'Pretty little problem solvers:' The best back to school gadgets and gear

This is the first time in 17 years that I don’t have a child going back to school this fall. My only daughter graduated from college in June and won’t be back in class until she starts law school in the fall of 2024. (Cue the mom-milestone sniffles…)

I admit, I kind of miss running to Target all last-minute-like with a list of supplies we forgot about − only to bump into a half dozen other parent friends doing the exact same thing.

Also? I’m still obsessed with finding the coolest, most helpful, and most affordable gadgets and go-to gear on the planet. It’s just that this year, I’m doing it less selfishly and more for your family than mine. That’s a good thing to do with my empty-nest angst, right?

I call these my “pretty little problem solver” gadgets and gear − with a fix for a modern family’s daily dilemmas, large and small. Let’s dive in.

Is there a video doorbell for your garage?

Video doorbells can be a great way to keep track of your kids getting home safely from school, especially if you’re still at work. But what if your child uses the garage door to come and go from your house?

Garage doors are the new “front door” for some 70% of Americans. And sure enough, there’s a new gadget that lets you see and control who goes in and out of this modern-day “busiest entryway.”

We found, bought, and installed a new smart garage video keypad called MyQ ($100) earlier this month. It’s an “eyes-on” safety gadget that’s a cross between a video doorbell and a garage keypad, and it’s loaded with next-gen features.

It took me about 10 minutes to replace my old pin pad with this new one, including connecting it to an app on my smartphone. The app is intuitive and easy to use and has some fabulous features like setting customized codes for each specific family member. You can also get notified when each particular person gets home and get real-time motion and activity alerts, advanced motion detection, 1080p HD video night vision, two-way audio, and more.

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