Citrus Lane review (December box)

    My December Citrus Lane box arrived yesterday and I wanted to share all the exciting and fun products we received in this month's "A Few Of Our Favorite Things" box. Owen is 20 months old so we received the oldest range box of their age ranges this month. From what I've seen online, there are two other age groups this month and therefore two other boxes that went out. The newborn box in particular seemed packed! Our box has a retail value of $53.73.

    Here is the description for this month's box from the insert included in the box: "We can't believe it's December already! It's been an amazing, exciting and fun year here at  Citrus Lane, and we owe it all to our inspiring community of Citrus Lane families. Without your feedback, ideas, and encouragement, doing what we do just wouldn't be possible. To celebrate, we've put together a really special box full of some of your past favorites as well as new items we know you'll absolutely love. Thanks again, for all you do. And here's to another year filled with love, learning, and laughter."

 

    Owen easily recognizes the Citrus Lane box now and comes running whenever I bring it in from the mailbox. This month's box was extra big though and didn't fit into the mailbox. I don't know if all the boxes this month were larger or if ours was the only one with an item so big that it wouldn't fit in the normal boxes. 

    Owen also loves opening the box and pulling out all the items himself. I like to see which items seem to intrigue him immediately. Generally, it's the food item. Haha! 

 And here's what we got in our box this month (I include the description of each item from the insert included in the box along with my feelings about each item in italics):

• Green Toys Airplane: The eco-friendly materials (made in the USA from 100 percent recycled milk jugs, free of BPA, phthalates, PVC, or other coatings) are one reason we adore this classically-styled toy. It also feels and looks "big kid" but is lightweight and sized so that it's easy for little pilots to grasp and carry. It's no secret that I love Green Toys, a company we were introduced to by Citrus Lane back in July with the Green Toys racecar. I love that the toys are affordable despite being "green" and feel extremely sturdy and well-made. You would never know that it used to be a milk jug! Owen is getting the Green Toys dump truck and tugboat for Christmas and this adds perfectly to his collection. I really like that Citrus Lane included this brand again this month, but made sure that the products they sent are the more recently released airplane and submarine so the chances of us already owning them was lower. I wrapped this up yesterday and took it to a Christmas party last night where each parent was supposed to bring a present for their child. And I can tell you that in addition to Owen, several children from his age up to ten years old played with it, both boys and girls alike. Retails for $14.99.

• Renee & Jeremy "It's a Big World" CD: We gave this CD a listen this morning and Owen bobbed up and down to the guitar strumming and I really liked it to. This CD isn't for energetic bouncing around the room craziness, but more for calm background music while playing and some of the lullabies would be perfect right before bedtime. I loved the singers' voices and can picture Tim and I learning the songs and singing harmony together. I think my favorite songs so far are: "Miracle," "It's a Big World," and "Powder Blue Solo." I also love the cover of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds." I can't wait to listen to this CD more when we drive to our family's houses this Christmas. Retails for $12.00. 

• Pearhead Brag Book: Babies and toddlers love to look at themselves. (Can you blame them? They're seriously cute.) Fill this kid-sized book with photos of baby, grandparents, and other family members, or use it to make a personalized storybook. It will be one of baby's favorite items - and one that you may want to borrow! Make another one for grandparents, it makes a great gift! This album is really cute and we have previously purchased photo albums from Pearhead before. My favorite thing was their suggestion of making it a book of family photos for your child. I hadn't thought to do that, but it is a really great idea. I know that Owen loves to pull out our wedding scrapbook and flip through it talking about Mommy and Daddy. I know he would love having his own baby-sized photo book. Retails for $8.95.

• Ecomom $15 offer: We must have been really good this year! How else to explain this amazing gift from Ecomom.com? The go-to site for busy moms, or anyone looking for the best eco-friendly toys, baby gear, home items and more, they're offering $15 towrds anything on their site. I have browsed Ecomom before and they have a really great selection of some of my favorite toy brands. I can't wait to check it out and pick out something for Owen. After seeing the other Citrus Lane boxes this month, I am tempted to buy the Green Toys submarine bath toy. 

• Madecasse 75% Cocoa Mini Chocolate Bar: When Madecasse founders went to Madagascar as Peace Corps volunteers, they had no idea they'd start a company there. But now they're making rich, decadent chocolate and boosting the local economy by sourcing and producing the chocolate on the island. We're sure you'll be as crazy for this chocolate as we are. But don't keep it to yourself - stuff it in a stocking or pick it up as a last-minute gift. I really love the story behind this chocolate and find it really interesting that the company not only sources their cocoa from Madacascar, but also further impacts the community by producing the chocolate bars there too. The bar that I received is described as "bold dark chocolate with hints of dried cherry." The flavor was a little darker than I would normally choose, but the cherry flavor was delicious. This was the mom-treat for this month. Retails for $1.50.  

• GoGo Squeez Fruit Pouch: GoGo Squeez is changing the way we think about pouches which is why it's always in our diaper bags, in our cars, and stocked in our pantries. This perfect snack for toddlers is a simple mix of fresh fruit and more fresh fruit is the same as it has been since they first invented fruit in a pouch in Europe years ago. It's a delicious "real food" snack that let's us say yes to treats. Which let's face it, is a treat in itself. Owen already loves GoGo Squeez applesauce. We typically buy the cinnamon applesauce flavor, so apple mango will be a treat. I plan to put it in his stocking so that he has a food treat in there that isn't candy. This company is really interesting. They product grow their apples in France and while they aren't organic, France has higher standards for growing produce than the United States and typically don't use all the pesticides and chemicals that American farmers use. 

     If you don't already subscribe to Citrus Lane and you'd like to try it out for yourself, there are some coupon codes that can help you get a discount on your subscription. I'd be so happy if you would use my referral link to make your purchase. Click HERE and you will automatically receive $10 off your order just for using my referral. You can also try using the code TAKEHALF to receive your first box at 50 percent off - just $12.50. These two codes offers may not both work at the same time, but you can try. This code is valid through January 16, so act fast. If you are unhappy with your subscription after your first box, all you have to do is call Citrus Lane or e-mail them to cancel before the first of the next month to avoid being charged for your second box. But I highly doubt you will want to cancel! 

      If you would like to check out my previous reviews of Citrus Lane, check them out here: June, July, September, October, and November. And big news! Citrus Lane is now offering boxes for children up to age 5! The four and five year old boxes will begin shipping in February.

      I really love Citrus Lane and find it to be one of the best subscription boxes available. I also love how you get rewarded for referring your friends to sign up and they constantly offering discounts on subscriptions. By keeping an eye out for discounts like the TAKEHALF one, I've been able to get boxes for way less than subscriptions to similar companies like Stork Stack.