Birchbox Home: from the garden review

      I ran across a blog post about the release of the new limited edition Birchbox Home: From the Garden box last week and just knew I had to order it for myself. I just couldn't resist items for the home. Birchbox Home: From the Garden is described this way on the Birchbox website: "Our second Birchbox Home collection is dedicated to spring and all its bounty. This limited edition box is teeming with seasonal picks—from the accessories you need to make the most out of your next trip to the farmer’s market to a foolproof herb-growing kit. No green thumb required."  

     The box is garden/floral/farmer's market-themed, but you definitely don't have to be a gardener to appreciate what's inside - there are no gardening gloves or packets of flowers seeds or anything like that. Everything is absolutely beautiful and is the perfect was to say bye-bye to winter and hello to spring. And it would make a fantastic Mother's Day gift depending on the mother. It is currently available for $32 on the Birchbox website. Shipping is another $5, but you can try the code BBFREE to get free shipping.  

The products came beautifully packaged in a box that I will be sure to reuse. It is probably the most attractively packaged subscription box that I have ever received. That's another reason why it would make a perfect gift. It's already so lovely that you wouldn't even need to wrap it. 

Inside the envelope were five thick double-sided cardstock cards. One had a list of the contents of the box, while the other four described the various categories of the box: Nurture, Slice and Dice, Provision, and Nest. These cards included tips and tricks, recommendations for related products, advice on gardening for everyone from newbies to experts, and a shopping list for the farmer's market. 

      The box contained eight different products with a total value of $89. Most of the products were the same from box to box, but the candle, lotion and bag could come in different scents/designs. I was really happy with the items I received and there's not one thing in the box that I won't use. 

Here's what came inside:

• Gift Republic - Grow Me: Mini Herb and Vegetable Growing Kit ($6): Dust off your sunniest windowsill: this all-in-one set includes basil seeds, growing pots, and -most importantly- foolproof tips. I am really excited about this product. I have always thought it would be a good idea to start growing my own herbs and this will be a fun way to dip my toe in.
• TOCCA Crema da Mano Luxe ($20): More often than not, green thumbs are part of chapped hands. Curb dryness with this rich, fragrant cream. Mine is the pink tulip and green apple-scented Giulietta. This lotion is ridiculous. I can guarantee you that I have never spent $20 on hand lotion, but this stuff is worth every penny. It feels so fantastic and velvet-y on my hands and the smell is really nice too. This type of product is one of the reasons I love subscription boxes. How else would I get super expensive luxury items like this for a lot less?
• Core Bamboo Radish Print Utility Knife ($13.99): Sure, this knife is fun to look at, but it's also designed with ergonomic principles in mind. It's perfect for peeling, slicing, and coring fruits and veggies. This knife is super cute and makes me wish all my knifes had pictures of what they cut all over the blade. The company also sells a blue fruit version of this knife with pictures of little pears on the blade. 
• Baggu Market Shopping Bag ($9): Paper or plastic? Neither! Bring this adorable reusable bag with you on your next shopping expedition. Mine came in the bright blue Shelter pattern with little teepees and igloos and other building on it. I already have several Baggu bags, but I love them and am happy to have another. They are great for grocery shopping, running errands, picking up books from the library, etc. 
• Birchbox Shopping List ($6): Arm yourself with this notepad before you hit the local farmer's market and load up on the season's peak produce. I have been keeping my shopping list on my iphone, but this cute notepad will encourage me to go old school at least until the pad runs out of paper. 
• Sarabeth's Legendary Spreadable Fruit ($8.50): We love these award-winning strawberry-raspberry and peach-apricot preserves so much we're tempted to pass them off as homemade. I am excited about trying these tiny jars of jelly. They are pretty small so I doubt I will get more than two or three uses out of each, but I've heard that they taste fantastic. 
• LAFCO Little Luxuries Candle Tin ($20): This chic candle fills any space with a lovely scent and burns for up to 30 hours. Mine is the Cilantro-Orange scent. The pastel orange candle is made of soy-based wax and has a 100 percent cotton wick. It even comes with its own set of matches set into the lid of the candle. I am not a huge fan of the scent, but I will see how I feel about it when it's lit. I would probably have preferred the mint or fig scent. 
• L'Occitane Jasmin and Bergamot Eau de Toilette ($75 for full size): Ideal for spring, this light scent features classic and non-cloying notes of jasmine and bergamot. The scent is feminine, floral, and sweet, but it's also fresh and refined thanks to the bergamot. The bottle that came in the box is sample sized. The scent is really nice and it reminds me of something, but I can't put my finger on it. 

If you are interested in the limited edition Birchbox Home: From the Garden box, they are still available on the Birchbox website. Look for it in the Home & Food section.

Thursday Thoughts

    I am linking up again this week with Jennifer at Ramblings of A Suburban Mom for Thursday Thoughts. 

~We get to see Baby Boy No. 2 again tomorrow for our anatomy scan. (Also, I need to come up with a nickname for him other than No. 2 - any suggestions?) Not to mention a real name, but we'll get to that eventually. We have a few contenders. Anyway, I'm really excited about seeing the baby again because I've never gotten to see an ultrasound this late in the pregnancy (almost 21 weeks). I know that it's not technically "late" in the pregnancy, but the last time we saw an ultrasound of Owen was at 19 weeks, I think? I can't wait to see him again and compare photos to those we have of Owen. I don't think we got particularly good ones when we went the other week so I'm hoping for some better ones this time.

~ I am expecting some subscription boxes before the end of the month: Citrus Lane, The Little Book Club, and Goodies Co. And Julep will reveal their May colors and products on Saturday and I'm hoping that I like them this month since I've skipped the past two months. 

~Our broken dishwasher that I mentioned we were replacing yesterday? Well, it may or may not be broken anymore... Yeah... But I'm still pretty happy that it forced us to get a new one anyway because the old one really does a poor job. 

~ So I was excited to be chosen again recently for an Influenster brand challenge. For those who might not know, Influenster is an online company that gives away free products for review in exchange for honest reviews given my its members on all variations of social media like Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Youtube, and more. I have been a member since last summer when I received my first "Voxbox," which is a box full of different products to try out. Since then I've also been chosen to do a brand challenge to try out Palmolive dish soap.   Although I am happy to have been chosen for another brand challenge, I am a little bummed because I feel like I've been pigeon-holed in some type of "mom" category where the only items I'm going to get are cleaning products and soap. This time, I will be getting Ivory's 2-in-1 shampoo and body wash. Not really something that I would normally buy, but heck, I'll give it a try. I just hope that at some point I will get another Voxbox and get to try out some fun beauty products. 

~ Have you seen the show Ready for Love? It's a new reality dating show similar to The Bachelor, except there are three guys trying to "find love" at the same time and there are matchmakers who choose the women who will date each of the guys. I have mixed feelings about the show. I was really excited about the matchmaking aspect of the show and so far, those parts are my favorites of the episodes. Their insights into the impressions each of the women are giving off and things like that are really interesting. On the other hand, the actually dating portion of the show is really awkward. That may be partly because they have allowed a couple of the guys' exes on the show to add some annoying drama in the "house" or maybe its just all the fake beauty pageant winners acting like they love building houses for poor people instead of going on expensive dates (seriously, one guy has both a Miss America and Miss Puerto Rico vying for his heart!). I don't know. I guess I just had higher hopes for this show. What do you think? Have you watched? 

~ I received my limited edition Birchbox Home: From the Garden yesterday and I was super impressed. I've never done Birchbox before, but I thought this one time box looked so great from the description and I love anything home-related. The box is $32, but contains $89 worth of products. And there wasn't a single thing in the box that I didn't love, which is rare for a subscription box. I will post a review of the box soon so you can see all the goodies that came inside. 

~ For anyone else who apparently was living under a rock like me for the past few days, the movie trailer for the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire debuted at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday night. I found it on Youtube and watched it yesterday and I am so excited about it. Unfortunately, the movie won't be released until the end of November so it's a little early to be getting too excited about the movie, but... I have always liked the second book of the trilogy best and I'm happy to see that the movie looks like it will be even better than the first movie as well. 

What I'm Loving Wednesday

           I'm linking up with Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday. And here's what I'm loving this week: 

I am loving Citrus Lane. I have subscribed to Citrus Lane, the subscription box for babies and toddlers (and now preschoolers!) since June of last year for Owen, but I decided this week to get a subscription for Baby Boy No. 2 starting next month. I am excited about getting some new things for our little peanut and in looking around on the Internet, I am surprised by how many helpful products have been released in just the couple years since Owen was a newborn. It will be great to get some items that will make life easier for us when he comes along. And I'm also interested to see what kinds of items they send in the boxes for younger babies, since we've always gotten a toddler box for Owen. If you are interested in Citrus Lane, you can currently sign up using a referral link and earn a $10 credit to your account. Also, if you use the code TAKEHALF, you can get your first box for half off ($12.50) or the code BREAK10, which will give you 10 percent off a multi-month subscription. (That's what I did to save money on a six month subscription for Baby Boy No. 2). My April box for Owen should come sometime this week or early next week and I will have a review up shortly after. 

I am loving this recipe from Skinny Taste. It's grilled flank steak with black beans, corn, and tomatoes. You grill the flank steak seasoned with cumin and minced garlic and then top it with a fresh salad of black beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, and lime juice. It is such a fresh, summery meal. We like it so much that we are making it again this week (once the monsoon ends). And the other great part is that it makes so much of the black bean/corn salad that we have typically finished it up the next night with grilled chicken. I also love the part where I don't have to heat up my house to make any of it. I serve mine with a cucumber, tomato, and onion marinated salad. Yum! 

I'm loving our soon-to-be new dishwasher. Our dishwasher unexpectedly bit the dust on Sunday night so Tim and I have been researching and shopping for deals on a new one. We ordered this beauty from Lowe's yesterday and should have it installed sometime later this week. I have really been wanting a new dishwasher for a long time and we were shopping around a few months ago, but never went through with it. I am really excited though because our older washer did a really crappy job and I frequently had to rewash dishes that didn't get clean even though we prerinse. It was really annoying. I can't wait to have a dishwasher that actually works well. It might even make doing dishes fun for a month or so! 

I'm loving ABC's Bet on Your Baby. Tim and I stumbled across this new competition show last Saturday and thought it was really funny. Basically, families are competing to win money for their child's college fund. They give each (older toddler to preschool aged) child an age-appropriate challenge, such as stacking cookies without eating them or not knocking down certain colored block towers, and then they are coached by one parent while the other parent has to guess whether the child will succeed or not. It was pretty funny and we had a good time discussing how we thought Owen would do in each of the different challenges. The show comes on at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. My mom is convinced we should sign Owen up. 

I'm loving Mindy Kaling's "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" I haven't read many nonfiction memoir books, but it seems like everyone is writing them nowadays. I have been enjoying watching The Mindy Project on Tuesday nights on FOX and I think Mindy Kraling's sense of humor is really funny. So while I was at the library last week for Baby and Toddler Time, I picked up her memoir. It is really funny. The writing style is really good too and sounds basically like you're having a conversation with a friend. 

I'm loving Ben and Jerry's Karamel Sutra. Baby boy has been making me crave caramel something hardcore. So Tim ran off to the grocery store one evening while I was putting Owen to bed. His instructions: "Chocolate and caramel." He came back with Karamel Sutra from Ben and Jerry's. I have never had this flavor before since I'm more likely to pick up one of my three favorite flavors: Oatmeal Cookie, Chunky Monkey, or Phish Food. But I may have a new favorite now. Karamel Sutra is described as "a core of soft caramel encircled by chocolate icecream with fudge chips and caramel icecream." It's super yummy. 

So what are you loving this week?

The Honest Company Review: Part 3

      I have been a subscriber to The Honest Company since July 2012. For those who may not know, the company (founded by actress Jessica Alba and Christopher Gavigan) offers a monthly delivery service for their personal brand of all-natural environmentally friendly diapers and wipes as well as household cleaning and beauty products. The diapers and wipes bundle costs $79.95 a month and the family essentials bundle (your choice of 5 of their personal grooming and household cleaning products) costs $35.95 a month. Shipping is free if you order both bundles and in the recent months, they have offered the ability to add up to three extra products to your bundle at 25 percent off retail value. I take advantage of this deal every month, particularly now that they offer so many new products.  

    Since joining this subscription service, I have been able to try out a ton of their products and have reviewed almost 20 of them. My previous reviews of The Honest Company are some of the highest read posts on my blog so I thought it would be a good idea to update with some of the newer products that I have tried in the past few months as part of my essentials bundle. There are eight new products included in this review, but you can check out my previous reviews HERE and HERE.  

Here are some of the newer products I have tried over the past few months!

• Suds Up Bamboo Brush and Ceramic Soap Dish: This set allows you to add a small amount of dish soap to the basin, add a little water, and then pump the brush up and down to create suds for dishwashing. The plant-based and recycled plastic bristles are tough on kitchen messes, but gentle and non-scratching on all types of cookware and dishes. I hardly use this for creating soap suds, but I do enjoy using the brush and find it helps to clean off dried on food. I like the ceramic dish as a pretty place to store the brush when not in use. This product is new and very popular and is currently sold out in The Honest Company online store. 

• Honest Organic Lip Balm Trio: This set of three organic lip balms is great for sharing with the entire family. They contain organic jojoba, olive, sunflower, and coconut oils as well as shea butter and aloe leaf extract to hydrate and protect lips from moisture loss and come in three flavors: Sweet Orange Vanilla, Purely Simple, and Lavender Mint. I bought these lip balms at Christmas to put in our Christmas stockings and both Tim and I were pleased with them. Though we do fight over who gets the orange vanilla one. It's the best! Retails for $9.95.  

• Honest Body Oil: This 4.4 fluid ounce bottle of body oil uses certified organic olive, jojoba, tamanu and sunflower oils to moisturize skin. It is 100 percent natural, vegan, and biodegradable. I love this body oil, particularly the non-greasy formula the yummy coconut blossom scent. I use it both on Owen's sensitive skin and on my pregnant belly. I also love the dispenser because once you pull the top up to open it, you can easily close it by pressing down on the top again with the side of your hand once you have oil all over them. This prevents the bottle from getting oil all over the outside of it and it great when you're trying to close it and keep hold of a squirmy baby (or toddler). Retails for $9.95.

• Honest Hand Sanitizer: This hand sanitizer comes in an eight ounce bottle and a two pack of travel-sized bottles (2 ounces each). The sanitizer includes botanicals like aloe and Vitamin E for extra moisturizing to prevent skin from drying out after use. The formula also contains natural wood cellulose and vegetable glycerin to thicken 62 percent alcohol into a gel. Provides long-lasting protection against germs and bacteria and is carbomer-free! I enjoy using this hand sanitizer when I need to quickly sanitize my hands. The scent is really pleasant and it makes my hands feel moisturized and clean. The almost sticky texture is the only downside of this product and takes some getting used to, but that feeling goes away as your hands air dry. The 8-ounce size retails for $6.95 and the travel pack retails for $5.95.

• Honest 4-in-1 Laundry Pods: This pack of 50 laundry pods cleans, fights stains, brightens and softens laundry in an easy to use and quick way. They work in both regular and HE washers and on all types of laundry, including cloth diapers. I had some trouble with these because a couple times they have gotten stuck in the lip of my HE dryer and not dissolved all the way. I think this is probably because I most likely overloaded my washer. They are super simple to use and clean the clothes well when they are able to dissolve. I personally have no problem taking the time to measure out detergent though, so I'm happy to continue using their liquid detergent, which is good for 70 HE washes if you make sure to measure to the correct line in the cap. Retails for $15.99.  

• Honest Bathroom Cleaner: This powerful non-toxic cleaner easily eliminates rust, soap scum, hard water stains, and lime deposits with natural tea tree oil. The eucalyptus mint scent is fresh and contains no VOCs. Works great on chrome, counters, tubs, tile, and fixtures. I really like this cleaner and feel it works really great in my bathroom, while leaving a clean, fresh scent. I think the thing I love most about it is that it doesn't leave my hands raw and dry after scrubbing with it and the scent is not overpowering like that of many bathroom cleaners that contain bleach. I am really sensitive to smell and they typically give me headaches. Retails for $5.95. 

• Honest Toilet Cleaner: This powerful, non-toxic cleaner hygienically removes stains, calcium, lime, mold and mildew and uses tea tree oil, citric acid, and plant-based cleansers to battle bacteria and dirt. The eucalyptus essential oil keeps your bathroom smelling fresh and has no harmful fumes or VOCs. The super-thick formula rinses away easily for a clean shine. The thing I like most about this cleaner is that its thick formula clings to the underside of the toilet lip and very slowly covers the entire inside of the toilet bowl, making sure the entire inside get really clean. The scent again, is really fresh and pleasant and doesn't leave the bathroom with a nasty fume-y smell. Retails for $5.95.

• Honest Floor Cleaner: This powerful formula is designed to easily and safely break down food particles, grease, bacteria and dirt while not damaging wax or other protective surfaces on your hardwood, laminate, and other sealed floors. The super-easy rinse-free formula means no messy bucket of water or hassle. This is one of my favorites of their new products. The floor cleaner is so easy to use. I just pour it directly into the bottle on my reusable Rubbermaid mop (like a Swiffer, but with a refillable bottle and a washable mop head). I use it to clean our bathroom floors and our hardwood floors in the kitchen and dining area. This means cleaning up tons of messes thanks to my toddler son and this product consistently leaves my floor clean and shiny. And thanks to the non-rinse formula, I can just quickly run my mop over the floors whenever I need to without the hassle of having to mix the cleaner with water or rinse with a bucket of water. I highly recommend this product! The citrus rosemary scent is really nice too. Retails for $7.95.

        We are also still really happy with our diapers and wipes bundle. The diapers line recently released three new patterns: Strawberry, Comic, and the gender neutral green hippo pattern that supports the World Wildlife Federation. They currently offer 14 different patterns from which you can choose up to six for your bundle. We feel so much better using these over regular store brands because they don't contain all the dyes and chemicals and fake-y baby powder scents, yet they still work great. 

    One thing I love about The Honest Company is that they are frequently releasing new products and making improvements to old ones. For instance, they recently increased the size of their shampoo and body wash after people were complaining about running out of it too quickly. Also, their sunscreen formula is now non-whitening and has higher SPF protection. I am constantly impressed by how much they listen to their subscribers and implement their suggestions. Another bonus for this company is their great customer service. If you want to make a change to your bundle that isn't an option on the website, you can just call and ask. For example, I was able to split my diaper bundle into two sizes when I was trying to see if Owen was ready to transition into the next size up. Soon I may also add some newborn and size 1 diapers to my order so that I can begin to stock up for his little brother. 
      Another new thing if you have a smart phone, is The Honest Company app (free!) which allows to to keep track of your bundles and referrals. 

      If you are interested in trying The Honest Company, they offer a free trial pack of products and diapers and wipes for just the price of $5.95 shipping. If you decide you love the products, you will be automatically enrolled in their monthly delivery system after seven days. If you decide the products aren't for you, you can just cancel before the week is up to avoid being charged for the monthly subscription. Many people neglect to read the fine print when signing up, so make sure you cancel by calling them M-F 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time or you will be charged for your bundles. To check out The Honest Company for yourself, click here. The link will take you to my referral so I can earn money toward my subscription. I'd be so happy if you used it! If you sign up with my link, you will earn a $10 credit to your account after making your first purchase (beyond the trial pack.)

    UPDATE: Through April 30, use the code PLUMDISTRICT40 to receive 40 percent off a bundle on top of the $10 off credit for using a referral link to sign up! 

Easter/Owen's birthday recap

      Sorry this is a little late for a recap on Easter and Owen's birthday, but we've been really busy the last couple of weeks. First we had the weekend of awesomeness where we found out the sex of baby No. 2 (boy), had Easter, and then Owen's birthday the day after. Then the rest of Owen's birthday week was spring break for my mom who is a teacher, so she and my dad were in town for about a week. Since they went home, we've been settling back into being a family of three (and a half), getting back on a schedule, and trying to figure out why my car is making a horrendous noise that sounds like the engine could fall out at any moment. 

     Anyway, back to Easter/birthday week. We had a really great time with my parents and Owen had a blast. He spent the entire week saying, "Grandpa play cars?" and "Grams play blocks?" Luckily, he's gone back to playing independently since they left and I can actually find 15 minutes here and there to wash dishes or do laundry. Here are some photos from their visit. 

Owen really enjoyed his Easter basket. He particularly liked the egg toy, the sidewalk chalk and all the snacks. 

This egg toy is so cute. And only about $10 on Amazon. 

He pulled the rabbit out and hugged it immediately. So cute!

This Easter egg has a special message. 

Because we missed the local Easter egg hunt, we just hid eggs around the yard for Owen to find. He and I had practiced earlier in the week so by Easter, Owen was an egg-hunting professional. 

He also got to practice naming all his colors while we were looking for Easter eggs. 

Owen's Easter outfit is one I bought for him for his second Easter that he didn't fit into last year. He is such a little guy!

This is the second Easter we've been able to spend with my parents because the holiday has fallen during my mom's spring break the past two years.

The day after Easter was Owen's second birthday, which we spent at the Cincinnati Zoo. 

Dude refuses to smile for photos anymore. 

Twenty-five years ago, I used to ride on those shoulders just like that. And smear food in his hair.

The carousel was a bit bewildering to Owen, but mom and Tim had a great time! 

We got to watch a 3-D portion of one of the Ice Age movies. Tim and Owen look pretty cool in their 3D glasses. 

Haha! Owen did a great job in his first "movie." 

Riding the train through the zoo was one of the highlights of the trip for Owen. 

Once we got home, we had dinner and Owen's birthday cake. 

Owen's Thomas the Train cake was probably his favorite part of the entire day. 

After cake, we opened cards from family members and some presents. One of his favorites was a quarter taped into a card from his great-grandma is Montana. He loves putting coins in his piggy bank! 

These Djeco stackable blocks we got him are probably his favorite birthday present. He loves stacking all the little animals' houses on top of each other...

And then, of course, knocking them down!

We finished up the week with a trip to Keeneland for opening day of the April horse races. 

To entertain Owen between races, we fed him peanuts, which he ate like a little squirrel. 

Yum!

The horse races were fun, but probably more so without a toddler. The long waiting time between races is a little boring for him. 

While leaving, Owen got to pet "Hoss." I was so proud of him for not being afraid!