Juice in the Box- Reusable Juice Box

Disclosure: The items were provided for review purposes only; all opinions are completely my own and 100% honest.

As moms, we put a lot of consideration into what we are packing in our kids lunches. We plan ahead so that they are getting the right amount of protein, fruits, and veggies. Most kids are picky, so by the time the lunches are made; the drinks are an afterthought. Usually it’s a juice box or juice pouch, right?

We don’t have to stress over how much sugar and calories our kids are consuming in their drinks anymore. The Juice in the Box Reusable Juice Box let us have total and complete control, while also saving money. Not to mention it saves so many juice pouches and boxes from being tossed in the trash. Juice in the Box addresses these environmental, financial and social concerns with their innovative, cost-effective and fun new alternative to single-use juice containers.

 

This juice box can completely replace traditional disposable juice boxes and pouches. The disposable juice drinks are a huge problem for the earth when thrown away. Every one that’s tossed takes 300 years to dispose, which is absolutely horrifying. The worst part is that nearly 4 billion disposable juices are drank each year. That’s a VERY good reason to say good-bye.

They are the perfect size to fit in their lunchboxes (they take snacks daily). They are also made of very strong material that is very high quality. They are basically almost indestructible. When you’re a mom, indestructible is a VERY good thing lol. They haven’t dropped it yet, thankfully.

Did you know that traditional juices are also a leading cause in obesity problems in children? The extra calories they are consuming from these drinks put extra weight because of the amount of sugar within. You control what goes IN these boxes, so there’s absolutely no worries of preservatives or tons of sugar in the ingredients.

I love the thought of being able to fill the boxes and not have to worry about leaks. There was one instance (in the last month) where it leaked in my son’s backpack. It was totally my fault, though. I thought I had pressed the lid all the way down, but I didn’t. To be able to close it, you close it with the top open so the extra air inside the boxes can be released. It pushed the lid back open and spilled. AGAIN- that was MY fault, not the juice boxes fault. (Because my daughter’s has never spilled EVER).

The boxes are super easy to clean (3 pieces: container, lid & straw). I hand-wash our boxes, but they can easily be stuck in the top rack of a dishwasher as well. The straw is removable at the bottom, making it easy to stick under running water and push the liquids out. This is also what makes it replaceable if the straw is ever lost or damaged.

It comes in five fun-filled colors – green, orange, pink, red and blue. Get them at the Juice in the Box website.

Connect with Precidio Design online:

Twitter, Facebook, & Pinterest

Hot Wheels Street Hawk Remote Control Flying Car

Ever wonder what it would be like if cars could fly? Now kids can live that thrill and see a Hot Wheels RC take to the skies with the Street Hawk. This vehicle offers a cool combo of on-ground remote-controlled performance, like proportional ground steering, plus the aerial performance of a plane.

Box includes: 1 vehicle, 1 transmitter, 1 USB cable, and 1 pair of replacement propellers.

My son Aidan loves anything that has to do with cars and airplanes, so he was super excited to see the two put together. He got out of school and seen the box sitting in the corner beside my desk and immediately wanted to open it.

      

It wasn’t hard at all to get running. I put 6 AA batteries in the remote (not included) and charged the Hot Wheels Street Hawk Flying Car with the USB that comes inside the remote. It took about 40 minutes to charge it, so I should’ve opened it before he got home. He was so impatient and giddy, asking every 5 minutes when it was charged lol.

As soon as it was fully charged, we took it outside. It works on the gravel in my driveway without hesitation, but the full speed happened on the street beside my house. We had tons of fun playing with it. The range on this car is super awesome, he could drive it at least 100 ft up the street without having to turn it back around.

My uncle Dave came over and he and the kids were playing. He would drive the car while the kids tried to chase it down. For such a small car, it is super fast. It was funny and cute to see them chasing it and barely catching it.

With just a flip of the switch, it turns into the flying airplane mode. The engines spin much quicker in the airplane mode. This is what gives it the momentum to catch wind and fly. It takes about 10 feet to get it to lift, but then it flies pretty quickly.

It took some time to get used to, but as soon as he got the hang of it he had a blast. At first he was making quick turns and it would stall and crash down to the ground, but the wider turns eventually helped him to keep it in the air for longer periods of time.

Even after all the crashes, this thing is still going strong. That is amazing because it’s very lightweight, so I wasn’t sure it was going to survive in the hands of my son very long. I was wrong, VERY wrong. The only thing was the propellers, and good thing it comes with replacement. His nose dives turned into a lost propeller which are very small and I couldn’t find it.

Aidan loves this, so it’s perfect for little boys who love remote control cars!!

Get the Hot Wheels Street Hawk Remote Control Flying Car for $59.99

Connect with Mattel online:

Facebook & Twitter

 

 

 

Dora & Friends: Talking Dora & Smartphone

 

   

 

 

Adisyn absolutely LOVES Dora, and she always has. I swear at one point we had just about every Dora DVD. We moved last year and somehow the kids boxes of movies didn’t make it, so we are now trying to collect them all again.

She was stoked to see Dora sitting beside my desk when we came in after getting her off the bus. The Dora and Friends Talking Dora Doll from Fisher Price is the tween version of the Dora character that she grew to love. She hadn’t really seen any of the shows, so she just thinks Dora’s hair has grown.

What's in the box?

Talking Dora & Smartphone, adventure charm, brush and headband.

Adisyn loved that Dora came with a brush, so that she could style her hair. She also comes with a pink headband. I really liked that it came with a slightly elastic clear plastic strip at the bottom to keep it on. Her hair is straight, and pretty soft for a doll. It doesn’t tangle easily, which is also a plus.

She loves to use hairties and bows on her dolls, so I loved that it was easy for her to get the headband off and on without it slipping off. We’ve had problems with that before on other dolls, but this one sits flatly on her head perfectly.

  

Dora resembles a Bratz doll in the way that she has a bigger head with a small body, which I like. Adisyn absolutely adores her. She comes decked out & looking snazzy with her sparkly painted on tank top and capri pants. There’s a glittering crystal-like button on the front of Dora that lights up when pushed.

            

Dora came with her smartphone (with a tiny screensaver of her family) and a special phone just for Adisyn. Adi puts her phone in her “purse” along with her “little cosmetics” and some lotion I gave her. The options of the phone are minimal because there’s only one button to push, but she likes it.

Dora responds to and interacts with Adi’s phone, which comes with the “Map-App”. Dora will start talking or singing different phrases and songs each time the button on the phone is pushed. When Dora and the phone are responding to each other, the button on her shirt and bracelet twinkle and light up with color. Dora speaks in both English and Spanish like she does in the show.

    

Dora is a very well made doll, which is what I particularly like. Adisyn has taken her outside for “adventures” and Dora’s made it back in perfect shape. She’s made out of very durable/sturdy plastic that isn’t easily bent or torn up. Dora can be placed in a sitting position to have “lunch” with Adi, and her arms move up and down. There’s an off/on switch on the side of her hip, but you can’t control her volume level (which isn’t loud or obnoxious anyway).

This is the absolute PERFECT gift for any little girl who loves Dora or dolls in general, you can get it here.

 

 

 

Adora Dolls: 20” Fou-Fou Fab Baby Doll Review

My daughter, like any little girl absolutely adores baby dolls. When I contacted Adora Dolls for a review I was excited when they emailed me back with a big “YES, of course!” I was ecstatic. My daughter means the world to me, and I wanted her to have something that would mean the world to her as well. I KNEW she would be deliriously happy when she seen what would be coming for her in the mail.


Adora makes a huge variety of dolls; of all hair color, eye color, and beautifully made outfits. I love the consideration and thought that they put into designing each doll. They really want each of their “little” customers to have the most giant smile plastered on their face from the very beginning. Each doll has it’s own style and is exclusive to “that” doll.

Adisyn ended up getting the Adora Fou-Fou Fab 20” Baby. The doll is absolutely precious with it’s auburn hair and bright blue eyes. The eyes are absolutely breathtaking with their gorgeous sky blue eyes. The eyes look so real, they are so captivating! They are hand set and are surrounded by hand painted details and eyelashes.

She has brilliant, luxurious short auburn hair that is secured in two pigtails wrapped in tiny silk light blue ribbons. She is a 20” doll and comes with her very own birth certificate so that whoever receives her can have the pleasure of naming her themselves!

As soon as I opened the box I could immediately smell baby powder. That is a special touch that only an amazing company would think of doing! Making her THAT more realistic by creating that natural baby smell! I placed her back in the box and patiently waited for my daughter to get home from school.

We checked her backpack for homework and then I took her into her bedroom and showed her the box that contained her baby. “What’s in the box mommy?” I told her that I got her a present for being awesome at school and she definitely has been. She is a natural leader, she listens extremely well, she cares about her classmates, and tries her hardest to learn! I am so proud of my little girl!


The baby is weighted so it feels like an actual baby! How cool is that? I don’t think I’ve seen her love anything more. You see Adisyn, you see the baby. She packs it everywhere with her. I love that it is dressed in a light colored pastel blue cardigan over a flower dress. She has matching shoes and bows, light weight capris under the dress and even a diaper!


She takes the baby to bed with her and acts like she is putting her to sleep. I think that’s so adorable! When she gets out of school, she finds the doll and constantly packs her around! She takes off it’s sweater and shoes when she lays it down so she can make it “comfy” she says!

Every since the doll came in the mail, she’s look at me countless times and said in her sweet little voice “Thank you Mommy, for getting me this baby.” She even lays her down with her when she gets out of school and watches cartoons.

Just the smile on her face brightens my day! AND there has been tons more smiles around here since getting the Adora doll.


Connect with Adora Dolls online:
Facebook and Twitter

Kid Review: The Wiggles Celebration DVD

Own a piece of Wiggles history!

Running Time: Approximately 60 minutes with bonus content

Join the Wiggles on their Celebration concert tour! Enjoy the final live performance of the original Wiggles, Greg, Murray, Jeff, and Anthony, in this farewell concert. Jam-packed with the favorite songs, dancing, and lots of FUN, this DVD is a must-have for every Wiggles fan! What are you waiting for? Start Wiggling!

Special Features*

• Goodbye message from Greg, Jeff, & Murray.
• Song clips Featuring the New Wiggles
  • Propeller
  • Everybody’s here
• Photo Gallery

17 favorite songs including:

• Rock-a-bye your bear
• Getting Strong!
• The Monkey Dance
• Dr. Knickerbocker

My Review

My daughter Adisyn is 4 years old, and loves interactive television shows and DVD’s. She likes singing and dancing along with whatever she’s watching, and she always pays close attention.

Out of both my kids, Adisyn is the “learner.” She is like a sponge when it comes to singing songs and learning dance moves. She gets them down pat and LOVES to show off what she learned.

See how excited they were when I put the DVD in? See how she mixed a dress with lovely winter boots? Yep—she loves dressing herself.

The Wiggles DVD is more of a “theatrical” DVD where they stand on the stage and sing & dance. Before this, she only had watched the Wiggles a handful of times. She really likes it though, she had a blast seeing all the “characters” that came on the stage.

She was on her feet almost the entire time, repeating what they were doing, and doing what they asked.. Jumping up and down, crawling on the ground, clapping, and so on.

It was really cute seeing her SO into a DVD. She was really having fun. This would be the perfect DVD to put in on a rainy day when they can’t go outside to play. This will give them the exercise they are missing, because it has them on their feet jumping like a kangaroo, slithering like a snake.. etc.

She will bring the DVD up to me and ask me to put it in randomly. She loves that the “Wiggles” are funny. She laughs because “Jeff” falls asleep all the time and they’ll ask the audience to help wake him up.

It’s a really fun DVD, and the perfect gift for your kids, nieces, nephews, your friends kid’s.. just about any small child will love this!!

Buy It: You can buy The Wiggles Celebration DVD at NCircleEntertainment.com for $11.99

Visit WiggleTime.com for more fun!

Jessica Renee

Review: Kidz Gear Headphones

We have a lot of electronics in our house; computer, tablet, and smartphone. This is what keeps my kids occupied when we need to go somewhere they think is boring (the doctor, the dentist, and even when I take my daughter to work with me).
They might want to play games on the tablet, watch cartoons, or listen to music- but that doesn't necessarily mean that I or everybody around them wants to listen to it. When we got a chance to work with KidzGear, I was super excited.

They had plenty of different characters and colors on their products to make it interesting and fun for kids. I ended up choosing a neutral color (lime green) so that both my kids could use it. Aidan's at school during the day, and Adisyn goes to the shop with me. She gets bored watching me whip up something on the sewing machine.. So bringing the tablet and the headphones makes it extremely easy for me to get work done while she's with me.

I love the sound that filters through the headphones. It sounds so bright and vivid- like your in your own world.. It's easy to get entranced listening to music or watching a movie with these. They are so comfortable that you seem to forget that they are even there.
I even used them for a couple weeks. I went and got a new piercing (my tragus) and I couldn't use my normal (earbud) earphones in my left ear because of the barbell in my ear. So- I ended up using the kids headphones, AND they fit really well.

SO, whether your kid is a toddler, a school aged kid, or in high school the headphones slide down to situate on their head without a problem. I really loved that they offered color choices.. It makes it easier to spot them (lol).
They also came with their own bag and an attachment that is extremely helpful. The attachment goes into the phone, tablet, or handheld DVD player. It makes it so that 2 pair of headphones can listen in at the same time. When we were traveling in the truck, it made it a LOT easier for both my kids to watch Dora without us having to listen to is as well.
I love the quality as well. They are built well and built to last. There is nothing cheap or insignificant about these headphones. They are nothing but absolute TOP quality!!
BUY THEM: Kidz Gear Headphones


Jessica Renee

Review: ThredUP Kid Clothing

We all know how fast kids can grow out of clothes. When my kids were little my grandma (on my mom's side) would go out of her way to buy the cutest outfits even if they cost a ton of money. I kept telling her that she didn't have to go to Boutiques to buy their clothes (even if Adisyn DID look SO adorable in the handmade clothes) but they cost $45+ for ONE outfit.

I on the other hand have a limited income. I can't and couldn't afford to spend that much on one outfit when they grow like weeds and the clothes wouldn't fit a month later. The trick to buying kids clothes that are durable, comfortable, and will last them awhile is to bargain hunt and buy 1 size up if you can.

I was excited to get to work with thredUP for a review. This is a website where you can sell and buy gently used clothing from other people. This is like going to a thrift store and buying clothes (There are many name brand clothing on the website for next to nothing.)

I had tons of fun looking through the website. I drifted to baby/toddler sections even though my kids aren't that small anymore (aren't those clothes just SO adorable?) Aidan is more in need of clothing than Adisyn is, so I started looking through the 5-6 boy clothing. It helps that Adisyn has a girl cousin just a couple years older than her, so she gets the hand-me-down's that still look amazing.

Aidan isn't that lucky. All the boys in the family are more than 4 years older than he is. He had a really big growth spurt this year, where his pants become extremely short (JUST after we went and bought school clothes for him)..

What I decided to get from the website was a thin grey zip up hoodie jacket from Hurley, and 3 pairs of shorts. They were cheap and he can wear them when spring rolls around this year. They were all extremely adorable and very affordable.

I loved that I could go to exactly what I was looking for. There wasn’t any searching and searching and not finding what I wanted. You can search by type of clothing (jeans, tees, button ups, shoes) and then narrow it down by size. I love this! I wasn’t looking through sizes that didn’t apply to my son!!

On the plus side, if you have any clothing that are in great shape that your kid's have outgrown you can set it up to sell those on the website as well. If you are low on money, you could always sell the too small clothing first, and then use that money to buy more. WIN-WIN situation! ;)

Here is a step-by-step outline straight from thredUP on how all this works:

PICK – Browse boxes listed in the thredUP community and select one you’d like to receive. Hopefully, by now, you have your friends on thredUP so you can just pick their boxes. If you’re busy, tell us your clothing preferences and the experts at thredUP can choose a box for you.

PAY – Once you’ve picked your box, all you pay is $5 plus shipping ($10.70) to have it delivered.

PREPARE – As part of this process, you are required (this is a swap after all!) to list a box of clothes that your child no longer wears. We’ll ask for basic details such as types of clothing, number of items, colors, brands, season and sizes. Don’t worry, the USPS will mail you empty boxes for your gently used clothes.

SEND – When someone picks your box, thredUP will alert you and ask you to send this box. It is free to send boxes on thredUP because the recipient pays the shipping. You’ll be able to print the shipping label and schedule the pickup all in one click. Would you rather drop it off at the Post Office? No problem! Just cancel the pickup and leave a note for your postal carrier. As soon as your box is tracked by the USPS, you will see your box status has been changed to “shipped” in your thredUP closet.

Check out ThreadUP!

Website, Facebook, Twitter

 

Jessica Renee

Review: Bailey Berry- BB STARS Shoes for Kids

I am so excited to tell you about a new pair of shoes that little miss Adisyn has been wearing for a couple weeks now. I fell in love with them as soon as I seen the website.

They are easy to put on, easy to stay on, and easy to clean. That means they are the perfect shoes for kids. Every time I get my kids a new pair of shoes they are absolutely filthy within a week or 2. I’ve already had to buy Aidan’s second pair of school shoes already.

I chose to get a pair of BB Stars for Adisyn though. She loves shoes, but hates keeping them on. She likes to do things (put her clothes and shoes on) by herself but can become quickly agitated if things don’t go her way. These shoes make it easy for small kids to help themselves and put their own shoes on.

They can be worn with or without socks, and the designs are absolutely adorable. I ended up getting the white pair for Adisyn so that she would have a pair of shoes to go with almost any outfit that I choose (OR she chooses) for her.

Adisyn loves that she can change out the straps to make it look like she has different pair of shoes on. Of course she has to do it herself, she won’t let me help LOL. She loves them and thinks they are sandals. She obviously thinks they are comfortable because I didn’t hear her complaining that they hurt her feet or trying to ditch them at the first chance she got.

I love that they are made with recyclable materials, are lightweight, and are Odor-Resistant. BB STARS™ are designed for children ages 1-8, offered in sizes 4/5, 6/7, 8/9, 10/11 and 12/13

Offered in six FUN, bright colors; each pair includes four different strap designs:

• Beige BB STARS™ include Beige Stripes, Camouflage, Navy Plaid andNautical Flags Reversa Straps™

• Black BB STARS™ include Graffiti, Dragon, Camouflage and Skull & Crossbones Reversa Straps™

• Navy BB STARS™ include Navy & White Stars, Red & White Stripes, Multi Stars and Kelly Green & Navy Stars Reversa Straps™

• Pink BB STARS™ include Pink Stars, Black & White Polka Dots, Hearts andSkull & Crossbones Reversa Straps™

• Red BB STARS™ include Red & White Stars, Black & White Stripes, Black & White Checkered and Tie Dye Reversa Straps™

• White BB STARS™ include Silver Stars, Rainbow, Graffiti and ButterflyReversa Straps™

Children's bracelet and reusable waterproof mesh bag included with every pair. The mesh bag is now Adisyn’s purse. Or so she thinks LOL. She has been carrying it everywhere. Would also be cute for a beach bag in the summer.

Connect: You can connect with Bailey Berry on Facebook,Pinterest and/or @BaileyBerryKids on Twitter!

Gift It! You can buy the BB Stars Kids' Shoes for $42 on their website.

 

Jessica Renee