Binkies and Briefcases

Photo Credit: belchonock via Deposit Photo

Disclosure: For your convenience, my blog posts contain affiliate links to the products mentioned. 

Do you have coconut oil in your pantry?

I know I certainly didn’t until about this time last year. I don’t think I had ever even heard of the stuff until about a year ago. But seriously, you guys… You NEED some coconut oil in your life. You can buy it online or just get it at the regular grocery store. It’s usually in the baking aisle.

It is awesome for cooking. It can almost always replace the oil or butter in a recipe. It’s just about the healthiest oil around, except maybe for olive oil. But it isn’t only for cooking, it does amazing things to your skin and hair as well. Seriously.

I used coconut oil to make my Healthy Boardwalk-Style french fries.

I use it in my fake out orange chicken recipe

and I use it to heal my nasty dry feet.

Lately, we’ve been using it on the kids’ faces because this harsh winter has left their skin really red and chapped. It works wonders!

Brittany has a great tutorial about using coconut oil on your hair.

A bottle usually costs around $10-$15, so it is pricey for a baking ingredient, but the other uses completely justify the cost in my mind.

I am skeeved out by the idea of using the same jar for cooking that I use on my feet, so recently we’ve started keeping two separate jars- one for cooking and one for beauty treatments.

You can also use it for oil pulling, which is basically swishing a tablespoon’s worth of the stuff between your teeth for about 20 minutes and then spitting it out into the trashcan. I have quite a few friends who swear this has done wonders for whitening their teeth and improving their overall dental health. 

Have you tried it yet?

If not, you better go get you some.

Your life is about to change.

Seriously, you’re welcome.

You might also like:

Today I am releasing my first children’s book! I can’t even believe the whirlwind of the past year that has landed me in a place where I can call myself a professional author.

This year I’ve been Featured on The Huffinton Post, the Today Show’s blog, and been part of two anthologies, both of which became number 1 best-sellers on Amazon, and one of which topped the  iTunes humor chart as well. I even saw a story I wrote about a dear friend grace the cover of a magazine.

And I signed a contract with a publisher or a book of my very own. But there is only so far you can go own your own.

It was December of 2012 when I first went into talks with Tate Publishing about my book. I chose them because I really appreciated that they let their authors retain the rights to their works and I wanted to work with a Christian publisher. Over the past thirteen months, there has been a lot of hurry up and wait and a lot of hurry up and work, all in preparation for today.

It’s here.

The Cookie Jar Parable

You can order it on Amazon or from any major retailer of books.

Each paperback copy also comes with a code for a free audio download. We are still putting the finishing touches on the audio book, so please be patient and it should be available soon.

I know this is the beginning of a very exciting journey. It marks a change in the direction of my life. I made a promise to myself earlier this year to only focus my energy on projects that I believed would expand my faith and further the kingdom. This is the first of those projects. 

It’s only been out for one day, but the response so far has been overwhelming. I have heard from families that have been blessed by my story, the one I wrote with the words that were given to me.

I know with certainty that right now behind my laptop is where I belong.

This is my story.

This is my gift.

Ours, really.

From Him to me, from me to you, from you to your children.

I’m so glad I can finally share it with you.

Thank you for taking this journey with me!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of K12, the leader in online education for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last year, I was concerned that Nicholas wasn’t quite ready for kindergaren, so we started him out with K¹², an online public school. It was awesome. They sent us a TON of resources and I got to work with him at home. Because of the public school aspect, all of the costs for the materials were covered by the tax dollars we already pay and I was able to collaborate with several certified teachers and an occupational therapist who had experience dealing with special needs, like the ones he has.

Now that I am working more, releasing my book and founding The BlogU Conference, Nick is back in our local public school this year, but I do miss seeing his progress every day and working with the amazing resources that we had through K¹². So, when they asked if I would be willing to share their new online Pre-K program with you, I was more than happy to. Since this is an optional pre-school program, it is paid for by the parents (us), but it is still much more affordable than a traditional preschool and it fits your unique situation.

For example, Penny has a very late December birthday and will be almost four years old before she is elligible to start a 3-year-old preschool class. I am going to be using this program with her next year to brige that gap.

It’s called EmbarK¹² You can see the 5 minute video about the program here:

It is very similar to the online portion of the kindergarten programming that Nick was doing last year, but geared towards slightly younger kids.

Nick LOVED the online games that were part of the K¹² program. Because he has such a hard time grasping a pencil and writing, being able to use the computer to help show what he knows was a real blessing.

There are two different options: EmbarK¹² Online, which is online only, and EmbarK¹² Comprehensive, which includes a lot more bells and whistles. 

EmbarK¹² Online:
• 830+ online activities for early learners ages 3-6
• Developed by educational experts, this supplemental Pre-K program makes learning fun, dynamic, and enriching.
• 12 units of activities, each with related content and activities, covering Math, Language and Literacy, and topics from the world around them. Examples of topics include “Travel and Explore,” “Our World,” and “Story Time.”
• $59 for a 12-month subscription
• Exclusive IZEA Discount: 50% discount on EmbarK¹² Online for the next 7 days using promo code EmbarkSpecial (Normally $59 for a 12-month subscription; $29.50 with discount)
• You can purchase EmbarK¹² Online here:

EmbarK12 Online – Over 830 interactive activities to engage your preschooler.

As for the bells and whistles…

EmbarK¹² Comprehensive:
• Over 1,200 age-appropriate activities, engaging children using a wide variety of interactive multimedia and hands-on materials – over 288 hours of activities in all!
• 18 thematic units covering 6 subjects: Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Music, and Art. Examples of themes include: Family and Friends, My Five Senses, and Looking at Animals.
• $286/year for a 12-month subscription and all of the upgrade kits including hands-on manipulative

You can purchase EmbarK¹² Comprehensive here:

EmbarK12 Comprehensive- Online and hands-on preschool program for your early learner.

If you are concerned about Kindergarten readiness like we were for Nick, you can visit the EmbarK¹² page and preview Sample lessons:

Kindergarten readiness programs by K12. Try a sample activity today.

AND for the next 7 days, if you use the promo code EmbarkSpecial, they are offering 50% off the EmbarK¹² Online package. (Normally $59 for a 12-month subscription; now $29.50 with discount)

That means you can get a virtual year of pre-school for only $29.50.

I’m not that good at math, but I think that $2.50 per month for a year of preschool is a pretty awesome deal!

Especially since I have THREE kids who can benefit from it this year. (Penny will be turning three this year, Abby is turning five, and Nick is turning seven, but can definitely still use the review.)

Even though they are paying me to say this, I want you to know that I really do believe in this product as both an educator and a parent. I use it for my own kids and I feel very comfortable recommending it to you to use with yours.

*If you have any issues with website accepting the discount code, call the help line at 1.866.637.1985. They were able to set me up with my account in less than ten minutes.

UPDATE: We had a little hiccup with the code at first, but it is working now!