Life at a "Swell's" pace

For the month of May a lot of goodies came my way. Along with my normal box subscriptions I got chosen for this month's Voxbox. If you remember, Voxbox is a box of items that come from Influenster and you get to try them for free and give feedback on the items. Here are May's un-boxings....

This post contains affiliate links and/or sponsored by the brand[s] pictured. Thank you so much for supporting this brand, which also supports this blog and our family.

• Yogi Surprise:

Theme for May was "The Divine Within"

The Items:

1. Energy Muse Chakra Healing Stones

2. Sola Bar Wholesome Savory Meal Bar Jalapeno

3. Ancient Grains 'Made In Nature' Cuban Mojo

4. MitoSynergy 8-Day Rejuvenation Pack

5. Himalayan Institute Eco Travel Neti Pot

6. MyChelle Refining Sugar Cleanser

7. Acure Organics Lip Lush (No Strings)

8. Babayberry Naturals Rosehip & Hibiscus Moisturier (Sample Size)

9. Yogi Surprise Yoga Sequence Series Card (Opening Your Heart)

Favorite Item:

MitoSynergy 8-Day Rejuvenation Pack: Look, Yogi Surprise never lets me down with the great products and it's so hard for me to pick just one favorite item. As I've been a customer of theirs for over a year, and now I have joined their affiliate program, I feel that the boxes are getting better and better. They are a great company, great customer service, great affiliate program, and not one time have I been disappointed. I highly, highly recommend this subscription box. Just for the record, I've been more pleased with this subscription box than I was with Birchbox Women's Box and I did love Birchbox. The Birchbox Man Box, though; Totally worth it for a man!

• MightyFix from MightNest:

Okay, so I didn't get a chance to mention the MightyNest from April and I feel it needs to be mentioned. I took advantage of the promotion through Reading My Tea Leaves and got my first MightyFix for $3. Erin is always great about passing along some great minimal-living ideas and tips. I was so pleased that she mentioned the Bee's Wrap through MightyNest because I've been wanting to try them for awhile now.

The MightyFix came and I have been putting it to good use replacing all of my plastic wrap with the Bee's Wrap. I have gained a real focused course on eliminating plastic from our household, even BPA-free plastics.

You can get this same deal from Reading My Tea Leaves, too. Check it out here.

For the month of May, I received my Mightyfix on May 27 and was so pleased to receive it.

Reusable produce bags! Such great items to help us on a venture to eliminate plastics. I try to avoid using plastic produce bags anyway, but these will be even more handy for smaller items like roma tomatoes, and grapes.

You can get MightyFix for $10 a month and the concept is a monthly item is shipped to your home to help your home be less dependent on earth-harming items, such as plastics. Be sure to take advantage of the $3 offer and get your first fix of Bee's Wrap

• Influenster VoxBox:

(I received these products complimentary for testing purposes)

It's so great to be chosen a second time for a VoxBox from Influenster. (See the first one here) This box contained a full-sized bottle of Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo and a full-sized bottle of the Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Conditioner.

For part of the program participants have to leave reviews (honest reviews) of the products they receive. A review from me was left on the Head & Shoulders site and at Drugstore.com.

We have used Head & Shoulders before and really like the results. I've never tried the Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Conditioner, but it smells amazing! It made my hair so soft and The Mr. and The Bean have dandruff and Head & Shoulders knocked that right out. The containers are in recyclable plastic, too, so that's a plus.

• Walmart Beauty Box (Spring):

The Walmart Beauty Box is a quarterly box that ships out per season. It's only $5, which pays for shipping, and comes with about 10 items to try that are sold at Walmart. The box comes with coupons for the items and at times, you get full sized products, too.

Theme was "Beauty from Within"

The "Classic Box" Items:

1. Colgate Optic White Toothpaste (Full Size)

2. Cetaphil - Gentle Skin Cleansing Cloths

3. St. Ives - Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub

4. Banana Boat SunComfort SPF 30 sunscreen

5. Dove -Advanced Care Deodorant

6. Swisspers Swabs in leopard print

7. Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Moisturizer

8. Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream Moisturizer

Favorite Item:

With summer coming and the sun out in full force I have to definitely say the Banana Boat Sun Comfort SPF 30 sunscreen. My family will put this sample to good use, for sure!

Get your Classic Walmart Beauty Box here.

• Honest Company Beauty Box:

The Honest Company is always a plus each month in our house. The company offers cleaning, baby, beauty, and vitamin care through their monthly subscription service called "bundles." You can also order these products right from their site in between your shipments. They are also being sold in health food stores now, too. I prefer the bundles myself, they come at a discount more than in the stores. In a pinch I will grab something at the health food store if I am out and need it right away.

My recent order included Honest Beauty Gel Cleanser and Powder Cleanser. The Powder Cleanser came in the most beautiful glass container with a cork lid. This is a second container for me and I love them! I also received the Honest Beauty Replenishing Facial Toner Spray. This facial cleanser has chamomile in it and my face loves it!

I took advantage of the spring special and received a free Honest Beauty travel pouch. It was just the thing I needed for our recent trip to Arkansas, too. Now all of my makeup and skin care products are readily available to grab if we decide to do an impromptu road trip.

If you haven't tried The Honest Company products, or Honest Beauty, give them a try. All of their products are free of harsh chemicals, dyes, and harmful ingredients. Honestly!

Don't forget: Honest just launched their diaper prints for summer! New patterns include, Jungle Friends, Elephant Party, Tropical Frogs, Butterfly Fields and more.

What happened this time last year?

Here's another installment of the Quick Tip 101-(Volume 7)

These are a few tips from the past month that I feel could help you, too.

1. Use a galvanized bucket to hold your garden hose and water sprinklers.

This is the setup at my house and I will tell you, it's really handy when we need to grab something quick, or to move the hose in a hurry. We just wrap it around the bucket and it's good to go.

2. Placing the dustpan in the corner.

The Hiatt House has Pergo Flooring in it. Although it's better than carpet, it still isn't something I am thrilled about, but that aside, sweeping it or vacuuming it is something I do every day. When there isn't anyone around the hold the dustpan well, I am either bending over holding the broom, or coming up with a new strategy. I devised a way to actually hold the dustpan without actually holding the dustpan. Place it in the corner and the job is done.

3. Use ginger tea in your bath water.

I buy ginger tea for two reasons. One, to drink, of course and the other, to use in my bath water. Ginger has been known to help flush the body of toxins and to aid in digestion. You can make up a cup of tea and throw the used bag into your bath water. Drink the tea while you enjoy the benefits of the ginger in your bath.

4. Using a doggie piddle pad as a dish drainer water mat.

This is our old dish drainer, we have a bamboo one now, but for both of them I used Dog Pottie Pads to catch the excess water. They work in a pinch when all of the dish towels are in the wash.

5. Using pencils to balance paint bottles.

I do a lot of random painting, especially for my Etsy Shops. I have many bottles that have just a bit of paint in the bottom and I couldn't figure out a way to get the last little bit out without standing and holding the bottle. Bring in the good ole' number 2 pencil. Balancing the bottle upside down with pencils on either side was a really great idea. I am actually proud of this tip because I figured it out by accident. I will spare you the boring story, but it has helped bring out the last drip in my paint and glue bottles.