Citrus Lane [infant] Box Review: October

By: Pen-Pal Productions on 6:00 AM

We loved this box as much as the toddler box this month.  Everything was so cute and, most importantly, age relevant!  Tiny man is just starting to grasp objects and show interest in feeling different textures, so we’ve already gotten a lot of use out of this box.  I rate this box a 9/10.

The contents included a donut rattle by North American Bear Co. (plus coupon code), a cage bell by Hohner Kids, a soft book by Tiny Love, and two Calendula Baby Care samples by Weleda.  

So, the rattle.  So cute!  It’s a gender neutral, and has a soft texture with a soft rattle noise to go along with it.  My almost-three month old loves to feel it, listen to it shake, and attempt to hold on to it.  I like it because the noise isn’t too loud or startling, it could easily be taken with us while traveling and be entertaining without annoying everyone around us.  And, did I mention it’s super cute?!

The cage bell is a fun one too.  It pairs nicely with the maracas that came in my two-year old’s box, and now my children can start a family band.  Tiny man hasn’t taken to holding this one so much as he has watching me or big brother make noise with it for him to watch.  It’s not something I’d take on an airplane, but it’s fun for home.

We sat down together to look at the Where Do I Live Soft Book this morning.  It’s a nice little book full of simple colors, animals, textures and stuff to grab at (or gnaw on if the mood strikes).  Tiny man loves the different textures and the crinkly pages.  The first page has felt “grass” and he played with it for a few minutes (which is basically hours in infant time).  It’s also sturdy; it’s soft and made of cloth but it’s not floppy like other soft books we have which makes page turning so much easier on little, tiny hands.  

The Weleda samples included baby shampoo/wash and a diaper cream.  Not too much to say about them as we have not yet tried them out, but it’s a company I’m already familiar with and I’ve enjoyed their products in the past.  In general, samples aren’t my favorite items to receive, especially one-time-use samples, but I suppose it never hurts to toss them into the diaper bag for emergencies.  Plus, they came with a 20% coupon code.

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Citrus Lane [toddler] Box Review: October

By: Pen-Pal Productions on 6:00 AM

If my 2 year old could rate this box, he’s give it a million thumbs up.  It’s basically everything he loves packaged neatly into one adorable box (including the crinkly packing paper)- cars, maracas, and a dinosaur book!  We’re all very pleased with the contents this month.  He couldn’t wait for me to take photos to get into the box with the yellow taxi cab and I had to hunt them down this morning for their proper photo ops. 

Another small excitement was that box boxes arrived at the same time this month so both kiddos got fun, new stuff to play with.  Mostly, this means my oldest won’t steal tiny man’s toys, claim them as his own, and then get upset when he has to share them with baby brother.  This month he’s far too distracted with his new favorite wooden cars.  

I rate this box a 9/10.  The only thing lacking is the fact that I would love a Janod coupon for their store.  The only coupon code included in this box is for Chronicle Books.

The contents included two Story City Sets by Janod, two maracitos by Hohner Kids, and a dinosaur board book by Chronicle Books.

First of all, my son is *way* into cars.  Big, small, metal, wooden, big wheels, small wheels, even trucks - he doesn’t discriminate.  If it has wheels and he can drive it around the house, he’s content.  So this box is perfect!  The first set is the Taxi Story City Set, and of the two cars included in the box this one is his favorite.  He doesn’t care much for the man on the bike because the wheels on his moped don’t move, but he’s sure to carry around his yellow taxi all day and into the evening before nicely tucking it into his bed to go night-night.  

The second set is the Police Story City Set.  Again, he’s not very into the police man himself, so the police man is effectively left without any transportation.  He also ensures the blue car is tucked in safely for bed at night, next to the yellow taxi (and his favorite airplane, boat, and truck…). I actually think these toys are some of his most favorite CL contents ever.  And *I* like them because they’re wooden, don’t make noise, and are just generally simple toys that promote imaginative play.  Oh, and?!  They fit into standard train tracks!!  It took my tot all of 5 seconds to figure this out and it was quite the exciting moment for us all.  

As anyone with kids will tell you, they like to make noise.  One way to do this is by pulling out all of the baking sheets from under the stove and banging them against the tile floor.  A better way to do this is through instruments.  We already own several maracas of different quality, size, and color so this item wasn’t the most exciting content in the box, but I’m still happy about it because it’s something both my two year old and three month old appreciate.  And they’re a nice size, they’re not too big for tiny baby hands to grasp, and not to small for my toddler to a) eat or b) lose interest in.  They still make some decent noise, and really, what else matters in the eyes of a two year old boy?  Admittedly, he has not played with these since I helped him remove his precious cars from their boxes, but I’ll add them to our music box nonetheless.  

Anddd the dinosaur board book.  Dinosaurs are great.  Mr. Man loves PBS’s Dinosaur Train, so anything dinosaur related is usually a win.  This book incorporates dinosaurs AND shapes, so not only do we get to ROAR every time we turn a page, my son gets to point out different shapes (and colors).  It’s become a bed time favorite (and thank goodness for that, because sometimes reading the same 3 books every. single. night. can be, well, tiring).  

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October 2014 Flicker Box

By: Pen-Pal Productions on 1:15 PM

Yay, it’s Flicker Box day!  I was looking forward to the Fall theme, “Leaf Peeping”, this month because I’m always homesick for New England this time of year.  And no one does Fall like New England.  This box included  two good-sized candles, one votive in a glass holder, and a giant floating leaf-shaped candle.

Midnight Owl Candle Co. Autumn Leaves

First and foremost, I love the label design on this jar.  I know, I know, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but I totally do.  It’s adorable.  This candle is said to have a long burn life and that makes me happy since it’s my favorite scent in the box this month.  It will also likely be the last one I burn because I *always* save the best for last.  It’s a soy candle with zero toxins or lead (some candles contain lead?!) so as I’m breathing it in I don’t have to have that nagging feeling in the back of my mind wondering just where those delicious fragrances actually come from.

Armadilla Wax Works Orange Cinnamon votive and Leaf Floater

This scent was the most overpowering scent when I first opened the box.  Admittedly, orange cinnamon isn’t my *favorite* scent, but it does feel quite Autumn so I will burn it none-the-less.  I’m personally thrilled about receiving a votive this month because I just so happened to purchase the cutest candle holder yesterday that is meant for votives.  I intentionally held out on purchasing a candle to go into this holder in hopes of Flicker Box sending me something that would work, and I’m so happy about it!  The Votive is said to have a 15 hour burn life and the floater should last around 4 hours.  

2nd Star On the Right Mulled Cider

I love this scent, though it falls into that “I wish I was smelling *actual* cider that I could be drinking instead of just the scent of one” category.  What I like most about this candle is the wooden wick.  This is the second box I’ve received with a wooded-wicked candle and I think they’re so unique looking, plus the description says it all, “Wooden wick burns slowly and crackles when lit”.  CRACKLES!  I also thought they would burn much faster but they don’t.  This is another soy candle and boasts about being free of animal or petroleum by-products.  The tin itself can also be reused (time to attempt my own candles? Hmm..)

As an added bonus, there was a little bag of candy (Happy Halloween to me!) along with the standard book of matches and a coupon.  Happy day!  I rate this box an 9/10, only because I don’t love floating candles (I don’t have anything to put it in other than a bowl right now).  Otherwise, it’s a great quality box and should last me well into the next month just in time for November’s box.

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Citrus Lane Box Review: September

By: Pen-Pal Productions on 6:00 AM

My 2 year old has been receiving Citrus Lane boxes since he was around 3 months old.  For the most part, we've been very happy with the contents, though admittedly some months are better than others.  Since we're such die-hard CL fans in this house, it was only a matter of time before I signed up my newborn for his very own monthly box.  The plan was to cancel the toddler box and move on to Kiwi Crate's recently released Koala Box but I just can't bring myself to do that just yet (so yes, now we subscribe to both).

Today the mailman delivered tiny-man's first CL box.  For the most part, it was a decent box, but I always feel a little gypped with less than 5 items.  I'm not sure if it's a new *thing* but both boys' boxes seemed a little... light... this month, not the standard 5 items I'm more accustomed to (and I don't count most coupons as an item, usually it's stuff I wasn't planning on buying in the first place).  Anyway, all in all, I rate this box a 7/10.

The contents included a long sleeve onesie from Tea Collection (the long sleeves are greatly appreciated as winter approaches!), a "rattle" that isn't actually a rattle, though it's still pretty neat, a sample of Mrs. Meyers dish soap (which also came in my older son's box, so now I have two), and a small bottle of Gripe Water.

First things first, Tea Collection has some pretty quality clothing so that was a plus.  Included with the oneside was a coupon for $25 off my first Tea Collection order of $50 or more, and that's exciting because I may actually use said coupon.  The onesie itself is a bit plain, but it's super soft and, like a mentioned earlier, it's long sleeved which is always useful when living in the tundra.

The Rainbow "Rattle" by Hape Toys doesn't *actually* rattle.  It's more a manipulative-type toy with bright colors.  I showed my 2 month old and he gave me some big ol' gummy smiles for a good 15 minutes so I count this toy as a win.  I have a few similar toys, probably from previous CL boxes, and they've always been hits in this house.  Plus, it's wooden and I like that.  It too came with a coupon for 10% off Hapetoys.com.

Mrs. Meyers is a favorite brand of mine.  CL has included their samples in the past and, while I do wish they were full size products, a little is better than none at all.  I think this is a new scent, Radish, or at least it's one I have not seen before.  I now have two of them, so that's neat.  Would I prefer toys in my child's box?  Yep.  Will this do?  Sure, why not.  Just don't make a habit of it, CL!

Gripe Water.  Unfortunately, I recently ordered a giant two-count box of Gripe Water for Mr. Gassy McGee.  Otherwise, I'd be pretty pumped about this because it's not super cheap and it's a brand I really like.  But hey, I suppose one can never have *too* much Gripe Water.

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Product Review: One Love soy candles

By: Pen-Pal Productions on 6:00 AM

I love subscription boxes.  It all started with Citrus Lane, then my husband wanted a box (because he never gets mail) so he subscribed to Dollar Shave Club.  Over the last few months, I've become a little obsessed with candles.  There's just something about having a lit candle hanging out on my dining room table making my house smell all sorts of delightful and creating a soothing ambiance in a home full of rambunctious boys.  So, of course, I did a quick search for candle subscription boxes and Flicker Box came into my life.  Honestly, I was a littler turned off by low-budget looking website, but I really liked the idea of having a few candles sent to me every month.  My favorite part about Flicker Box is that the candles are all handmade by candle artisans and made in the US.  The ingredients are very natural, usually soy based, and they're *always* adorable in their decorative jars or cute little tins.  I recently received my third box and I am so happy with the quality of these candles!  Oh, and?  There's a fun theme every month!  Everyone likes themes.

So I think I'll start doing some reviews because I think everyone should know about some of these awesome little companies that don't otherwise get much attention being overshadowed by big companies like Yankee Candle or even Scentsy.

Today I'm only going to review my favorite candle from last month's box, but in the future I'm hoping to do full box reviews.  This one is made by One Love, and the scent is Around the Campfire (so obviously it's amazing).  Both my husband and I love it, so much so that I've already ordered myself another one along with their Macintosh Apple scent (Helloooo, Fall!). This candle is not huge, it's in a small mason jar (also available in a larger size), but has over 80 hours of burn life. It's made from 100% soy and scented with pure essential oils and plant-based fragrances only.  Even the wicks are made with love from 100% pure American grown cotton.

I've been burning this candle for two days now and it's looking like it's got plenty of life left.  The scent isn't too overpowering, and it's not sweet smelling (I'm not typically a fan of sweet smelling candles, like food-based stuff).  It's a bit masculine, but also reminiscent of late summer campfires.  Like, an actual campfire scent.  Everyone loves campfires.  Therefore, everyone would love this candle :)

I'm excited to smell the Macintosh scent and I'll review that when it arrives.

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