Lalaalu June Boxes

    I can't say enough great things about this company and their boxes. Lalaalu is based out of NYC and their boxes are curated by a group of moms, with guest moms each month.
They went through a bit of an identity transformation recently in so much as they are no longer a subscription box service, however, if you currently have a subscription with them you will continue to receive the monthly special box in whatever age group your child is in.

Lalaalu ships in simple white boxes, which is great for reusing or storing items in, as well as something for the kids to color on.

    Instead, they currently offer 4 boxes, called Kid Urban Boxes that range in price from $30 to $40. Then each month is a special box, curated by a guest mom, and based around a theme. There are 3 different age groups for this specially-themed box.
What separates Lalaalu from others is that you can see what you are getting before it arrives. Now if you want a sub box for the element of surprise, this might not be the one for you (unless you are gifting it to someone). However, if you want to know you are getting value for your money, this might be a good option for you.

    I started my love affair with Lalaalu last month when I received the Urban Newbie Box filled with goodies for my infant daughter. Teethers, sippy cups and breast feeding supplies were included and the value of the box was more than double what I paid for it.
So obviously my totally obsessed, addicted self had to order 3 this month. I got 2 more of their standard boxes - The Urban Player and The Urban Insomniac- and the baby version of their monthly box, the theme of which was "Artiste" for June.

The Urban Insomniac Box arrives packed full

The Insomniac Box includes 2 books, Ella's Kitchen food pouches, an Oogaa spoon, Weleda Bath Creme, 2 types of teething tablets, Green Sprouts Diaper Stick, and a NasaKleen. I will use most, if not all, of these items. Everything fits the insomniac theme and the total of the box is far more than I paid. And if I didn't already have a NoseFrida, I would have been exposed to a new product with the NasaKleen. I love learning about new products. For more on the NasaKleen, click here.

The Urban Player Box is more geared towards my 3 year old, and age recommendations are listed on Lalaalu's website. It contains a whole bunch of Ella's Kitchen products, including pouches and cookies. There is also a sanitizer from the Honest Company, another company whose products I have become completely obsessed with. There's a natural muscle ache cream called Arnicare, some fun-looking all natural blue bubble bath, and Hold On Handles, that you can attach to a stroller so that your toddler/preschooler has enough freedom to walk alone, but not too much. Finally, there are Wexy snack bags, which have monsters on them and I know my oldest will love. Once again, I will use everything in here, and I was exposed to a couple new products with the Arnicare cream and the Hold On Handles.

Packed Baby Artist Box

Finally, I received the monthly special. There are 3 age groups. The middle and oldest ones didn't catch my eye, but this baby box really did. I am really glad I tried out the monthly box. Curated by Brooklyn artist Tatiana Arocha, this box has everything to get my little one's artistic mind going, and artists get hungry too, so there are some Nuturmeals organic food for when she needs to take a break form creating the next great Mona Lisa. I love the natural wipes, another new product for me, and the Little Black Book combines lift the flap, feel the material and scratch and sniff. Even my 3 year old loved this book. I haven't used the art cards yet, but the high black and white contrast is all the rave among the under 6-month crowd. I remember many of the songs on the Little Pim French CD from learning French as a kid, and the Cucumber Aloe Vera Shampoo and Wash from Babo will go to great use this summer after long days in the pool.

    I was very happy with all the boxes. The value far exceeded what I paid and Lalaalu often runs specials of 10% or 20% off plus free shipping so I actually didn't end up paying full price for any of these boxes, making them an even greater value for money! These make a great gift and I am excited to see what next month has to offer.

Lalaalu doesn't currently ship everywhere. They are mainly focused on the East Coast, but they have plans to eventually expand again. Check our their site by clicking here.

And learn more about the Honest Company, one of my other new favorites, here. Try coupon code INVITE10 or HONEST10 for $10 off your first order and orders over $50 ship free.

Note: All opinions expressed here are my own. Blog posts may contain affiliate or referral links.

I am an addict...

It doesn't matter what it is, but when I get into something I REALLY go for it. Sometimes, this works out well for me (and my family), like my years-long obsession with dog rescue. My family has helped foster and transport more dogs than we can count, and that is truly a life-saving effort.
However, sometimes it just involves me jumping into things feet first, with my eyes closed, and dragging my family along for the ride. I'd mention some of these but they're either too embarrassing or too detailed to get into. Needless to say, I am a 100% obsessive addict, which brings me to my latest obsession and reason for this blog... subscription boxes.
Ok, so what is that you may ask yourself. A subscription box is typically a box of surprise goodies that gets delivered to your house usually monthly. There are boxes for expectant moms, moms, babies, children, adults. There are naughty boxes, food boxes, and boxes for men. If you can imagine it, there's probably a box for it. So over the last few months, I have started to receive these boxes. It's really fun to get s surprise each month for myself, the house and the kids, and I am currently receiving more boxes than I care to let Mike know ;)
In actuality, Mike is really supportive of all my obsessions. He knows what he signed up for. I think, however, he is more enjoying the fact that since "box" is a euphemism for lady parts, he can make fun of me (usually hourly) for: 1) Being in groups of other like-minded ladies, such as Box Addicts, Box Swap and Box Giveaway and 2) saying things like, "I wonder what will be in my box today?" to which I typically receive completely inappropriate but hilarious responses, none of which I'll mention here.
Now onto the point. So I have decided like many others out there to document and review the boxes I receive. Not only does it help others out there to see what kind of items and what value of items they can receive, it also gives me an opportunity to write again, something I've missed. Since my last blog hasn't been updated in a long time, however, it will be interested to see if I can keep this up (Mike, insert inappropriate joke here!)