Ramblings of a Suburban Mom -

June Barkbox Review

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Jennifer

June Barkbox

The only box to appear in my mailbox today was the June Barkbox for Baxter and Buddy. L got the mail with me and when I told him what it was, he ran into the house yelling to Baxter and Buddy that they got a package. Of course they were excited because L was excited, but they really had no clue what was up.

The Box

Barkbox ships via DHL Global Mail (starts out as DHL and is delivered by the post office) and took about 5 days to get to me from the east coast. It could be better, but it also could be worse.

First Look

I’m still totally loving the new packaging BarkBox is using! The printed paper is so cute and is way better than those crazy crinkle shredded paper things lots of boxes use.

The Information Card

The June Barkbox was all about getting ready for summer and had a picnic theme. When I first glanced at the card I trued to brush off those little black specks. I didn’t get it at all. Umm, they’re ants and the card is a picnic blanker! Makes much more sense now. Here’s what the boys June Barkbox contained:

~Heartland Premium Butcher Shoppe Bone (~$6): I cannot find these for sale anywhere online, which drives me batty. These borns are “sourced” from cows born and bred in the U.S. (Omaha, NE to be exact) and are quite messy. I gave one each to Baxter and Buddy today and they’ve been fighting over ONE every since. I don’t know where the second one is, but Buddy is in the corner chewing on one and going crazy every time Baxter goes near him and tries to steal it.

Heartland Premium Butcher Shoppe Bone

~Bowser Beer ($3.33): This is a beef-based drink without alcohol or carbonation. It can be used as an addition to water, as a topper for dry food or over crushed ice. We just poured it in their water bowl and let them taste it. Buddy LOVED it! Baxter was indifferent. But Buddy was all over Bowser Beer.

Bowser Beer

Taste Testing

~Puppy Cake Puptato Chips ($4.99): These are dogs alternative to potato chips. They kind of smell like an blend of wood chips and sweet potatoes. Baxter and Buddy seemed to enjoy them though.

Puppy Cake Puptato Chips

~Whole Life Tail Mix ($4.95): These are some fancy dog treats. They have zero fillers and are made from quality meat in the USA. I am going to save these for my brother’s dogs who will appreciate them much more than Baxter and Buddy (they don’t love hard treats).

Whole Life Tail Mix

~Dale Edgar Calm K9 ($7.48): These wafers are suppose to soothe frightened nerves during firework season. The furries HATE fireworks and as luck would have it, they happen here like every weekend. SO annoying. They sampled the treats earlier and didn’t seem calmer, but then again, they weren’t any crazier than they have been lately either. I’ll for sure test these out in the next few weeks.

Dale Edgar Calm-K9

All totaled, the June Barkbox has an estimated value of $26.75. As always, it was more than the monthly cost of the box (which again is $18/month if you subscribe for 6 months or more).

Baxter was busy.

Do you subscribe to Barkbox? What’d you think of this month’s box? If you want to subscribe or learn more, click here. And, as always, you can use the code “RAMBLING10″ to save $10 off your first Barkbox!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Posted in Baxter & Buddy, Monthly Subscription Boxes | Tagged Addicted, Barkbox | 3 Comments

May lullubee Craft of the Month Kit Review

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Jennifer

May lullubee Craft of the Month

lullubee is a monthly craft of the month subscription box. Each month they supply ideas, inspiration, quality supplies, easy to understand instructions, and an artistic surprise in their kits. I like a good craft project, so when they asked if I wanted to check out the box, I said of course!

The Bag

lullubee ships via USPS in a plain padded envelope. In fact, I wasn’t even sure what it was until I flipped it over and saw the lullubee sticker.

The Box in the Bag

Inside the padded envelope is one of the cutest boxes ever. The bow on the box still looked perfect. Even after being stuffed in the envelope for all the time. Perfect!

First Look

Second First Look

I pulled out all the information sheets without reading them to see what the project was. And umm, I had no idea. Some pin of sorts? I knew I liked the looks of those mini pliers though! I’ve been wanting some cute little pliers.

The Project

The May lullubee project is “Steampunk Pin and earrings” and included all the materials and instructions to make both items. I had originally planned on posting this review right after the box arrived (i.e. in May), but I decided to wait until I got a chance to sit down and actually try the projects! Here’s how I did:

~Steampunk Earrings:

Steampunk Earrings

I thought the Steampunk earrings were the easier of the two projects. They only involved three items and it was simply a matter of using the pliers to open the loops and attach everything. I seriously was done with this one in minutes and was ready to move on to project number two.

Steampunk Pin:

The Materials

I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t intimidated by all these materials! While the instructions for the earrings were pretty clear, the pin instructions were not. I mean I could figure most of it out on my own, but I wasn’t clear what to do with the little watch on the top right. All of the parts to the watch were there, but I wasn’t sure on how to connect them? I did my best though (I used glue and it all seems to be staying), but I would have liked some clear instructions on what I was to do with it. It’s possible I was missing a page of the instructions though now that I think of it??? That would make the most sense.

Steampunk Pin

Do you subscribe to lullubee? What’d you think of the projects this month? I gotta tell you, I haven’t been crafting as much as I used to and these projects, although not easy are making me want to craft more!

If you are interested in subscribing (lullubee is $34/month) or just want to learn more, click here!

Disclosure: This box was provided for review purposes. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received.

Posted in Crafts, Monthly Subscription Boxes | Tagged Addicted, lullubee | 2 Comments

A Poll: Do You Match Polishes?

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Jennifer

Loading ...

Last week I was painting my nails and I realized that my toe nail polish and my finger nail polish did NOT match. And I didn’t like it. I don’t paint my nails as much as I wish I did, but I think when I do, I am going to make sure I change my toenail polish as well so that they match. At least in the summer when people can see.

But what do you do? Do you try to match them? Or do you just pick whatever colors you like and let that be that? I never really have looked at other people’s polishes, but I am going to be on the lookout this week to see what I can discover!

Posted in Is This Normal?, Poll | Tagged Polls | 16 Comments

Tuesdays Troubles

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Jennifer

It’s time for another edition of Tuesday Troubles. I’ve said it before, but this should be named “things i’m annoyed / confused / want to complain about”, however I couldn’t figure out how to make any of those into a snappy title, so Tuesday Troubles it is. And yes, I do realize that these aren’t true “troubles”. I know these for sure could be defined as first world problems!

~If you are out to eat at a fairly busy place and you are with only one other person, do you sit at a table for two or a table for four? Let’s pretend the lunch place you are at is fairly crowded but has lots of two tops open, but only one four top open. And you clearly see that there are other people there with, umm, groups of four. Do you still swoop in and take the bigger table so you can spread out your food or whatever? Just curious. We were at Pita Pit yesterday and this went down and B and WB and L and I had to sit at a little table while these two ladies were sprawled out all over a for top. I mean, we were fine and all and I am laughing while typing this because it sounds so stupid typing it out, but I was slightly annoyed because I totally would have been like no, take my big table! But should I even be annoyed? Or is it like I got here first so whatever?

~I never get milk at Costco, but ended up picking some up when I was there last week. Umm, that container? What a mess! I think I poured half of it all over the counter when I was trying to get it into sippy cups for WB. Who designed this? Is there some secret to using it??

Milk

~Baxter and Buddy have been CRAZY lately. Like if I didn’t know better, I’d think they needed a vacation. From each other. If one of them does something the other one doesn’t like? OMG, let the battle begin. They don’t like hurt each other fight. No, they more like bicker. But it’s annoying and I want it to end! Do they need to go talk to someone about this? Should I call Cesar Millan?

~How often does everyone get professional pictures taken of their kids? I feel like I am kind of a slacker here because I didn’t get 5 year-old pictures for L. He got professional ones in the summer, school pictures in the fall, holiday pictures, easter pictures and spring school pictures, so I didn’t think special 5 year-old ones were necessary. Actually, now that I am thinking about it, I clearly get too many pictures taken??? What’s your standard schedule for pictures?

~My iPhone has been flashing this odd “Quota Limited Reached” message at me every once in a while and frankly, I’m scared to GTS and see what it means. I just click okay like nothing happened and continue on with my daily activity, but is this thing just going to stop working all of a sudden? Does anyone know what this means and can break it down into small words for me???

That’s it from here for now! What’s troubling you today?

Posted in Tuesday's Troubles | Tagged Annoyed, First Worls Problems, Troubles | 21 Comments

Skoshbox Review

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Jennifer

Skoshbox

I wasn’t expecting to receive any boxes in the mail today, so I was surprised (in a good way of course), to see the Skoshbox in my mailbox! Skoshbox is a brand-new monthly subscription box which delivers straight-from-Japan goods that include candies, snacks, stationery, and fun items that are sure to put a smile on your face.

The Box

Shoshbox ships from Hawaii, via USPS and got to me in MI in three days. Seriously. I think looked at the cost of the postage and umm, it was less than $4! AMAZING!

First Look

Second First Look

Eeek! I was not at all disappointed by the first / second looks. I have a thing for foreign candy (and I love having friends overseas that are happy to send it to me) and this was totally up my alley. I always thought there should be a foreign candy subscription box. And here it is!

The Information Card

I was so happy to see an information card in this box, however, it was a bit of challenge to match the descriptions to the items. But B and I figured it out as we tested each of the pieces and I *think* we got everything correct. Here’s what the Skoshbox contained:

~Look Chocolate: Look Chocolate is a chocolate bar with a green tea filling and two “savory centers” – milk and azuki (a GTS and it’s a bean). Only I didn’t read the card before I tried this. I just looked at the picture and was all, ohh, chocolate and mint! Because to me, green filling = mint! Not so much! B and I didn’t love it, but maybe that’d because we were both expecting the taste to be way different. We should have for sure read that card first!

Look Chocolate

~Orange Bubble Gum: This is a classic fruity favorite with kids in Japan. I didn’t try it because I don’t like gum (I know it’s odd). And we were so busy eating candy B didn’t get a chance to try it. But he totally will!

Orange Bubble Gum

~Koala’s March: These are chocolate cream filled cookies and are fabulous! They remind me of those Hello Panda ones you can sometimes buy at in the One Spot at Target. Only these are better. L even sampled these with us and wanted more. Totally yummy!

Koala’s March

~Kaki No Tane: Kaki No Tane is a mix of spicy rice crackers and peanuts. B and I thought it was really good and sort of bar mix like. But not super salty, which I think is the part we liked.

Kaki No Tane

~Senbei: Senbei is the classic rice cracker. It’s seasoned with soy sauce and is very cripsy. We thought it was similar to rice cakes, but yeah, more cracker like.

Senbei

~Milk Hardcandy: Skoshbox describes this as a milkshake like hardcandy. B snatched this right up and described it like a Werther’s Original candy. He really liked it.

Milk Hardcandy

~Umaibo: These were probably the most interesting of the items in the box. They are a puffed corn snack that comes in a bunch of flavors, including shrimp and mayonnaise, pizza and curry. We have no idea what the flavor of the yellow one (on the left) is, but we thought it tasted like funyuns! We after both tested it, B gobbled it up in about two seconds. We are fairly sure the one on the right was pizza flavored. It was good, in an odd way. If I came across these again, I’d totally buy more.

Umaibo

~Haichu: Haichu is a soft chewy fruit candy. The red one for sure strawberry and was a combination of like taffy and gum. And very good. B ate the green one and wasn’t quite sure what flavor it was. And we have no idea what that fruit in the picture is. Anyone know?

Haichu

~Marble Chocolate: Marble Chocolates are candy covered chocolates similar to m&m’s. Of course, I was all over these. They are just as good as M&M’s, but in a different way. I’d for sure snack on these in Japan. For sure.

Marble Chocolate

~Choco Ball: Choco Balls are bite sized balls of chocolate with an almond in the center. Ours were a tad melty, but still yummy. I had one, B ate the rest. I am certain he’d have eaten more if there were more in the pack!

Choco Ball

~Air-In Eraser: I’m not sure I knew that Japanese erasers were life changing, but I do now! Next time I actually use a pencil, I will test these out. I like to use pencils sometimes on craft projects but can never get it to erase totally. This might be the answer!

Air-In Eraser

I didn’t do cost breakdown on this box, but I totally think it’s worth the $12/month cost of the box. B and L and I had a great time taste testing everything in the kitchen and since the snacks and goodies are different every month, it’ll never get any less exciting.

Testing the Snacks

What do you think of Skoshbox? If you are interested in signing up (they are taking orders for their first box which is set to arrive on 8/1) or just want to learn more, click here!

Disclosure: This box was received for review purposes! No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Posted in Monthly Subscription Boxes | Tagged Addicted, skoshbox | 15 Comments

June For the Makers Review

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Jennifer

June For The Makers

For the Makers is a monthly DIY accessories subscription kit. Each month you receive chic materials to complete four projects along with tutorials on how to complete them. I bought a 3-month subscription, gosh, back in April on Fab.com and June was the first box I received.

The Box

For the Makers ships via USPS and arrived in a small’ish plain brown box. I wasn’t even 100% sure what it was until I read the label. My For the Makers box shipped from New Jersey and got to me (in MI) in about 4 days.

First Look

Like a few other boxes out there, For the Makers ships a box in a box. While I am a sucker for adorable packaging, I’m just not sure how necessary this is – not just for For The Makers, but for any of the boxes? But I do try and reuse ALL the boxes when I can and this is a great size, so maybe it’s a good thing?

The Box in the Box

It’s hard to tell the size of the box from this picture, but I’d describe it as bigger than a Birchbox, but smaller than say, a Citrus Lane box.

Second First Look

I had no idea at all what I was going to see when I opened the box. I’d never seen any reviews on For the Makers (probably because I never looked) and hadn’t spent much time on their website checking out old projects. I basically redeemed my voucher and then just waited for the box to show up! I loved the colors I saw on the first look and was curious to see what on earth I’d be creating.

The Project Card

The June For the Makers box was the “Tradewinds Collection” and was described as tassels, raffia and a touch of shine. Here are the four projects that were included:

Brigitte Earrings:

Brigitte Earrings: The Materials (image credit: For the Makers)

I forgot to take pictures of the materials for each of the individual projects, but luckily For the Makers has them on their site. The box came with everything pictured with the exception of the pliers and the scissors. And umm, I wish I would have looked at this picture on their site because I totally threw that piece of paper away! Oops.

Brigitte Earrings: Pretend These Are Done

I won’t give you the step-by-step details on how to make these earrings (you can go here if you want to see more), but it’s fair to say I failed at this one. Attaching the jewel was easy, as was making the tassels, but trying to get that little ring through the raffia? Not so easy. I gave up and may or may not reattempt! And this is only one earring. I was so annoyed I couldn’t get it to work (and didn’t want to further chip my nails) that I didn’t start the other one!

Paola Push Pins:

Paola Push Pins: The Materials (image credit: For the Makers)

I saw the materials for this and thought, now this is something I can handle!

Paola Push Pins: The Final Product

And I was correct! I totally nailed this one. All it involved was gluing the stones onto the flat tacks, but I was feeling quite good after this one was completed. The glue took longer to dry than I expected though. I guess I was thinking it was superglue like? It’s not.

Sophia Headband:

Sophia Headband: The Materials (image credit: For the Makers)

I wasn’t overly thrilled by the actual headband in the box, but I was excited to make it. I’ve mentioned it before, but headbands give me a headache. And a headband like this would totally hurt! Still it is cute and I plan on sending to one of my friend’s daughters.

Sophia Headband: The Final Product

I thought this was going to be SO hard, but actually was the easiest project in the box. Behind the push pins of course. All you had to so was wrap the raffia around the headband, which secured the the crystal. I glued the edges of the raffia down to make sure it stayed and that was that!

~Bibi Gem Cuff:

Bibi Gem Cuff (image credit: For the Makers)

This was the first project I attempted and while I saw that I needed pliers I thought they were just “suggested” and I figured I could use scissors or something instead. WRONG. If they say you need pliers, go get some pliers .

Bibi Gem Cuff: The Final Product

I thought I did a pretty good job with this one, but I realized that it doesn’t look much like the final picture on the For the Makers site. Still, I made it so I’m proud. However, I am going to try and disassemble it because I should NOT have the open ends of those little clasp things showing. I don’t know what I was thinking?

I didn’t do a cost breakdown on this box because I have no idea where I’d find all that information. It’d involve a big field trip to some craft stores and I’m not up for that! Boxes are $29/month (I think I paid $21.67/month on Fab.com when they had the deal though) and I feel like I got my money’s worth. Will I wear everything? No. But I did enjoy making everything and it made me realize I am much less crafty than I think!

Do you subscribe to For the Makers? What’d you think of the Tradewinds Collection? If you are interested in subscribing or want to learn more, click here.

Posted in Crafts, Monthly Subscription Boxes | Tagged Addicted, For the Makers | 5 Comments

Monday Morning Ramblings

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Jennifer

~I spent some time this weekend catching up on some blog things and getting organized around the house and I’m feeling good! I’m still not sure when this big garage sale of ours will be, but it’s so happening. Swear. B’s gotta get these races in while it’s still nice out though, so scheduling is rough. Has anyone ever done a Thursday night / Friday & Saturday garage sale? Or heck, Friday night / Saturday only? Thoughts?

~I’m not expecting too many boxes this week. I’m pretty sure I’m getting Citrus Lane, Barkbox, HelloFresh, TheBouqs, and Ellie. The review for For the Makers is also coming this week. Umm, let’s just say that my pieces don’t look quite like the ones on the website . I *think* I am also getting Foldigo and The Fantasty Box, but I am not 100% sure they will be here by the end of the week. I am still waiting on various other June boxes, but those are what I am expecting this week.

~I know some of you were interested in the Costco Mason Jar Mugs and I am headed there tomorrow. So if you want me to pick you up a set, let me know! They are $19.99 (plus tax and shipping). I cannot imagine shipping being much more than $7 or $8? But I’ll charge you whatever the actual cost is okay? And let me know which color set you want.

The Options

~I’m hoping I can get my Disney Cruise Review posted this week and a few other non-box things up, including some meal plans for the Challenge and some kids craft projects I’ve been wanting to do. I’m going to try and take full advantage of this semi-slow week!

~Ohh, I should mention that B is back from Bonnaroo! They left last night during Tom Petty when it started to rain and made it home without any trouble. And luckily they did not have to wait in a huge line to leave like they had to wait in to get in! I think he’d glad to be home. He said he’d go again, but in an RV next time. LOL. He’s going to be sleeping in a tent again soon because L is SO ready to backyard camp. He remembers doing it last summer and talks about it all the time. Maybe it’ll be nice enough this weekend to do it then.

~L is already missing school. Totally. Not the actually school part, but for sure the friend part. He was so sad when he was talking about a few of his friends last night and how much he missed. My heart was breaking. Poor kid! Luckily for him there’s a birthday party with those kids coming up soon, so he’ll get to see them again. Nothing much is new with WB. Still annoyed with walking and not so thrilled he’s (finally) getting teeth! Ohh, and here’s an outtake from the D-A-D pictures I did for Father’s Day. Such work getting ~~those boys~~ WB to pose!

Alright, enough from here. How was your weekend? And what do you have going on this week? Anything exciting? Expecting any boxes??

Posted in Monday Morning Ramblings | Tagged Ramblings, Random | 10 Comments

Sunday Sentiments

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Jennifer

Once again, I’m totally stealing Jen’s Sunday Sentiments button and idea and making it mine tonight.

~B is still out of town (or else of course I would have let him sleep in and made him breakfast in bed – LOL), but the boys and I wanted to do something fun for him so we made a little “DAD” picture. Taking the pictures was similar to trying to take the monthly onesie stickers of WB in his crib, but we made it through. And I think B loved it .

~I am going to do a giveaway in my newsletter tonight so make sure you open it and enter! I have NOT decided what I am going to give away yet or I would totally tell you.

~A few people asked yesterday what a muffin tin meal was. Basically they are meals served in a muffin tin. L likes the 12-slot mini muffin tin, but the 6-slot regular muffin tin is easier to do. Here’s an example of L’s meal from last night and here’sa post I did on muffin tin meals a while back.

The Meal

~If you still want in on the Advocare 24-Day Challenge, but haven’t ordered yet, there is still time to get it before we start next Monday. I am actually thinking that B and I may start on June 23rd instead of the 24th so it’s easier to follow if you need meal ideas or need to know what to take, when to take it, etc. I’m going to have a post bookmarked that I’ll update daily with all that information and how B and I are feeling, etc. If you have no idea what I am talking about, but might be interested click here and read about it.

~Is anyone else going to watch Miss USA tonight? I LOVE pageants and of course I am routing for Miss Michigan. Not that I have any clue who she is, but I got to route for my home state!

~I’m thinking about making just one more trip to Bath & Body Works for the semi-annual sale (or doing an online haul), but I gotta know, is there anything else I NEED? I haven’t gotten a fresh BBW lotion scent in ages. Any new favorites I have been missing out on?

Posted in Sunday Sentiments | Tagged Ramblings, Random | 6 Comments

June Bulu Box Review

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Jennifer

June Bulu Box

I signed up for Bulu Box when they had a free box deal a while back and then ended up getting a 3-month subscription I believe? I got my June Bulu (Weight Loss) Box yesterday, which, I believe, is the last month of my deal.

The Box

I don;t recall getting a tracking number in the past, but I got one this month and was able to track my box without a problem. Bulu Box ships via USPS, but it look a bit to arrive. A week actually. It must be first class mail, not priority mail.

First Look

I was surprised to realize that June is the first birthday of Bulu Box! I had no idea they’d only been around a year.

The Information Card

The information card includes pictures and descriptions of all of the products in the box. The June Bulu Box theme was “Feel-Good Discovery” On the reverse side of the information card is a “My Sample Journal” which lists each of the samples and then asks how you felt before the sample and how you left after so you can easily remember, yeah I like that one, or nope, that wasn’t for me. I always forget to fill mine out, but I do like the idea. Here’s what my June box included:

~BioVi Probiotic: Am I the only person left who doesn’t take a probiotic? I have often considered it but just haven’t actually done it. Plus I don’t really know where to start. Wait, I guess this would be a place to start? I am going to give this a go and see if I can even tell any difference? And probiotic users, tell me more!!

BioVi Probiotic

~BluCetin: Ohh, if only this would have come before Bonnaroo! I am guessing B isn’t feeling at his best in the mornings and maybe this would have helped? Certainly couldn’t have made things worse that’s for sure!

BluCetin

~FlapJacked Protein Pancakes: I was *this close* to buying this the last time I placed an order at Bulu Box and didn’t because I just was’t sure! They aren’t iHOP pancakes, but they are pretty good .

FlapJacked Protein Pancakes

~EatGreenTea: This is….interesting. It’s not green tea like you think of green tea. It’s tea that you mix in with your food. I am sort of scared to mix this since I don’t want to ruin whatever I am eating. I do like the idea of getting the benefits of this into my diet, but I am worried about the taste. Has anyone every tried this?

EatGreenTea

~Shapeology Burn Blend: This is supposed to mimic the effect of high metabolism to help you lose weight. I’m NOT one of those people who was blessed with high metabolism, however, I probably won’t try this because I am starting the Challenge soon!

Shapeology Burn Blend

I didn’t do a cost breakdown this month, but after reviewing the products and getting the points to spend in the Bulu Box store, the box will have ended up costing $5! Not a bad deal at all! I would have paid $5 just to try the pancake mix!!

Did you get Bulu Box this month? What’d you think? If you are interested in subscribing or want to learn more, click here. And don’t forget to use the code “BULUGAN372″ to score your first box free!