Saturday, September 28, 2013

Weekend Wonders! Mini Family Outings

Even though I love summer, it gets too hot here to enjoy being outdoors in the afternoons.  N is not a fan of the heat either, so last weekend when it started to cool down with Fall temps, we made our way out to a local farm.

N loves his Radio Flyer wagon..so glad we got the canopy top version!  We got ours from Amazon..cheapest I've seen!

A look at the ducks...I remember coming to this park as a kid..memories.


Yesterday after work we decided to beat the Saturday crowds and go shopping for N since the weather is quickly changing.  All of the 18 month clothing we have is getting is too tight!
N's start to fall clothing haul:
 
From Carter's Friends and Family sale (ends today, I believe). 3 pairs of fleece pj's, 3 thermal shirts, 1 pair of sweatpants, and that awesome shawl collar sweater in the front. Got an additional 30% with my coupon plus $10 holiday cash back to use on my next purchase of $10 or more starting now.  (Yup!  I'm going back for another pair of $10 fleece footie pj's..for FREE).  Total with discount including $10 cash back was $53.

Haul from Children's Place Outlet.  No special savings here other than outlet sales but N really needed long-sleeved shirts!

 
So proud of my little trooper! It was past his dinner time and surprisingly he was not fussy at all!  Little man looks like a big boy now!

What a great start to the weekend!  Any plans for you and your family?  Where should we go next weekend?


Thursday, September 26, 2013

September 2013 Citrus Lane Review

Hello all!  I did not review last month's box because I received it the last day of the shipping window and although I'm always toward the end, it seemed like there were so many pictures and reviews out so I skipped reviewing it.  This month however, I actually received my box towards the beginning of the window (please keep it that way!) and I have been able to honestly sit back and think about this month's box contents.
 

 


I am loving this box!  No "gift cards" roping me into a subscription and getting my credit card info like the JustFab Kids promo and we got a box, toy, and mom gift!  I think N likes it too:
 

 
ABC book by Charley Harper. Retails for $9.95. We love this book. Awesome artwork and N keeps bringing me the book to read to him...4-5 times in a row! I'd say it's a winner.

Hape City Planner block, retails for $9.99. I love this brand because I've heard so many great things about the quality but this is our first toy by the company. Warning: the blocks are for 12 months and up but they are smaller than they look on the site. Kinda tiny and could be a choking hazard. N is 19 months and has just stopped putting things in his mouth, so I'm not worried. I have put these up for Christmas though, as a stocking stuffer since he's not "building" things yet. Boxes in this age group received either these blocks or the Numbers and Colors block set.

Happy Family Super Toddler snack bar, retails for about $1.49. Honestly, N does not eat cereal bars, so I did not expect him to eat this one..and he did not disappoint me lol. No worries, Hubby ate it..and it did taste pretty good.

Episencial Playtime Baby Wash, retails for a little under $4. I LOVE the Soothing Cream by this company and can't wait to try the wash.

The mom gift was awesome this month! A full sized bottle of nail polish from Julep, which retails for $14 (or $11 if you are a Julep Maven). I don't subscribe but I do own a couple of polishes which I like the formula and they are a 4-free company based in California. Monthly subscription is $19.99 a month and you can also skip months as you want. Learn more about Julep here. Better yet, use code FREEBOX to get your first box free!

I am very happy with this month's box.  My faith in Citrus Lane has been restored from some of the previous month's boxes.  I love that Citrus Lane sends out monthly surveys to get feedback from their customers each month. 

I am very happy with this month's box. Total retail value $39.43! Even with the $14 mom gift, Receiving a value of $25.43 of baby items definitely justified the cost of this box. We received a little bit of everything, which I love. My faith in Citrus Lane has been restored from some of the previous month's boxes. I love that Citrus Lane sends out monthly surveys to get feedback from their customers each month and it looks like they are putting that feedback to use.

Did you love this box and want to try Citrus Lane yourself? If you would like to subscribe you can save more by signing up for a 6 month subscription for $125 (savings work out to be $21/month). Save an additional $10 if you use my referral link (we both get $10) here. Thanks for reading!

September 2013 Ipsy Bag Review

Honestly, I did not like my previous month's Ipsy bag and received it so late I did not review it (and gave most of the items away).  I do however LOVE this month's bag.  The only thing I may not use and switch out is the eyeshadow by NYX, and that's only because I have so many of the same shade already.  Here's a full look at the entire bag:
Ipsy Glam Bag for September 2013..I finally got the bag of "choice" lol! 

Full size Butter London (my own) on left for size reference...the Butter London received in Ipsy is .25 fl oz. 

Shade is La Moss, a perfect fall color of a burgundy shade.

Full size Cailyn Lip balm.  I love this more than I thought I would.  I love that it comes in the same packaging as the gel liner.  It's almost like a lip stain (lasts a long time).  Ipsy sent out Big Apple, I think I'll order more shades! 

Full size eye liner in Obsidian by Starlooks, a second collab with Ipsy in the last couple of months, but I don't mind this company at all!  Also, It's so Big mascara, deluxe sample size.

Do you like what you see? It's $10 for the bag which includes a cosmetic bag and you also get 4-6 items that are deluxe samples with some full sized products. Depending on when you sign up sign, there is sometimes a wait, but the wait list is often less than two weeks and usually opens before the cutoff for that month's bag. If planning to subscribe, please do so using my referral link :)  What is your favorite product pictured?

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

September 2013 Birchbox Review

I received my Birchbox in record time!  Probably only the fourth time in almost a year and a half.  Here are the contents of my box:

Box 27


"Bonus" item: three samples of Cream blush by Glam Natural.  I definetly don't mind this as a bonus item, even though I don't care for cream blush.

Ruffian mini .017 fl oz.  Everyone received a variation of this in the September box. I love the formula..just thick enough to go on smoothly.  This is the best item in the box IMHO...P.S. Don't judge my cuticles!

 I received Hedge Fund, a perfect Fall color made of an olive color with goldish undertones. 
(This photo is more true to color).

 
Birchbox has a great point system where you earn 10 points for each product reviewed in your monthly box and equals $1..so for $10 your are getting back around $5 per box to buy anything including gift subscriptions in $10 increments. If you plan to join, sign up here.