Great news for the frugal and caffeine-addicted!

For those who know me personally, it's no secret that I have a great love affair with Dunkin Donuts coffee. Though I drink black coffee by the pot at home, there is something that's such a special little treat about grabbing a paperback and dropping in the Dunkin' Donuts near my house to sip on an extra-large Toasted Almond coffee w/ cream and sugar. For me, it beats Starbucks taste-wise any day of the week, and nothing can compare to that $2.39 price tag for the largest size (which is much, much larger than a, ahem, venti).

So, my caffeine-fueled heart was crushed when I discovered my local DD closed down for renovations. But I did a bit of digging, and a wonderful new dawn is on the horizon! Dunkin' Donuts is going WiFi!

So when my beloved DD finally reopens, I'mma ask hubby to watch dear son for about an hour, and I'm going to jet off to the coffee shop to enjoy tasty fresh-brewed while I work on this blog...and all for under $3.

Shameless Plug!: Crayola Washable Finger Paint turns your child into a mini-van Gogh (but without ear amputation)!

I am a firm believer in the value of arts for my child, if only because it gives my talentless-self an excuse to play with fun arts and crafts. Some of the most fun I've had with my son and husband was this summer when we decided to do a family finger painting.

I got some of these awesome Crayola finger paints, and a big piece of posterboard. We all put on our rattiest clothes (in my son's case, some things he would soon outgrow, in my husband's case, what he wears everyday), and we took our art supplies out to the front yard.

It was so much fun. My son was only 15 months at the time, so he didn't just finger paint, no no. He got on his hands in knees and crawled all over the canvas. He got up on his feet and danced on it. In fact, after drying, amidst all the colorful smears remains one very defined rainbow baby footprint.

When we were done, it was early afternoon and plenty hot, so we all washed off with the hose. With just water the fingerpaint washed off us with no problem.

I still have our little family mural, and I've been looking for a frame the right size so I can hang it in my office. I can't wait for my co-workers to see my gorgeous piece of abstract art and ask about the footprint in the lower left corner.

Shameless Plug!: Fedex custom calendars will keep the grandparents from complaining about how rarely you call!

This is just going to be a quick one, but I have to tell you about these awesome custom calendars we got for all the grandparents this year. You just go to FedEx.com , and they have hundreds of design options for you to choose from. Then, you just upload the 12 (or 13, if you want something different for the cover) pictures you want them to use for each month. You can even add custom holidays to the calendars. (We added all of the kids' anniversaries and all the kids' and grandkids' birthdays.)

You can get the wall calendars for just under twenty bucks apiece, and there are also tons of other customizable products available. And because it's FedEx, they arrive crazy fast, even if you don't choose to upgrade the shipping. (We designed and ordered ours on a Sunday night and they arrived that Tuesday.)

These calendars are perfect for if you're on a holiday budget, or if you have a relative that would really love some pictures of the kids. Also great presents for if you delayed in your shopping and you're in a hurry. I know it's past the Christmas season, but it's still early enough in the year that it's worth it if you want to get a calendar for yourself.

And just a remind about the "Shameless Plug" posts: I am not getting paid a dime from any of these companies to endorse this stuff. The "Shameless Plug" titles are meant as a joke. These are all just products that I genuinely love and which have made my life easier.

Shameless Plug!: Huggies baby wash will make your baby smell sweeter than angel farts!

I know I'm bucking tradition here by recommending any baby-cleaner other than Johnson & Johnson's, but we've been using Huggies brand baby wash all of my little man's 17 months of life. (And in case you think I'm just somehow pro-Huggies brand, their diapers leak and are awful and I hate them in the face.)

But their baby body wash is baller. It's perfect because it serves it's primary function, a.k.a. "gets baby clean". But, in theory, most baby washes do that. So what makes Huggies special?

It doesn't smell like much of anything at all. Which is perfect! "New baby smell" is possibly the greatest smell in the world! Huggies baby wash is like a fine claret with a gourmet dinner. It enhances and brings out the "baby smell" bouquet without overpowering it, while getting rid of the less pleasant smells that sometimes cling to my son (poop, dirt, poop, Lucky Charms crumbs, poop, partially-digested crayons, poop, etc.).

Most grocery stores sell it. Or if you want baby smell delivered to your home, visit this website and just order it. http://www.amazon.com/HUGGIES-N-C-BABY-WASH/dp/B001KYS1DS

Shameless plug: Baby Legos will make your child into an architect prodigy!

My son has some of these baby-appropriate Legos. They're big enough that they're not a choking hazard and are also easy for him to manipulate and build with. His favorite thing to do is encase himself in a little baby fort and then rise as a Godzilla-like behemoth, crushing his own creation under his little baby fist and heels. It's the most adorable destruction.

Here's the link if you want to check them out.

http://shop.lego.com/ByAge/Product.aspx?p=5416&cn=100002&d=100001

Shameless plug: The amazing seahorse makes babies sleep!

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Ocean-Wonders-Soothe-Seahorse/dp/B000W3XEQM

Okay, so does it count as a shameless plug if I'm not getting paid a cent to endorse it, and just really, really love the product? No? Okay cool.

I bought this seahorse for my boy when I was still pregnant with him. I loved the fact that it made ocean sounds in addition to lighting up and playing music, and was machine-washable on top of that. (You just take out the mechanical part in the middle, easy-peasy.)

From since he was born, this awesome seahorse has been my son's bedtime lovey. It takes very little pressure to make the belly light up and play sounds, so it's good for even a little baby, and it turns off after 1o minutes, which is just about the perfect amount of time to soothe a little one to sleep.

At 18 months, my son has two so that one can stand in while the other takes a run through the wash, and he'll normally signal that he's ready for a nap by picking up his seahorse, hugging it on, and coming over and asking to be picked up.

His two younger cousins also each have one now, too. : D

I got his at Babies R' Us for about $15, which is a really good deal for the triple-threat combo of a stuffed animal/nightlight/sound machine, not to mention all the good nights' sleep.