Daily Kool on Vacation: Kool Idea Review - As Seen on TV Products

The Daily Kool is on a family vacation this week. To our most valued readers, we hope you enjoy this week-long review of some of our past posts. We hope you will find these ideas as "kool" as we do!

We at The Daily Kool are well known for our obsession with infomercials and As Seen on TV products. Here is a sampling of the ones we have featured over the past few months. Enjoy!

Kool As Seen on TV Ideas

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Today's Kool Idea: Dynamic Frames Lil Davinci Art Cabinet

Every school year, we are faced with the same dilemma of every nursery/preschool parent...just how much of our child's artwork is it okay to throw out? If we asked our son, his answer would be passionately and unequivocally, "None." Don't judge us, and please, please don't tell him, but as a rule, we haven't kept more than five of his masterpieces from year to year. We just have to wait until he's out of the house to get rid of the others, and even then, we have to be careful to bury it waaaay down in the garbage so he doesn't find out what we did. Pretty sneaky, huh? Seriously though, we just cannot understand how some parents do it (our Mom did)...if we kept every piece of artwork our four year old came home with, we'd have no room to walk.

Well, thanks to the Dynamic Frames company, we have the perfect solution to handle all of our son's artwork. Check out this Lil Davinci Art Cabinet. Simply put, it's a slim art cabinet that looks like a frame, but stores like an album. The spring-loaded corners make it possible to hold up to 50...yes, you heard us right, 50 pages to archive all of a child's creativity. There's a discreet hinge to open the front of the Lil Davinci Art Cabinet and easily update the display, with older creations stored safely behind.

We love, love love this idea! The Lil Davinci Art Cabinet boasts an ultra-thin profile (just over 1 inch thick), and a single bevel cut acid-free mat. Each frame is made from wood and is offered in a choice of black, white or cherry finish. Since our son comes home with more construction paper type drawings and paintings than any other size, we selected the 9" x 12" Lil Davinci Art Cabinet to start out the school year. Dynamic Frames does offer other sizes, though. Plus, it comes with everything we need, including mounting hardware and a hanging template with a horizontal or vertical option. The table stand is a nice touch...we have more empty wall space than table space though, so we won't be using it.

Let's face it...children grow up before we know it. As parents, we want to keep as many of our children's treasures as possible. Dynamic Frames makes it easy to protect their artistic masterpieces. The Lil Davinci Art Cabinet is a unique and wonderful way to showcase masterpieces and store mementos at the same time, all while boosting our child's self-esteem with their proud display. The best part? No more refrigerator clutter. What a "kool" gift for anyone with a young child. Our covert trash moves are officially over.

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Today's Kool Idea: Human Key Holder (His and Hers)

The Daily Kool is always losing things. We just don't have enough storage space in our home to accommodate all of the...hmmm, what's the politically correct word here? Stuff! Yeah, stuff...that's it. Gotta keep our post family-friendly here, folks. No matter how organized we try to be, we wind up wasting a ton of time each day looking around for our (achem)...stuff. Just last night we searched high and low for our son's Lakers jersey that he just has to wear to basketball camp today. Our house is really not that big. Our keys are the absolute worst...they're right up there with that one sock our dryer eats every time we do laundry. They always disappear, especially when we are in a rush. After all these years together, we still haven't really designated a proper place for our keys. We usually jut toss them on the dining room table when we walk through the front door. We definitely need a better solution.

When we're looking for something really creative and distinctive for our home, we always go online, and often to our friends Wrapables.com. They never fail to have some really "kool" ideas. Check out these human key holders, for example. With their sleek and modern look, these chrome-plated little guys were noted for a Peugeot Design Award a couple of years ago. Such a great example of function and fun in one convenient product! They come with a "dummy" (no comments, please) key to attach to the rest of our keys...simply insert it into the male or female forms. The human key holders are actually sold separately with your choice of his or hers...we just ordered both versions this morning for a complete look.

We can't wait to get our his and hers human key holders...talk about a conversation piece. We just have to make sure not to mount them by the front door or within a window view. No reason to take a chance. These "kool" key holders are so terrific, we'll never have to worry about losing our keys again. Now...where is that darn Lakers jersey?

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Today's Kool Idea: Dog and Cat Staple-Free Staplers

Yesterday, The Daily Kool took a family trip to shop for school supplies. Trust us, that was not easy, even at Staples...no matter how often we pressed that darned button. Anyway, a whopping $80 later (no joke), we still had to go online to get a couple of things the stores didn't seem to carry. One was a staple-free stapler. Call us dopey (that's okay...many people have), but we didn't know that staple-free staplers even existed. Apparently, this requirement is just one of many "earth friendly" solutions that our son's Pre-K teacher is trying to bring awareness to. That's what we get for putting him in private school, we guess. Don't get us wrong...we are big supporters of going green. It would have been nice though, if we had been given a clue as to where to get a staple-free stapler...it's only Pre-K for goodness sake! So, naturally we went online to continue our search.

Okay, once we saw these adorable dog and cat staple-free staplers, can you blame us for getting them? Thank goodness our four year old son doesn't have a macho image to maintain. After we did some reading, staple-free stapling is actually a very interesting concept. Simply put, these dog and cat staple-free staplers cut out tiny strips of paper and use them to stitch and collate up to five pieces of paper together. Staples are a thing of the past, at least for the smaller jobs...we'll stick to our traditional Slimline for the big ones. For children, the dog and cat staple-free staplers are not only environmentally friendly, but safe as well.

The dog and cat staple-free staplers are not just for kids, though. What a great gift they'd make for any environmentally conscious pet lover! Our son is going to be the "koolest" kid in his Pre-K class when he brings in these whimsical little guys. Okay, now where's our Sharpie? We are definitely going to put his name on them in permanent ink.

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Today's Kool Idea: Micro S'mores - Microwave S'more Maker

Guess what The Daily Kool found out? There is actually a National S'mores Day, and it's today (August 10)! Ah, s'mores...the delicious gooey campfire treat that is made up of graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. These are even worse than those potato chips (sorry, Lays). There is no way we can eat just one...we need "s'more, s'more!" Hence, the name. Bet you didn't know that, did you?

We have to admit that we're a bit confused, though...it happens to us often, we're afraid (must be the sugar high). Why on earth is National S'mores Day in August when National Camping Month is June? Darn it...now we have yet another excuse to indulge in this decadent dessert. Our taste buds might be cheering, "Hooray," but our ever-expanding waistlines are shouting "No way." No doubt about it, taste buds win hands down. There's only one problem. How do we make s'mores at home without the benefit of a roaring campfire?

Check out the Micro S'mores microwave s'mores maker. We came across this nifty little gadget while watching the cooking show on QVC yesterday...Sunday's cleaning day, and we do need some non-cartoon entertainment every once in a while. Anyway, Micro S'mores (complete with recipe book) claims to make the most delicious s'mores you've ever had in ten seconds or less. The process is simple...just load the Micro S'mores with a graham cracker, chocolate and one marshmallow (don't forget to top with another cracker), pop on the lid and microwave on high for 10 seconds. The domed cover is apparently designed to ensure even microwave energy distribution from the inside out, keeping the graham cracker crisp while completely melting the chocolate and marshmallow. At the same time, the auto-plunger applies just the right amount of pressure to form the perfect s'more.

While it is unlikely that the Micro S'mores will yield that true roasted marshmallow flavor of a traditional s'more (really, how could it?), it certainly offers a yummy alternative. Plus, if it works as well as it seems to on television, The Daily Kool is absolutely sold. The overwhelming positive reviews suggest that the Micro S'mores is just as great as it seems. Sure, we could probably produce passable results with a simple tea light and save the $22 or so. But the Micro S'mores seems like a lot of quick, kid-friendly fun. Plus, it'll give us a great opportunity to experiment with different s'mores flavors, right in our kitchen. How "kool" is that?

We love that the order actually comes with a set of two individually boxed items. We'll probably give the second one as a housewarming gift. Think of how impressive it would be to fill a large basket with the Micro S'mores, surrounded by packages of graham crackers, cookies, marshmallows and different types of chocolate. Oh, yeah...our friends love us. In the meantime, try this twist (albeit extreme) on a genuine classic. Enjoy!

Caramelicious Cookie S'mores
Ingredients
two oversized chocolate chip cookies
1 caramel-filled chocolate piece, your brand of choice (we like Ghiradelli)
1 large marshmallow

Directions: Place the caramel-filled chocolate piece on one cookie, top with a marshmallow, and top with the second cookie. Put it into the Micro S'mores and cook for 7-10 seconds.

Note: If you're going the traditional way, heat your marshmallow over a fire. Place the chocolate onto a cookie. Top one cookie with your toasted marshmallow and close like a sandwich.

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Today's Kool Idea: Psych on USA Network

The end of summer also marks the return of some of our beloved television shows. If you twist our arms a little (very little, we're kinda wimpy), we will admit that there has been a reality show or two that has kept our sadistic side entertained these past few months. Okay, so we love Hell's Kitchen...sue us. We are truly happy to have some of our regular favorites coming back, though. Psych on USA Network is one of them. Yep, the new season airs tonight...hooray!

We actually saw the July 2006 pilot of Psych on our iPod about two years ago. It was a a free download, and we still had rabbit ears on our television (okay, we're wimpy and cheap), so we didn't get any USA Network shows. Well, one episode and we were intrigued enough to download the first two seasons. By the time we got satellite TV (thanks to our older son's ESPN obsession), we were hooked...Psych is a really, really well done show.

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of seeing it, Psych is a quick-witted comedy/drama about a quirky, yet extremely talented police consultant named Shawn Spencer. Shawn possesses uncanny powers of observation honed by his police officer father, Henry, who drilled him as a child to note even the smallest of details from his surroundings. Shawn's talent gets him in trouble though, when he calls the cops with a tip he notices from watching the news. Using his charisma and over-the-top theatrics, Shawn convinces the police that he's actually a psychic, and they hire him to help solve some of their tougher cases. Shawn enlists the help of his best friend and sidekick Gus, and together they open their own PI agency, appropriately named Psych.

Okay, so Psych's premise is gimmicky, and a bit of a stretch. But, the combination of a wickedly clever script and appealing characters really makes it work. You just gotta love a guy who enjoys messing with other people's heads as much as Shawn does. Our sadistic streak is at it again! We love the by-play between the polar opposite personalities of Shawn and Gus. Plus, it's just plain fun seeing Shawn's antics exasperate all the men, yet fascinate all the women...oh yeah, this fellow is quite the charmer.

Let's face it...after a long week of work and the kids, it's nice to be able to sit back and relax with Psych on a Friday night. Engaging enough to keep us in hysterics for much of the hour-long duration, plus intelligent enough to have us coming back for more, Psych is one "kool" series. You might want to check it out...we're totally psyched (sorry, had to fit that one in) that it's back tonight.

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Today's Kool Idea: Kooky Klickers Pens

The Daily Kool is always on the lookout for things to help us lighten up. No, we're not talking about our weight here (though, we could probably use something for that also). We have a thing for fads that are just too cute to resist...yep, we are suckers for a smile. Let's face it, life is not always easy. Sometimes we just need to take a time out and appreciate the little things in life...a child's laugh, a sunny morning, extra sleep on a special morning, a Kooky Klickers pen.

Kooky Klickers pens? You've got to admit, they are pretty hard to resist. In case you haven't noticed them (we can't imagine how though), Kooky Klickers are a collection of fun, colorful pens that have unique faces and crazy hair. Each has his/her own name and is a member of a Krew, which is kind of like a little family. Kids use them to write with and also collect and trade with their friends. Our boys clip them on their backpacks.

Kids? Yeah, right. We've seen almost as many adults with Kooky Klickers pens as kids. We have certainly horded a few for ourselves. Nope, we just can't resist these cute, albeit ridiculous faces with the fuzzy koosh ball top. We like to keep one on our keychain...hey, you never know when you might need a pen to write with. There's a running joke in our house that our Kooky Klickers pen of the day reflects what kind of mood we're in. Our DaVinci Kooky is our "go to pen" for happy days, but when the kids see Digby, they know we'll be short on patience. It's amazing how angelic our boys suddenly become when they see Digby...hmmm, we think we'll be taking him out a lot more often.

Whether you prefer adorable, silly or just plain weird, there's a Kooky Klickers pen to fit everyone's personality (and mood). These little guys have become quite the collectible item. We even gave them out as party favors for our son's birthday last year. If we're going to write with a pen, why not use one with style and flair? Kooky Klickers pens are a whimsical way to escape from the mundane...plus, they're just plain fun! Let's face it...being kooky is pretty "kool".

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