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: BusyBodyBook Personal and Family Organizer

School is just around the corner, and our lazy days of summer are coming to an end. Okay, who are we kidding? The Daily Kool family doesn't do lazy days. We have to admit though...our boys may have kept us on our toes this vacation, but it was pretty nice to have them all to ourselves for a change. In a couple of weeks, we are back to being overwhelmed with activities. School (one half-day, the other three towns over), homework, soccer, hip hop, basketball, karate, birthday parties (there are a ton) playdates...not to mention our own work, home and Pepper (our lovable pooch) responsibilities. Pretty exhausting, huh? As our boys get older, it's really becoming harder to keep track of it all...we need some serious organization!

We must have subconsciously sent out some kind of beacon, hinting at our desperation. A couple of weeks ago, our friends at BusyBodyBook sent us their personal and family organizer for the upcoming academic year. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We are the first ones to admit that we're a bit flaky when it comes to organization, but the BusyBodyBook has everything we need to truly simplify our lives. Our panel of eight busy mom testers were also quite impressed...back off ladies, this one's ours!

There are a lot of things to love about the BusyBodyBook personal and family organizer, but the key is it's award-winning, clever five grid format. The columns can be used to plan and track up to five projects, clients, school subjects, household members, personal goals, you name it...this is pretty versatile stuff! For example, our columns are currently divided into (1) personal, (2) boys, (3) work, (4) home and (5) Daily Kool posts. Even better, we can change our column headings from week to week, depending on our schedule.

We have a tendency to throw stuff around a lot, so durability is a must-have for us. Each BusyBodyBook has a sturdy, yet fashionable cover with an extra plastic layer for added protection. We love the separate section for recording important birthdays and anniversaries...we prefer to just take one trip to the card store each month, if we can help it. The "6 months at once" page offers a great overview to help plan for holidays, vacations and other events. We're a brown-bagging bunch, so we don't personally have much use for the restaurant/take-out information page, but there is a page for contacts like doctors, coaches, playgroup posse members, etc. The removable shopping lists are truly inspired! We are always making mental notes on stuff we need to buy and banging our heads together to try and remember what they were five minutes later. The pockets on the inside front and back covers are nice to hold receipts and coupons, but keep in mind that you will likely have to fold any important papers to fit them in there...this was really the only complaint from our testers. Add a bookmark and several note pages, and we're all set!

We were really quite impressed with how many organizational tools are packed into the BusyBodyBook. Plus, it's priced less than $25 (including shipping), making it a terrific value. Every mom on our tester panel was anxious to get her own...it's not often that we get such an overwhelming positive response. The BusyBodyBook personal and family organizer is definitely a convenient and portable way to help stay "kool" under the pressure of our everyday hectic lives.

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Today's Kool Idea: Space Bag Under-The-Bed Vacuum Storage Tote

The Daily Kool family spent a better part of our weekend going through and organizing our closets. That's when we noticed that most of our closet space is taken up by bedding. Blankets and sheets and pillows...oh my! We have comforters for the winter, lightweight blankets for the summer, two sheet sets per bed, plus extras of everything (including pillows) for the occasional barrage of family house guests. Yikes! Unfortunately, our closet space is at a minimum, and it's tough to fit those large storage bins through our attic door. We needed a better solution.

The area under our bed has always been pretty wasted space...after all, you really can't fit much under there, and the under-the-bed storage containers hold practically nothing. Check out this Space Bag under-the-bed vacuum storage tote, though. The rectangular-shaped outer tote features sturdy, canvas-like material and closes with a metal zipper. The inner bag has an airtight and watertight zipper, plus a patented one-way valve to remove air and compress items. Like traditional Space Bags, this tote utilizes the power of your household vacuum to remove the air and reduce the volume of your bulky or seasonal items by as much as 75%. Simply pack clean blankets, comforters, sweaters and other items in the inner bag, close the seal and remove the air with a vacuum. Then, zip up the outer bag and slide it under a bed for out-of-the-way storage.

Though they have received many mixed reviews over the years, The Daily Kool is actually a big fan of this company...this Space Bag under-the-bed vacuum storage tote is probably our favorite version of the product. We particularly love the outer canvass...it gives additional durability and protection against bag abrasion, has handles for easy lifting, and even features a see-through window to help identify contents. Because there's no air, you don't have to worry about insects, mold, mildew, dust or moisture damaging your stored items.

There's something about Space Bags that makes us get carried away and try to over-stuff...if you want them to work as well as on TV, you must fight that urge. Also, don't ever expect to store as much as the infomercial boasts. Either the company exaggerates a bit, or there's some secret we don't know, but we doubt that anybody can fit as much stuff as they claim. Don't let this discourage you, though. You can still fit a lot more than traditional storage bins....just keep your expectations realistic. Also expect some major wrinkling, especially if you're using your Space Bag under-the-bed vacuum storage tote for clothing. We prefer to re-wash anything we keep stored for an extended period of time anyway, so this is not a particular problem for us. Besides, we all know how to use an iron or the fluff button in the dryer.

So, if you're looking to maximize storage space under your bed, this might be the perfect solution for your home. Space Bag under-the-bed vacuum storage totes are really convenient for reducing clutter, particularly if your house is as overrun with bulky bedding as ours is. They store plenty, and zip into a very handy and neat package...what more could we ask for? An excellent way to stay organized all year round and a very "kool" idea.

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Today's Kool Idea: Decorative House Keys

The Daily Kool family has a tendency to take advantage of every opportunity to express our individuality, even beyond the basics of fashion and hair style. From coffee mugs to bumper stickers, we are not shy about letting others know what we are all about. Our kids are still young enough that our (achem) quirkiness is pretty amusing to them...give us a few more years, though and they'll be in a perpetual state of embarrassment...yeah, we can't wait either.

We went to get a key copied at The Home Depot yesterday, and came across some decorative house keys...oh yeah, we were all over this idea! This is definitely one of those completely unnecessary items that we can't imagine anyone resisting. Hence, much to our disappointment, the store was sold out of many designs they seem to normally carry. We were able to let each child pick a style for us, though. Our 4 year old selected Mickey Mouse (not a surprise) and our 7 year old settled for the Florida Marlins...he really wanted the L.A. Lakers. Apparently, our excitement over these decorative house keys drew a crowd, because before we knew it, there was a pretty long line of other people wanting to get theirs.

And why not? Not only are decorative house keys fashionable, but they are undoubtedly going to become a "must have" for any serious collector. Our Home Depot excursion yesterday prompted us to do a little online research...lo and behold, we came across this terrific website with a tremendous selection of decorative house keys. KeysRCool offers over 500 unique and stylish house keys...yep, including the L.A. Lakers. Don't be fooled by the amateurish design of the website...their collection is top notch. We have not been able to find any other site with as extensive a selection. Their prices are also pretty reasonable, even factoring in the shipping cost. Keep in mind though, you will be receiving the key blanks and will have to pay to get them cut at your local locksmith or hardware store.

Decorative house keys are both adorable and affordable. What a great gift idea for anyone who appreciates the unusual...and really, who doesn't? From sports to superheros, Elvis to Hannah Montana...KeysRCool has a design for just about everyone. This is definitely one of the "koolest" ideas we've come across in a long, long time. Check it out for yourself!

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Today's Kool Idea: Folding Island Kitchen Cart With Butcher Block Top

The Daily Kool kitchen is pretty small. It's one of those longer, narrower styles that doesn't exactly lend itself to more than one person at a time. Bottom line....we always seem to be running out of room, especially when we are cooking and preparing for company. Oh, how we wish our kitchen was large enough to have a big, beautiful island in the center of it!

When we saw this folding island kitchen cart with butcher block top on QVC a few months ago, we knew we absolutely had to buy one. What an attractive piece of functional furniture! We admit that the $190 price tag gave us a quick pause, but the free shipping and easy pay option convinced us to call and order it anyway. We have to tell you...it was so worth the purchase.

The folding island kitchen cart is not for the faint of heart...the durable hardwood construction with a natural finish and stainless steel frame makes this a really solid, sturdy and yes, quite heavy piece. The butcher block top can handle up to 80lbs while each of the other two tiers hold up to 30lbs each. In case you were wondering, the kids each loved the ride around the living room we gave them on it...definitely not recommended, but fun nonetheless. We love that it came beautifully packed and completely assembled. The company has certainly put a lot of thought and handy features into this product, including two stainless steel side towel bars with six movable hooks, a wine glass rack (under the butcher block top) and a removable three-bottle wine caddy. Plus, the caster wheels are super convenient...they swivel for easy steering and lock in place to help ensure stability. The best part? Although the folding island kitchen cart boasts nine-square feet of work space, it collapses down to a mere 5 1/2 inches wide for easy storage. We keep ours in that extra space between the refrigerator and the wall when we're not using it...although, the piece is definitely lovely enough to keep on display all the time if you have the room.

We have found so many uses for our folding island kitchen cart, but it's most often an extra space for food preparation in The Daily Kool household. The 36" height is perfect for the kids, providing an area where they can help without being in the way. When we have company, often use the folding island kitchen cart to bring all the hot food out at the same time...then it becomes our beverage station, making more room on the table for the food we've just served. Be careful, though...like with all quality wood furniture, make sure you don't slice vegetables or put hot dishes directly on the butcher block surface and tiered shelves...if you protect it with a cutting board and trivets, the folding island kitchen cart will undoubtedly last for many, many years.

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Today's Kool Ideas: Aerobed for Kids and Aerobed Sports Overnighter

This Memorial Day weekend, our kids are having a couple of their close friends at the house for a sleepover for the first time. They've been planning it for a week. They've picked out games, snacks, movies, crafts...they are so excited! We do have a bit of a challenge, though...our entire downstairs has hardwood floors. Even though we have a regular sleeping bag in the house (our beloved Puff the Magic Dragon one from about thirty years ago), unfortunately, it is pretty much out of the question for this weekend. There isn't enough room in our kids' two twin-size beds for the four boys to share either. How can we have a successful sleepover when we have no comfortable place for the kids to sleep?

We were discussing our problem with our neighbor, and she couldn't believe that we didn't already have an Aerobed for Kids in the house. We never even thought about it...hey, it's our first kids' sleepover, remember? Luckily, she has two, so we went ahead and borrowed them to test out for this weekend. Let's put it this way...the kids thought the Aerobeds were so "kool," they insisted on sleeping on them the other night right on the living room floor. The Aerobed for Kids was a bit too small for our seven year old (not that he complained), but it was a perfect size for our four year old.

There are so many terrific things to say about the Aerobed for Kids. It inflates quickly and effortlessly, and has far exceeded our expectations for comfort. The four inch safety surround kept our kids snuggled in tight...they are not very restless sleepers, but it was still nice to know that we were unlikely to hear any thumping from children falling off of the Aerobed during the night. The stars and moon cover is really cozy...again a bit too young for our older son, but adorable nonetheless. We will say that the Aerobed for Kids actually takes up more space than we would have expected, mostly because of the safety border...our sons share a room, so it's a good thing we plan on camping out in the living room this weekend. So convenient, and yet so comfortable...this product is definitely an infinite number of steps above the traditional sleeping bag...yes, even a Puff the Magic Dragon one (feeling a little nostalgic here).

Our children slept through the night beautifully on their borrowed Aerobed for Kids. So, we went ahead and purchased two new Aerobeds for our home. Since our older son has definitely outgrown the Aerobed for Kids and our younger one is getting bigger every day, we decided on two twin Aerobed Sport Overnighters (one red, one blue). This way, we can use the borrowed Aerobeds this weekend for the younger boys and the larger beds for the older ones. The lightweight backpack will make the Aerobed Sport Overnighters so easy to take on road trips and camping...we can even take them on an airplane for our visits to relatives up north.

The Aerobed for Kids and Aerobed Sport Overnighter are wonderful products to have on hand, especially for a family with children. They are so convenient for vacation travel, family visits, and yes...even sleepovers! We can see getting a lot of use out of our Aerobed Sport Overnighters, and are very grateful to our neighbor for letting us borrow her Aerobeds. Assuming the company lives up to its reputation for quality, ours will hopefully last for many, many years. Definitely a "kool" idea!

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Today's Kool Idea: 6-Way Folding Trunk Organizer w/ Waterproof Thermal Carrier

Today, The Daily Kool has decided to play hooky. That's right, folks...we are taking the day off from school and work to do absolutely nothing but have fun together as a family. Novel idea, huh? Since we are a group of classic workaholics, we occasionally need the break to reclaim our sanity. Yes, we realize this is why we have weekends, but ours tend to be spent running around to birthday parties and catching up on all of the chores/errands we've neglected throughout our hectic week. This calls for a day at the waterpark, complete with a picnic...without the weekend crowds.

Hmmmm...what do we need to bring today? Drinks, snacks, lunch, blanket, towels, sunscreen, extra clothing, balls, frisbees...sheesh, when did a simple family outing become so complicated? Good thing we have our 6-way folding trunk organizer with a waterproof thermal carrier. We first came across this particular trunk organizer on QVC, and we have to tell you that this is probably one of the most practical products we have ever purchased for our beloved Saturn. We actually keep two of them in the car...it is the absolute best idea for clutter-free trunk storage.

There are so many things we like about our 6-way folding trunk organizer. We love the flexibility of being able to adjust the compartments to securely fit whatever items we need and that it folds completely flat when not in use. This trunk organizer really holds a lot, and is terrific for keeping groceries from spilling out into the trunk...plus, the anti-skid pads keep everything from sliding around during transit. Trust us...the way we drive, this is a particularly important feature! It's 30lb capacity can handle almost anything, including groceries, plants, sports equipment, auto supplies, books, kids toys...you name it. We absolutely love the thermal waterproof carrier that comes with this particular model...it keeps our perishables cold (or hot) for hours and conveniently fits right in the carrier. The straps are a little too short, making it cumbersome to carry, but otherwise, the thermal carrier is a great added feature. Unlike other trunk organizers, this one comes in a variety of colors...we chose the sage for our car.

Okay, our 6-way folding trunk organizer with waterproof thermal carrier is packed and ready for today's adventure with the kids. Pathetic as it may sound, we feel all warm and squishy when we open our trunk to find it all clean and organized, as opposed to a chaotic mess. This trunk organizer is a great investment and the best version we've seen. We understand that the company has a special on a 7-way folding trunk organizer combo pack (set of two) with the waterproof thermal carrier (red and pink colors only). Though a 7-way fold may be a bit overkill, this combo pack is less expensive than the one we have...great value, and worth checking out. Regardless of which you choose, this trunk organizer is a great gift and a must-have for every driver. Definitely a "kool" idea!

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Today's Kool Idea: Wire Loom and Cord Protectors by Electriduct

Spring cleaning at The Daily Kool includes our somewhat feeble attempts at organizing our office. With the holidays over, what better time is there to focus on our workspace? We have to tell you, folks...our office is a mess! Wires are hanging all over the place...electrical cords, phone wires and USB cables by the dozen. Every time we blink, another one seems to sprout up out of nowhere. Yes, there is a small, sane part of us that knows they are not alive and therefore cannot multiply. But, honestly...if you've seen our office, you would have some doubts also.

Let's face it...not only are wires ugly, but they are also dangerous, especially when they take over a room. We cannot tell you how many times we have tripped over a wire in our office. The rest of our home is no better, especially with young children around. Okay, perhaps they have just inherited our clumsy gene, but every time we take a good look at our setup, we feel as if we are taking chances with our kids' safety.

A friend of ours turned us on to to this great company called Electriduct. We were amazed at how many wire management and cord protector solutions Electriduct provides for the home and office. The management was nice enough to send The Daily Kool some samples of their best sellers...the split wire loom and the drop over cord protector. Ah ha...those blasted wires have no chance. Battle on!

To reclaim control of our office, we started out with the split wire loom. Electriduct sent us two samples, one black and one white. However, we found out that they are available in an assortment of colors to match every decor. Off the bat, we really liked the flexibility and sturdiness of this split wire loom. We did have some difficulty getting the wires in, perhaps because of the durability of the polyethylene material. This problem is easily solved with the wire loom tool that Electriduct offers, but since we didn't have the tool, we were forced to do it by hand. Once the struggle ended though, we were very impressed with how much more organized and presentable our office looked with just this one change.

Next, we took out the drop over cord protector. This particular sample was a little too big for The Daily Kool, but we knew just the executive who could use it. One of our fans is the CIO for a small manufacturing firm and he is in the process of redoing the entire facility. He liked that the drop over cord protector had T-connectors so he could add them in 5 foot increments to fit the needs of the factory floor. He also saw an immediate use for the cord cover in the company's conference room, at least until he completes the switch to an all-wireless system. Then, he plans on using the drop over cord protector to manage his electrical feeds at trade shows.

After checking out the Electriduct website himself, our CIO fan was impressed with many of the other solutions this company offers. Since he is also redoing the firm's computer room, he particularly saw a need for the cable raceways, computer cabinets and cable ties/wire clips. Though he did say that the Electriduct website was a little slow, he agreed that the vast array of products offered is more than worth the patience needed to navigate through the site.

As for us at The Daily Kool...we are well on our way to having a safer, more presentable and organized office with our wire loom. Now, the only thing we trip constantly over is the dog. Well...we'll just leave that problem for another blog.

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