Mama Loves: Coconut Oil

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! So glad that you've stopped by!

Mama Loves is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.

Maybe you've found: 

• a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
• gear you just can't live without
• a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down
• a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
• an activity that wears your kid(s) out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
• an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous
• or anything else you're loving--creativity welcome!

Share it with us! Blogging has made me a better mama, because I've learned about all kinds of great things, like those listed above, from mamas just like you. Here's your chance to share it with all of us!

To link your post up, click on the linky tool at the bottom, and follow the directions, it's really easy. You can also add this beautiful button to your post. Just grab the code in the box, copy and paste it into your post. Easy.

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• California Baby Calming Hair De-Tangler works great on curly hair too!
• The book, Good Night Moon has a game--toddlers love it!
• Toddlers really love Magna Doodles

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I have a friend, who could, literally, write a book of 967 uses for Vaseline.

I've recently discovered that coconut oil can do pretty much everything Vaseline can do---plus you can eat it.

But---there's (lots of) a good reason I LOVE coconut oil:

Brynne has had eczema since she was little. The pediatric dermatologist diagnosed her at the same time we had Hadley's hemangioma looked at, when the girls were five months old.

We've tried many things to get rid Brynne's eczema--Eucerin, cortisone cream, and all other kinds of lotions, oils and creams--nothing seems to make my sweet baby's skin "baby soft". Instead, it was bumpy and rough.

Until now.

After doing some reading, I decided to try coconut oil on her skin. You know what?!?

The rough patches of skin she had on her cheeks and arms are gone!

GONE!

I can't even tell you how amazing it is to touch Brynne's sweet cheeks, and feel smooth, soft baby skin.

I decided to try it on my own skin. So soft! Like butta! Brad even noticed! Ahem.

Moving on.

Something else I love about coconut oil---it's really good for you! Really!

It can lower cholesterol, stimulate weight loss and help with vitamin and mineral absorption.

Don't just take my word for it. Check out these great websites:

• A Millionsish Uncommon (and Not So Uncommon) Uses for Coconut Oil.
• My Most Favorite Secret Ingredient.
• 52 uses for Coconut Oil.
• Six Healthy Uses for Coconut Oil.

If you don't like the smell/taste of coconut---don't let this keep you from using coconut oil!

I love the smell of coconut. It reminds me of summer. Those years in high school when I would lie in the sun, baking my skin (oh---to have a re-do!). Using virgin (unrefinded) coconut oil will give you a light, summer smell of coconut.



Expeller pressed (refined) coconut oil, doesn't have a smell or taste.



We have both around our house.

Seriously! Do the reasearch. I think you'll be running out to get some coconut oil today. It's just that fantastic!

Can't wait to see what you're loving!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Mamas (or soon to be mamas), you've gotta check out the Daily Peppermint. It's the genius idea created by Andrea. Every day, one short, useful tip will show up in your email inbox. It's short, it's sweet---perfect for busy moms! I'm flattered that Andrea asked me to be a contributor. If you've got a tip, there's a spot to add it on the site.

2. I'm not about to start a debate on nurture vs. nature, but I will say this: I don't wear necklaces. If I did, the girls would yank them off. Every.single.day. my daughters have to wear their link necklaces. I have no idea where this comes from. I'm not modeling it. I'm not teaching it. It is pretty cute though.

3. Last week I mentioned I'd gotten some prints from A Happy Exchange. This shop is awesome! The very talented, Jillian, gives you the print (you just pay shipping). In exchange, she asks that you share one of the following with her: your greatest joy and how you  incorporate that into every day life, tell her how her art makes you feel, or send her a letter or note telling her how you gave to someone and how that made you feel.  

Isn't that just beautiful?! You can also find Jillian over here.

I got these three prints for the girls' room:

I love gardening, which is a love I want to pass on to the girls. And the girls just love ducks. Hadley is working on perfecting her quacking noises.

4. So. When I was in sixth grade, I won a jump rope contest in gym class. Out of the entire school, I could jump the most times in one minute. 144 times. I have no idea why I still remember this.

20 years later, in bootcamp, they had jump rope contest. Guess who won? That's right, I did. This chick's still got it two decades later! 153 jumps! Woo hoo!

5. A big thank you to Mandy at My Life as Described by Twin Trials and Triumphs for the Life is Sweet Award. Mandy is the mama to twin girls a year and a month older than Brynne and Hadley, so I pay close attention, because I know in a year my girls will be about where hers are now. From her post, you can see that Mandy is lovely and intentional. She is also a fabulous southern gal who loves Crimson Tide football, ice cream and riding in the car with the sunroof open--she's hilarious and spunky, if you don't read her blog, you should!

6. If I could point your attention to a couple blogs that might be new or interesting to you:

(Tw)inside Out. This mama chronicles her life with her boy/girl twins that she calls Inchworm and Doodlebug. She's funny, passionate, and finds time to make her own stock to cook with--amazing! If you do nothing else today, you should read this post.

the climb. Cyndi is a lovely mama, also to eight month old boy/girl twins. She balances work and mothering with a gentle grace. She is currently in need of some help getting them to sleep, so if you can lend a hand, please do.  

7. I decided this spring/summer that I needed to invest in a "mom" wardrobe. I currently have about 23 pairs of black pants collecting dust in my closet. I got those pants when I worked in an office. Now, my office is at home with the girls. I've added a couple pairs of capris. I wanted them to be quick drying, look nice enough to go out and about, but also be appropriate for taking walks, bending stooping, sitting on the floor, etc. If you have any suggestions to add to my "mom" wardrobe, I'm all ears!

8. Hadley's bangs are getting really long. I don't want to trim and maintain bangs. I'd like to part her hair and put it up, but here's the trouble: her hemangioma. It's in the way, and makes it difficult to find a part. Any suggestions? I need help, and clearly Hadley agrees:

9. Tomorrow I will be 32 years old. I can remember when my parents turned 30. This makes me feel old.

10. When I was writing this post I calculated that I will be 49 years old when the girls graduate from high school. That makes me feel ancient! It also makes me wonder if I would be able to win another jump rope challenge when I'm 49.  

What is that? (emphasis on the "that")

My oldest (by a mere six minutes), Hadley, has recently lost the majority of the thick, dark hair that she was born with. She, apparently, would prefer to be a blonde. Oh, if only the rest of us could change our hair color that easily and inexpensively. I digress; there is a reason I bring up Hadley's hair other than to discuss coiffure. Her sudden hair loss has prompted many people to suddenly assume that my poor daughter's noggin has sustained some sort of blunt force trauma. Okay, well, maybe not that extreme, but there is a noticeable, quarter-sized, raised lump on top of her head that does spark many people to ask, and/or inform me, about her "boo-boo". This "lump" has been there for over three months, so while the rest of the world is just realizing its existence, we have become accustomed to it's presence, and quite honestly forget about it until it is pointed out.

What is this bump, you ask? It's called a hemangioma. Basically it's a benign tumor of cells that line blood vessels. When I am asked about it, pretty much every time we go out into public anymore, I've learned to dumb my response down to, "It's a birth mark." At first, I felt like I should inform people of hemangiomas, and educate them, but that gets tiring, and quite frankly, people don't really care that much--it's almost comical to watch their eyes glaze over as I rattle off medical jargon. They are just probably checking to make sure I'm not throwing my daughter down the stairs.

We have taken Hadley to the pediatric dermatologist to have her hemangioma checked out since it is located close to her soft spot. He said it is absolutely no big deal, and will go away on its own by the time she is three years old. Hemangiomas are most common in females--check, preemies--check, Caucasians--check and multiples--check. I guess one of our daughters was bound to have one of these suckers. He then proceeded to show us pictures of hemangiomas that are actually something to worry about. That was humbling--I looked at both of my daughters and gave thanks.

You can see Hadley's hemangioma below (she is on the right in the first picture).