It’s amazing just how irritating minor design deficiencies in one’s house can be. The dark hallway closet that scares kids into never hanging up their coats. Or the locked front door/screen door combination that makes getting groceries into the house a toe-stubbing, curse-inducing activity. Not huge problems in the scheme of things, but consistently annoying, like mosquitos. I hate mosquitos.

A couple simple gadgets solved these niggly problems:

Bringing light to the closet was a simple matter of screwing in a motion sensor light socket. Door opens, light turns on. Kids no longer have an excuse for the jackets littering the entry. A good alternative if your closet has no built-in light socket: DOT-it self-adhesive LED lights.

The front door problem was at least partially solved with a keyless deadbolt lock from Smarthome. I aim a little remote at the lock (similar in size and function to the keyless entry fob that comes with most new cars), push a button, and hear the lovely sound of the door unlocking itself. I still have to open the screen door, but at least I no longer have to fumble with keys. Bonus: if I forget to lock the front door in my mad rush to get people to school, I can push a button to lock it from the curb. I have been known to open my car doors from inside the house, and then lock my house from inside the car. Such are the strange ways of a mobile family.