Friday Faves

Missy at It's Almost Naptime has one of the funniest blogs I've ever read. She's so real and thought-provoking and wonderful I just can't get enough of her! She started a new carnival recently - Friday Faves. This week's theme is the music you are listening to in your car.

So I figured I'd link up my children's favorite that they BOTH have memorized. Even the one year old sings along with "baa, baa, baa". It's super cute.

To see what other people have been listening to, check out Missy's website. It will take you longer than you anticipate. Yeah - she's THAT good :)

Emily - This is for YOU!

Oh my goodness! Savvy Mode is having the most amazing giveaway I've ever heard of - SHOES!

Not just any shoes - these are more expensive shoes than I have ever worn in my life :)

Everyone should check this one out, but especially a sister of mine named Emily!!!

Frugal Kid Gifts

Gina from the fabulous Moneywise Moms hosted a carnival on cheap gifts for kids. Since I have to do lots of kid's gifts due to all the siblings I have, I thought I'd add my two cents. Here are some recent popular birthday gifts I've given:

RM turned 8 recently so I used the Mars free chocolate coupons in conjunction with a Rite Aid BOGO sale and bought him 8 candy bars. That was a couple weeks ago and he's already eaten them all :p I've also seen people use this idea for cards (1 starburst, 2 M&Ms, etc.)

LA turned 6 in July & I got him a giant frisbee from Oriental Trading Co. for $5. Then I got a sharpie and wrote messages all over it. You could also use this idea for homemade kites - the idea is to cover the item in birthday wishes and fun phrases.

For my son's first birthday in a couple weeks, I am making banana shaped bean bags and my husband is going to make a bean bag toss out of a sheet of plywood and then I/my sister will paint it to look something like this:

Those are the most recent gifts I've done. I'm sure I could think of more, but my baby just woke up from his nap....

I feel like partying...

Wanna come party with me and 400+ of my friends? :)

Things I love Thursday - Coconut Oil!

After coming home from the store the other day I was bemoaning that I forgot to get more coconut oil and my husband said, "You should write a blog about how coconut oil is so awesome."

My husband is a genius.

Coconut oil IS awesome. I was a little sceptical when I first tried it, but I am completely hooked now. Only one, ONE, grocery store in our area carries it :( I have read both that coconut oil is wonderful for you and that it's the worst thing you could possibly eat. We haven't had any problems with it.

I like using coconut oil as a lotion - it makes my skin really soft without a greasy feel, plus it doesn't have a strong odor. It rubs in easily too. I am convinced that coconut oil is responsible for my lack of stretch marks from my last pregnancy.

Coconut oil is great to use for baking. I'm told it makes the best popcorn, but I haven't tried that yet.

The best use for coconut oil though, is as a KY substitute :) Seriously, this is why I buy the stuff.

It. Is. The. Best. Period. Natural, safe, odorless, not sticky or greasy, actually beneficial to your body, it is just awesome stuff. In case you haven't noticed, I really, really, really love coconut oil!

What do you love? Head over to the Diaper Diaries to let everyone know.