July Unboxings

July's subscription boxes were great! The entire month brought so many wonderful items and I couldn't be more pleased with the items within each box. Here's a quick recap of the unboxings for July.

1. Yogi Surprise

Man oh man, this subscription box never disappoints me. The Mr. and I have been on a slow mission to eating healthier and making better choices with the items that we use, or apply to our skin. Yogi Surprise makes it easy to find great products to keep this mission going. 

July's Theme was "Sun Salutation"

The items:

1. Manduka Equa Yoga Hand Towel (in green)
2. Gypsy Soul Organics Sun Salutation Salve
3. Truth Bar Peppermint Brownie
4. Shea Radiance Whipped Shea Butter with Apricot Oil (5 oz.)
5. Essential Oils (For Beauty, Wellness, and The Home) Book
6. Anima Mundi Wild Lotus Essence
7. SkinYoga Sandalwood Saffron Face Mask
8. Yogi Surprise Yoga Sequence Series Card (Sun Salutation)

Favorite Item:

The Truth Bar Peppermint Brownie was my favorite food item in this box and the Shea Radiance Whipped Shea Butter with Apricot Oil (5 oz.) was my favorite item. Living in the Pacific Northwest my skin (especially my feet) dry out a lot more than they used to when we lived in Arkansas. This shea butter has really helped bring my skin back to center and stay hydrated.

2. Seventh Generation (Generation Good)

I am part of the Seventh Generation (Generation Good) group now and I just received my first item to test this month. To me coupons to try products are just as good as money and I really like how Seventh Generation products are environmentally friendly and easy to find now. (I received these coupons to try and review products as part of the Seventh Generation group)

 

The coupons I received were for $2.00 off laundry soap, $1.00 off baby wipes/diapers, and $1.00 off on dish soap.

I love the dish soap a lot. It cuts through some tough grease and being that our home doesn't have an automatic dishwasher we wash dishes by hand. The dish soap was mild on our hands and didn't leave a soapy film on the dishes.

The Bean has sensitive skin issues and this detergent didn't cause him to itch, or break out, so it got a thumbs up from him.

The dish soap and wipes were my favorite items and I love how the wipes could be thrown in the car and taken camping with us, too.

I found all of these products on the shelves of my local co-op food store.

Sign up for Seventh Generation (Generation Good) here.

3. Naked Wines

The Mr. and I have loved Naked Wines for awhile now, ever since I was part of the Brit + Co Co-op and received my gift card from them. We loved some of their wines from the site then, but just recently we joined the Angels' Club through the company and have been trying out some of the great wines throughout the site. This Riesling is one of our favorites and I can't speak highly enough of how easy Naked Wines makes enjoying wine without breaking the bank. The picture to the left was the box that came with out wine selections for the month of July. The Mr. and I have been eyeballing the champagne and sparkling wine selections on there and our September box may contain some goodies. We are ordering from Naked Wines every other month, so stay tuned to see what we get in September.

Sign up for Naked Wines here.

4. The Honest Company

Once a month (mostly) I place an order with The Honest Company. I'm obsessed with their products and love most everything they sell-so far. This month I placed a pretty large order of things we were out of and even threw in a few new items to try.

I added the prenatal vitamins, immunity drink mix, and the multi vitamins for The Bean. We also added in our go-to items like laundry detergent, hand soap, and dish soap.

I've ordered the bathroom cleaner before and given that the bathroom here will be remodeled soon I am not sure how much of this I will use before that happens. We are hoping to get the job started by October.

We also added in out favorite hand soap, lemongrass scent. The Bean loves the smell of this hand soap and it actually makes him want to wash his hands. Side note: The Honest Company wipes work great in the summer for a quick face wash after working out.

5. Yogi Surprise Earth Day Bonus Box

The box was actually shipped around April, but Yogi Surprise posted that they had leftover boxes and anyone could purchase one. I didn't hesitate to snag me one mainly because the items in this box were too good to pass up. A lot of special edition boxes go on sale if they don't end up selling all of them when they are first put out.

The theme for this box was "Support your Love for the Earth"

The Items:

1. Run Run Run San Francisco Tote
2. Zoe Organics Breathe Balm
3. Boku Superfood
4. Essence of Vali Refresh Energy Oil
5. Bambu Bamboo Spork
6. Ecopaper Tree-Free Organic Paper Art Pad
7. Blue Lotus Golden Masala Chai
8. Flora Health Medicinal Tea
9. Foods Alive Lip Balm
10. Vanin Dark Chocolate Bar with Nibs

Favorite Item:

Gosh, so many to name here. I loved the Breathe Balm, the Bamboo Spork, the Art Pad, and the Lip Balm. The other items weren't on the back burner of liking though. This box was by far one of my favorites and I love how Yogi Surprise keeps things interesting with mixing up items in each box. 

The tote that came in this box is one I will definitely add to my shopping bags and use. I love reuseable bags that are stylish and practical. This one is made really well and can hold a lot. Check out the company's website here.

Seven Eco Actions:

1. Connect with Nature.
2. Refuse Single use Items.
3. Reduce your Footprint.
4. Reuse everyday Items.
5. Recycle and Avoid Landfills.
6. Conserve your Energy.
7. Localize: Support Local.

Grab your own monthly Yogi Surprise boxes here.


6. Mighty Fix from Mighty Nest

July's Mighty Fix was Think Sport Sunscreen. Mighty Nest has always hit the mark with us on bringing us ways to change our habits in the home here. Each month they bring a new item to our home for $10 and it allows us to rethink our views on what we use. My favorite part of the "Fix" is the recipes and DIYs that come with the Mighty Fix each month. They are always a great addition to the Mighty Fix. This month was "Homemade Honey Mint Lemonade" and it was a perfect pairing with the selection this month. It was all geared toward summer!

Grab your own monthly Mighty Fix here.

Week-End: Things that made my week awesome (Extras: Vinyl chalkboard and homemade flour)

Wow, what a great week! We've been on a steady pace of bike riding lately and today we are taking off on a 60 mile bike ride when The Mr. gets home from work. It's a real drag when he has to work all weekend, but the positive is, he loves what he does. The Bean and I took off yesterday and rode about 15 miles from our home to The Mr.'s job. It was hot, but manageable heat. The sun was behind us for the entire ride, so it made it better to ride in. It's always funny to me how people in the northwest say that 98 degrees is hot-Thinking of Arkansas every time I hear that. My brother told me it's been 107 there already! I miss Arkansas heat, but only during the winters here in the northwest. Other times, not so much. Ha! Hopefully I will have some great photos to share of our bike ride today. Sometimes I don't get to snap many because of the pace we keep, but I will share something, so check back during the week and see what I have posted. Our bike ride today will be more of a late afternoon/evening ride, so the sun won't be beating down on us too bad. Meanwhile, here are the things that made this week awesome!

1.  This View

This view is along the highway leading in and out of the valley where we live. When the clover is in bloom and the beehives are in the field, the view looks so magnificent at random times throughout the day.

2. This Chalkboard

I have wanted to paint this framed glass for awhile now, but wasn't sure what it would become once it was painted. It now serves as a menu board for our kitchen and I am still deciding where it's home will be on the wall. Maybe propped up on the table is a good place for it to stay. 

3.  These Socks

These are my new golfing socks for the moment. The Bean has always called himself "The Deer," so I think these are a great way to keep that silliness going, even on the golf course.

4.  This Meal

A lot of fellow bloggers are into ready-made, home delivered meal kits, but I find them way overpriced for what you get. The Mr. and I can make a week's worth of meals for a lot cheaper and the food options through those kits are limited. This salmon and green beans came from our local co-op and costs us less than $5 a plate. It was delicious! (the herbs on top came right out of my herb garden: rosemary, lavender, and dill)

5.  This Car

We had to make a run to the local Walmart this week and even though we dread going there, sometimes we have to suck it up. The Mr. got a prescription filled and we had to go inside to pick it up. The trip wasn't all that bad though because this great car was in the parking lot and parked right beside us. The Bean thought it was great and my heart melted when he said, "It reminds me of Downton Abbey, mommy." *paint me proud* for his reference. 

Be sure and check out my recent post on our walk along the South Santiam River. 

Have a great Sunday!

What happened this time last year?

Extras:

1. Vinyl chalkboard sheets.
2. Save money while traveling.
3. Interactive science and technology timeline.
4. Storage ideas for every room in your home.
5. Should you be an interior decorator?
6. Snow sculptures.
7. Candy molds in the shape of LEGO figures!
8. This guy and his river finds. Amazing!
9. 10 uses for tea bags. Not just for the garden.
10. How to make homemade flour.

What happened this time last year?

A walk along the South Santiam River

We always enjoy exploring our own town and the many reaches we can go to just by leaving our front step and taking a walk. The South Santiam River runs through the town and it has a vast exploration that needs to be conquered by us.  We have a rather large bucket list of things we still would like to do and most of those adventures take place within 30 miles of the house we live in. If there's a chance we can get to it either by foot, or by bike, we'll go. 

It was a beautiful day to go check out the south end of the South Santiam River. The dogs always are eager to go walk or ride with us when we bicycle, but today just screamed, "take it on foot!" 

The Bean always loves to see "what will float."

See this picture on Instagram

A great hike along the South Santiam River and spending time with the boys, it was a good day.

What happened this time last year?