Quick Takes (35): A Few of My Favorite Things

I did start this on Friday but am finally finishing it now.  Here are a few of my current favorite things.  In no particular order....

--- 1 ---

Coconut oil.  I love it.  Just ordered another big tub from here.  I ordered my last tub before we moved, so I guess it's taken me about 5 months to go through 54 oz.  That seems pretty slow, but I've mainly been using a couple teaspoons to make my oatmeal in the morning.

--- 2 ---

Probiotics.  I love them.  I take one each morning and R takes one most mornings as well.  Her pediatrician actually recommended this one.  I just have the local pharmacy order it since I haven't found it in stock anywhere and it's supposed to be refrigerated.  It's also cheaper than ordering online!

--- 3 ---

Aldi.  Love it!  This is the first time I've lived any where near an Aldi grocery store and I'm in love.  It's a perfect match for me.  I can deal with the quirkiness of the store (quarter deposit for a cart, bring your own bags, bag your own groceries, only pay with cash or debit, etc.) for the trade off of lower prices (at least 50 cents to a dollar cheaper on every item) and healthier food.  Aldi is German, and I've found that the ingredients on their store brand items are healthier...less preservatives and dyes, etc.  Someone told me Trader Joe's and Aldi have a connection, but I don't know about that.  Shopping at Aldi makes me feel good about not cutting coupons as often as I would like!  And they have really yummy German food...Muesli, bratwurst, sauerkraut, beer, etc.  I get to enjoy all the treats I had living in Germany years ago.  Seriously, this should have been at the top of the list.  I can't stop talking about Aldi.

--- 4 ---

Upromise.  This is another one that I'm still learning about, but it's a free way to save money for college just by shopping online and at stores.  You can save for a child or put the money towards existing loans you have!  There's more info here.  Like I said, I just heard about it at CVS.  And CVSes are new to me as well.  All these new stores in the South/in a big city:-)  But anyways, you have to sign up for an account and then you can link your rewards cards (for CVS, Rite Aid, Kroger, Publix, etc.) to get a percentage put into your Upromise account.  Also, when shopping online at tons of places (Target, Walmart, etc.), if you log into your account then go to the website, you'll get 1%-10% put into the college account as well). Totally free savings that can accrue for years.  I think you can also invest it as well.  Totally legit. Totally free!  I'm exciting.  Makes me feel a little better about having not opened a 529 plan yet for R!

--- 5 ---

Summer time.  School is just about out around here, which means activities at church start to slow down a bit, which translates into a little less busi-ness for DH.  His night commitments are just about done for the next 3ish months and I'm looking forward to new experiences with R- swimming, water play, and more.  Of course, it also means lots of heat and humidity and travel plans with a toddler but I'm focusing on the positive right now...more time with DH home (hopefully).

--- 6 ---

A toddler.  Oh my...did I just mention a toddler in #5?  Apparently, after a baby turns 1, they all of a sudden become a toddler and leave their baby-hood (or baby-ness?) behind.  This is both exciting, fun, sad, and bittersweet all at the same time. Everyone lately has been telling me that the age from 1-2 is their most favorite time, so I'm adding it to my list here.  R is growing up so quickly it's fun to watch.  She wants to use a fork while eating lately (because she sees DH and I use one, I think), loves the crawling maze/jungle gym we assemble with the couch and pillows, is close to walking (she does laps around the house pushing the desk chair), and is getting better sleeping with sleep training.  She is silly and playful and so much fun.  Thank you, Lord, for this baby-now-turned-toddler.

--- 7 ---

One year photos.  We had so much fun with R having her photos taken.  She had a ball and was such a ham!  I could not believe it. Every time I pull out the camera to try and catch her doing something cute, she sees me and races over to try and push all the buttons on the camera.  She didn't do this for the photographer.  Instead, she sat and posed away.  It was unreal.  DH and I were laughing it was so funny and cute.  Here's a taste of the shoot (photo credit goes to CH photography for them all):

Have a great rest of the weekend!

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