Your child has swallowed the loose baby tooth and now the "tooth fairy" won't have a tooth to take from under the pillow...Write a note to the "tooth fairy" explaining the situation and put the note under the pillow. The tooth fairy will visit if you do this.

Speaking of the "tooth fairy"...a friend of mine said that his mother used to sprinkle metallic dust (the kind you use for gluing onto your artwork) from the window to the bed and said it was "fairy dust".

The hem or a seam on your kids clothing has ripped and there's no time to change clothes (or all the decent clothes are in the dirty laundry basket)...Put a piece of masking tape on the inside of the hem until you have time to sew it.

Always carry packets of moist towelettes in your purse for dirty or sticky faces and hands.

Remove the buttons off of clothes that are going into the "rag bag". You may be able to match it to a lost button on something else or use all the buttons as a replacement.

Your kid's stuffed toy has sprung a leak...Use a band aid until you have time to mend it. Your child can relate to this as first aid treatment. One time when mending an arm on a toy bunny, I used a handkerchief as a sling during the recuperation period.

If your child is prone to bedwetting, you know how difficult it is to change the bed in the middle of the night. Have a sleeping bag on hand and spread it out on the floor. Change your child's clothes and then let him/her sleep in the bag. Pull the sheets off the bed and let the mattress air out and put new sheets on the bed the next day. If you don't have a plastic mattress cover for your bed wetter, use a garbage bag. It will cover the area that is prone to damage.

Always keep a roll of candy, breath mints or gum in your purse. It helps when your kid complains about being hungry or if you have to wait in a line up.

Try to buy the same color socks for your children. Somewhere along the line you will be able to match up the socks that have lost a mate. We all know about the "sock monster" that lives in our washing machines.

Do a good turn to a neighbor and offer to baby-sit (for free) while they go off and do errands. Your child will have someone to play with and you know the favor will be returned one day when you need to go out.

When going on an outing, bring your kids friends, too. They will be busy playing and you won't have to hear the famous words "I'm bored".

Teach your child that when he/she draws on walls or windows they should not write their name!

If someone has tracked mud on your carpet, I've been told to sprinkle salt on the stain, wait for it to harden and then vacuum.

Has your child outgrown his/her sleepers? Cut off the feet and sew on a pair of socks, preferably the ones with rubberized soles. Of course, if you're planning on having more children, just store the outgrown sleepers for the next one.

Instead of using costly fabric softener, buy the cheap stuff and moisten an old face cloth to throw in the dryer. Repeat with each load of laundry.

My son's backpack was ripping at the seams. My baby-sitter gave me a good trick. She sewed it with dental floss because it's extremely sturdy. It really does work!

One rule I live by:
Treat your child with respect and you will be treated with respect.