Simmer Down Sunday

After a busy week, with a busy week ahead, it's time for Simmer Down Sunday.

• Teachers returned to work this week.  I spent my time in my classroom moving my sparse furniture, organizing supplies, planning, and writing scenes for the 5th grade production!  After mourning the loss of my summer of one-on-one-Peter-time, I did kind of enjoy getting back into the swing of things.

• I was super excited to learn this week that I won a grant for the Arts for my school from Target!  Really excited to plan for this program!

• I'm super lucky to have family friends who are willing to watch Peter for me.  Seriously thankful.

• Had a great time at my cousin's wedding yesterday!  I got to see my family, which was amazing!  Unfortunately we had to leave early because of: 1.) the ticking time bomb that is Peter and 2.) An extremely embarrassing wardrobe malfunction.  Fortunately for me, we got out of there before almost anyone realized that my dress was completely ripped open on my side.  Brand new dress!  Goodtimes.  :-/

• I have several reviews that I'd like to write as well as three Pinterest Projects that I would like to do.  We will see what I can accomplish before school starts up on Tuesday!

• Here are some photo booth pics of Peter and I from my cousin's wedding!  Enjoy the last little bit of your Sunday!

August Birchbox Review

My first Birchbox arrived today!  I was SO SO excited!  Seriously, whoever invented this subscription box thing is a genius.  Who wouldn't want to get surprise presents in the mail?  I chose Birchbox because of how cheap it is.  You get to try out five products every month for only $10.  Plus I found out that if you log into your account and review all of the items from your box you get points that you can redeem for products from their store or for free Birchboxes.  For 100 points you get $10.  Each time you review a product you get ten points.  So every other month you get $10?  Yes, please!

The other reason I chose Birchbox was because I really wanted some fun things to make me feel pretty.  I haven't been really into makeup the past couple of years and everything I have is old and needs to be thrown away.  Also, being a new mom and having lost my pregnant glow, I just want to feel cute!  So I had a lot of fun sampling these beauty products!  Here's what I got!

Avene Thermal Spring Water
At first I was like... um... what?  But as I looked closer at this little spray can I realized that this is a refreshing mist that you can put on your face.  The little booklet that came with it also says this spray is great for a multitude of uses such as removing makeup, soothing diaper irritation, and after shaving, to name a few.  I tried it and liked it a lot!  It was cooling and refreshing!  You really have to try it to believe it.  I'm sure you're reading this and thinking "yeah.  Water is cooling and refreshing.  Woop dee doo."  But seriously!  This is really nice.  I keep thinking this would be a great little gift for my sister who lives in Florida and has to work outside in the heat!

Dr. Jart+ Premium BB Cream SPF 45+
I've always wanted to try BB cream and I was hoping it would come in this box and it did!  I like how you can put it on with your fingers and it doesn't get all streaky.  The full size price is way too much for me so I'm glad to have this little sample.  I'll be wearing it to a wedding this Saturday!

 Jasmine Seven Fresh Feet Wipes
Ugh!  I can't get this picture to flip over!  Anyway...  This was another item where I was thinking "Huh?"  But then I realized I had been wearing flats with no socks all day and that my feet were stinky and tired.  I tried one of these out at it was great!  Kind of minty smelling, cooling, and again... refreshing!

Secret Agent Beauty Secret Lip Affair
This is my favorite item in the box!  It's sheer and sparkly and has a very faint fruity smell.  You can wear it on top of lipstick or plain.  I'm sure I'll wear it plain.  Best part?  It's not sticky and it stays smooth on your lips like chapstick.  Win!

Glee Gum
Meh.  I could take this item or leave it.  It's always nice to have gum, but this didn't keep its flavor very long.  It did have a super nice texture, though.  The bad thing?  It has xylitol in it, which is poisonous to dogs.  If you have a dog I would recommend keeping this type of gum out of your house and purse.  I had a scary situation once where my dog got into my purse and ate a bunch of gum.  It's not fun!

The Conclusion
I loved my first Birchbox!  I am going to stick with this one for another month and try another box.  I really think it's a great deal.  Even though these items are sample sizes it will take me a while to use them up.  Especially things like the lip gloss and the face mist.  After next month I will have enough points to get a free box so I will definitely be getting the next two months.  I'll let you know what I get!

What do you think?  Do you get Birchbox?  Would you like to try one?  Click here to try it out!

*Disclosure*
This post contains referral links.  If you sign up for Birchbox through one of my links I will earn extra points.   

Monday Musings

• Today was my last day at home with Peter.  I spent a lot of the day getting some extra snuggles in and generally being in denial.  But now Nick will be home soon and I have to start thinking about tomorrow.  I do miss my students and my school, but I will miss my Peter even more!

• As sad as I am about missing time with my baby, I am looking forward to getting to work in my classroom.  Bulletin boards need to be decorated, books need to be organized and shelved, and supplies inventoried!  But my biggest task for tomorrow will be working on writing the play for the 5th grade production!  I have not worked on it this summer nearly as much as I had hoped.

• My house is a disaster area.  I have so many unfinished projects going on it's insane.  Megan, pick a project and stick to it until it is complete!  Sheesh!

• I'm thinking about my next Pinterest Project.  I know I said I need to finish the projects I have going on, but I'm talking about something easy and fun here.  My last Pinterest Project was super simple and useful, but not very fun.  You can see that here.  I need something light, fun, and CHEAP!  What do you think?  Any suggestions?  And it really has to be cheap or free, people, because I am super duper broke until my paychecks start up again.

August Citrus Lane Review: 7 Month Old Boy

If you don't know, Citrus Lane is a subscription box company that delivers a unique selection of baby or toddler products (I think subscriptions go up to age 5) directly to your door for $25 a month.  Subscription boxes are new to me.  I just discovered them this summer and they seriously have a subscription box for just about anything.  I saw an ad on my Facebook newsfeed for half off your first month and after reading a few reviews I was ready to give it a try!

Here is just a quick review of what came in my August Citrus Lane box.  I didn't do price break downs or pictures of each individual product.  For a more in depth review you can go here.  For now I'll just share what came in my box and what I thought about it!

The Box: 

 

List of Products and What I Thought!

 

Cleo's Color Book from Barefoot Books

I love this book!  I love, love, love getting books for Peter but usually that means they are from the 20 cent bin at Salvation Army.  Don't get me wrong, that's super fun, but I just like getting a brand new shiny book.  It even smells good.  And the best part?  Peter loves this book.  I don't know if it is the bright colors or what, but he actually sits and listens when I read this book to him.  Did I mention he is only six months old?

 

Little Stackers from Rich Frog

This toy is super cute.  We got the lion but I kind of wish we got the frog that was pictured on the info card.  I love frogs!  Peter doesn't understand the re-stacking part of this yet, although he loves to pull the three pieces apart.  He really likes to chew on the Velcro on the bottom piece. 

 

Baby Bottle Strap from Ah Goo Baby

Genius!  Peter has a strap that will attach a paci to his clothes but nothing like this!  This is a strap with Velcro loops on both ends so that you can attach one end to a sippy cup, toy, etc. to the stroller, high chair, whatever!  My mom said she thought she saw this on Shark Tank, although I didn't do any research to see if it was the same company.  This thing is brilliant and would make a great little gift to any parent with small kids!

 

All Natural Hand Sanitizing Wipes from CleanWell

I love that these wipes are all natural and that they are safe to use on sensitive skin!  I will definitely use these and I know they will be a handy thing to keep in the diaper bag or car.  My only complaint is about the scent.  The scent is supposed to be Orange Vanilla... um... ew.  It smells more like Listerine.  The old plain kind.  Yuck!

 

Calendula Diaper Care for Diaper Rash (Sample Packets) from Weleda

These are a nice little bonus item.  I haven't tried them yet but they will be nice to have in the diaper bag since I don't normally carry a full size diaper cream with me.

 

Free Trial Offer from FabKids

I'm not sure if I will use this.  It's a code to get a free outfit worth $39.95.  However, redeeming the code signs you up for their subscription service, which would cost that much every month.  I could always cancel the subscription after I got my free outfit, but I still have to pay $5 in shipping to get the free outfit and the smallest size they have is 2T.  I guess $5 is a great deal for an entire outfit, but the outfits they have are just kind of... "meh."  I don't think I'll use it, so if you feel so inclined, email me and I can send you the code.  First come, first served.  :) 

 

The Conclusion!

In conclusion, I love Citrus Lane!  I had a code to get this box for half off, so I only paid $12.50.  If I continue my subscription I will pay $25 for my next box.  Would I pay $25 for this box?  Definitely!  I think the purpose of subscription boxes is to try new products that you normally wouldn't buy and might not even see at the store.  Since I don't shop a whole lot except for the occasional impulse buy at the grocery store or Target and my bargain hunting trips to Salvation Army this type of thing is perfect for me!  Plus I am absolutely in love with the idea of getting surprises in the mail!

 

If you would like to try Citrus Lane for a month click here and you will get $10 off your first box and I will also get $10 off my next box.  Or, you can try the code that I used 'TAKEHALF' to save an extra $2.50. 

 

So, what do you think?  Worth it?  Not worth it?  Did you get a box this month?  Let me know!  If I get a box next month I will definitely post better pictures.

 

**Disclosure**

This post contains referral links.  If you purchase a Citrus Lane subscription through any of my Citrus Lane links you will save $10 on your first box and I will save $10 on my next box. 



 





 

Pinterest Project: Recharge Your Towels

For my first Pinterest Project I decided to keep it simple.  My towels have been funky lately so this was perfect timing.

The Pin:

The Materials:

You will need:  white vinegar, baking soda, measuring cups, a pile of your funkiest towels.  I got my materials from the dollar store (except for the towels, of course)!

The Process and Conclusion:
This was super easy and worked great.  Wash the load of towels twice.  Once with hot water and a cup of vinegar (really stinky but only for a few minutes), then once with hot water and a half cup of baking soda.  It really didn't even take me any extra time since I had taken to washing my towels twice anyway.  My towels came out feeling really clean and without any hint of mildewy funkiness!  Hooray!

Did you try this simple Pinterest Project?  What did you think?

Welcome To My Blog!

Hi!  I'm Megan!  I'm a wife, a new mama, and a drama teacher.  I've been thinking about blogging for a while now, ever since I saw my friend and coworker's amazing first place Art Ed Blog.  This summer I began following some non education related blogs and got a lot of inspiration, most notably from Ramblings of a Suburban Mom.  This year I would like to create a drama blog for my classroom but for now I am learning the ropes with a separate, just-for-fun blog!

In this blog you might expect any type of randomness including Pinterest projects, product reviews, my adventures as a first time mom, or my latest obsession:  subscription box reviews.  Anything I'm thinking about is fair game!  I hope you will visit my blog from time to time and see what randomness ensues!