Ode to 'No More Tangles'

Until you become a parent, there are some things in the world you just never imagined would play such a pivotal role in your life.

Lately, I’ve been musing about these modern-day conveniences and how they’ve smoothed the path of working motherhood for me.

In no particular order, herewith my ode to the products/services that have made, or currently make my life easier:

1. No More Tangles. For once, marketers have named a product that tells you exactly what it does, and furthermore, it really works. Beware of imitations – they do not detangle, they merely coat your child’s hair with a greasy substance that does not in any way, shape or form get out those really difficult, rat’s nest-type knots. I love this product so much, I’d do a commercial for them.

2. Velcro. Nuff said.

3. Juice boxes. Yeah, I know I shouldn’t let my daughters drink too much of it, but you gotta love the kind of packaging that even 5-year-olds can manage on their own.

4. Adjustable waist pants. It amazes me that it took The Gap and other stores until last year to figure out that not all children fit perfectly into cookie cutter sizes.

5. Twistable, rainbow-colored, washable, fluorescent pens, pencils and markers. Although I’m sure my daughters could still create grade school masterpieces if they only had at their disposal the 64 Crayola crayons I used while growing up, these new tools fuel their creativity and get them so pumped up about drawing that it’s worth every penny it costs to replace them on an almost weekly basis.

6. The new Pampers Kandoo wipes. I have never smelled something so heavenly in all my life that was destined to be swiped across a toddler’s butt. I’d like to bottle it and wear it as perfume. Hats off to whatever genius realized that toilet-trained children are still not wipe-their-own-butts-trained children. My rash-free daughters thank you.

7. Paz on “Ready, Set, Learn” on TLC. Although I limit my daughters’ TV watching these days, I am truly entranced by this little penguin who channels so well the thoughts and feelings of a small child. The show has helped one of my daughters better understand death in a gentle, loving way, and truly teaches them both so many great lessons about working together and sharing and dealing with uncomfortable feelings. And it’s pretty funny, too.

8. Nori. This humble piece of pressed and flavored seaweed has probably been around for hundreds of years in Asian cultures, but not until sushi became a national pastime over the past decade did Asian grocery stores pop up in my neighborhood, making this Vitamin-A rich delicacy readily available in the burbs. It is the only vegetable that Jessica will eat, and it’s pretty funny to see the two of them fighting over who gets the last piece in the jar.

9. Cellphones, of course. I got a call from Lily tonight while I was on the train home. She told my father she urgently needed to speak to me to let me know that someone from school had apparently gone home with her red wool coat. Instant gratification can be a good thing, for both of us.

10. Digital photography. Ever since the girls were born, I’ve been able to keep an updated, indestructible photo library of their little lives online at ofoto.com (now kodakgallery.com). Their grandmother, especially, loves being able to check in every now and then to see the latest shots of her little girls via a computer and modem.