That's Good Enough for Another....

...UCF First Down!!! Music to all UCF fan's ears! Today is our 1st home game and I'm super excited! We lost our first two games (barely lost the Penn State Game  and got killed by Missouri) but hopefully being back at home will help! I hope to hear lots of "first down" commentary tonight!  We did lose our star QB and RB to the NFL after last season but we've got a good team, they just need to play well! 

I love tailgating and everything that goes along with the home, gameday experience. Well, I love it even more when I can indulge in some good drinking but that clearly isn't an option this season. I'm just glad I'm making it to any home games at all. This might be my only one (although having ABs will more than make up for the missed games!). Sitting in Memory Mall (where most of the students tailgate), people watching, grilling (or just eating yummy tailgate food in general), playing drinking games (hey, I can still play with water lol), and just enjoying the atmosphere... Ah there is just something about it! Love it! 

Last season EM was great during the games, would even sleep through the noise but I'm not so confident she'll make it through an entire game tonight.  At least she looks adorable, even if we do end up having to leave early! 

Here's hoping my one and only home game this season will end with a big WIN! Go Knights! 

Citrus Lane September 2014

We received our September Citrus Lane box today. The box was on the smaller side, which normally means I don't like it as much, not sure why, but it always seems to work out that way. 

For those of you that don't know, Citrus Lane  is a monthly subscription service where you get a box of goodies for your child that are geared towards their current age (and sometimes Mommy) each month delivered to your door. You never know what you are going to get, but overall I have not been disappointed. Plans start at $29/month but if you buy longer subscriptions you can get them as low as $19/month or even cheaper when they run specials). 

Citrus Lane   always includes a very nice information card with their boxes that lists the items and descriptions and some coupon codes! 

This is what I got in my 22 Month Old, Toddler Girl, September 2014 Box and the approximate retail value I found for each item from their specific website (or Amazon, since if you know me, I'm an Amazon Junkie and would most likely buy from there). Sometimes I have to do some math because the sizes aren’t quite the same, hence why they are approximate values.

Long-sleeved Graphic Tea from Tea Collection - I've never received an article of clothing in any of my baby boxes before so I was pleasantly surprised to see one included. It's a cute and colorful top which hopefully EM will get a chance to wear once it cools down. It's a size 2, but EM is on the smaller side, so it may be too big before it warms up in spring, we shall see. I would never actually buy EM a shirt at this price (I barely spend this much on my own tops lol) but we'll certainly take it as part of our box. Also included was a $25 off $50 purchase coupon. ($26.50 at www.teacollection.com)

Links 3D Foam Bath Pieces from Boon - We seriously have more bath toys than we know what to do with. These will be saved for a baby shower gift or whenever some of our bath toys get yucky, whichever comes first. We've receive other Boon bath toys before and they are definitely good quality and I like how the foam pieces actually sticks to the tub walls. ($9.99 on Amazon)

Write Your Own Labels from Emily Press - I've actually  been seeing labels like this talked about on some other blogs I read and I think they are wonderful! We have a label maker which does withstand the dishwasher as well but these are way cuter than the generic looking labels from our maker. We'll be needing to label AB's bottles soon when she heads to day care so these will definitely come in handy. ($9.99 at www.emilypress.com)

Reusable Snack Bags 2 Pack from Bumkins (in Pink Love Birds and Bloom) - We currently use reusable containers for snacks, but something about reusable snack bags seems weird since I'm so used to just using ziplock bags. (At least when I was a kid that's all there was). These are machine washable though so maybe they'll come in handy after all and will definitely save money on ziplock bags when I have to start packing a lunch every day for EM (although that is quite a few years away right now) ($6.95 on Amazon)

Total Estimated Value of Box: ~$53.43 not including shipping)

Total Cost of Box: $29.00 (free shipping) -- I only paid $10 though because of an awesome deal I found on Plum District --> definitely keep an eye out for those on Plum District, Groupon and Living Social - Citrus Lane is currently running specials on both Living Social and Groupon.

Overall Impression: Great box and a great value! My dislike for "smaller" boxes has ended here :) 

If you are interested in signing up for CLICK HERE: Citrus Lane, and by using my link, you will get 50% off your first box (new customers only). Remember, you can cancel at any time, so your first box would only be $14.50, not too shabby!

Did you get Citrus Lane this month? What'd you get and for how old of a child?

Disclosure: This post contains referral links!

ipsy "Street Style" September 2014 Glam Bag Review

I received my ipsy glam bag today and look at me, already got my post up about it! 

For those of you that don't know, ipsy is a monthly subscription service where or only $10/month (cancel at any time!) you get a Glam Bag (make up bag) filled with 4-5 beauty products curated by Michelle Phan! You get ipsyPoints for reviewing your items (and for doing other things within the site) that can be used toward purchases of additional items.

First things first, ipsy comes in a pretty envelope and inside is of course the Glam Bag stuffed with goodies.  The theme this month was "Street Style". Their Glam Room for this month isn't updated yet but the Glam Bag itself is probably my favorite bag ever.

ipsy doesn't send out information cards (Birchbox does, which I definitely prefer). however, an information card isn't really necessary since all items can be found in your "Glam Room" on their website and all have coupon codes for additional purchases if you want to buy some more. It looks like there were a possibility of 18 items this month (although multiple variations/shades of some items) and each subscriber got some combination of 5 of them depending on their preferences from their ipsy beauty quiz match. Now on to my goodies..

Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush - This seems like a really high quality brush so I was surprised to see it was pretty inexpensive and it serves as two! (~$6.99 for one brush)

Pacifica Natural Water-Proof Eye Pencil (in Fringe) - I don't ever wear anything besides black, so I'll be passing this on to a friend. The website doesn't say what size a full size pencil is but it does cost $11 so I'm estimating this sample is about 1/2 of that - although ipsy does send full size items sometimes, so it very well could be full size (~$5.50 for .026 oz sample)

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask - I always like to try out new deep conditioners on my hair. Since I color it, it does tend to need a little extra love sometimes. (~$4.95 for 1 fl oz sample)

Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss (in Love Affair) - This color seems a little more than "tinted" and totally not me! I'll be passing this on to a friend. (~$19.00 for .14 oz FULL SIZE sample)

Nourish Organic Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser - I'm always excited to try new face cleansers since I tend to use the same one and feel like sometimes my face needs a good shock of something else (luckily, I don't have that sensitive of skin that I've ever had a bad reaction to trying new kinds) This one happens to be fragrence-free, alcohol-free, gluten-free and vegan. (~$2.33 for 1 fl oz sample)


Total Estimated Value: ~$38.77 (not including the bag itself or any shipping) 

Total Price Paid: $10 (free shipping)

Overall Impression: Even though two items will be passed along (one being the most valuable item), I really did like this bag! Especially the bag itself! 

If you are interested in signing up for ipsy, use my referral link  (and I thank you in advance for some ipsyPoints to use for future add on items!)

Did you get ipsy this month? Did you like it? What'd you get?

Disclosure: This post contains referral links!

Austin Lloyd "Air and Space" September 2014 Review

I received my 2nd Austin Lloyd box yesterday and like last month, it was a larger sized box so I was excited to see what was in it!

Austin Lloyd is set up a little differently than what I’m used to with Citrus Lane which sends boxes by age, Austin Lloyd sends them by “Play Level” – which in a sense does correlate to age, but isn’t specific to say “18 months” it’s specific to a child who is doing certain physical and cognitive and you should select your box subscription based on that, rather than the child’s specific age.

We received the 19-24 month “play level” box and I was very pleased with its contents – all the items were to their theme “Air and Space”.  Just like last month, everything was beautifully wrapped. In an envelope the included a fun fact about the age/play level and information cards about all the items. They also had a card stating they would accept back anything you didn’t want and/or were done playing with and donate the items to charity (and they’d send you a pre-paid shipping label to use as well). I thought that was a unique touch. Here is what we got:

Rocket to the Moon (Playtime with Little Nye) by Lerryn Korda (~$7.92) EM actually is really enjoying  flipping through this book (at least 5 times while I'm typing this up) - Haven't read the story yet but looks cute. Then again, she loves almost all books, so this doesn't surprise me.

Em playing with both

Mini Air Plane by Kid O (~$5.95) I also gave this to EM right away to occupy her while I type this post and she's been having fun playing with it, so I guess this is a win!

Build a Helicopter by Wonderworld (~$20.01) This will be fun to do together, although I fear EM will want to try to keep taking it apart and putting it back together (she's in that stage with blocks and such). I'm not sure if it's something that is supposed to be disassembled once assembled? Guess we'll find out!

Bathtime Fun Bath Squirters: Space by Alex Toys (~7.68) We've got a ton of squirters in our bath tub already, I'll probably save these for a future baby shower gift OR once ours start getting nasty.

Color Steps by Kid O (~$7.01) EM loves puzzles of all kinds and loves doing shapes so this is perfect for her! This was the only item that didn't really fit the theme unless you count filling the space in the puzzle? 

This month I was able to find all the items online and used that price to get the estimated value of my box below. Several of the items seemed to be pretty overstated on the information cards and that's a little disappointing to be thinking you are getting a higher value item when it's available online for much less (I usually pick the first google search result if not on Amazon). Last month, they seemed to be much more accurate.

Total Estimated Value of Box: ~$48.57 (not including any shipping) --- estimated value according to info card was $78.97

Total Cost of Box: $49.99 (Free Shipping) 

Overall Impression: I love the items but just not sure the "value" is there when I could EASILY find these items for much cheaper online myself. Overall, even if the box was truly valued at almost $80, the subscription itself is just a little too pricey to continue(especially when I already have an annual subscription to Citrus Lane which only averaged out to about $10/month with the great deal I found!). I would never pay $35 for a small wooden helicopter (which was much cheaper on Amazon) and like last month, which also had one $35 item that I would never have bought ($35 for a small toy for a young child just seems like a lot when she'd be happy with a toy from the dollar store lol) I had no intention of continuing my subscription after the 1st month due to the higher cost but missed the deadline to cancel, this time I definitely made sure to cancel in time.

Have you received an Austin Lloyd box? What did you get in yours? Did you like it? You can sign up by clicking HERE.

Birchbox September 2014 Review

I received my September Birchbox today and actually took a sneak peek only this morning so was suprised to see it had come today. 

For those of you that don't now, Birchbox is a monthly subscription (cancel/pause any time) where you get a monthly box, delivered to your front door, of 4-6 high-end beauty and lifestyle samples from top brands. The best part, it's only $10/month! (and free shipping!)

Birchbox is always delivered in a nice (usually pink) box and within the packaging; there is always a nice little box with all the goodies, this month's "inside" box was super colorful compared to their normal plain cardboad colored box.  I'm actually not sure what the theme is this month , but the information card talked about diving into fall and celebrating  the 4th anniversary of Birchbox. This is what I got this month:

Mereadesso All-in-One Moisturizer ($28.00 for 12ml travel size sample) - wow, even if I loved this, I could never spend that much money on a moisturizer. It's $120 for a 4 oz bottle that should last 4 months according to their website. Granted, it is supposed to be a anti-aging day/night cream, serum, eye cream, toner AND primer so I suppose if I actually used all those items, it would be cheaper to use this all-in-one. I also like that the foil packet / travel size can be re-closed since the sample which is the "full size" travel size, is definitely more than just one application. 

Number 4 Hair Super Comb Prep & Protect (~$4.80 for 30 mL / 1 oz sample) - I'm not a big leave-in-conditoner type of person anymore, but I will try this out. This is a sulfate-free leave-in conditioner that safeguards color, strenghtens, and nourishes. 

Ofra Universal Eyebrow Pencil ($13.00 for .04 oz full size sample) - I've never used an eyebrow pencil before in my life, so this will be passed on to a friend. This is a water-resistant, universally flattering pencil that glides on for long-lasting definition. 

Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Ripe Raspberry ($7.00 for one 4 g full size sample) - Birchbox sells these in a 4pk, but the one received is the full-size for one of them. I wish it wasn't a colored balm though, but overall pretty moisturizing!

Ruffian Nail Lacquer in RUFFIAN Naked + Ruffian Dressing Room Nail Lacquer Remover Towelette ($10.00 for .17 oz  full size sample + ~$1.20 for one towelette) - this is SO not my color at all, will be passed along to a friend and I feel like over $1 for something to remove your polish one time is pretty pricey considering my entire bottle of polish remover is only like $1.79. 

Total Estimated Value of Box: ~$64.00 (not including shipping)

Total Cost of Box: $10.00 (Free Shipping)

Overall Impression: This is probably the highest valued box I've ever received from Birchbox and it had a ton of full-size samples, however it is probably one of my least favorite boxes because so many of the items aren't things I'd use. 

If you are interested in signing up for Birchbox, use my referral link. If you review each product monthly you also get credit money in the Birchbox shop. If you review each product each month (assuming there are 5) that equals $5 so the box itself pretty much costs $5 which is a great deal!

My box was "Birchbox 29" - if you click here and then change the last number you can see the different variations of boxes that were sent out, looks like there were 58 different variations this month.

Which box did you get this month? Did you like it?

The Last Few Weeks - in Pictures

Our last few weeks in pictures....

(probably a good 6 weeks now that I’m looking at my camera roll)

We’ve been very busy, pretty much every weekend!

We got to see baby Abigail in 4D, she was breech at the time, but hoping she’s moved since then – should hopefully find out next week! 

EM and I went on my parent’s boat for a day of fun in the sun while Daddy was golfing.

I spent a long week in West Virginia for work (G was on travel too) 

so EM spent the week with my parents

We attended an all-you-can eat Mac and Cheese charity event 

supporting Give Kids the World.

We hosted a watch party/breakfast for the UCF v Penn State game

 (that we unfortunately lost - boo!)

My in-laws hosted a yummy seafood boil

I got double baby practice while spending time with my good friend and her son.

We spent the day at the Four Seasons Hotel celebrating a friend’s birthday (super nice resort!) and EM had a blast playing in the kiddie area!

playing with her friend after a long day at the pool 

just loved this fixture in the lobby

gorgeous view from their balcony

I went and saw Disney on Ice presents Frozen with some friends (without EM, thought she might be too young to sit through it – I’m sure she would have loved it though, just wouldn’t have lasted the whole show) – OMG it was amazing, if it comes to your town, it’s a MUST SEE!

Sorry for the crappy photo quality, uploading them from my phone!