Do automatic-flush toilets scare your preschooler? Do you always forget to put a spare onesie in the diaper bag? Do you go crazy trying to get the crumbs out of your car’s cup holders? These are the types of real problems parents face every day. Who would know the solutions better than other parents? The just released book Parent Hacks: 134 Genius Shortcuts for Life with Kids written by Asha Dornfest, founder of the Parent Hacks website, and her community of parent hackers has the answer to these issues and, well, 131 more.

Parent Hacks is a decade of the cumulative knowledge of sleep-deprived parents. What I love about it is its down-to-earth take on everyday frustrations and issues. Because the advice comes from real parents, many of the solutions rely on clever tricks using everyday things you find around the house, rather than pricey products. It's frugal, real advice—and often hilarious, including the fun illustrations by Craighton Berman. There are a lot of hacks dealing with poop and other gross situations parents find themselves in, making it a great choice for those with babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

We love this book so much that Mommy Poppins is helping to throw it a party. Read on to find out more about probably the most useful new parenting book around and how you can join us for a fun celebration if you are in NYC.

When my son declared he wanted a mystery party for his 10th birthday, I turned to the Internet to research party games and ideas. Happy surprise, the No. 1 Google result for “kids mystery party” is my friend Liz’s hilarious post comparing the type-A Pinterest-perfect mystery ideas she found online vs her own totally type-B mystery party. 

While anyone who has been to my always-messy apartment will attest I am definitely not a type-A mom, when it comes to birthday parties, I love to go all out with really creative activities that always leave the kids saying, “That was the best party ever.” Let’s face it, kids don’t care if your paper goods are fancy; they just want to have fun. 

So, in response to Mom-101's post, I took up the challenge to create an A-is-for-Awesome kids' mystery party that anyone could throw without a MFP (Masters in Fine Pinterest).

This fall we did an at home beading party for my daughter and I found this to be one of the most fun, versatile, inexpensive and easy to organize birthday party ideas we have ever done. A beading birthday party is a great idea for girls from preschool age to teens and it's a great idea for NYC kids because it's easy to do even in a small apartment and in New York we have easy access to all the wholesale beading stores where you can pick up all kinds of fun beads.