Citrus Lane September Box

So, I'm a month behind in everything. I feel like I didn't even have a September and that I went straight from the end of August to the beginning of October. Technically, no one is to blame for that but me. Well my husband might be able to take a little bit of the blame, for agreeing to take 3 weeks off and head North to visit his parents and catch up with old friends and such, but I'm the one who let things get so far behind.

Anyway, now that the 15th of October is quickly approaching and I'll have a new Citrus Lane box to review in about a week, I finally decided I'd better do something about the last one I got. So, here's a look at our September CL box for a 20 month old girl.

•  The Purple Poodle Goody Bag from North American Bear Company - okay, so I left all most all of this stuff in the packaging it came in because this is going to be a stocking stuffer. My daughter is obsessed with dogs, she loves the color purple and she loves having her own bag to carry. Talk about win-win-win! 
• Charley Harper ABCs from AMMO Books - I am absolutely in love with this book. Needless to say, it's also been put up to use as a part of a later gift. But it's gorgeous! If we didn't already have multiple ABC books I'd have kept this one out to read now. The images are amazing.
• Playful Wash from Episencial - this seems to be a Citrus Lane staple item. I don't know how many boxes we've received this item or another item from Episencial in. The stuff works, but you can only use so much soap at one time. We're currently still working on another soap from one of their boxes so this will either be regifted or put away for another day.
• Super Toddler Bar from Happy Family - again, this seems to be a go-to company for Citrus Lane. I would love to see them branch out for older kid snacks and send out foods that the whole family might enjoy that aren't marketed specifically to the baby crowd. However, I'm always glad when the snack item sent out isn't a pouch, so I'll take this one.
• Nail Color from Julep - Okay so up until a month ago, I hadn't bit on the Julep train. Then, finally I did. I have a color almost identical to this one from Essie that I love. The Julep polish seems to be really quite good. I was excited to get a non-makeup beauty product for mom this month! While I don't wear tons of face makeup I do love a good bottle of nail polish and this was mom treat I can definitely get behind.

All totaled the value was over the $ money spent on this box and we got an awesome variety of products this month. Some months I'm totally wowed by the contents of our boxes and others seem to be average. That being said, I've subscribed for well over a year now and have countless items from Citrus Lane boxes that we use all the time items I never would have bought on my own. Plus the fun of getting a package for your little one is always a fun treat! 

For those that don't know, Citrus Lane is a subscription box that curates monthly boxes for ages 0-5. They supply a box filled with 4-5 of the best parent-picked and parent tested finds on the market customized to your child's age, stage and gender. Boxes are priced at $25 but if you sign up for a longer prepaid subscription you can get your boxes for as low as $21/month. If you're interested in subscribing you can check them out here if you want to just try out one month you can use the code 'takehalf' and only pay $12.50!

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.

August Stork Stack "Damaged Goods"

So excited that our August Stork Stack was out for delivery today! ...at lest until we got to the mailbox and found this...

This is what was waiting for us in the mailbox. :(

The box wasn't just soggy and falling apart; it stunk. The product that leaked smelled awful mixed with the cardboard.

Much to K's- utter disappointment, she didn't even get to help open this box up. I honestly didn't even want to bring it inside it stunk so bad. But I wanted to take pictures so that I could email Stork Stack's Customer Service and hopefully they'll replace the damaged items! Also, I really hope that the product that leaked doesn't actually smell like the box inside the plastic bag (thanks to the US Postal Service) smelled or we definitely won't be using it if they do replace it. Yuck!

From what I could make out of the box, it looked like a fun one. Stork Stack chose to go with a "Splish, Splash, Bed and Bath" theme this month and that seemed like a great one to us! The products listed on the information card as best I could make them out included: a green toy product (I'm guessing sub, seaplane or tug boat) - I'm hoping it was the new seaplane, but I don't know as I can't read my card and this item was missing from our box; a Rich Frog Soap Sack; a book called "It's Time To Sleep" by Nancy Tillman which I was so sad to see covered in soap because I love her books and we don't have this one yet!; Bionee Pure Hair and Body Cleansing Foam and the culprit of the damage and destruction that was our box this month, also the culprit of the horrible stench... hmm, not thrilled about this one; and finally, Chivas Bath Salts - a treat for mom!

Ewww!

Should have been a fun box, isn't the soap sack cute?

Anyway, I emailed Customer Support as soon as I put my little one to bed tonight and am hoping for a speedy and helpful response and some replacement products soon! I've never really had any dealings with Stork Stack Support to date so am curious to see what they're like. I will be sure to update here as customer service is incredibly important to me in any company I deal with.

If you're interested in checking out Stork Stack and want to save $10 on your first order feel free to use this code F9DE8478 at checkout! All of our past Stacks have been phenomenal and I'm sure we'll have some sort of resolution soon for this one! The items in this box with the Green Toy included would have retailed for about $47.00 which is pretty awesome considering that you can get your first Stack using F9DE8478 for only $17.99.

I am a current stork stack subscriber. I was in no way compensated for this review. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own. If you purchase your own stork stack using my referral code I may receive a $10 credit on my next stack. Once you create an account you will receive a referral code of your own to share.

July Stork Stack or Ready, Set, Summer! + Discount Code

July's Stork Stack showed up in our post box today and we couldn't be more excited about this one! If you're interested in finding out more about Stork Stack or signing up you can do so here. Stacks are $27.99 a month and you can save $10 on your first stack if you use my referral code F9DE8478 when you check out. They're delivered the first week of each month and you'll get an email notifying you (on or around the 1st of each month) that your stack has taken flight.

"Ready, Set Summer!" July Stork Stack for a 21 month old girl.

I was so glad to see that the summer stack included a book! We love reading, we love books and somehow we've more than managed to pass that on to our little girl. She's all about the books and I love that the summer stack included a good book to read! The book in our Stack is a First Time book published by Child's Play International called Sports Day. There are 12 books in all in this series and they celebrate "first" events in the life of a little kid. This book was a great choice for the summer stack as it shows the kids in the book doing all kinds of activities outside, drinking water and wearing hats! We've already read it several times! I'm sure it's going to be a new favorite!

As for being active and playing outside, the rest of the box is all about that. We got a super set of sand molds from Mellissa & Doug. These I'm excited to bust out and try. They're plastic, so I'm pretty sure that unlike some of our M&D wooden toys in the past they won't paint chip problems or decals that come off. Plus they're made for the sand and to be used outdoors so they have to be tough right? Anyway we were sent a set of 5 nesting (for easy storage) molds ranging in size, color, shape and sea creature. These are part of Melissa & Doug's Sunny Patch line they look fun. I'm sure we'll get use out of them in our own yard, at the park, in the pool, at the beach and possibly even the bath!

These didn't stay in their original packaging for long!

The sea creature characters, a turtle, fish, starfish, crap and seahorse - so cute!

I love that they nest for easy transport and storage.

We also received a super awesome sunhat and this one I'm totally stoked about! It's a Baby Banz: Kidz UPF 50+ Reversiable Bucket Hat and the best part about it is the adjustable velcro overlapping closure in the back, meaning that even though we received a size 2-4 hat I can adjust it tight enough to fit my daughter's head now and loosen it as she grows. I'm already in love with this idea! It's genius.

I didn't know Baby Banz made this product and honestly we've never owned anything made by them, so I can't wait to give this the old try out. At first look the material feels super sturdy, but also flexible and soft. There aren't funny seams or anything that's going to cause funny lines or get itchy in warm weather. These hats come in two sizes baby which is supposed to fit age newborn to 2 years and Kidz or size 2-5 each is sized by head circumference as well for a more exact fit.  Hopefully, this is a hat my toddler will leave on, she's not so into hats, but as we spend tons of time outside she has to wear one. At least we try to keep it on.

One side is printed, the other is solid.

I was just about as excited to see Supergoop! in our box as I was to see the Banz hat. I've been wanting to try out Supergoop! sunscreen for some time now, but haven't been able to justify buying it at full price when I still have so much other sunscreen that will work in the house. 

Now I can try it and see what I think. I honestly hope it's as awesome as I've heard it's supposed to be! While I wish that they had sent a small tube of it, or another handful of little sample packets just so we could use it all summer, I'd rather have the few samples they did include than not get to try it at all. I will undoubtedly use these for travel and on the go applications rather than every day use, but that will be great as they'll be easy to pack.

Finally, the last product in our stack was a box of Bitsy's Brainfood Orange Chocolate Beet cookies. This is part of their "smart snacks"  and I must admit it was hard not to open these up and share them right away. But that might have ruined dinner.

A new snack for anytime!

This little box of alphabet cookies come complete with a collectable alphabet sticker in the box and is packed full of vitamins and nutrients. This one will be going on our next all day adventure for sure and if they're any good we'll be scouring our stores or ordering more online!

All told, I couldn't be happier with this stack, everything in it is something we'll use this summer or would have bought to try had we found it on our own anyway. We needed a new sunhat as we're right at the point of outgrowing last years and the iPlay one we have is too big for this summer.  July's Ready, Set, Summer Stack was a hit and I can't wait to see what August has in store!

If you're interested in getting your own stack in the mail go to https://www.storkstack.com/join?ref_code=F9DE8478 and use referral code F9DE8478 at check out to save $10 off your first one! August promises to be a good one, July definitely was! Boxes range from the third trimester up to age 3.

I am a current stork stack subscriber. I was in no way compensated for this review. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own. If you purchase your own stork stack using my referral code I may receive a $10 credit on my next stack. Once you create an account you will receive a referral code of your own to share.

Thoughts on Citrus Lane & All About the June Box

Open your Citrus Lane box and this is what you should see! I love the bright yellow tissue and informational card. If you want the contents to be a surprise unwrap the tissue before opening up the info!

Our June Citrus Lane box marks the one year point in our subscription. I honestly never thought we'd continue this long with them when we signed up for the first box a year ago, but here we are; still receiving them.

The box as it comes in the mail.

Some of our boxes have been over the top awesome, some average and some have been complete misses for us. It all comes down to personal choice and lifestyle. You get what you get and it either works well for you or it doesn't and you move on. That's the chance you take with a surprise subscription box and I'm okay with it.

For us, the June CL box was at best, just average. It was disappointing, but it was disappointing for personal reasons and not because it was a terrible box. All in all it was a fine box and had the products in it worked for us now than we would have been thrilled. They don't and we're not.  Here's a look at what was in June's box.

June Box contents - the toy broke within a couple hours. I contacted Customer Care and they happily replaced if for us with a different one! Customer Care at Citrus Lane Rocks!!

That being said, one thing I love about Citrus Lane is their outstanding customer service and their real interest in making their subscribers happy. They ask for honest feedback and opinions about the boxes, they collect that information in many different forms: surveys, social media feedback, direct email and phone calls. In my experience, they listen, they open a line of dialogue and they'll go the extra mile to make you not only feel like you're a member of a great community, but that your voice matters. I have had direct dealings with several members of the Citrus Lane team over the last year and all of them have been polite, positive and respectful. I even went so far as to get discouraged and to send an email asking them whether or not feedback from their subscribers really did matter to them, and the answer wasn't just a resounding "yes" it was a here let us show you how much it does. With that said, we look forward to another year of ups and downs (mostly ups, but lets be realistic; there are going to be some downs) with Citrus Lane!

As for the June box, the items in it were great. Our box was for an 18 month old girl. Unfortunately the only things we could use right away out of it were the Episencial Sunny Sunscreen and the happy tot+ pouch. Both of which we already regularly use. The sunscreen works really well and this was a small enough size to easily throw into a diaper bag. The pouch got eaten up almost immediately. The new plus pouches by happy tot are great because they add veggies to the mix for a more balanced pouch.

 

The sun hat from iPlay was a great addition to this box and one of the reasons we actually signed up for the box last year. Although we didn't get the "Fun in the Sun" box in May last year, it was that box that gave me the final nudge to try out Citrus Lane. 

We have owned several iPlay products including infant sunhats and they're awesome. They have SPF protection, wash and wear well, are soft, light weight and super convenient to pack because they fold up so small. This is a hat you'll use over and over again. You can get them in different styles and a lot of them, like this one are reversible for the added bonus of two looks with one hat! 

Unfortunately for us, we got a size 2-4 toddler hat. iPlay only makes three sizes of hats 0-6 months, 6-18 months and 2-4T. They're all generously sized. While I would have loved to have a new 6-18 month hat in our box, we didn't get one. We didn't get one of those because Citrus Lane does their best to send products that your child won't immediately out grow and stop using. They would rather error on the side of caution and send something too big, than send something you can't use at all. As a parent, I really appreciate this most of the time! This time I didn't, but that's only because the hat is SO big that we'll have to put it up until at least next summer. Who wants a summer hat you can't use in the summer when you get it? At least I won't have to buy one for next year. Honestly, I wish they had an option to customize your child's current size under the profile information, but that isn't something they've done... at least not yet. They're always listening to customer feedback though, and who knows, it may be something that changes in the future.

Finally, because CL strives to send out a balanced box of items, there was a summer toy. This month they sent out toys from Spielstabil, which is a subdivision of Haba the German toy company and the toys are made in Germany. I honestly love Haba products and was really excited to see this toy included in the box as we'd never tried anything from their Spielstabil line. Citrus Lane sent out different sand and water toys this month and we got an apple tree sand mold. 

It was a cute toy, and I would consider other sand molds from them in the future, if I had some reassurance that this wasn't a normal occurrence.

Unfortunately, within about 2 hours of my daughter playing with it inside, the handle popped off! I was shocked as this shouldn't have happened. Spielstabil prides themselves on "Indestructible, BPA free toys made to last." So, either ours was a fluke or it somehow got broken in shipping and my daughter just managed to pull it apart because it was loose. I don't know.

They were out of the toy originally sent to us, so customer care sent 2 different products by Spielstabil (same value) instead and we've already had tons of fun using them. This is my daughter playing with them at the park.

 Either way, I contacted Customer Care at Citrus Lane about the broken toy and they sent us a replacement. The replacement toys actually made the box a little bit more fun and less disappointing because now we have something from the June Citrus Lane box that we'll be able to use all summer! Once again, many thanks to the awesome customer care team!

If you're interested in trying out your own Citrus Lane box or signing up for a subscription you can do so here. If you use this link, https://www.citruslane.com/invitedby/Audrey.Albinger when you sign up you'll save $10 off your subscription! Or if you'd rather try just one month to see if you like it, click here and enter code TAKEHALF at check out - your first box will cost only $12.50 and that's a deal! Word to the wise: you must sign up before the 5th of the month to get that months box or else you'll get the following month's box. You can cancel your subscription at anytime right on their website. If you do sign up I'd love to know your thoughts! 

No compensation was received for writing this post. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own. We choose to subscribe to Citrus Lane and have done so at our own expense since June 2012. If you sign up from one of my links on this page I may receive a $10 credit to use for future Citrus Lane boxes and I greatly appreciate that!