DateBox Club Helps You Reconnect (Review)

My husband and I have been together for almost 14 years. We were just 16 and 21 when we met, and got married 5 years later. 

We now have 2 kids, have moved 8 different times, lived in two countries, had and lost family pets, and have had some of the highest of highs and lowest of lows together. We have been through a lot! 

I think once you've been together this long, especially if it began at a young age, you have to work pretty hard to continue choosing each other day after day. Admittedly, we don't always put in the work that we should. We get lazy. We get comfortable. 

We make excuses involving time and money and lack of a reliable babysitter as to why most of our down time is spent splayed out on opposite sides of the couch binge watching the prior night's HULU entertainment.

DateBox Club takes the reigns leaving you without an excuse to spend quality time together. 

No need to plan, no need to shop, no need to get a sitter! Simply pick a night, put the kids down for bed and open the box together. 

The objective of this subscription box service is not romance or physical intimacy but connecting with purpose. 

It is coming together and completing a project, trying a new recipe, playing a new game, because you want to.

We had the pleasure of enjoying December's “Holiday” theme box together. This box, which I received for review, included two clear plastic shell bulb Christmas ornaments along with glitter and paint pens for decorating. 

They also provided the makings of trail mix snacking in the form of a bag of pretzels, MnMs, salted peanuts and peppermint Kisses. 

Not only are there munchies and activities in each box, they even have a monthly changing Spotify playlist to set the mood. Not surprisingly, December's playlist was all Christmas Music.

To start, we wrote a list of our favorite memories of 2018, folded them up and stuck them inside of our ornaments. 

We aren't the most artistic people in the world, but we gave it an honest go. In the end, we were mostly giggling about HOW bad they were coming out. 

Luckily our Christmas tree is a total scrapbook of sorts filled with keepsakes and memories from travels and milestones and these tacky plastic balls with random glitter trails will fit right in, reminding us of the lovely evening together thanks to Date Box Club. 

We can't wait until we put the tree back up at the end of this year, and can read what we each wrote as our favorite memories of 2018, and adding a new list from 2019. This is going to make a wonderful tradition!

While waiting for glue to dry on the ornaments, there was no need to worry about awkward silences! The final objects in the box were a sand timer and a deck of Caroling Charades cards. 

Now, neither of us are too big on either charades, or Christmas carols, but we found our selves enjoying it with much laughter.

There was also a flyer for a phone app in the bottom of the box advertising 'Ultimate Intimacy - “Clean, Christian Friendly Bedroom Game.”' 

I couldn't even wrap my head round what that could mean, so of course I had to check it out. 

Ultimate Intimacy was created by two Christian couples eager to find content targeted to romantic couples without the raunchy language and dirty imagery that often is prevalent in such services. 

It was actually worth checking out and I judged it too quickly at first.

DateBox Club comes in five subscription length options. A single month is $39.99 but can be bought in 3, 6 and 12 month options as well, discounting the monthly cost with the subscription length.  

The February Box is sold out, so if you sign up, you'll receive the box for March.

What's really cool is you can find a few of their past boxes on Amazon for just $29.99!

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New Year's & Game Day Treats from Gramma in a Box (Review)

Being a working mom with two young kids is never easy. I still want to do fun projects and make treats with them, but often find myself with very little time to actually do so. Thankfully, I was able to get another Gramma in a Box treat decorating set this month and it was just as fun as last month's!

Gramma in a Box is a monthly subscription service that sends nearly everything you need for three yummy treats!

The only things I've needed to provide on my own have been a spoon and bowl, a paper plate, and scissors. Everything else, from the cookies to the sprinkles to the melting chocolate and pretzels, is in this little box!

The theme of this month's box was New Years and Football.

While my little family isn't really into football, it didn't stop us one bit from enjoying both the making and the eating of these treats!

The first of these treats was the New Year Sparklers, which was pretzels with a white chocolate coating and sprinkles.

My kids and I found a great way to make sure everyone got to participate in this in a way that nobody got burned.

My son would hold the pretzel over the chocolate bowl, where I would cover the end in the melted white chocolate (once again, I needed to use a double boiler to melt it), then he would turn so that his sister could sprinkle the pastel dots over it.

The kids had so much fun, they were a little sad when the sixth pretzel was finished!

The second treat was the Game Day Crunch, which didn't lend itself to being much of a group project, as it was mostly mixing hot, melted chocolate into the add ins, but that didn't stop us from enjoying it once it was set!

The third project, cookie decorating, was easily the kid's favorites. The 8 cookies were plenty for us to decorate, without being too many as to be overwhelming.

As last month, everything was tasty, and my son and I definitely enjoyed the eating part!

Unfortunately, my daughter has a very restricted diet, and couldn't partake in that, but she had so much fun with the making, I don't think she minds too much.

I still think that Gramma in a Box is a great subscription, especially for those who may be a little time crunched, as making all three treats took just under and hour, and that was with a distractable four year old and using the stovetop instead of a microwave to melt the chocolate.

The monthly box subscription has plans starting at $20 for a single box.

To me, not having to worry about going to the store, getting all the supplies, baking the cookies, measuring out the other ingredients, is well worth it!

Just knowing that each month will bring a fun family activity and treats makes the kids and I very happy! 

Gramma in a Box is Kid Tested and Jess-Approved!

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Simply Earth Subscription Box (Giveaway/Review)

Do you enjoy using essential oils in simple DIY projects to create homemade natural alternatives to commercial products?  I do, and I have a modest collection of oils and books of ideas to work with, but often I never get around to doing half of what I'd like, due to missing one vital item or another.

Simply Earth is a monthly subscription box that is delivered to you for $39.00 a month that makes it easy to build your oil collection and provides six projects a month with necessary tools and four essential oils.

Simply Earth Bonus Box

Each month tends toward a seasonal theme, making the whole thing a lovely way to learn a few techniques with the help of just a few pieces of equipment you are sure to have on hand.  Many of the projects are quick and simple enough to do with children.

When you first sign up for the subscription, along with the current month's Recipe Box, you will receive their Bonus Box that contains six amber vials, six roller ball bottles, a small jar, solid coconut oil, liquid coconut oil, almond oil, and beeswax pellets.

These supplies are used often in each month's recipe collections, and a new Bonus Box is delivered every six months as long as you have a subscription.

I received the January Box along with the Bonus Box for review and I was intrigued as I explored the contents after opening it.

The January theme was body and skin care - perfect for these winter months that can make us so dry!

The monthly recipe box came neatly packaged with four essential oils, a packet of multicolor pastel tapioca beads, a silicon square mold, two lip balm tubes, six recipe cards and a sheet of stickers for labeling the completed projects.

The four essential oils for January are Bergamot, Myrrh, Ravensara, and a blend called Farewell Scars made up of Lemon, Lavender, Rosemary, Myrrh, and Helichrysum.

I was most curious about the Ravensara as I had no previous experience with it.   It is touted as an oil that helps with seasonal illnesses and has a calming effect that increases confidence.  The scent was highly reminiscent of anise, so it was no surprise to discover its botanical name is Ravensara anisata. I find the scent to be very pleasant and was pleased to find that it is often used during cold season much the way eucalyptus would, to clear stuffy heads.

The first and simplest project was a confidence diffuser blend that used bergamot and ravensara.  I added it to a tea candle style infuser and set about to work through the other projects.

Both the Skin Healing Booster Roll On for minor injuries and scar care, and the delightful Skin Renewal Sugar Scrub were quick to make and would be easy for children to make as gifts with adult supervision.

The Calming and Uplifting Body Butter required a mixer to whip the ingredients together, but otherwise was also very simple to put together, and the result was sublime - I have so enjoyed using this and will definitely be making up another batch when it's gone.

The last two projects - the Lip Rejuvenating Lip Balm and Relaxing Textured Massage Bar  (which is where the tapioca beads come in) both required melting wax and coconut oil over a double boiler or similar alternative.   I used a glass measuring cup so I'd have an easy way to pour the contents into the lip balm tubes and square mold - I found that hooking the handle over the edge of the pot and suspending it in boiling water was the easiest way to keep the handle available to pick up with a potholder when it was time.

As a tip - remember not to use hot water to remelt the remains of wax on your tools with hot running water and let it go down the sink!  It'll reharden in your pipes.  Instead, wait until it is nearly cool but still soft and wipe out thoroughly with a paper towel before washing.

Both of these projects worked out just as described - of the two, I like the massage bar best. The lip balm is not quite creamy enough for my winter-dry lips to use without pulling at them.

All in all, I found this subscription box to be a lot of fun, and a great value - the four oils included go for a total of $64.96 on the website - that, along with several projects and supplies to get familiar with using them make the $39 a month cost a real bargain.  Add to that the free $40 Bonus Box that arrives the first month of your subscription and you will be all set for several months of fun and a collection of homemade natural products to enjoy.

If you've ever wanted to try out a few DIY techniques using essential oils or to grow your essential oil pantry, Simply Earth may be the perfect subscription box for you.

The February Box will be all about making your own cosmetics!

If you subscribe following using the code RCHFREE you will receive a free $20 gift card with your first subscription box and bonus box! You can use the gift card for individual purchases on Simply Earth or the next box.


Simply Earth is also allowing us to host a giveaway for the February Box plus Bonus Box - read on to see how you can enter to win!

UPDATE:  This giveaway was originally for the January Recipe Box plus Bonus as described above - however January has now sold out and the winner of our Giveaway will receive the FEBRUARY Recipe Box plus Bonus Box.   Check here for a sneak peek, and if you want to subscribe, don't delay - these things do sell out before the end of the month!

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One winner in the US will win a February Simply Earth Subscription Box plus Bonus Box (value $79.00).

This Giveaway ends at just before midnight ET February 4, 2019.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

The winner will be notified by email 24 to 48 hours after the end of the giveaway by email. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.
 Good luck!

Entry-Form

Review and Giveaway: Gramma in a Box

Gramma. For me, just the word conjures up images of comforting old women and the enticing smell of something baking in the kitchen. My grandma always has a freezer in the basement full of cookies and other baked goods that she insists we bring home every time we visit. Holidays meant that her kitchen counters would be packed full of freshly made cookies, waiting to be enjoyed. And if you came over while she was baking, you got to help!

These were always fond memories for me, and while most of my dozen cousins can still enjoy going to Grandma's house, I now live 2,000 miles away (well, 1,965, but who's counting?). I have to say, especially around this time of year, I miss going to Grandma's.

I have found one way to help combat the lack of Grandma, and that is Gramma in a Box. Gramma in a Box is a monthly subscription box that delivers all the things you need to make up to 20 cookie and candy treats. This means that the cookies, frosting, sprinkles, and nearly all the little bits you need to make them are included, usually with a seasonally appropriate theme!

Gramma in a Box is $20/month if you are only ordering on a month to month basis, but offers a few ways to save some for a reoccurring delivery.

I was fortunate enough to receive the December box for review, and to make up a few delicious holiday treats with my kids.

The festively decorated box arrived and I have to admit, I loved the stickers that covered the outside of the package! It even contained a helpful “best by” sticker, as well as a reminder to put the box in the fridge if you aren't using it right away.

Inside the well packed box was a card outlining the projects, individual detailed project cards which include ingredients lists on the backs, a contents list, crushed peppermints, candy canes, three different kinds of sprinkles, three colors of frosting, melting chocolate, marshmallows, red hots, cornflakes, and cookies, as well as a couple sheets of parchment paper to help contain messes and paper cups for the wreath treats.

It was a lot of stuff tetrised neatly into the box, and I was actually impressed by how well it all fit.  Nothing arrived crushed or crumpled.

The three treats to be made in this month's box were Hot Chocolate Treats, Holly Wreaths, and Winter Cookies.

The Hot Chocolate Treats and Holly Wreaths had you melt the chocolate wafers in a microwave in the directions, but I don't have a microwave and haven't for years, so I did it the old fashioned way and melted it in a double boiler rig using a small pot and a heat safe bowl on the stove top.

Being a grown woman who has lots of experience baking and creating in the kitchen, none of these projects took me more than 5 minutes after I got the chocolate melted.

Once you include children in the mix, as I did with my son for some of the cookies when he got home from school that day, it might have taken longer, but still a short enough time to hold their interest.

Even though the treats didn't take long to make (thanks to everything having been prepped), I still had lots of fun putting them together.

The cookies come pre-baked, making this a decoration project with no time needed to mix, bake and cool the cookies.

I actually appreciated that I didn't have to measure out ingredients or worry about baking the cookies, especially when kids are in the mix! It was really nice to have everything at hand; they really mean it when they say “Gramma does all the work. You have all the fun!”.

Not only were these goodies fun to make, they tasted great too! I had to have a plate of yummies after I finished making them, complete with some hot cocoa!

Gramma in a Box is really a fun little box that kids of all ages can enjoy making and eating!  Gramma in a Box is letting us give away a January box to one of our readers in the US - it goes out on Jan 3rd, just in time to be waiting for you on that inevitable first snow day after the kids go back to school.

Read on to see how you can enter to win!

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One winner in the US will win the January Gramma in a Box (value $20.00).

This Giveaway ends at just before midnight ET December 30, 2018

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

The winner will be notified by email 24 to 48 hours after the end of the giveaway by email. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Good luck!

Entry-Form

MunchPak Subscription Box: Review

Back in the early days of RCH, one of our former contributors reviewed MunchPak and wrote a short review. I've had my eye on the company ever since!

I was so pleased to have the chance to write an updated review on the company. As I haven't tried them before, I'm not certain what all has changed since that 2014 review, except unfortunately, their prices. They are quite a bit more expensive than they were a few years ago. So, without comparison, I'm here to let you know how they are now!

MunchPak is a weekly/bi-monthly/monthly subscription box filled with a number of treats depending on the size of your box choice. 

They offer a MunchPak Mini box that includes at least 5 full size snacks. The MunchPak Original contains at least 10 full size snacks, and finally the FamilyPak is filled with 20+ snacks!

Their prices vary greatly based on your customization. While each size box has a monthly price, that changes based on how many months you pay for in advance, asking specifics of things to be added OR left out of your box ($1 per request), as well as adding a drink to your box ($5 each).

To keep things simple I will tell you what one single box of each size will cost you without any customization:

• MunchPak Mini- $12.95
• MunchPak Original - $22.95
• FamilyPak - $42.95

For review, I received the midlevel size, the MunchPak Original – with a drink included! 


I had no idea what to expect from this box and was so excited to see some cool surprises. I was most especially looking forward to anything international. The box did not let me down! 

The first thing I noticed, though, was the lack of an info sheet. I'm so used to that being standard with a subscription box. As many of the packages weren't in English, I was even more confused that they wouldn't have one. 

It took me longer than I'd like to admit to notice the writing on the inside lid about their Snack Scanner app! 

By scanning any of the barcodes on the packages you can find out what it is, where its from, how much it costs, leave a review, and even purchase more through MunchPak store.  

Once I figured out that this feature existed, I thought that was pretty cool!

So here is what came in my box:

TEN JANG PREPARED FISH BBQ Flavor- Malaysia -$3.00

First Impression: Um... what. No thanks. Fish? I did not expect this. I was fairly certain these a were BBQ fish skins and handed them to my husband to test. 

Taste Test: Chewy. Not nearly as salty as I expected, just ..chewy. But husband (..and dog) actually loved them. I think my one bite for review purposes was enough. It is fish meat, not skins after all.

CHEETOS PALOMITAS – Mexico - $3.00

First Impression: Yesss! Crazy cheese popcorn. Can't go wrong with that. I love the flavor of Cheetos and expected awesomeness.

Taste Test: super let down. They are legit the exact same as bland cheesy popcorn you'd find in a Christmas tri-flavor tin.

DORITOS PIZZEROLAS – Mexico - $3.00

First Impression: I love pizza flavored chips but have never seen them in a corn chip. Again, expected greatness.

Taste Test: Not terrible chips. Not at all pizza flavored. They tasted like lime Doritos.

SKAWA ORANGE YOGURT DRAGEES – Poland - $2.00

First Impression: Couldn't read the package and assumed these were some kind of coated peanut or corn kernel.

Taste Test: I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was quite surprised by the easily bitten through crunch, and the small gush of yogurt. Extremely flavorful with delicious orange flavor, and as far as candy goes, these are enjoyable. Whole family liked these.

MOMMY'S PALMS WAFFLES DULCE DE LECHE FLAVOR – Russia - $4.00

First Impression: I didn't rush to taste these as I have had stroopwaffles numerous times and don't love them. Generally they are sweet, kinda crunchy but almost always taste stale to me.

Taste Test: As it turns out, Russian stroopwaffles blow German ones out of the water. These were incredible! They had a nice sugar like glaze giving it a crunch, and are filled with a caramel syrup in the center making them chewy and delicious. I'm so glad this was a big package! It suggests trying them heated up in the microwave which I plan to do with the rest...likely topped with vanilla ice cream. Mmm!

GERRITS SOUR BLOCKHEADS – United States - $3

First Impression: these will basically be Sour Patch Kids.

Taste Test: way more sour than other similar candies. I didn't even eat a whole one, as sour is not something I enjoy, but husband and kids happily ate the whole package.

YAOKIN MOGUCHUU COLA FLAVOR – Japan - $2.00

First Impression: Is this gum? Appears to be a cup of soda on the package, so cola flavored was assumed.

Taste Test: These are very fragrant, very flavorful cola soft chews. I actually thoroughly enjoyed these.

JACQUET BELGIAN WAFFLE – Bulgaria - $2.00

First Impression: It was very hard.

Taste Test: smelled like a cheese danish. Split it between the four of us. My husband's piece had a lot of crunchy sugar bits, but no other pieces did. The outer edges were great, but the center was so dense and dry, it was painful to eat without something to drink. They were described as chewy, but I didn't get that at all.

MIESZKO ZOZOLE APPLE, CHERRY, & STRAWBERRY – Poland - $2.00

First Impression: Pretty standard looking hard candies.

Taste Test: I chose a strawberry flavor and upon opening it, it was completely coated in a white powder. I put it in my mouth and hastily spit it out within seconds. I never even got to the fruity flavor because the powder tasted like laundry detergent. It was such a strong chemical taste I questioned contamination. 

For the sake of review, I checked a second piece. The second piece, also strawberry, had a few white specs but nothing like the first. A minutes or so in my mouth, I started tasting it again, and noticed there was now a hollow tunnel through the center of the candy, indicating the powder starts in there—I spit this one out as well. 

Reading up on the candy, I guess this powder is suppose to have some sort of fizzing properties but I just found it awful. Much to my surprise, my husband said they reminded him of a childhood candy and has eaten many of them.

HANUTA HAZELNUT WAFERS – Germany - $3.00

I actually have not eaten this product, yet, because I live in Germany and have had this amazing treat many times! It is crunchy with a creamy Nutella like spread in the center and it totally delicious.

PIGUI SLAPS GREEN APPLE - Mexico - $2.00

First Impression: What the hell. Haha! These appear to be long lollipop like strips with a small stick on the bottom. Based on the pictures on the back, you are meant to fold or roll the sheet around the stick however you want to create a unique lollipop. Look like fun... looks like a mess.

Taste Test: These were actually a lot of fun to do with the kids. They are a sour apple flavor. I'm sure someone with more artistic ability could do something amazing with these.

ZOMBIE SURVIVAL CAN ENERGY DRINK - United States- $5.00

First Impression: Yes, this is definitely going to my husband. The can was humorous.

Taste Test: I did take one sip and actually enjoyed the black cherry flavor, as I hadn't seen that in an energy drink before. My husband enjoyed it and said it was similar to RockStar.

I would definitely purchase MunchPak in the future. Although I didn't personally like a few of the items, I loved the mystery and discovery of it, and almost every item was enjoyed by someone in the family! 

While the numerous upcharges seem steep, I can understand why they are put in place. Having to customize each box must be a lot of work!

If you'd like to try Munchpak for yourself, or give a subscription as a gift to someone else, now is a great time to do it! Head over to their website and look for the discount coupons currently available.

Happy snacking!

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