Citrus Lane - Pocketful of Joules

Reviewing Citrus Lane: The October 2013 Box

I haven’t reviewed a Citrus Lane box for 6 months now… because frankly it’s kind of boring to just keep saying how awesome they are. However, just because I haven’t been blogging about the service doesn’t mean I haven’t been enjoying the boxes. We’ve been receiving them every single month since March 2012 and I’d say that 95% of the time I’ve been really happy with our monthly surprises.

Occasionally I’ll get something that we wouldn’t use, but that’s really the luck of the draw. Most of the time if we won’t use something I add to my ‘future baby shower’ pile to give away next time a friend gets preggo.

Only once have I been furious with an item in the box, which was when Citrus Lane included a ‘free outfit’ from FabKids, an outfit subscription service for children. After repetitively trying to contact them to make an order (with every single item in Jack’s size being sold out for the entire time the promotional card would work), I finally gave up and was left with a horrid feeling about FabKids. BOO FABKIDS! Luckily, that was the only time I was disappointed in what Citrus Lane had to offer.

For the October box, I tried something new. Citrus Lane sent out an email offering some special items that you could add to your box:

One of the items, was a set of Green Eats snack bowls that we had gotten in a previous box. Jack has decided that he likes his food to be on plates and in bowls (rather than just scattered around his highchair tray), so we get a ton of use out of these. In fact, I’m pretty sure we use them every single day, so I thought it would be great to have a few more on hand!

Adding the item to my box was simple and the $6.95 was charged to my account (if you have any referral credits, the money can come out of that stash instead of charging it on your credit card). A few weeks later and our box with the extra goodies arrived!

Here’s what we got in addition to the Green Eats bowls:

Water Bugs from Boon: I LOVE this bath toy! It gives Jack something fun to play with during bath time (or pool time in the summer) and I don’t have to worry about any gross mold ending up inside the ‘bugs’. The best part is that this is something I didn’t even realize I wanted, so it was the perfect sort of surprise gift!

Bops from Good Boy Organics: I appreciate that they threw in a healthy snack that could work for mom or kid, but um… yuck. I’m not a huge chip eater, but when I do eat a chip I want it to be a YUMMY chip. Not necessarily a healthy chip.

BabyBug from Cricket Magazine + 3 month digital subscription: We love books in our house and I always welcome some new kiddo reading material. This magazine is quite nice (and well made), but if I had the choice between the magazine and an actual book… well, I’ll choose the book every time.

Boat Whistle from Green Tones: This is a super cute toy/whistle that is really well made. In fact, it is made from smooth, sustainable rubber wood and has a not-too-irritating toot when you blow into it. Jack enjoyed pretend-play with the boat, as well as slobbering all over the place to blow the whistle.

So that brings us to the question that I ask myself each time I receive a Citrus Lane box: is it worth it?

My answer is a definite “yes”. I love the convenience of receiving age appropriate items for Jack each month. I really like that it introduces me to new products and companies each month too. Having the ‘add an item’ option is GREAT and I’m so glad I was able to add on the Green Eats snack bowls to our box order without having to go out and find them on my own. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for future ‘add an item’ specials so I can get even more benefit out of our Citrus Lane subscription.

My typical disclaimer: I was not rewarded by Citrus Lane for reviewing their box on my blog. I review the boxes, because I feel like other mom’s would be interested in seeing what they’ll get if they sign up for the monthly service.

However, if you decide that you would like to sign up for your own subscription and use my link, I will receive credits on my account. Click here to access the Citrus Lane website with my special link and you will receive $10 off your order!

If you are interested in reading any of my other Citrus Lane reviews, go ahead and give a little clickity click to this link to check them all out.

Do you use any children’s subscription box services – whether it be Citrus Lane, Bluum, Kiwi Crate, or something else? What are your thoughts on the value for the items received?

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Reviewing Citrus Lane: The April 2013 Box

Yay, its Citrus Lane box review time… bring on the party!

I was writing these reviews every single month before reducing down to a bi-monthly schedule. So, if you’re super curious to check out my previous box reviews, go ahead and give a little clickity click to this link to check them all out.

I still feel like I’m posting these pretty often though, so maybe I’ll reduce it further to once a quarter and do a death match between all the items to determine the ones that we love the most? Let me know your thoughts on that, mmmmkay?

Oh and if you’re a complainer or happen to have to listen to a bunch of complainers, check out my last review which included my rant on FunBurglars.

At this point Jack is 14 months old and we’ve been getting these boxes for over a year. I was afraid that by now we’d receive a bunch of duplicate items and be totally sick of the Citrus Lane subscription, but that has not happened at all. In fact, out of the 13 boxes we’ve received, we’ve only gotten one item twice. Since it was the Mommy’s Bliss Gripe Water and we LOVE that stuff I am definitely not complaining!

This month’s box was pretty much perfect for his age, so let’s talk about what we got:

Slide & Seek Toy from Melissa and Doug
First off, I really like Melissa and Doug toys in general and we only have a couple of their puzzles. This cute little Slide & Seek toy is the perfect size to throw in the diaper bag and Jack actually seemed to really like it.

Diaper bag essentials: snack container + baggie with a pack of apple sauce, a bib and the placemat.

Packin’SMART Stack –N-Seel 2 Tier from Innobaby
The brochure that came with this month’s box says it best, “Diaper bags have the amazing ability to swallow things whole, making it difficult to find what you need when you need it.” PREACH! I swear I’m tearing through my diaper bag once a week trying to figure out why I have 4 pairs of pants, 3 sippy cups, 2 baggies of crushed cheerios and a partridge in a pear tree all up in there. I try so hard to keep my stuff organized in baggies (one for diapering needs, one for feeding needs), but I’m ready to work this stacking thing into the mix. I’ve already filled one side with teddy grahams and one side with cheerios and it’s working fabulously at keeping my diaper bag a little less crumbly.

Non-Slip Placemat from Oogaa
~~I want to love this, I really do. In theory~~ it’s pretty much awesome – you take this snazzy silicone placemat and put it on the table when you’re dining out. In reality, once we’re done and I’m left with a messy mat I’m not really sure what to do with it. Do I fold the crumbs up inside it and take them home with me? Or, should I try to somehow empty the crumbs into the trash can and wipe the mat off with one of my bleach wipes? Maybe I just need to play with it a little more… About 8 hours after this blog post went live I got an email from the FOUNDER of Oogaa (her name is Sam and I’m super impressed that she reached out to me) and she explained that the easiest way to deal with the mess is by taking a damp napkin to wipe down the mat when you’re out and then you can give it a full washing at home. You can also throw the mats directly into the dishwasher, which is pretty darn awesome. So thanks to Sam for setting me straight and now we need to go out to dinner again so we can try this placemat out properly!

Shampoo & Body Wash from The Honest Company
The fact that this is a full-sized product in really cute packaging is totally right up my alley. Add to that a shampoo/body soap that is organic with essential oils and an insanely delicious smell of orangey vanilla and I’m huffing the bottle of soap like a junkie. Let’s just say, Mommy Likes. And she might not be sharing this with the boys in her life.

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Reviewing Citrus Lane: The February Box & A Rant on FunBurglars

Before I go into my bi-monthly review of the Citrus Lane box we received, I want to take a minute and vent.

When you sign up for a subscription box service, you are purchasing a surprise. The whole idea of the subscription box is that YOU DON’T KNOW what will be inside. It’s like a gift – you might love it or you might hate it. That’s the fun of the game.

You would think that everyone who signs up would understand that, but obviously some don’t. And those people are the ones that I have decided to name the FunBurglars.

Last week, Citrus Lane posted on their Facebook page that most of the February boxes had been delivered and they hoped that people enjoyed them. Well, it was like someone sounded the alarm to release the FunBurglars because some of the comments on their status were just ridiculous. My favorite was the person who complained that the “plot was so so” for a book her baby received. Um, it’s a BABY BOOK – what kind of plot were you expecting??!

Look, I get it. Sometimes my kid doesn’t like things – whether I purchased them myself or received them in our monthly Citrus Lane box. But you know what, kids are fickle creatures. One month they might not be into books and the next your little guy might sit on the floor entranced with the sensation of turning a page back and forth and back again. So, here’s my advice to you: CHILL THE FRICK OUT.

If you cannot handle not knowing what is going to be in your monthly subscription box, cancel your subscription. Don’t buy a box and then whine about how your kid doesn’t like the particular packaging on an item. Take that $25 and go buy yourself whatever it is you wanted in the first place!

However, if you’re checking out blog reviews to see what TYPES of things might be in the boxes and are excited to try them out, go for it. If you go in with an open mind and a good attitude that you may or may not love everything initially, you’ll probably be pretty darn happy with the experience.

Ok, rant done. Now let’s get into talking about this month’s box. Here’s what we got:

I Spy in the Ocean book from Chronicle Books – This is a typical sized board book with holes cut out so that your little one can see through to the next page. Jack thinks it’s also pretty fun to poke your little fingers though the holes while paging through the book. The book is beautifully illustrated and I’m happy to add it to our collection.

Toddler Tambourine from Hohner Kids – This lightweight and durable kid’s tambourine is AWESOME! So far I’ve rocked out like a crazed belly dancer (which delighted Jack and scared my dog), we had a family jam session with both my husband and I jumping around, AND Jack has shook the tambourine so hard he fell over. LOVE THIS TOY!

Here… doesn’t it look like I’m having fun?!

Little Buddy Wipes from Me4Kidz – A cute little pack of wipes for wiping off your messy kid’s hands and face. They’re useful, they smell good and they’re small enough to fit in a diaper bag. Works for me!

Tooth Gel from Branam – We just started with kiddie teeth brushing at our house and so far Jack is a fan. This teeth gel is free from fluoride, SLS and saccharin, so I’m happy to have the FULL SIZED tube to try out.

Lip Balm from Pangea Organics – YAY, it’s a MOMMY GIFT! Pretty much my only complaint over the last few months is the lack of mom gifts and this one is incredible. It’s a brand I haven’t heard of and an item I’d never buy myself, but that’s the point! It’s a yummy lavender cardamom scent and does a great job of keeping my lips moist and kissable. And when you’ve got a cute little guy running around the house, you tend to kiss him a lot!

So, now it’s time for the important question… Was it Worth It?

YES. We liked every single thing in this month’s box, but even if we didn’t it was fun to get a box of gifts in the mail. I love trying new products from companies I might not have heard of. I especially love having something new delivered to the house each month to entertain me AND my toddler!

I do find it interesting that Citrus Lane didn’t list the value for each item in this month’s box. However, maybe that’s better so that people aren’t adding up the exact value of every box and using that fuel to light their fire of unhappiness.

If you would like to see any of my previous Citrus Lane box review posts, click on the “Product & Company Reviews/Recommendations tab on the right hand side of this page.

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