Saturday, July 20, 2013

Citrus Lane July 2013 box review - 14 month old boy

The time has come, our last Citrus Lane box arrived and it did not disappoint. Little Man knows exactly what this box is all about and was anxious to open it and find out what surprises he'd find inside. 
Unfortunately, his wrench didn't open the box. 
Wrapped beautifully as usual!! Citrus Lane does a great job with packaging every month. 
A full box of goodies!!
The first item was a sumo snack stacker from zo li. While we have received two other snack containers during our subscription, I was really glad to see this one. Since Little Man is a toddler, our other snack containers are getting too small to carry enough for him, but this new container holds THREE cups of food!! It is pretty large but can be hung on the outside of a diaper bag or a stroller, so no need to take up precious bag space!  Its free from all the bad things (BPA, phaletes, etc.) Love it!! Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004RCIGX0
Ella's Kitchen is a great brand. They make wholesome and yummy for your toddler (or baby) foods. Little Man has enjoyed their products in the past and I'm sure he will love these healthy cookies too....Although maybe later since he doesnt quite have enough teeth for cookies just yet. Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008HY8GQQ
I was teeny bit disappointed in this box item. A me4kidz Cool It Buddy instant cool pack is a great idea, but not really something I would have bought for our use. It was described by Citrus Lane as being a great item for your diaper bag for boo-boos on the go. 
Melissa and Doug has become a huge household name. I am not as big a fan. We have a few of their toys and I'm disappointed to say they were both made in China. The farm puzzle we received is really cute but Little Man is a little too young for it. Buy it here: http://m.melissaanddoug.com/farm-peg-learning-puzzle

The final box item looks really fun and while I'm usually displeased with coupon codes as items, I'm really excited about this one. Postagram is an app that allows you to create and send postcards from your phone!  The postcard includes pictures which can be removed and kept by their recipients!  Since all of our family and friends live far away, we can't wait to use this coupon!! Find out more here: http://www.postagram.com/

This was a fabulous end to our 9 month 
Citrus Lane membership and we are hoping Citrus Lane will try to lure us 
into renewing our membership. 

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Bluum box review - June 2013


Bluum Box, you say?  I have read many blog reviews from dissatisfied subscribers, but just couldn't pass up a box for my little guy at the great price of $10 for a one month trial. 

Well...I must say I agree with all those reviews. The box was just...meh. I aged up little guy to 19 months and received a box with a "Let's make friends" theme. The cute pink box arrived promptly after I received my shipment confirmation and tracking number. Inside the box, things were just sort of thrown in (no pretty tissue paper ala Citrus Lane).


 I decided to review this box, not for my discounted trial price, but for the actual subscription cost of $24.95/mo because that would be my renewal cost. 

A cute card providing the month's theme was placed on top of the box. 

I actually really like the theme idea. Citrus Lane did away with this and I've missed it. 
The reverse talks about how the theme applies to your child. I think this is a super nice touch and easily my favorite part of the box. 

If you've read the blog before, its no secret that little guy loves the Happy Family brand of baby food and toddler snacks. We were all thrilled to see THREE Happy Family products included in the box, plus some coupons to buy more treats. Maybe this was our favorite part of the box...

The next item was a pair of sunglasses. I'm not sure what these have to do with making friends or sharing...then again, I'm not sure what the Happy Family products have to do with the theme either... Anyway, the sunglasses...


I pulled these out of the package to take a look at them and my husband just said "no", as in there's no way my son is wearing those ugly things. Needless to say we will not be using this item. 

We love, love, love books and I was very excited to see a book included in our box. The book is the only item that directly relates to this month's theme. 
It's a cute book and I do think we will use this pretty regularly. 
I am not sure what the point of this toy is. It has nothing to do with sharing or making friends, it appears to be better suited for a little girl, looks really cheap and worst of all is for ages 3+ (according to Amazon.com). This is definitely my least favorite item in the box. 

The last item, Hy5 alcohol free hand sanitizer, was for the mothers and has already made it's way into my diaper bag. 



The value of the box (obtained from Amazon.com):
Happy Creamies - $4.21
Happy Munchies - $3.59
Happy Tot pouch - $2.00
Kidz Bandz sunglasses - $14.99
I Can Share book - $7.19
BKids cat toy - $6.52
Hy5 hand sanitizer - could not locate similar sized product

Bluum delivered more than my expectations in the quantity of product provided. Unfortunately, most of the products aren't things we will use, making the subscription cost too high for our value received. If you believe this is something your family would enjoy, you can subscribe at www.bluum.com




Saturday, May 11, 2013

Best ever vegan Cincinnati chili recipe

1 large sweet onion diced
1 tbs oil of your choice (I use olive oil)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Mexican chili powder (if you can't locate this use chili powder)
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
4 oz vegan bakers chocolate 
3 cups vegetable bouillon 
12 oz tomato purée 
1 bag Boca crumbles

Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large stockpot. Place the diced onion in the heated oil and cook until onion is soft. Next, add all your spices (this is my favorite part because it smells soooo good!!) and mix with cooked onion for a few minutes. Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling point has been reached, simmer uncovered for at least an hour. The sauce should thicken considerably. Cook up a box of your favorite spaghetti noodles and top with your Cincinnati chili!! If you are not vegan, this is delicious topped with your favorite sharp cheddar, BUT trust me, we don't miss the cheese at all in our vegan household. 


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Girl Gone Vegan

I'd entertained the idea of being vegan for nearly as many years as I'd been vegetarian (20 years!). I could never commit to the change in fashion (goodbye purses and shoes), giving up sweet treats and what is life like without my beloved cheese?!? Everything changed over the course of last year. My son was born with a terrible milk allergy. I had two options, I could give up dairy or stop nursing him. Goodbye dairy. I had no idea what to eat or how to plan meals. Thankfully during my many sleepless nights I came across . Vegucated is a wonderful documentary about three New Yorkers and a vegan challenge. The creator of this documentary has a fabulous website full of recipes, resources and support YumUniverse.com . I loved Vegucated so much, I searched and found a bounty of recipes to try out on my husband and toddler. What once was a temporary change has become much more permanent. We are all feeling more energized, losing weight without trying and enjoying every bite along the way. Check back for reviews of recipes we've tried and new ones we've created.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

We won!!

I entered little man into the Acts Of Green contest from Citrus Lane an he won!! We just received our awesome Happy Family gift pack valued at $75!! Feeling so very blessed to have all this healthy organic food for my little guy!!

Once again, if you haven't checked out Citrus Lane, you should!!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Citrus Lane review - April 2013 box for a 12 month old boy

Let me just start by saying I love Citrus Lane. Not every box is filled with items to my liking, however, so many have new products my little guy has grown to love and their customer service is outstanding.

This month's box arrived on my son's first birthday, so it was like a bonus gift.

The first item we noticed was the full size shampoo and body wash from the Honest Company. This is a product we already use and love. The wash has a dreamsickle like scent that leaves my little man smelling wonderful. The no tears formula has never bothered his eyes or his skin. We love this stuff!!

Next we received a slide and seek toy from Melissa and Doug. A huge hit with my son.

Also included were two super cute snack containers from InnoBaby. I'm sure these will be put to good use as travel containers for puffs and Cheerios.

Finally, we received a Oogaa placemat. It is pretty cute and the perfect size for the little guy's highchair tray.

I highly recommend Citrus Lane. It is a fun way to find out about cool useful things for your kiddo. And honestly, who doesn't love receiving a surprise in the mail each month?

***Pardon the box photo - once little man sees the Citrus Lane box, he wants it open and plays with everything inside! Citrus Lane items are packaged beautifully when the box is first opened!***

If you are interested, please use the link below to receive $10 off your first box. Enjoy!!

https://www.citruslane.com/invitedby/Krista.Shaffer

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Wittlebee March 2013 review

I have been bitten by the box craze bug. There seems to be a monthly subscription box for everything these day...including boxes. I reign in my desire to have one of each sent to me the best I can, but sometimes there are deals you just can't pass up. I heard about the Wittlebee children's clothing on a blog about boxes and was anxious to try it out. Who wouldn't want to receive a box of super cute clothing for their kiddo? As soon as I received a 50% off coupon code, I signed up. I paid $23 (including shipping) and was told my box value would be at least $100. I answered questions about little man, the types (swimwear, pjs, shorts, etc) and colors i would prefer. After signing up, I received an email stating that my showroom would soon be open. The showroom provides box subscribers the opportunity to select three of the six items included in their box. We selected a pair of karate pants from American Apparel, a long sleeve shirt from Rabbit Moon and a button down shirt from Toby (we has never heard of this brand). We patiently waited and our box finally arrived on April 8th. In addition to our selections from the showroom, we received a Kate Quinn Organics pants and hoodie outfit and a Threadless brand t-shirt. I attempted to find each received item online to approximate our value received, but could not locate most of the items. Hubs and I feel the value was pretty good for the $23 we spent, but we would have been disappointed had we spent the regular box price of $36 + s&h. Wittlebee is awesome in concept, but I honestly feel you'd do better shopping sales online or in your local mall where you can be sure the items will fit your child and reflect your style. One great perk of Wittlebee membership is being eligible for Wittlebee's almost daily Instagram sales. From what I've observed, mostly girls' clothing is offered, but it is super cute and the prices are amazing! We just snatched up two OP brand t-shirts for $6 - shipping included!! Wittlebee also has mystery grab bags fairly regularly and seem like they could be fun to try at least once. Hubs and I will very likely cancel this box as we have a certain style and would prefer to hand select clothes, but it is a really fun box to try. If you would like to try it out for your kiddo, you can use this link and save $10 off of your first box.
http://buzzwat.ch/kmari5?UUID=9jkw













Thursday, March 28, 2013

In the beginning...

I am Mayme's granddaughter, well one of them anyway. :) Why, you wonder, is this important?  Mayme shaped who I am today and for years each time I heard the song "Who I Am", I'd sing "I am Mayme's granddaughter, the spitting image of no one in my family ( this is true, but oddly enough I look like my in laws) and when the day is done my poodle's still my biggest fan. I'm clueless and I'm clumsy, but I got friends that love me. That's who I am".  Mayme was an absolutely amazing woman.  She truly could do it all.  Pulled from high school to support her family, she learned to cook, sew and garden early on. She was ferociously dedicated to her family, taking in her niece when her beloved sister was ill, assisting her sister in law when her brother passed away early and unexpectedly and making sure her other brother was well cared for after his wife died of Alzheimer's. Oh, and then there was me. She took my mother and I in, when my father left shortly after I was born. I left my role as a CPA in corporate America after the birth of my son nearly a year ago. This blog will be my ramblings on transitioning from my suits to sweatpants and how I try daily to live up to the amazing woman Mayme was.