck tonne of weight on in the last year or so. This should help me lose some of it.

[Sgtmajormummy]

That freezing a bottle of water for a picnic does the job of an iceblock in the coolbag.
That you can cleanly double-bag a burst binbag by putting the second bag over your hand, grabbing the first knot and pulling it over the top. Then turn it upside down and knot the second bag.
That a climber's clip on my key-ring attaches them to my handbag strap, they hang down inside and I will never have to rummage for them again!

[MyCatIsAGit]

The climber's clip one is genius. Thank you. I am forever rummaging.

[susurration]

Another climbers clip one is to keep your various keys together instead of looping all the keyrings together. Save fingernails if you ever need to detach a key quickly.

A duvet each stops the marital bed becoming a war zone of freezing cold midnight arguments.

[42andcounting]

To put all the swimming kit etc straight back in the bag after washing them, then they are all ready for the next week.

To keep a nappy and wipes in the door pocket of the car for those days when you just popped out for something quick without the changing bag.

And maybe this one is just our family, but, if you put the baby to bed and don't shut the bedroom door, they won't settle. If you shut the door they may well start sleeping and even self settling when they wake in the night. 18 months of waking every hour and half, and this never occurred to me

[Takver]

That if you turn clothes inside out before washing & drying them, they keep their colour better. It took me years of looking at the less faded inside of t-shirts and thinking 'how sad' before I figured that one out

That if you popper your duvet cover closed (inside out, naturally) before washing it, you don't end up with socks wedged up in the corners.

[toofarfromcivilisation]

Has to be the little cardboard tabs on foil & clingfilm.

[MaidOfStars]

That freezing individual pots of yoghurt makes frozen yoghurt a boring dessert more fun and allows better portion control.

That a razor sharp knife is safer.

[Egog]

That hair removal cream down the plughole dissolves the nasty hairy gunk.

That putting a pull-up over a disposable for car journeys stops the inevitable poonami hitting the car seat.

[MrsEdinburgh]

Spilthetea the baked potato mash is a brilliant yet simple idea....why didn't I think of that.

[SistersofPercy]

Store sheet, duvet and pillowcases inside one of the pillowcases to the duvet. You then have a change of bedding in a bag and a tidier airing cupboard.

[SerenaJoy]

Another stock cube one - instead of making up stock in a jug, crush the cube and add it to whatever you're cooking, then add the correct amount of boiling water. Saves on the washing up.

[pissedglitter]

^^^^^
Fucking genius (all of them)

[cakesonatrain]

That cleaning a baby's pooey bum is easier with baby lying on her tummy. And even easier (when they're older and more instructable/likely to stay still) if they bring their knees up and stick their bum in the air!

[ShadowFire]

I am loving that bedding storage idea sister