DIY Bowling Pins: #CLAugBox

"Play to learn is what's it's all about at this stage, so let the games begin!" 

-Citrus Lane August 2013 Insert

 This month, Citrus Lane included a new trial concept item under the heading of "special activities" in some of the August boxes. They're looking for feedback on whether or not this was appreciated and used and whether or not parents would like to see this sort of item in the future.

•  Do-It-Yourself Bowling Pins - The templates we received in our box were printed on heavy card-stock with letters on one side and numbers on the other. Citrus Lane had a small explanation at the bottom with simple 3 step instructions to create them. You color the pins yourself. I'm going to let K- paint hers since that's what we're into right now and then I'll assemble them. The idea is that you can use them with the ball from this month's box for some good old hallway bowling! Sounds fun, can't wait to see what K- thinks! Personally, I think this idea is a great one, as long as the special activities aren't considered part of the 4 or more items that come in the box each month and aren't necessarily incorporated into the total box retail value. If the activities are bonus items that enhance or build upon the other items in the box than that would be a fantastic addition to the box each month! If it turns out they're really just in the box as filler than I'll be far less impressed and very unlikely to use them.

Painting our Pins

 

 K- is super into paint right now, so we used the good old standard Crayola Washable Watercolors. This was a brand new set and she was so excited to get to use them. K- can name all 8 of the colors and is very decisive about which ones she wants to use. She started with red.

Painting is Serious Business

Testing the Green Paint for Use.

The Two Brush Technique Approach.

After painting the pins we of course had to clean up and we used our new Clean Well wipes from our August box, they worked great to wipe the green paint off her finger quickly and easily. One wipe covered our hands and the table, not bad! Then we had to let the paint dry out.

Once dry, I separated the pins along the perforated lines. Then decided that it made the most sense to tape them together so that we could play with them right away. If I wanted these to last a long time, I would have laminated them. Seeing as I'm currently all out of quick laminating sheets and K- was excited to use them this afternoon, I just left them as they were. If I were still teaching 3 year old kiddos, there is no way these would have gone on the floor without being laminated. As it was we were ready to use them and I just have one kid using them with supervision, so they had to work like this.

Creating a Tab to Easily Attach the Pins Together.

I was a little bummed that there wasn't an easy tab line on the bottom to fold up to either glue or tape these to the other side of the pin and feel like this might have been a bit of an oversight on the part of the activity design, so I just used the bottom of the instructions as an easy line for all our pins and created the tab that I needed to reinforce them at the base. 

Play Time!

We set the pins up in the hallway and used the new ball to try and knock them down. Hooray for hallway bowling! They were definitely a hit!

Getting it all set up.

Successful first bowl!

Missed.

The two hand ball drop.

 Then after bowling we set the pins up like cones and practiced running around and through them and then driving our Green Toys around and through them. I'm sure we'll come up with other innovative uses for them as the week goes on!

Driving Baby Dump Around the Pins... She was careful not to knock them down.

Final Thoughts

If the "special activities" are bonus items that enhance or build upon the other items in the box than that would be a fantastic addition to the box each month! If it turns out they're really just in the box as filler than I'll be far less impressed and very unlikely to use them. I like this idea as long as the "special activities" included are age appropriate and tailored to what's in the box that month. I like that they not only gave us the opportunity to color them, but then we also got to put them to use. I think this is actually helpful and would love to see them include other games, tips and craft activities or suggestions for using the things in the box in the future! Did you get this activity in your Citrus Lane box this month? Did you try it? What did you think?

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.

"Insight" on The Mob: ShaveMOB

 "FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS GE RIPPED OFF." -That's the tag line of the new company ShaveMob. They're all about "shaving smarter" and saving money while doing so, or making money while you save money doing so. If you're interested you can check them out at http://shavemob.com/ where they sale disposable razors for both men and women. If you use code: BUDDY3F76G at checkout you'll save $1 off of any $10 purchase.

Prior to the company launch, ShaveMob ran a promotional offer of free razors for 2, 6 or 12 months depending on how many people you knew signed up to be "in the know" via email. #ShaveSmarter was all over social media. I received 6 months of ShaveMob razors free via this promotion. This is how they arrived in my post box.

 

They came in a recycled cardboard tube with a little white paper cap covering each end and taped on. Minimal packaging, no tissue paper or padding of any kind to keep them from getting jostled about or snapped. The razor heads did come packaged in fairly standard snap in plastic containers, so at least they weren't just knocking around in the tube. Only one of them fell out during shipping. I like the minimal packaging. It's unique and I'm sure it keeps costs down... that being said it was also pretty underwhelming and I wasn't at all excited by the presentation. But then again, they're razors, how excited should you be?

My 6 month trial came with came with one handle and 3 plastic cases of 4 razor heads each, so 12 in total. Honestly this will probably last me more than 6 months, unless the blades dull or rust really fast as I just don't shave my legs all that often in the winter. Each head has 4 blades and a very thin moisture strip on the top. Honestly, I like all the moisture I can get while I'm shaving, so I was skeptical about these. I definitely wouldn't use them without the aid of shaving gel, foam or cream! That being said I was excited to try them out and see just how they compared to my current Venus razor. The result? I got a great, clean, very smooth shave! Okay, so I was thrilled. Free razors and they work alright! Even better, I actually love the weight and feel of their handle. I know it's not a big deal, but it's weighted at the top and the thumb hold fits my hand just right. Somehow holding this razor was just perfect for me and I really liked that. 

So, I suppose the real test will be how well will they continue to work over time? If I continue to get such results over the course of the month I may just be tempted by the low cost to make the switch, although I might splurge and by the ShaveMob razors with 6 blades if I do. They offer 3, 4 and 6 blade razors and prices start as low as $2/month with no long term commitments or hidden fees. At any rate, I'll definitely use the ones they sent me from their promotion... thanks ShaveMOB!

All photos and opinions are 100% my own. I was not compensated in any way for this review, nor were the products provided specifically for review purposes. I receive no benefit from any associated links in this post. It is purely informative.

Bellafind: Reviews & Rewards!

I recently stumbled upon a site called Bellafind and was super excited. It's a lot like a combination  of Pinterest and a giant baby registry where you can review products you've used for mom or baby in many different categories. Only you can be rewarded for doing so. My first two rewards, Elisabeth Michael Charcoal Greek Key Pillows, are in the mail and I can't wait to get them! They'll be great on my husband and I's bed and he'll be impressed that they didn't cost us anything more than a little bit of my time and my honest thoughts.

So how does it work? Well, for each review you write with a minimum of 25 words, you're rewarded with 10 points. The points add up quickly and you can "spend" them in the "Rewards for Moms" section of the site which is like a mini store for mom! The only thing with the rewards is that they're constantly changing and when they're gone, they're gone. You can also earn rewards points for inviting friends to join you on the site and if someone "up-votes" one of your reviews you'll earn 10 points.

What I like most about the site, is that you can not only give your honest feedback about whether or not you'd recommend a product you can read what other people have to say as well and they give you the option to see current prices as well as link to buy an item. It's like a giant shopping party without any pressure and you're rewarded for participating even if you don't buy. After all, as parents we all end up using hundreds of things for ourselves and for our children and some of the are great and some of them are not. You have the inside scoop on what's worked for you and what you would gift or buy again and what you wouldn't. Why not share that info and get rewarded in the process?

They also have a Blog with "expert" opinions and finds of "Bellafind Mom's in the Know" some of these are excellent! If you're curious like I was and interested in learning more, joining or just taking a look check it out here! They even have the occasional giveaway for mom! All you have to do is be a member to enter. It's really simple and costs nothing. So come share your finds, and opinions and get rewarded with me! It's fun, it's easy and you can even add anything you feel is relevant to the categories they have listed.