I had it good when I was employed outside the home. The latest word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation programs. Integrated e-mail and calendaring, with the ability to share events and track attendees. Anti-virus software I didn’t need to re-purchase every year. Once I started staying home with my son, however, the party stopped. There were some relevant programs and offers bundled with my home computer, but they ended their trial periods or became outdated.

Granted, many of us have less need for office-productivity programs when we’re not in an office. If you’re freelancing, doing volunteer work, or have just gotten used to writing your holiday lists in Excel, however, you may feel the loss.

Luckily, there are a number of free, top-quality programs now available to replace what corporate America once provided. Here are a few you may want to try: Read more »

Toolmonger has a detailed post on Selecting Your Next Cordless Drill. Whether you need a drill for an upcoming project, or just for your sweetie’s birthday, you’ll find lots of information here. Voltage, battery type, torque—it’s all covered. (Thanks to MAKE for the tip.)

Forbes recently published a list of “The 20 Most Important Tools Ever.” I always find these sorts of lists interesting, even though I often (as in this case) disagree with many of the choices. (I view knifes and swords as variants of the same thing, not deserving two separate entries, for example.) Not making the final cut, but warranting a separate column in support, was one of my favorite tools, duct tape, useful for everything from warts to diapers.

As a mom, I’m always looking for ways to make all the detail tasks of motherhood more efficient. One trick I’ve learned is to create a bookmarks folder in Firefox (or other tabbed browser of your choice) full of the sites that help me lead my daily life. I’m not talking about the sites I read for general interest (which I typically view via the Bloglines feed aggregator), or my geeky Web tools (HTML guides and such), or my discussion lists (like L-moms), but rather the practical, local sites that help me plan my day and get mom-and-home things done. I can then right-click the folder, select “Open in Tabs,” and voilà! A nice set of pages I can CTRL-Tab through as needed. Here’s what’s in my list right now:

• My PBwiki, which I use as a freeform to-do list and scratch pad.
• Gmail, because e-mail is life, or at least sustenance for it.
• A local newspaper site that lists school cancellations and delays. (My son’s not in school yet, but many of his playgroups follow the school schedule.) (Cancellations.com is a searchable, national (U. S.) site for cancellations, but I don’t have too much experience with it.)
• My local library’s catalog page, so I can quickly renew all my son’s books.
• The Meetup.com page for my mom’s group, so I can see what events are coming up and if there’s anything that needs an RSVP.
• The National Weather Service site. (This has fewer annoying ads than some of the commercial weather sites.)

I also have bookmark folders for my discussion groups and other fun sites, but the above gives me a good, useful “control panel” for my day. Anyone else do anything similar? What’s on your list?

Here’s an essential tool for easing the chore of wrapping presents: a weighted tape dispenser. “But tape comes in a handy little dispenser,” you protest. “Yes, but you can’t use the cheap, light dispensers one handed,” I reply, “especially if you’re like me and you end up holding a bunch of paper flaps together around a lumpish object with one hand and hoping you can slap the tape on before they come flying apart.” Besides, the heavier dispensers are only a few bucks, so add one to your next Amazon order if you need something to bump you up into the free shipping category (or pick one up at your local office-supply megaplex). Don’t forget the tape to go with it.

Enough politics for a while. Here’s another in my ongoing series of Essential Tools: a camping headlamp. Even if the closest you’ve been to camping is sitting on your back porch with a beer, one of these lightweight lamps can be indispensable when you’re working behind a bookshelf, under a cabinet, or in the corner of the attic. It’s also useful for taking out the garbage, finding your keys under the car, or when the power goes out and you need two hands to hold a child. (Be careful not to shine it in her/his eyes.)

One in an occasional series of essential household tools: A white (non-marking) rubber mallet. Whether it’s assembling a rocking horse, fitting shelves into a bookcase, or flattening chicken breasts for Poached Chicken Breast Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Spinach (cover the chicken in plastic wrap first), this is a tool you never knew you needed that you’ll use all the time. Gentler than a metal hammer, but still with heft behind it.