July favorites

I almost forgot that today was the last day of July, good thing I remembered or this post would have been late. July has been a pretty busy month for me but here are some of my favorite products!

Mommy & baby favorites for July!

Julep nail polish - I've really been loving this Julep nail polish I got a few months ago. I usually wear bright colors in the summer but I decided to try something different this year. I've been using this dark gray (the name of the color is Stevie) and I love it! It goes with pretty much anything I wear and it stays on pretty well, for almost a week (that's good for me, usually my nails start chipping the next day).

Statement necklace - I've been obsessed with statement necklaces lately and this one is perfect! My cousin got it for me to wear in her wedding (I'm not sure where it's from). It went perfectly with my black bridesmaid dress and it's really pretty so I can't wait to wear it again!

Snap bibs - I think these are Carter's brand but it doesn't matter which brand, I just love any snap bibs! Seriously, whoever thought of this is a genius. I have to give Paul credit because he is the one who found these. I was so happy he did, why do they even make velcro bibs anymore?! Olivia just rips off the velcro bib within seconds and then her shirt get soaked in drool. She still drools a lot (will teething ever end?!) so bibs are essential for us. Luckily she can't figure out how to take off the snap bibs.. yet.

Huggies clutch 'n' clean wipes - I saw this the other day and I had to have it! It was only $5 and it's so cute. It's perfect because I always run out of the travel packs of wipes and it seemed like I was constantly buying them. Now I can just refill this with wipes from the big boxes we get. This is probably bad but I'll be putting Pampers wipes in here, I'm all about Pampers (for both wipes and diapers). Anyway, this is definitely the best investment I made this month and how adorable is that pattern!

Babyganics sunscreen SPF 50 - I love this sunscreen for Liv, it's pretty thick but it rubs in well and it doesn't come off easily. Olivia is pretty pale like me so she has sensitive skin, I've been using this on her all summer and her skin has stayed perfect. I was reading up on sunscreen for babies and this was listed as one of the better brands (no: PABA, phthalates, parabens, fragrances or nano-particles) so I'm glad I got it. It's also non allergenic and tear free!

Summer tag

1. Where do you like to hang out during the summer? At the beach or pool

2. Favorite summer clothing piece? Tank tops

3. Favorite cookout food? Hard question, I love all of it! I guess it's a toss up between hamburgers, potato salad and watermelon

4. Favorite summer treat? S'mores!

5. Favorite ice cream flavor? I like pretty much any flavor, I could really go for some mint chocolate chip right now

6. Pool or beach? Pool (only because the beach has sand and sand gets everywhere)

7. What is one essential for your beach bag? Towels

8. How do you like to wear your hair in the warm summer weather? Definitely up

9. Favorite seasonal beverage? Anything frozen and/or refreshing.. coolatas are yummy!

10. Do you like to travel or stay home during the summer? I like to travel but I haven't in a few years due to lack of money

11. Where do you like to shop for bathing suits? Wherever I can find one that fits right

12. Favorite summer nail polish? Usually anything pink or bright

13. Do you sun-tan, self-tan, or not tan during the summer? I used to be obsessed with the tanning salon but I gave it up once I got pregnant and I haven't gone since

14. Favorite sunscreen for the summer? Anything really, I don't have a preference but I like spray rather than lotion

15. What is one song that you will be jamming out to this summer? Anything by Luke Bryan ;)

16. Favorite pair of sunglasses? Dolce and Gabbana (fake)

17. Are you doing anything fun this summer? Just the usual beach, pool, picnics and parties. I also want to bring Liv to a splash park and maybe the zoo again

Love With Food review - July 2014

Love with food is a subscription box for all natural and/or organic snacks. The best thing about this box is that every box you get, you are donating a meal to feed a hungry child in America. For that reason alone, I had to try it. This box isn't too expensive, it's $10 per month which is a pretty good deal. I actually was able to get it for free with a deal they had last month. I got this box a few days ago, I would have done this review earlier but I wanted to try all the snacks so I could give my honest opinion.

All the goodies that came in my July Love With Food box. 

The theme this month is: Happy Camper!

Bar by 2 Degrees: Eh, I did not enjoy this. It looked good but I just didn't like all the different seeds and whatever else was in it (apparently fruits and grains), I only took one bite and threw it away.

Sea Salt Lentil Crackers by Mediterranean Snacks: Yum! These were really good, I just wish I had some hummus to go with them, that would have been amazing.

South Asian Snacks by Zoug: I have to be honest, I didn't try this trail mix. It just doesn't look appetizing to me, it's kind of a strange mix so I'm passing on it.

Butter Crisp Love Minis by Ginnybakes: These were pretty good! They tasted like little shortbread cookies (I think that's what they were). These disappeared pretty quickly and I enjoyed them.

Kids' Oragnic Mixed Berry Chews by Honey Stinger: I really liked these too, I'm still a kid at heart so I love fruit snacks/gummy bears etc. I wouldn't give these to Olivia yet because I'm paranoid about her possibly choking but I gladly ate them.

Dutch Cocoa by Somersaults: Bleh! I did not like these at all. I actually spit out the bite that I took, it was pretty bitter. I guess I was expecting more of a chocolate taste so I was caught off guard.

Chocolate Chip Fluff by Madyson's Marshmallows: This yummy marshmallow had chocolate chips inside. It was the first thing I went for and it was so good! By far my favorite thing in the box. I wish I had a whole bag of these to make s'mores with.

White Cheddar Puffs by Beanitos: The name kind of confused me, I kept thinking beans but they were just white cheddar puffs. They tasted like mostly all other white cheddar puffs I've had and they were good, I liked them. I actually ate the whole bag already.

I really love the idea of this box and how they donate to hungry children, that is so awesome! Since I didn't like half the stuff in this box, I won't be getting it again because I definitely don't want to waste food. I'm not the healthiest eater, I try my best to be and I wish I liked snacks like these a little more. This box would be great for someone who loves organic, healthy and all natural snacks! If you want to subscribe to Love With Food, I'm pretty sure the deal is still going on. You can get your first box for free by using the code YUMMY, you just have to pay for shipping. Don't forget to cancel after you get your box or you will be charged again!

Citrus Lane review - July 2014

Olivia's Citrus Lane box came in the mail today. Citrus Lane is a monthly subscription box for babies/toddlers. You pay a certain price per month depending on how long you want to subscribe (it’s cheaper for the longer subscriptions). Every month you receive four to five items for your child and sometimes something for you as well. The boxes are age and gender appropriate (or you can pick neutral). This box is for a 17 month old girl.

 Everything Olivia got in her July Citrus Lane box.

Plan Toys - my first camera: I knew we were getting this because it's the item we got to pick this month. We got two choices from Plan Toys, either a camera or a phone. I picked the camera because Liv already has four or five toy phones. This looks kind of boring but it's actually pretty cute, it's a wooden camera/kaleidoscope. Olivia has no idea how to use it right now, she actually thinks it's a phone and she keeps putting it up to her ear. I'm sure she will figure it out in a few months and when she's older she will probably love the kaleidoscope. It's pretty sturdy as well. Retails for: $15.00

Peachy aqueduck faucet extender: This is pretty cool, it's for two years plus so I will probably store it away until potty training starts. I don't mind though, I rather get things I can save for later than get something that is too young for her and we will never use (like last month). Anyway, I think it will be easy to teach Liv to wash her hands using this and a step stool of course. Retails for: $12.99

Oogaa silicone placemat: I was hoping we would get this! It will be great to bring to restaurants because it's silicone and stays in place as opposed to a paper placemat that Olivia likes to just rip apart. The description also says you can color on it with washable markers so that's cool. I might also use this at home sometimes since it fits on her highchair tray. It's got cute little purple animals all over it, so adorable and I'm glad I finally have a placemat for her! Retails for: $8.99

Pur-Lisse pur-protect SPF 30 sunscreen .5 oz: I cringed when I saw this on the spoilers page because I thought it was another lotion that I don't need. It's actually sunscreen which I really do need right now, too bad it's so tiny. It will only last me one or maybe two beach trips. Retails for: $10.00 (I could only find 1.7oz and they were around $16 so this is just an estimate.) That's a little crazy to me, I would never pay that much for such a tiny tube of sunscreen.

Plum Organics mighty 4 pouch: Eh. I'm getting pretty tired of all the food pouches lately. Obviously she will eat it but we don't really need these and they are not much fun. Ah well, at least it's a toddler pouch as opposed to stage 2 again. I'm glad this one has 80cals, we are still trying to fatten Liv up! Retails for: $1.99

This months box was just okay again, definitely better than last month though. The total value of this box is about $49. This has been the best box as far as value that I've gotten up to this point (I think). Although the value is great, I don't really love this box. I got a six month subscription and with coupons, I paid about $15 per month and all the items will be used so it's still worth it to me ..for now. I don't think I will ever cave and pay the full $29 per month, it just doesn't seem practical. If you're interested in getting a Citrus Lane subscription for your child, you can use my referral link to get 50% off your first box - Melissa's CL referral. It's a subscription so make sure you cancel after your receive your box or you will be charged again.