Citrus Lane January 2014 Review

I got my January 2014 Citrus Lane box yesterday! This is always my favorite box to get and it's not even items for me!

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 (they just recently raised the price from $25/month) but if you buy longer subscriptions you can get them as low as $19/month).

Citrus Lane always includes a very nice information card with their boxes. On the front of it, it talked about winter and them trying to send a little reminder about spring that's right around the corner. On the back of the info card lists the items and descriptions and apparently Citrus Lane has come out with a new app as well. 

first look

This is what I got in my 14 Month Old, Baby Girl 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.  I'm not really sure how these items are Spring related, but here they are anyways.

Shape Sorter from Plan Toys ($10.00) - this is absolutely perfect for EM. She loves all her shape sorters but MOMMY loves the fact that she can't lose the shapes. I may actually keep this one in my diaper bag for when we are out and about. Looks like a quality wood play toy too!

Owl Lunchie from Skip Hop ($14.00) - This is adorable, however we have no need for it whatsoever. EM's daycare provides breakfast and lunch and she'll be there until Kindergarten and I'm not holding on to this for YEARS. So, I actually listed it on e-bay last night and it sold before I woke up this morning. Apparently they are hot items! It is BPA-free and Phthalate-free so that's good for its new owner. 

Adhesive Bandages from Ouchies ($5.00) - these are cute bandaids. We haven't had a need for bandaids yet but as soon as (hopefully soon!) EM starts walking I'm sure there will be lots of boo-boos! We still have the Ouchies from a previous Citrus Lane box as well so we've got quite a few now. These are also latex free. Although, I'll say it again, kind of pricy for 20 bandaids, cute or not.

Travel Dish Soap from Dapple ($1.99) - If I didn't use my dishwasher for EVERYTHING, this would be great. I know I received this in the past as well and I've still never used it. Every once in a while something will be hand wash only and I'll use dish soap, but it's not that often. I guess this would be helpful to bring on a cruise so I don't have to bring soooo many sippy cups (normally I don't wash any of them just use them and rinse them out and pack them away) It's also an an all-natural cleaner (free of parabens, phthalates, SLS, SLES, 1,4-dioxane and dyes) that is supposed to target milk residue. 

Total Estimated Value of Box: ~$31.99 (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.

Overall Impression: Had I paid the new full price ($29), I would have thought I got skimped on the value. I do love that shape sorter though! Hopefully EM will too. However since I already sold the lunchbox for more than I paid for the entire box itself, I think I did alright. Just would think that since they raised the price on the box that there would be a better overall value. 

If you are interested in signing up for Citrus Lane… please use my referral link and get $10/off your first box (and I’ll get a $10 credit as well) https://www.citruslane.com/invitedby/citrus.lane.607957

Remember, you can cancel at any time, so your first box would only be $19, 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!

Five on Friday - Health and Fitness, Diet Bets + EXCITING NEWS!

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(ONE) Like always, I'm trying to refocus myself with eating better and exercising more. Last week I said I was going to come up with some strength training to start this week. Well, my friend's husband (who is super into fitness) made a circuit type workout for me to do and I plan to start on Monday with a 10k training plan. I decided I need to come up with a plan and try to stick to it, otherwise I keep making more and more excuses. I know I can run a 10k, I obviously did last week and I don't want to commit enough time I do a true half marathon training plan (which I also know I can run) so figured I'd just mix strength training in with a 10k running plan and I found one online which seems exactly what I am looking for. I figure even on days I don't feel like running, I will at least walk the miles that I'm supposed to. I also plan to switch a few things up: take 2 rest days instead of 1 (by removing one of the cross train days) and start my week on Sunday instead of Monday. As long as I do 5 of the 6 things listed for the week, I think that'll be good and way better than what I'm doing now which is only cardio (1-2 times per week). Oh yea, we got a weight bench/multi purpose bench for Christmas and went to put it together on Tuesday night and it was missing a dang screw, so now we're waiting for the company to send us one (should be here any day) so hopefully we'll get that finished and can finally "finish" our home gym.

the original plan

my modified plan

(TWO) To help with my motivation for the above, my celebrity crush, Chris Powell, and his wife Heidi (who is also pretty awesome) is hosting a Diet Bet. It's $30 to join and you have to lose 4% in 4 weeks (28 days). Everyone who meets that goal will split the pot - which is currently at $10,680 ($30 x 356 participants). And there are still 11 days for more people to join (well before it starts, apparently you can join late but you still have to lose 4%, so that'd be tough)! I know I can do it and I told myself that with my winnings (which hopefully will be a decent amount as I can't imagine everyone will make it - I'm guessing it's about 50%) I'll get a FitBit (or something similiar, haven't done enough research yet). I know they are the trendy thing right now, but I want one! Everyone I know who has one, loves it. Wish me luck, competition starts on Jan 28th! Want to join? Use this link: http://diet.bt/1at3Urm 

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(THREE) It's a beautiful day out, weather wise (a little chilly), so I think today is going to be the day that I ride my bike to pick EM up from day care. It's just about 3 miles each way, all on sidewalks and trailing the bike trailer is a piece of cake. 

(FOUR) Today is my off friday and we have Monday off for MLK Day which means I have a 4 Day Weekend! The only actualy plans I have are on Saturday (a baby shower and a birthday party) unless you count the mound of laundry I have to do. Looking forward to what will hopefully be a relaxing weekend (minus the laundry). G is 

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(FIVE) Super exciting new!! In two weekends, my sister and her hubby are  finding out the gender on their baby and having a small (family only) gender reveal party! I'm so excited!! Can't wait to see if I'm going to have another niece or nephew!! and a plus, my cousin from NY happens to be coming that weekend too so I'll get to see her, haven't seen in probably a good 9 months!

Walt Disney World 10k Race Recap

So, last Friday was the Inaugural Walt Disney World 10k .If you remember, I have a love/hate relationship with Disney races and this one was not different starting with a very early wake up! The alarm went off at 3:30am, I snoozed until 3:40 and then G, our friend Ryan and myself were out the door by 4am. We arrived and parked at Epcot right around 4:30ish and by 4:45 made our way to the start corrals for the 5:30 start. I theory, we could have left a little later, but then traffic gets so bad that you potentially can’t get there in time. 10,000 runners + volunteers, vendors, and supporters, all trying to be at the same place, at the same time, at Disney = a traffic nightmare, hence why we tried to get there by the recommended 4:30. All three of us started in Corral D (there was a total of 5 corrals: A-E) so we were second to last which means we didn’t even cross the start line until a good 30 minutes after the race start fireworks were launched. G and Ryan decided to be smart and just walk the 10k since they were doing the Dopey Challenge (Thursday: 5k, Friday: 10k, Saturday: ½ Marathon, and Sunday: Full Marathon – 7.000 people signed up for the Dopey Challenge which means 70% of the 10k runners were Dopey Challengers) and didn’t want to outdo themselves before the long races. So, like usual, I ran alone. Normally I don’t mind, but for some reason this race sucked. First off, I should have known it was going to be a bad idea to wear long sleeves. It was chilly in the morning, but by the time I made it to the corral (I power walked because I had to go back to the car to switch out my headphones since the ones I brought didn’t work with my lifeproof case and we had a spare set in the car) I was already too warm for the long sleeve tech shirt and I knew that wasn’t going to be good for the run. By mile one I was already hot and sweaty and if I had more confidence, I would have taken it off and ran in my sports bra. I’m not that confident and therefore suffered the whole time. In addition to being hot, my stomach was GROWLING. Since I’m dieting, err making a lifestyle change, I’ve been eating a reduced amount of calories and the day/night before the race I didn’t indulge in some good carbs like I normally do before a race so by like mile 2, my stomach was growling and I was so hungry. The banana and Clif Mini bar I had for breakfast just weren’t cutting it. Also, for a Disney race, it lacked the vast entertainment that I’m used to. I’m not sure if it’s because the race was on a typical “work/school day”or what but normally I find their races VERY entertaining, and this one just seemed to be lacking. So pretty much, I just kept telling myself, the faster I get done, the faster I can eat (Disney always gives you a snack box at the end of the races). I seriously devoured the box in just a few minutes once I got my medal. I then walked to the car and waited for the boys.

The course itself was good, although I always complain about the boring part where you just run on the street and not in the parks, but overall the course was enjoyable. We ran through the boardwalk and resorts and through Epcot. There were 4 water stops, which was perfect and for once I didn't have to go to bathroom while running so I didn't pay attention to availability but I know there were a good amount and none really had lines that I noticed. The finish line and just general race supporters were definitely a lot less prominent, and once again, not sure if it’s because it was a week/school day or what but normally the finish line is PACKED with people, this time it just wasn’t. During my run, I saw a girl with a boot on, just walking it. I thought to myself, no way I’d do this in a boot, but then again maybe if I had already paid the race participant fee + had my travel plans paid for (assuming she wasn’t a local) than I might think differently. Way to go, Boot Girl! I also saw another girl with a boot on using one of those walker things and was quite impressed. I’m assuming it’s the same circumstances, didn’t want to just eat all the money spent to be there. G happened to see her – or at least someone also using a walker with a boot - during the ½ on Saturday so I almost wonder if she was a Dopey Challenger). When I’m injured, I’m the laziest person ever, it was refreshing to see people not let their injuries get in the way of their goal. (Although, I’m not sure how SMART that is in regards to recovery). Anyways, even though the run sucked due to my own circumstances, the race wasn’t that bad and I finished in a reasonable time for not training. After the race, I went home and got ready for work and made it there by 9:20, not too shabby.

These guys were pretty cool:

And of course the sweet medals:

My Stats:

Official Chip Time: 01:17:58 (overall pace of 12:32)

Place: 4396 of 9234 finishers

Place: 1941 of the 5193 Women Finishers

Place: 239 of 649 in my Women’s Age Division (25-29)

5k Split: 37:56

My RunKeeper stats (which accounts for the zigzagging, run off to the bathroom, etc.):

6.37 miles in 1:18:07 (overall pace of 12:15)

Fastest Mile: #1 at 11:41

Slowest Mile #6 at 13:32

#2014BloggerChallenge - Skincare

Well the topic for the 2nd Post of the #2014BloggerChallenge is about skincare. It's kind of open ended, but to be honest I'm not that excited about posts about beauty, which to me skincare relates to. As much as I'd like to think I'm into it, I'm not. But the point of the challenge is to widen your horizons on your normal blogging topics so here goes. 

I don't really have a skincare routine. Should I have one? Probably. My routine consists of washing my face with either Neutrogena, Clean and Clear Daily Pore Cleanser (or Target version), or Noxzema, when I shower. I have all 3 in my shower and switch it up every few days. Although, my preferred of the three is the Clean and Clear, it's also the easiest of the three to travel with. That's it. I don't wash my face every morning or every night before bed. I don't worry about getting my makeup off my face before bed. I wash it while in the shower only. Sometimes I shower at night and sometimes it's in the morning, but that's when my face gets clean. I don't regularly moisturize, although lately I have been using my Purlisse moisturizer that came in a Birchbox, but not on a regular basis. Maybe a few times a week. I have noticed my face makeup looks way better (when I wear it) after I moisturize. If I put on face makeup, it's a mineral based powder, or if I'm trying to get really done up, I do use a liquid foundation first. This is rare. I hardly wear much more than mascara. 

As as a teen I had horrible acne. Luckily, after using Proactiv as a teen, I haven't had too many issues except once in a blue moon I'll get a period zit or two. In the summer, I do put on SPF (zinc oxide or a moisturizer that has SPF in it) often because I don't want my face to burn (yes, I know you can burn not in the summer as well, but I tend to be outdoors more in the summer). I'm also really bad about putting on lotion on my skin in general. My sister is obsessed with putting on lotion and puts on a ton after each shower. I'm the complete opposite and only put it on when I'm starting to appear ashy. My mom is a lotion person as well, although not as obsessed as my sister. I'm not sure where I became so nonchalant about it taking care of my skin and I'm sure in 10 years I'll regret all this when I really start aging.

So that's my routine, or lack there of. What about you? Do you have a real routine? What kind of products do you use? Am I crazy for not caring more about my skin?

Bachelor Recap / Fantasy Standings: Week 2

I take back what I said last week about Juan Pablo, he isn't that lame after all. I do have mixed opinions about him though so after what happened on the group date. So here are my thoughts on this week's episode...

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• I thought the date with Clare was super cute and they definitely got to know each other a lot better. It was definitely something unique to do in LA. I thought the date was great and he seems to really like Clare and likewise Clare seems to really like him.
• The Electric Run date with Kat looked like a blast. I thought it was such a fun idea and with Juan Pablo being such an active guy, it probably gave him a good idea with how active Kat would/could be in the future. She seemed to legitimately enjoy it whereas I could see some of the girls being too stuck up to want to do something like that.
• The group date was interesting. The concept was cute but I don't really think naked girls will help get dogs adopted faster. I lost a lot of respect for Juan Pablo when he convinced Andi to pose nude when she was clearly uncomfortable about it. She's a freaking District Attorney, she doesn't need to be posing nude and he should have respected her class not to push her into doing it.  (Although I'm not sure how much any of them REALLY care about their image since they are contestants on the Bachelor, but still, there is a BIG line between being half naked and fully nude (the sign doesn't count). If she was making a big deal about posing in a bikini, I'd say "come on" but nude is completely different. I also thought the producer/director of the shoot was a douche was trying to convince the 1st Grade Teacher Elise to do something she wasn't comfortable with. Luckily, she was smart enough to ask Loopy Lucy to trade.
• Speaking of Lucy, that girl is not pretty at all (in my opinion) and is way too "free-spitited" - she's clearly on the show for entertainment and I don't see JP keeping her around much longer as there is no way he's want someone like her as a step-mom to his daughter. Hey Camila, it's completely normal to walk around butt ass naked in public, yea I don't think so. I did however appreciate the way she interrupted JP's time with Nikki to let him know about Victoria, she did that very nicely.
• On to Victoria, that girl has some serious issues. Normally, girls don't get THAT emotional and dramatic until at least week 4. I'm glad he sent her home at the hotel and she's crazy if she ever thought he'd keep her after that. He's looking for a stable person to raise his daughter with, not someone who goes crazy after a few drinks. 
• It's obvious that he really appreciates the single moms, Renee and Cassandra. He obviously knows that they know what it takes to be a parent, and there is something to say about that. Renee is super sweet but come on, kiss him already, you were super close, twice! My first question though to Cassandra would be, um you live in Michigan, is your kid's father ok with you potentially moving him to FL? Although, as I was trying to remember where she was from, a little google search told me the kid's dad is a Detroit Pistons player, so he probably doesn't care that much since he doesn't really stay put for long anyways. I like both the mom's a lot, and Renee is really sweet for trying to help all the girls when they are sad, it must be the Mom in her.

That's all I really want to say about this week, I still think Nikki is super cute and at this time is my favorite, but damnit she's not on my fantasy league so based on my team, Kat is my fave!

Bachelor Fantasy League Standings:

Money League Standings after Week 2

JL: 670

LL: 600

JR: 390

DS: 320

SR: 180

ME: 175

KW: 140

The Teams:

JL:  Elise, Lucy, Lauren H, Christine, Victoria

JR: Amy L, Christi, Elise, Kat, Victoria

LL: Alli, Cassandra, Elise, Lucy, Valerie

DS: Victoria, Sharleen, Nikki, Kat, Andi

ME: Alexis, Christi, Kat, Lacy, Valerie

SR: Alexis, Amy L, Chelsie, Kat, Lauren S

KW: Alexis, Ashley, Chelsie, Lauren H, Valerie

Received a Rose:

Alli, Andi, Cassandra, Chelsie, Christi, Clare, Danielle, Elise, Kat, Kelly, Lauren S, Lucy, Nikki, Renee, Sharleen

Sent Packing:

Victoria, Amy L, Chantel

Points Earned:

Kiss JP (FIRST): Clare (100) – not on any teams

Appears alone in Hot Tub with JP: Clare (100) – not on any teams

Has a body part censored by ABC (FIRST): Lucy (100)

Involved in a real kiss: Clare (20), Cassandra (20)

Swears: Victoria (20), Kat (20)

Cries: Victoria (20), Cassandra (20)

Interrupts Another Contestant’s Alone Time with Juan Pablo: Chelsie (30), Lucy (30)

Has a body part censored by ABC: Lucy (30), Andi (30)

Receives a rose on group date: Kelly (30)

Gets a 1-on-1 Date: Clare (30), Kat (30)

Reads a Date Card: Elise (50), Clare (50), Blonde? - did anyone catch who it was?

Receives first given rose at Ceremony: Cassandra (50) 

Eliminations Points:

JL:  100/each: Chantel, Kelly - 100 Earned

JR: 50/each: Andi, Kelly, Lucy, Nikki - ZERO earned

LL: 100/each: Chantel, Kelly - 100 Earned

DS: 20/each: Ali, Amy L, Cassandra, Chelsie, Christi, Danielle, Elise, Kelly, Renee, Victoria- 40 earned

ME: 50/each: Victoria, Christy, Danielle, Elise - 50 Earned

KW: 50/each: Cassandra, Chantel, Danielle, Elise - 50 Earned

SR: 50/each: Cassandra, Chantel, Sharleen, Victoria - 100 Earned