Blog Posts by Daily Grommet

If you like word games but go bananas waiting for other players to make their moves, this is the game for you.

Bananagrams Word Game It's called Bananagrams. There's no paper or pen required, no board to play on, and no agonizing wait for your turn. Instead, everyone works independently on their own crossword-style puzzle, rearranging already formed words at any time to create new ones. You can even exchange hard-to-use letters for different ones. The goal is to use all your allotted letters before the other players do. When you're done playing, the letter tiles zip into a cute banana-shaped pouch that's portable enough to take anywhere - all you need is a flat surface and between 2 and 8 people to play.

Abe Nathanson, Bananagrams The inventor of Bananagrams is 80-year-old Abe Nathanson, who was inspired after he lost a marathon Scrabble match to his 11-year-old grandson. Abe decided it was time for a fast-paced anagram game, and his family helped him come up with the catchy name, simple rules and clever packaging.

Who better to design a gardening glove than an expert in the anatomy of the hand and the science of ergonomics?

Dr. James KleinertDr. James Kleinert is a renowned orthopedic hand surgeon, and he put his expertise to work creating a better gardening glove that can give you a tighter grip while reducing calluses and blisters. What makes these Bionic gloves unique is the strategic placement of pads that align with the natural peaks and valleys in our hands. The padding compensates for points where the bones in our hands would normally rub against tools, causing blisters and calluses. There are also neoprene patches over the knuckles to enable easier movement, and webbed zones between the fingers to allow air flow and keep your hands from overheating.

Bionic Gardening GlovesMade from soft, buttery cabretta leather, the Classic Gardening style has a form-fitting neoprene closure to support your wrist and help keep debris from sneaking inside the glove.

Dr. Kleinert's dedication to comfort, fit and performance - and

If you cook, you probably have a love-hate relationship with garlic.

Chef'n Garlic Zoom chopper Sure, you love eating it - raw in a summery pesto, tucked under the skin of a crispy chicken, enhancing the flavor of soups and stews.

On the other hand, you hate preparing it. You've tried all of the popular solutions and found them all lacking. Presses leave too much garlic behind. Hand chopping contaminates the cutting board for days - and besides, it's annoying the way the garlic sticks to your knife and stinks up your fingers. Using a food processor is fine - as long as someone else does the dishes.

It is exactly this problem that attracted us to the GarlicZoom. Simply peel your garlic clove, put it in the Zoom, and roll. Rubber wheels activate stainless steel blades that turn out perfectly chopped garlic. Use the garlic in your favorite recipe, then pop out the removable stainless steel blade and put the whole thing in the dishwasher.

This fun, easy to use, easy to clean, and fast tool

We can't get enough of the chic kitchenware from Joseph Joseph. Every item we've tested has that rare combination of good looks, clever functionality and affordability.

Antony and Richard Joseph Gadget gurus (and twins) Antony and Richard Joseph founded the British company, which we first heard about from Daily Grommet reader Deb Pine. We featured their ingenious hinged chopping board and adjustable rolling pin back in December. Now we've got three more gems to share, and they're all time savers.

Joseph and Joseph's scoop colander, Unitool or citrus reamer catcherThe minimalist Unitool does the work of five utensils. It's a spoon with both a slotted and solid surface, and it can be used as a flipper, serrated cutting tool and spatula. Just one Unitool can help you de-clutter your utensil drawer. And when you need freshly squeezed juice, the Citrus Catcher doubles as a citrus reamer and strainer. It has a flexible collar that catches pulp and seeds but lets the juice drain through. Lastly, the new Scoop Colander lets you drain and scoop food straight from the oven or

IUV Sun Sense UV wristband monitort's easy to lose track of time when you're playing or working outdoors. (Was that last round of sunscreen applied before your swim or after the bike ride?) With a wristband that monitors UV exposure, you can tell at a glance if you're getting too much sun. Put one on each kid and adult, and you can spend less time worrying and more time enjoying the day's activities.

UVSunSense wristbands change color depending on how long you've been in the sun. Each wristband starts off orange. Then after you apply sunscreen to yourself and the band, the wristband turns purple, indicating that it has been activated. When the band turns brown, it's time for more sunscreen. Yellow warns that it's time to get out of the sun.

Kelly McInnisWe heard about UVSunSense from Kelly McInnis, who is vigilant about protecting herself from too much sun exposure (and has gorgeous skin to show for it!) and wanted to share this find with the Daily Grommet community. Bill Luisi and Jon Horovitz., UVSunSenseThe creators are Bill Luisi and Jon Horovitz (on

Ewa Martinoff
Maybe some girls just wanna have fun, but most of the girls we know want to make a statement - and have fun doing it. That's just the point of Shains, an assortment of accessories that lets girls create their own messages, wear them proudly, and then change 'em up whenever they like. Keep them on hand, and you'll never have to run out and search for another birthday gift!

Molly BrandtThe idea for Shains came to creator Ewa Martinoff one day when she was driving home from work, thinking about a power cord bundler she had wrapped around her wrist. She collaborated with her daughter Natasha and turned that seed of an idea into a collection of accessories with holes that hold snap-on letters, numbers and icons, so you can create your own custom messages. Molly Brandt, creator of Beadorable jewelry alerted us to Shains and says her daughter Sophie can't get enough of these fashion-forward options for her and her friends to speak their minds.

The beShainsware personalized rubber bracelets with interchangeable charmslts and bracelets are made of recycled rubber,

Charlie's safe laundry detergentDoing laundry isn't exactly fun, but it's a part of life and anything that makes the process better, safer and healthier is a welcome improvement. Charlie's Soap is a non-toxic, biodegradable laundry detergent that cleans stains and doesn't leave any perfume or residue on your clothes. A little goes a long way: Just 1 tablespoon is enough for an entire load of laundry. Charlie's also makes an All Purpose Spray Cleaner that is non-toxic and biodegradable. It gets under grease and grime, gently releasing them without harsh chemicals or abrasives.
Charlie Sutherland, Jr. and Ron Joyce
The inventors of the soap are Charlie Sutherland, Jr., and his brother-in-law Ron Joyce, who were working for the yarn oil division (run by Charlie's dad) of a large textile company back in 1976. Charlie had to find a soap that could clean the oils and other grime from yarn machines, and the pair decided to make their own. It worked so well that employees of the mill wanted to use it at home.

Thirty-five years later, Charlie's

It's tough tYou Bar custom protein or energy baro find an energy bar you like. Some are too sweet. Some are packed with calories. Others resemble bird feed glued together and covered in chocolate. Even more vexing, the rest of your family probably doesn't like the same bar you do. It's a personal thing.

A few years ago, Ava Bise (a belly dancing instructor and yoga enthusiast) and her son Anthony Flynn (a marathon runner) admitted they were fed up with store bought energy bars. "They're loaded with sugar," Anthony says. So the mother-son pair began concocting their own wholesome and fresh nutrition bars. Friends and family started putting in special requests - and a business called You Bar was born.

You Bar allows you to build your own energy bar on their website. You choose from ingredients in 8 different categories like nuts and seeds, fruit and grains. A panel with nutrition facts is available as you design the bar, so you can evaluate carbs, fat, calories, protein and sugars before you buy. As the orders