Citrus Lane December 2014 Box & Coupon Code

Citrus Lane is a subscription box for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Each box is personalized for the stage your child is in. It starts at $29 a box and decreases the longer you subscribe. This box is personalized for 3 year old Pearl.

Citrus Lane also has a shop where you can purchase products. I’ve had great experiences with their customer service and shipping services.

Pizza Stacker – Value $15?

Little Hoot Book – $6.95

Plum Organics Jammy Sammy in Apple Cinnamon – Approx Value $0.75

Melissa & Doug Princess Stamp Set – Value $9.95

Total Value – Approx $33

Overall, I was a little underwhelmed this month. There were so few items and the value is not as great as I would hope. I also feel like the stamps are a little ahead of where Pearl is right now, especially since it says 4+ on them. I was hoping for a more customized box but it’s not terrible. I’m sure we will use all these things. Pearl actually already ate the Jammy Sammy and I had some and it was definitely delicious and the highlight of this box.

Go over to Citrus Lane to see their box options and what’s in their shop. If you want to subscribe, use the code SAVE40 to get 40% off your first box!

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Discover Christmas

We are having a little trouble getting in the Christmas spirit over here. Yesterday I got out all the decorations but was having a hard time feeling motivated. I knew a good Christmas book to read with the girls was all I needed.

So last night before we left to go get a Christmas tree, we sat on the couch and read through “Discover Christmas.” It’s an early readers book but it was on the perfect level for both my girls. It talks about the different things that are done traditionally during the Christmas season. It was especially great for Pearl since she’s just getting to know what Christmas is all about.

This is a great book for an early reader or if you want to read it with your kids, it’s perfect for that too. It was great for getting us in the Christmas spirit last night with excellent pictures and great descriptions of each tradition. This book really set the tone for our Christmas season.

So now we have a tree that needs decorating. Time to turn on some Christmas music and get to work!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Koala Crate Review and Coupon Code

The Koala Crate is a subscription box from Kiwi Crate but is designed for kids from 3-4 years old. I love Kiwi Crate so I had to try this box for Pearl, who is nearly 3.

This box was all about exploring colors! I was so excited when I opened it because Pearl has been asking to paint for weeks now and I’ve never had any for her to use. Now, we’re all set!

Included in this box:

1 Book, “Imagine!”
1 Color Cube
1 Set of Color Sheets
1 Paper Banner with Cotton Cord
1 Box of Jumbo Crayons
1 Set of Watercolors with Paintbrush
I Coloring Pad

In the book that says “For The Grownup Assistant”, there are instructions for 3 different activities: A color scavenger hunt, a watercolor banner, and color explorations. By each activity, it tells you whether the amount of messiness is low, medium or high, and whether the level of grownup involvement is low, medium or high. That is all I ever want to know before starting a craft with Pearl! They have thought of everything!

This box starts at $19.99 a month and decreases with a 6 or 12 month subscription. Right now they are having their Black Friday sale! Go here to their site and enter the code MERRYSUB at checkout to get 60% off your first month! But hurry! It’s only for a limited time!

I’m so happy with this box! It will provide hours of entertainment for my crazy Pearl.

Tips For Living With A 2 Year Old

A 2 year old is a crazy, hilarious, emotion machine. So much is going on in that kid’s tiny world and they don’t know how to process or express most of it except in tantrum form. There’s no fixing the situation. It is what it is. So I’ve come up with some tips for those of us lucky enough to be blessed with these funny angels.

• Prepare for the worst. I don’t mean this to sound cynical, but if you plan to see a box of cheerios dumped all over the kitchen floor every morning, it’s not as depressing when you actually stumble across that scene. That’s my experience, anyway.
• “Messy” will take on a whole new meaning. A 2 year old is a mess connoisseur, if you will. It’s a carefully honed craft that they take pleasure in creating and no amount of yelling will change that fact.
• Crying. So. Much. Crying. And over the craziest of things. A missing shoe, a different toy, the wrong color crayon. Anything will set these little water buckets off and it’s up to us to figure out how to minimize the damage.
• Nap time rarely means there will be a nap time. Sure, you want them to lay down and sleep, but all they seem to understand is that this is the time for jumping and screaming. When else would you perform these activities?
• Afternoons are generally a wash. At this point, you’re probably out of ideas on how to entertain them so it becomes a free for all. And you are under no circumstances in control of that free for all.
• The bedtime struggle is real. Just when you think the day is over, a whole new battle is brewing and there’s a 50/50 chance of survival. You go to bed, or they do. By the end of it, usually someone is crying.

In the end, living with a 2 year old can be a huge struggle. But it can also be incredibly wonderful. It’s not going to be one way or the other all the time, but between the fighting and the crying and the screaming and the mess-making, I have seen my little baby girl trying to figure out how to grow up and I just want to help her. 

Those are the moments I try to hold on to when I walk through a mysterious puddle of liquid on the kitchen floor or find a whole roll of toilet paper in the still-filled-from-last-night bathtub. A 2 year old is just little and is trying to figure out the world around them as much as I am. It helps to try and remember that everyday.

What about you? Do you have any tips for living with a 2 year old? 
I’d love to hear them.

Now, excuse me while I go unclog my toilet.

Fall is Finally Here!

We live in Arizona for the winter time. The summer’s are so brutal, but it makes it all worth it once winter rolls around. And now that we have a trampoline it makes the weather that much sweeter.

Let’s talk about Pearl for a minute: She’s almost 3 and her life has been pretty great up until Wallace arrived. She’s really having a hard time with the transition and I feel terrible. I’m trying so hard to be aware of her situation and needs but when I’m sleep deprived and already have a baby screaming, adding a toddler tantrum really takes it out of me.

So I need to hear some suggestions. Have you ever been in this situation with your kids before and how did you handle it? I so want to be the patient mother but this new phase in life is really taking it’s toll.

Please help me.