Six usefuls hacks. One awesome parent.

Bright, spongy, safe and versatile, pool noodles are a one-stop-shop for summer fun. Using a box-cutter to trim them down can make them the perfect length to fend off all kinds of potential kid-hazards. Fit them around doors to keep kids from slamming their fingers, attach to garage walls to prevent parking-related scratches, and even wrap them around the springs of a trampoline to make for safer jumping.

“No, no, your other left!” Sound familiar? Shoe confusion is a common kid conundrum that can really put the brakes on your morning. Try this: have your kid pick out a sticker. Then cut it down the middle and place one half in the heel of each shoe, with the cut sides facing each other. When the two halves come together, your kids’ shoes will be right (and left) where they should be.

Lots of people mean lots of clothes (and clothes have gotta get washed…sigh). To prevent clothing mix-ups come laundry day, put small, color-coded dots on the tags of each family member’s clothes with a permanent marker. No more sticking Brandon’s jeans into Michael’s drawers. Did you hear that? That was your laundry pile’s sigh of defeat.

Kids and chores go together like peanut butter and pickles–that is, they’re not the best of friends. But kids love game time, so why not turn chores into a competitive sport? Add score cards, ticking clocks, leaderboards, create teams with color-coded chore charts—anything to up the ante– and watch the chore-petition begin!

The dreaded splinter: it’s the age-old enemy of outdoor play. When these wily wedges of wood join the party, the fun stops–and you jump into surgeon mode (“Scalpel!”). Here’s a way to hack splinter removal: make a paste of baking soda and water, then rub it over the splinter area. Cover with a bandage and after 24 hours, the baking soda will bring the splinter to the surface, so you can remove it easily (and less ouch-ily).