Citrus Lane July Box: Bon Voyage!? + Discount Code

#CLJulyBox Boxes are $25/month. You can check them out here Use code "TAKEHALF" at checkout on any monthly subscription and your first box will be $12.50 or save $10 by using my referral link https://www.citruslane.com/invitedby/Audrey.Albinger!

So our Citrus Lane July Box arrived today and I was super stoked to find it in the post box, because they're not supposed to ship until the 15th of the month with the intention of having all boxes delivered between the scheduled arrival dates of the 17th-22nd of each month. In the past we've had some really fast shipping and some really slow shipping, so getting the box on the 13th was a really pleasant surprise!

"add on" option: Bumpkin 2 pocket Wet&Dry Bag

That being said, it seems from casual observation of the CL social media page feed over the past couple of months, that boxes containing the "add on items" that they're offering as a trial right now get to the customers who take advantage and "purchase" one of these items faster. While I enjoyed getting our box as early as we did, I don't think that seems fair to the customers who either weren't offered the "add on items" this month or those who chose not to take advantage of this and I assume it's one of the kinks of the trial that they'll work out before they do an official community wide launch of box "add on" items if that's what they're indeed going to do.

So without further ado, here's a look inside our July Citrus Lane box for a 19 month old girl this month!

As you can see from the picture above, it's a wide mix of products. According to Citrus Lane this box is supposed to make life easier when "traveling" whether you're going on vacation or staying local this summer. As well an item that will make those as they say "inevitable rainy days" and possibly even days that are just plain too hot to go out fun.

A more detailed look at July's box content.

The item that took up the most room in the box and the one that my husband got most excited about was the SUMO Snack Stacker from ZoLi $14.50 on Amazon. This is a 3 tier stacker that's bigger than the ZoLi On-the-Go. Each of the tiers holds up to 8oz of snacks or mealtime food, making the option for a variety of healthy foods at the ready when you or your little one needs it most. I won't actually be surprised if this one ends up in my husband's lunch bag as often as it ends up out with my daughter and I. Also, the pieces are interchangeable and if you had a second and wanted to take 5 one cup servings along at one time all you'd have to do is add them to your original stack. I can see us taking this with on our next cross country flight, as it will be perfect for bulky toddler foods. As a side note this would also make an awesome organizational tool for art and craft supplies (think pompoms, foam stickers and large beads).

Next up we had a package of Cool It Buddy Instant Cold Packs from Me4Kidz $2.99 for 2 packs. Me4Kidz provides parent and kid friendly always on hand first aid supplies. This company was featured in last year's Bon Voyage box as well only we received, what I found to be a more useful product by them the Diaper Bag Buddy. The instant cold packs are standard one time use ice packs; snap or squeeze and shake to activate. I love reusable ice pack or just plain old ice, but recognize that you don't always have access to that. In which case, these are great if you remember to pack them along! I keep a well stocked first aid kit at home, and when we owned a car I kept a kit in it as well. This would be an item I would keep in an older kids soccer bag, a hiking pack, a camping kit. It's not intended for use on kids under the age of 2 (I won't be using it in the foreseeable future) and doubt that even with a 2 year old I'd be packing these around daily.  For now they'll just go into our extra first aid supplies bin.

Also included in last year's Bon Voage box and again in this year's July box (with a "Bon Voyage!" at the end of the hello sheet) was a code for 10 free postcard credits from Postagram $9.90. If you haven't heard of or used Postagram now is the time to check it out! You can sign up and download the app for your phone here. Then just snap a picture, write a short message and you Sincerely Inc. via Postagram does the rest. Your recipient ends up with a very nice personalized, printed card right in their mailbox! How cool is that? Send a postcard from anywhere to anyone right from your phone. Pretty cool and a vacation staple!

We also received a GoGo squeeZ Fruit Pouch in BerryApple less than $1.00. Pouches seem to be our go to travel back up food. They're great for when you need a quick snack anytime anywhere and GoGo squeeZ has your applesauce on the go needs covered. They seriously have a flavor for every pallet! These are awesome if you freeze them ahead of time for a alternative to an ice pack in your lunch bag! Also, they're currently donating $1.00 in partnership with Life is Good to children in need for every "share" this video receives. So if you care and have a minute to spare; go, play...share!

Finally, the box did include a toy this month and one that the good folks over at Citrus Lane deem to be both fun (good for rainy days and days that are just too hot to be outside all day long) and education while also helping to build confidence, dexterity and pattern recognition. Win-win!

This Wooden Peg Puzzle from Melissa & Doug $7.99 (at our local TJ Maxx). We've tried several Melissa & Doug products at our house and of all the wooden toy makers, they are unfortunately (because Citrus Lane seems to love them,) one of our least favorites. Maybe we just had a couple of poorly made products that also happened to be our first M&D toys, but they didn't hold up, the paint chipped within a month of gentle use and the picture surface of a wooden puzzle started to peel. So far I haven't been impressed by the quality of their toys. Maybe this one will be better?  I'm hopeful that it will be, as we're all about counting right now and while K- doesn't yet recognize her numbers by sight, she can say several of them loves to copy-count. She also recognizes and can say all of these colors and will have a blast checking out the pictures under the pieces.

All in all, the July box is a great one and we're excited about it! As you can see the approximate value of the items in this box was about $36.38, Citrus Lane no longer gives the value of the items included on their information cards. Did you get a July box this month, if so what did you think? Interested in signing up? Boxes are $25/month if you sign up for a monthly or 3 month subscription or $21/month if you sign up for the 6 month option. You can try your first box for only $12.50 when you select monthly box and use code "takehalf" at checkout. Or you can save $10 off any subscription by using my referral link https://www.citruslane.com/invitedby/Audrey.Albinger


All thoughts, opinions & photos included here are my own. No compensation was received for this post. If you use my referral links listed (I appreciated it and thank you, if you do!) I may receive some credit toward my own future boxes. I have been a subscriber of Citrus Lane's monthly boxes since June 2012.

PopSugar Must Have - July Box & August Anniversary Preview!

I was so excited to get an email yesterday saying that my Popsugar Must Have box should be arriving. This was my first box from them, but I've been interested in getting one for what seems like forever! It was a belated Mother's Day gift, but hey, I'll happily take it! For those of you who don't know, Popsugar is a life style box that targets women between 18-40 (I believe they also have men's boxes too) and every month they curate a box of the most "it" items and accessories of the season. The box is $35 a month including shipping, but if you sign up for a longer subscription you can get a box free. If you're interested in checking it out for yourself you can follow my referral link http://popsu.gr/gVRD (I'll thank you now for doing so!) and if you use code SAVE5PSMH or REFER5 you should save $5 on your first month! A lot of people thought that July was going to be their 1st year anniversary box, but it looks like based on an email they sent out earlier today that they're saving the birthday bash for August and even sending a special gift with a $65 value! So if you've ever wanted to give Popsugar a try, now is the time!

Now for my box.... Here's what came in the July Box

So, most of this is stuff I would have never bought for myself. First off, because we're on a tight budget - my husband is a student and I'm a stay at home mom and that means there isn't any money for extras and fun extravagances right now. Secondly, because I usually shop safe. If money weren't an issue, than I probably wouldn't hesitate to buy the Supergoop! because I've heard and read the most wonderful things about this sunscreen and I'm over the moon happy to try it out! I also would buy the Mighty Leaf Iced Tea, because both my husband and I love iced tea, especially in the summer time and anything mango is always a hit! But the rest of it the NCLA nail lacquer, the Baublebar chain necklace in rose gold, the cookie chips (which are dark chocolate and oh so tempting), and the Tolvolo King Cube XL silicone Tray for ice cubes? I never would have thought to purchase any of it! Almost all of these things would have been "a step outside the box" for me. And yet, I must admit while it didn't live up to the reviews I read about June's box and the final push for me to go with Popsugar, I'm thrilled by my July Box. It's totally about and for me, but I can share half of it with my family and it's the best gift because it allows me to try things I wouldn't have otherwise tried!

For instance, I'm wearing the NCLA nail polish in "As If !" a very pastel matte purple with cool undertones on my toenails as I write this and I have to admit that I might have to give purple a bigger chance in the future. Anyone who knows me, knows that I mostly detest anything purple or pink as a general rule. Since having a little girl a year and a half ago, that's changed a bit, but it's still not a "go to" color for me. The more I look at this color, the more it makes me happy (gasp) and I can't help but think how cute it would look with a pair of peep toes and a dress for a date or just shorts and sandals for a day at the beach. I don't wear nail polish on my finger nails, except for very, very special occasions, so I don't have reason to buy much of it and when I do, I stick to colors I know are "safe" with my skin tone and the season. This is the first bottle of NCLA 5 Free Luxury Nail Lacquer I've ever owned and so far I'm hooked. It goes on smooth and covers well. I can't wait to see how it holds up to everyday wear!

 I'm still on the fence about the necklace by Baublebar that came in the box. I did try it on and I must admit I do like the rose gold, better than I like yellow gold, but more often than not I wear white gold or sterling silver accessories. I also don't usually go in for big, chunky or clunky and these chains are solid. Hmm, maybe I'll find a good place to wear them when we go on vacation this September, or maybe I'll just put this one up and use it as a gift for someone else who would enjoy it so much more. Popsugar did send a coupon code for 20% off your first order at Baublebar as well a great deal for those in the market for some awesome fashion jewelry. I'm not sure I'll be using this either, unless I find that I need to pick up a certain accessory for the wedding we're attending at the end of summer. We'll see. I was excited to be introduced to this new company though!

Okay, Like I said before, my husband and I love iced tea in the summer. Actually we could both probably drink it year round and ice disappears fairly fast around our house. So, the addition of a new XL cube ice tray is awesome! The cubes are HUGE compared to a normal ice cube, so all you need is one. I'm guessing the larger size will also take longer to melt and keep our drinks colder longer too? Okay, maybe that's just wishful thinking. Haven't tried it out yet, as it's in the freezer making ice right now. I can also see this making great frozen treats as well. All you'd have to do is put some cake-pop or Popsicle sticks in and you'd have easy iced treats on a stick which my toddler will love!

We love trying new foods, and it's hard to go wrong with something that's dark chocolate! I'm excited to try and share the Hannahmax Baking All Natural Crunchy Cookie Chips with my family. But we'll probably take them on our next picnic adventure, if they don't get opened before that. H/M Baking is another new to us brand and I love that they're both all natural and that the ingredient list isn't a mile and a half long!

The iced tea by Mighty Leaf in Calypso Mango is divine! I love fruit infused tea and what screams summer more than tropical flavors like Mango? I am more cautious when picking black teas as fruit infused green tends to by my favorite, but this one is definitely getting added to our summer iced tea selection! It's just that good. It's smooth, it's fruity and so refreshing!

Finally, the product I was the most excited about was the full sized bottle of Doctor T's Supergoop! SPF30 PA+++ Anti-Aging UV Damage Repair Complex City Sunscreen Serum. The first I heard about Supergood! was the end of last summer and I've been wanting to try it ever since. I fully believe in the power of sunscreen and I'm one of those people who definitely regret it and burn when I don't put it on. I used to be terrible about remembering to apply it, but with a toddler in tow and since we're always outside, I've gotten much better about it. However, I could never justify the cost of Supergoop! Especially when I still had sunscreen to use up and for whatever reason it seems to multiply around our house. I did receive a couple of samples in my daughter's July Stork Stack last week, they're a different formula, but they're awesome so I can't wait to try this one out on me!

 
Final thoughts on my first ever Popsugar box, it could have been better, but overall I'm excited and it was so much fun to get something in the mail that was just for me! Not baby related, not bills, just a fun, gift like box of goodies. I love that I can use most of it right away and that there was a nice mix of items. The only possible "dud" in my book was the necklace and I'm still on the fence on that one.

Did you get your own box? What did you think? Are you interested in getting one? Check them out here, sign up for August before they sell out as it promises to be good based on the "celebrate with us" email I received from them this morning!

August is going to be their Must Have Anniversary and every box will include the Gorjana and Griffin Open Circle necklace, which has a value of $65! It is gold but I love, love love it! If I was ever on the fence about it before I wouldn't want to miss out on August's box. You can always sign up for one month and then cancel before you're billed for the next one. You'll be getting a necklace worth $65 if you do and if you use code REFER5 or SAVE5PSMH it will only cost you $30, shipping is included! You'll get your money's worth too! Each box has a value of at least $100. July's Box would retail for around. $102.24.

PopSugar Must Have was a gift to me from someone I know. I am a current popsugar subscriber. I was in no way compensated for this review. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own. If you purchase your own Popsugar Must Have box using my referral link I may eventually receive a free box from the company. Once you create an account you will receive a referral code of your own to share.