Citrus Lane March 2014 Review

Happy Monday friends!  Instead of a love list I wanted to share my long overdue review of our March Citrus Lane box.  For those unaware, Citrus Lane is a subscription service.  Your subscription includes a surprise box every month filled with products tailored to your child's age.  This is our 6th box from Citrus Lane.

Here's a picture of this month's contents!

Contents spelled out:

1)  You Are My Baby: Safari by Chronicle Books ($8.99) -- Yay!  Another book to add to Evie's collection!  We love getting new books and this one is great!!  I love how thick and sturdy this book is and the fact that it is divided into a large book and one "baby" book.  It is super cute and a great addition to this month's box!! :)

2)  Medi Buddy First Aid Kit by me4kidz ($5.25) -- We got one of these first aid kits at our baby shower several years ago and still have it, but these things are great!  You can toss it in your diaper bag or in your car and always have some band-aids and medical supplies handy for those unexpected ouchies!  I love that the kit includes stickers too...because what kid does not love getting a sticker after an ouchie?

3)  All-Natural Hand Sanitizing Wipes by Clean Well  ($5.24) -- This was the item I was least excited to see in the box.  Normally I don't mind hand sanitizing items, but as soon as I smelled this one, I almost gagged.  The scent, Orange Vanilla, was just NOT GOOD.  This one will either get tossed or passed along to someone who doesn't mind the scent.

4) Under the Sea Qubes (wooden animal toys) by Hape Toys ($9.99) -- This was definitely Evie's favorite toy from this month's box.  It was the first item she wanted me to open and she loves playing with these.  Below is a picture of her playing with the animals.  Ignore the mis-matched socks. ;)

The verdict:  With a total retail value coming in at $29.47, I feel I got a decent value for my $25 investment this month.  The only item I really was disappointed with was the wipes (mainly due to the scent) but otherwise, every item was something I would have bought myself.    

Thinking of signing up for your own Citrus Lane subscription?  Click here to use my referral link to get $10 OFF your box and I'll get a $10 credit too!  I would greatly appreciate that!! 

It's the Little Things - Like Daddy & Daughter Time!

The other day I was busy folding laundry and heard silence.  When you have a toddler, silence can only mean one thing...your little one is up to something!  As I hurried down the hall, I saw Evie sitting in her daddy's lap watching a video on animals.  The look on my face immediately changed from panic to happiness.  What a sweet view.     

My husband has always been so amazing as a husband, and over the past almost 2 years, as a father.  He is exactly the type of loving and hands-on dad that I always wanted for my children.  Seeing him with Evie always warms my heart.  And Evie sure does love her daddy too.  She's definitely turned into daddy's little girl, and that makes me super happy. :) 

Happily linking up every Wednesday with Ashley from Words about Waverly and Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique for "It's the Little Things!"  :)

Love List

Today I looked down at my phone and realized that it is already March 25th!  Wait, end of March, already?  Weren't we just ringing in the New Year??  I've said it before and I'll say it again, time really does fly by, especially when you have a little one running around keeping you busy!  Although I usually post love lists on Mondays, I had a dreaded migrane last night and opted for early bedtime.  

Here's a list of things that I've been loving lately!  

1.  Disney's "Frozen" - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this movie!  My nieces (ages 3-10) have not stopped raving about this movie since my sister-in-law took them to see it at the movies a month or so ago.  Based on all the great things I've heard, I opted to buy it last week on Blu-ray and watched it (sans Evie...sorry Evie) Friday night.  I'm really glad I bought it because the movie is adorable!  Definitely ranks up there with other animated movies like Up and Toy Story 3 as a favorite!  And the music...SO GOOD!  I found myself humming "Do you want to build a snowman?" all weekend. :)

2.  I've loved mason jars for quite a while, and obviously they've become quite trendy lately.  I've been on the hunt for some great mason jar mugs/cups and finally found these great glass ones at Bed Bath and Beyond this weekend.  I can't wait to fill them up with iced tea and lemonade this summer! :)   

3.  Fresh flowers - With the start of spring, I've been drooling over all the fresh flowers I've been seeing at grocery stores.  I love having fresh flowers at home year round, but especially during the spring.  I love the combo of orange with blue in the below pic, so I'm hoping to create some arrangements like this soon to place around the house,

Image via Pinterest

4.  Old navy has been awesome, as usual, with their toddler clothes lately.  I've been looking to update Evie's wardrobe for the Spring and Summer and have fallen in love with their jelly shoes.  I grew up wearing these and think they are the cutest thing ever!  Evie looks absolutely adorable in these jellies in light pink and I can't wait for it to be summer so that she can wear them all day long (and not just to prance around the house in.)

5.  As I was looking back at my pictures from the fall, I came across a picture I took at a Schlotzsky's restaurant.  If you live in Texas you are probably very familiar with this sandwich chain since I think that is where most of their locations are.  They used to have a couple locations in Chicago several years ago but then closed them all.  Now, the closest location from us is up in Wisconsin (a 90 minute drive.)  We try to eat there whenever we are in the vicinity, but that usually means only a couple times a year, at best.  I will tell anyone and everyone that their sandwiches are amazing.  LOVE them.  If you have a Schlotzsky's near you, I am extremely jealous.

     

Stripes & Dots - Old Navy Picks!

Hi everyone!!  Happy official 2nd day of Spring...AND Happy Friday!  We are being treated to a beautiful Spring day here in Chicago today, with temps expected to reach near 60!  I can't wait to play outside with Evie later!  

As we are starting to prepare for warmer temps, I have been looking to add some items to Evie's wardrobe.  As always, Old Navy has been a key spot for our shopping trips.  I seem to be on a stripes and dots kick lately!  I thought I'd share some of my recent purchases at Old Navy.  I also threw in a couple pairs of jelly shoes below...because every little girls needs these!! :) 

Purple polka dot swimsuit  |  Nautical striped dress  |  Orange dot romper  |  Gray striped skirt  |  Baby pink mary jane jellies  |  Gold jellies

It's the Little Things - Like a Rainy Day

Tomorrow is officially the first day of Spring.  To ring it in, we are being treated with a rainy day today.  While I typically don't like rainy days, I'm actually enjoying today's rain drops.   Despite the gloomy and gray skies, having rain instead of snow is a welcome change...and it means (hopefully! fingers crossed!) that warm weather is around the corner!!   

AND...when I saw the rain this morning I was super excited because it was the perfect weather for Evie to wear her new silver Hunter rain boots!!! 

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

The garage was a safe haven from the rain :)

Happily linking up every Wednesday with Ashley from Words about Waverly and Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique for "It's the Little Things!"  :)

Weekend Recap/Lovelist

What a jam-packed weekend we had!  It was so full of activities that it's now Tuesday and I'm just starting to recover!  I wanted to share a few pictures from our weekend, combined with a love list!  

1.  Sweet Home Chicago - I have a cousin in town visiting from Poland and we took her downtown to see the bean and a bird's eye view of Chicago from the John Hancock Tower.  I felt like tourist in my own city!  It was fun and reminded me how awesome Chicago is (despite this weather). :)

2.  Comfort Food - This weekend was filled with alot of cooking.  I made a beef goulash/stew, mashed potatoes, veggies, and corn on the cob.  I love sitting down for a nice warm meal with my family and introducing new foods to Evie.  This weekend was her first time eating corn on the cob (she's had it in a veggie medley before) and she was so cute taking big bites and enjoying herself.

3.  Painted Piggys - This weekend I also painted Evie's toes for the first time!  I had some baby-safe nail polish I bought a while ago but was waiting until she "asked" me to paint her nails.  Saturday morning I was walking around the house with bare feet and as soon as she saw my painted toes, she started pointing at them and staring.  I asked her if she wanted me to paint her toes and it was an immediate, "YEA!"

4.  St. Patrick's Day - We totally skipped out on festiveness with this holiday this year.  I planned on making some fun treats for Evie and taking her to our village parade, but with everything else going on, we just didn't get to it.  I did dress her in some bright green velour pants for St. Patty's Day, but unfortunately didn't manage to snap a pic.  From today on, we are full-force for Easter though!  Bring on the pastels and baskets! :)

5.  Dancing with the Stars - did anyone else watch last night?  I'm usually not really into this show but I'm a big fan of Candace Cameron Bure (DJ Tanner from Full House) and she is on this season so I have decided to tune in!  I loved watching her performance and everyone else last night.  Looks like I have a new Monday night obsession.

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!  Countdown to Spring is officially T-2 days! :) 

Citrus Lane February 2014 Review

Is everyone ready for the weekend?  I definitely am!  It's slated to be 54 degrees in Chicago today, so I am doing my happy dance and counting down the hours until the weekend officially starts!

For some reason, my Citrus Lane box for February came late, but I wanted to post some pictures and a do a quick review of the contents.  For those unaware, Citrus Lane is a subscription service.  For $25/month you get a surprise box every month filled with products tailored to your child's age.  This is our 5th box.

Here's a picture of this month's contents!

Contents spelled out:

1)  Ooga Divited Plate ($10.99) -- LOVE this item!  We were in need of a good divided plate for Evie so I was super excited to see this in the box this month.  I love that the plate has deep compartments and also love the silicone material which makes it flexible and unbreakable if my little troublemaker decides to dump it off her high chair tray.  On top of all that, it's totally BPA and chemical free!  Score.

2)  Starlight Sailor Book from Barefoot Books ($14.99) -- Evie always loves getting books in these boxes.  They seem to always be one of the first things she pulls out from the box.  The book this month is awesome!  It's a large, colorful, and STURDY board book with a really sweet story.  This one was definitely a winner.

3)  Stock pot and utensils set by Green Toys  ($12.00) -- Evie loves her play kitchen, so she wanted me to open this up almost immediately.  The item we got was made exclusively for Citrus Lane and just includes the stock pot and utensils (no plate.)  I guessed on the retail price based on that.  Regardless, Evie has already loved playing with this and has cooked many "meals" for me in it. :) 

4) Green Apple Age Defy Hand Cream by Juice Beauty ($12.00) -- I do like when they put in something for mom in these boxes!  I'm pretty loyal to my own moisturizers and hand creams, but I wanted to give this one a try.  I must say, I love the smell of this one and so far it has been nice to use.  It's one of those creams you can leave on your bathroom counter and use at night or even throw in your purse for on-the-go use.  I'm a fan.

The verdict:  With a total retail value coming in at $49.98, I am very happy with this month's box.  All of the items we received are items that I would have bought.  After last month's disappointing box, Citrus Lane has redeemed themselves for me this month!  Keep the quality items coming! :)     

Thinking of signing up for your own Citrus Lane subscription?  Click here to use my referral link to get $10 OFF your box and I'll get a $10 credit too!  I would greatly appreciate that!! 

It's the Little Things - Like Riding in Style

Evie just turned 20 months the other day, and I can't believe at how much she has changed just in the last 2 months!  Not necessarily physically, but rather developmentally!  She is saying so much more, showing us what she likes, and just developing such a sweet personality.  I can't get enough of just watching what she'll do next.  One of my favorite moments in the last week was a trip to that heavenly place for kids - Toys 'R Us.  I loved watching her face light up when she saw all the toys and found it so interesting to see what attracted her attention.  No surprise, she loved all the baby dolls and stuffed animals.  But what really got her excited was when we went down the Power Wheels aisle.  This little girl was hopping around from car to car.  She's obviously got a need for speed.  We might just need to invest in one of these bad boys this summer.

Happily linking up every Wednesday with Ashley from Words about Waverly and Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique for "It's the Little Things!"  :)

Our Sleep Routine

Happy Monday everyone!  Instead of a loveday list post, this Monday I thought I would tackle a subject that I've wanted to write about for quite some time - sleeping and sleep routines for toddlers!  For my fellow moms, we all know it's something that is essential for our sanity!  Knock on wood, Evie has always been a pretty decent sleeper.  Aside from the first few months of her life (thanks to some colic and fussiness), she has usually been good with sleeping, which I definitely attribute to our nightly sleep routine.  I thought I'd outline what we do for naps and for bedtime.  I'd love to hear from other moms too!

 

Naps:  Evie is now doing one nap per day.  We usually wait to see how tired she looks and how she's acting but we usually aim for sometime between 12-1pm to put her down.  As far as how we get her to go to sleep...unfortunately it's not as structured as bedtime is because she is either at one of the grandparents' houses during the week, or with us on the weekends, so it's tough to keep it consistent across all places.  With us, we usually pick her up, give her a paci and a blankey, and carry her around the house for a couple minutes so that she can wind down.  Sometimes she will just fall asleep in our arms.  Other times, we put her in a small umbrella stroller and do a couple rounds around the house until she falls asleep.  This usually always does the trick.  The motion of the stroller is enough to get her little eyes to shut. :)  I wish we could just put her down in her bed and she will sleep, but we aren't there yet.  Maybe soon we can train her to sleep on her own.  But for now, we're still helping soothe her to sleep for naps.  Once she falls asleep, we transition her to her crib and she'll usually sleeep for 1 - 1.5 hours.  On a rare occasion, she'll sleep 2 hours.  

Bedtime:  Our bedtime routine is much more structured because it's consistently my husband and I putting her to sleep.  At around 7pm each night we go upstairs for bath time.  We don't wash Evie every night, rather every other night (unless she got extra dirty that day), but we do put her in the bath so she can play with her toys and let out any remaining energy.  After bath time, we wrap her in her towel, brush her teeth, clean her ears, and comb her hair. I then carry her over to our bed while daddy runs downstairs to make her a bottle of warm milk (yes, we still give her a bottle at night.  I know, I know.  We're hoping to transition to a sippy cup at night soon!  But, she still likes the bottle.)  At this point, Evie is usually pretty drowsy.  I lay her down, moisturize her skin with lotion, and get her diaper and pajamas on.  Afterwards, she'll lay down next to me and I'll read her a short book.  By the time the story is over, daddy is at our side with the bottle and Evie reaches for it.  After she finishes the bottle, I give her her pacifier and carry her over to her crib and put her down.  Sometimes she is almost asleep, other times is still fully awake.  However, she knows it's bedtime and will lay in her bed and cuddle with her pillow until she falls asleep.

 

I know we probably don't do everything perfectly, but this routine works for us!  As Evie gets a bit older, we'll definitely start to switch things around.  For example, we want to get her to drink her milk first and then brush her teeth.  Also, once she's in a toddler bed, we will probably move the whole routine to her bed so that I can read to her there. 

 

At the end of the day, if she's sleeping, I'm happy.

       

 

It's the Little Things - Like Looking Back at Pictures of Your Little Baby!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  It's time once again to link up with Ashley from Words about Waverly and Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique for "It's the Little Things!"  

Lately I have been feeling really sentimental and amazed at how fast my little Evie has been growing up.  She is really changing so much every single day and becoming such a sweet little girl.  The other day I was organizing our digital media and looking through some of her old pictures.  I am so grateful to have so many precious pictures of her.  I absolutely love looking back and remembering each and every little moment with my princess.  

It's the little things...like looking back at old photos of your baby. :)

Here's a little blast from Evie's past...

Just 1 week old! 

2 months old

Halloween among the big pumpkins :)

First Christmas!

First Easter - my little bunny! :) 

First trip to the zoo at 10 months 

One year photo shoot :)

Monday Loveday - Oscar Edition!

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Ours was spent, once again, surrounded by family...and watching the Oscars!  I love all of award season, but the Oscars is always one of the most fun to watch.  Did you guys watch?  I have to say, I was not impressed with too many of the fashion picks this year, but there were definitely some standouts!  Below are some of my favorite fashion looks from this year's Oscars.  

Who did you like best? :)

  

Sandra Bullock - stunning!

 

Cate Blanchett - another homerun this award season!

Lupita Nyong'o - perfection

Jennifer Lawrence - One of my favorite looks.  Everything from the simple silhouette of the dress, to the hair, to the necklace.  It's just a total WIN in my eyes.

Robin Roberts - that dress is amazing on her!

Kate Hudson - I didn't love it at first, but she is just oozing with hollywood glamour!  I thought she looked stunning.