Reviews from Expo - Plus link to sign up and have free products sent straight to your door

A few years ago I signed up for a product review company called ExpoTV. I love it! While I haven't been selected for any of the big name products so far (they've sent beds, computers, printers, and other exciting things to some lucky reviewers) I have received quite a few day to day items that not only introduced me to new brands or products, but saved me the expense of buying things I use every day. Here are some links to reviews I have completed and at the bottom of the page is a link so that you can sign up too!

Truvia Brown Sugar Blend

Kleenex Go Pack Tissues

Pampers Swaddlers and Sensitive wipes

AND as promised, here's the link to sign yourself up!

Let me know what you receive!!

Plant Powered Families by Dreena Burton is COMING!!!!! Gift with pre-sale purchase

So, I don't post nearly often enough about being vegan and the absolute awesomeness of the journey my family has had so far, but I promise to do a better job...starting with this post! There are SO many awesome vegan chefs and cooks who share their recipes all over the web, but my family's favorite (by far) is Dreena Burton. We LOVE every recipe we've ever made. One of the best things about Dreena's recipes (and believe me there are SO many wonderful things about them) is that she is a mother to three "weegans" (daughters) with busy hockey schedules. Why does this matter? Well, because her recipes are kid tested and made for busy families. Some vegan recipes are a far cry from either of these and that can make it tough to incorporate them into your family's life. Her newest book is due out in May and I couldn't be more thrilled! The book is called Plant Powered Families and is chock full of awesome recipes that have been tested on and loved by her family.

We, of course, pre-ordered our copy and were thrilled when Dreena announced those who pre-purchase will receive a mini cookbook FREE (see bottom of page from link above)! I selected two of the yummy recipes to try: White Bean and Cauliflower Burgers and Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole. While, I must admit my 2.5 year old son would not try the Cheesy Cauliflower, my husband and I devoured the entire dish in one meal. The burgers were a hit with all of us and my husband has already requested them again! I can't wait to try the other recipes - especially the Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Mousse frosting! Here's a picture of my version of the Cheesy Cauliflower (mine is not pretty, but so very tasty):

So, why should you buy Dreena's awesome cookbook when there are so many recipes for free? Honestly, because the recipes are not difficult, they do not use crazy ingredients you can't find in your local store and they are SO delicious. You can thank me later! But, if you don't believe me, you can check out her blog with free recipes here

Well! A new baby and a new adventure! I always felt so guilty throwing away diapers and thinking of all the landfill space I as filling, so with this baby and a lot of convincing with my husband, we are trying cloth diapering!!! I'm so excited! The prints are so fun and there are so many sites to swap, buy and discuss diapering! One of the first things I learned was that I needed to try multiple brands to determine what works best for me. I decided to stick with All In One (AIO) diapers for our newborn stash so that my husband was a little less stressed about the idea of cloth. From what I understand AIO are the most friendly to newbies and former disposable users since you don't have to deal with inserts or pre-folds or the like...it's just all included in one. However, that means you need more diapers because as soon as one is wet or soiled, into the diaper pail it goes.

Today, I received my first "Fluff mail" from DiaperStore.com and I couldn't have been more excited!

Here's a picture of my fluff mail AND it was all on sale!! Check out diaperstore.com to snag some of their winter sale items for yourself! The package included a 5 pack of Thirsties AIO newborn diapers in their super cute Ocean print, a wet bag in "Whale Tail" and a diaper pail liner in Ocean grey:

For newbies like me here's a picture of the inside of an AIO and the outside. I think they are so cute! I can't wait to see them on my little lady's bum!

Do you use cloth? Please share your experiences with brands and styles! Next up I should be receiving some of my BumGenius Newborn AIOs!

Citrus Lane March 2015 - gender neutral 13 month old box

As my due date approaches, I am doing my best to reign in my spending, but still want to celebrate with gifts for my new baby. Of course, I went back to Citrus Lane because we loved it so much when my son was a baby. I decided to age up my unborn child because I typically don't find the newborn boxes to be as nice as the older boxes. This month's box arrived today (March 21st) in the normal Citrus Lane box. The box was a bit heavy, so I was really excited to open it! All values below were obtained from Amazon.com unless unavailable on that site and otherwise noted. Here's what was inside: Citrus Lane does a great job packaging their monthly boxes in cheery yellow tissue paper. The wrapping was a little sloppy this month and I am not surprised as I was told by a customer service rep that the company had recently changed shipping partners.

Inside the tissue was a card explaining the contents of the box:

Well, to say I was disappointed would be a severe understatement. I did not use Johnson & Johnson products on my son and I don't plan to use them on my daughter. Judging by the hundreds of comments already on Citrus Lane's Facebook page, they will realize their partnership with J&J did some serious damage to their relationship with their customers.

Johnson & Johnson 9oz Head to Toe Wash: $6.45 and Johnson & Johnson 3oz Baby Bubble Bath: $2 (Walgreens.com)

Next up is the Ubbi Tweat Snack Container:

This was one of the spoiler items that could appear in your box. I think we will get great use out of this item and it's bird design is really cute. I had a hard time finding the value for this item, but per the manufacturer's website it can be purchased for $10

We love books (as I've said so many times before) so I'm always glad to receive one. Charle Harper's ABCs board book is no exception. I'm sure it'll get lots of use in our house.

Charley Harper ABCs board book: $13.46

Lastly, we received the Begin Again Earthworm Racer. I'm not sure about this for my baby girl, but I do like that it's all natural and safe if she places it in her mouth. The product description says that the toy assists your baby in developing motor skills as the toy twists, bends, stretches and rolls. It will be fun to see what she thinks of it!

Begin Again Earthworm Racer: The Racer's are currently priced between $4 and $15 depending on the color selected

The total value of the March 2015 box was: $46.91 (if using the highest cost Racer).

We purchased our mini-subscription as a Groupon, boxes normally cost $27/mo ($81 for a 3 month subscription), so the value is definitely there. Unfortunately, my personal opinion and what appears to be the opinion of many subscribers is that the contents and quality of the boxes have deteriorated over the past several months/year since the company was purchased by Care.com. Our subscription expires in May and at this time I don't think I will continue. BUT there are always new subscription boxes to try!! I'm anxious to take a break from kid boxes and try Petit Vour or Vegan Cuts or maybe some of the Fluff mail (cloth diaper) subscriptions. What are your favorites?

Citrus Lane Mystery Box March 2015 Girl 0-12 months Review

Citrus Lane Mystery Boxes have been selling out so quickly lately I figured they must be amazing and I must be really missing out! So...I hurried to the site as soon as I received an email notifying me of the newly released boxes. I was able to snag the Tiny Love Mini Mobile box for 0-12 month girls. The value for each item was obtained from Amazon unless unavailable and otherwise noted. The box arrived inside a larger box as I also ordered an Easter present for my son. Inside the larger box was a tiny Citrus Lane box.

In the past, Citrus Lane boxes have come in beautiful packaging with yellow tissue paper wrapping the items and a Citrus Lane sticker holding the tissue together. Sadly, that was not the case with this Mystery Box.

The first item in the box was an aden + anais security blanket in giraffe print:

This item was not in packaging within the Mystery Box and according to Amazon is typically sold in a two pack. Value $7.40.

The next item was an Oball original style ball:

My son had three of these and loved them, so I know this is a great baby gift. Value $9.

The Mommy Hook was an interesting add. I'm excited to try this out and think I may really like it, although I doubt I'd have purchased it for myself.

Value $7.

We love books and reading, so my son and I were thrilled to see "Little Pea" included in the box:

After seeing the book, my son wanted to read it immediately. I'm a little disappointed in the condition of the book. It is a board book and appears to have been used previously. Additionally, one of the pages shows "fig. 1", "fig. 2", etc. under the pictures making me question if it was some sort of proof copy?? Value $6.

Finally, we received an Ahh Goo Baby magnetic bib:

A cute bib with a magnetic closure. Not sold on Amazon. Value $9.75.

Unfortunately, the spoiler item for this Mystery Box the Tiny Love Mini Mobile was not included. We paid $29 + $5 shipping for the box and received a value of $39.15. Per Citrus Lane's website, the Mystery Boxes contain a value of at least $60, so I'm not impressed.

UPDATE! I called Citrus Lane about my issues with this box and was told a full replacement box was being shipped to me. I have read many horror stories about Citrus Lane customer service, but I have had great experiences each time I have had an issue.

January 2015 Review of Walmart Baby Box - Every Little Step 2nd Trimester

I just love receiving subscription boxes in the mail and couldn't pass up a box for just $5. This newer box offered by Walmart ships a box to match your stage in pregnancy or the early stages of motherhood. Since I'm due with our second child in May, I ordered the 2nd Trimester box. The box is not huge, but not tiny either.

A congratulations pamphlet including a checklist of items you may need for your new arrival was placed on top of the blue tissue paper wrapped box contents.

Immediately underneath the blue tissue paper was a booklet showing some of Walmart's baby merchandise grouped into matching sets and including coordinating room color suggestions.

$9.50 in coupons was included for items such as Gerber baby food, Nuk pacifiers, Little Noses over the counter medicine and Avent products. No samples were provided for any of these brands.

A breastmilk storage bag and trial pack of nursing pads from Lansinoh were included with an advertisement for the brand's breast pump.

Perhaps the strangest item I've ever seen included in a baby or expectant mom box - Summer's Eve wash and cleansing cloth sample plus a $.55 coupon. Is this even safe to use during pregnancy?

A sample of Desitin diaper cream:

A sample of All Free and Clear dryer sheets:

A clutch containing a Pampers diaper and sample pack of wipes. While the thought is cute and it may be useful to some, I don't think this is a useful item. As the mother of a toddler I can honestly say the less to carry for a diaper change, the better. This clutch doesn't fold out into a changing pad, so you'll still need your diaper bag or at least a changing pad.

A sample of Aquaphor. While I think they're the same thing, I'm not sure why the Baby version of this product wasn't included in the baby box.

My overall impression of this box is it is definitely not worth it. Every item included in the box is provided in either doctor's office or baby registry sample bags FOR FREE. I am not going to cancel my subscription just yet as I'd like to see if anyone receiving any of the other boxes has any better luck, but I'm fairly sure I won't be continuing my subscription.

Did you receive another version of the box? Do you feel differently about the contents? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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.