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2 Little Rosebuds

Subscription box reviews by a vegan mom of twins

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Love with Food Box July 2013 Review & Code for Free Box!

by Wendy Rose — Leave a Comment

The box!
The box!

This month I decided to try a Love with Food box. I used a code that I found for a free box (I only had to pay $2.00 for shipping — code shared at end of post), so I figured I had nothing to lose.

Love with Food is a monthly subscription service that features 8 or more gourmet foods/snacks for $12 a month (even less with longer subscriptions). For every box purchased, they donate a meal to a child in need. Nice!

As with most food/snack boxes, I knew there would be a chance that there wouldn’t be any vegan items included. Thankfully, there was plenty! The other stuff will go to my husband and/or other family members. Everybody wins!

So what was in the box? Let’s take a look… [read more…]

Taste Trunk (Health) July 2013 Review & Discount Code

by Wendy Rose — 17 Comments

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about a new subscription box called Taste Trunk. If you didn’t get to read it (for shame!), you can check it out right over here.

Basically, it’s a monthly box jam-packed with carefully selected, high quality yummies. You can choose from 4 different “trunks”, which you can bounce between at your will: Sweet Trunk, Health Trunk, Gourmet Trunk, and BBQ Trunk.

I ordered the Health Trunk, since it was the box with the most vegan options. When I mentioned my veganism to Dawn (co-founder of Taste Trunk), she offered to swap out the non-vegan options and replace them with vegan ones. She also gave me a few vegan items from the “Sweet Trunk” so I could try them out too (items are marked with an asterisk). So nice!!

My box arrived today via priority mail and the thing was SO HEAVY. As any box addict knows, heavy boxes are always a good sign. [read more…]

Healthy Surprise Snack Box Review & Discout Code

by Wendy Rose — Leave a Comment

Serious snackage.
Serious snackage.

Healthy Surprise is a monthly subscription box for snacks. Oh, but not any ol’ snacks — vegan snacks! Yep, each box is packed full of vegan/gluten-free/soy-free all-natural goodness! Perfect for those with food allergies, vegans (duh), or anyone who wants to eat a little healthier.

All snacks are FULL SIZE — no teeny samples here! You can choose from 3 different box sizes: Starter (16-20 servings), Healthy (32-40 servings), or Large (48-60 servings). Boxes start at $33/month and you can cancel at anytime. (But why would you want to?)

As a vegan who’s quite the fan of snacks, I was super excited when Healthy Surprise agreed to send me a Starter box for review. The box arrived within a few days (they don’t mess around when it comes to shipping!), and I dug right into it. [read more…]

Kid Stash Box June 2013 Review

by Wendy Rose — Leave a Comment

Kid Stash is a brand new subscription box for kids aged 3-7. Each month features a different theme relating to an occupation. The box will contain educational toys, books, and even craft projects. Though my girls are a little too young to really enjoy these boxes, I was still excited when they agreed to send me one for review. I mean, they’ll be 3 eventually, ya know? Nothing wrong with being a little ahead of the game. 😉

I received June’s box — their very first one! The theme? Entomology. Yep, bugs. Now, to be totally honest, I am NOT a fan of bugs. To the extent that my family mercilessly makes fun of me. “Are you taking the girls outside today? Oh, of course not, you might see a bug“! Ugh. Oddly enough, when I was little, I absolutely LOVED them. Weird, right? While my girly-er friends were playing with Barbies, I was in my backyard trapping helpless little butterflies in my bright green “bug jug”. But don’t worry, I eventually let them go. I didn’t have the whole “future serial killer” thing going on or anything. Bugs were my friends. (Emphasis on were.)  [read more…]

Giveaway! Win a free box from Escape Monthly! — Ends 7/27

by Wendy Rose — 41 Comments

escape2Woohoo! My very first giveaway!

Escape Monthly is a brand new subscription service that offers you the luxuries of a getaway without the hassle of leaving your home. Sure, actually going somewhere may be ideal, but when you can’t swing that, this is the next best thing.

Every month you’ll be treated to a box full of destination-specific goodies. From full-size spa products, to gourmet foods and even gift certificates… It’s like a monthly vacation in a box. Cool, right? One lucky subscriber will even win a trip to that month’s destination. Crazy!

If you’re interested in pre-ordering the first box (shipping in mid-August), don’t wait too long — The first 100 people who sign up using the code “YOURESCAPE” will get 20% off for life! Not too shabby!

Alright, onto the giveaway! Good luck!
**Click on the graphic below to enter.**

box6

Contest open to US residents only, 18 and older. No purchase necessary. 1 winner will be chosen. Winner must have completed both mandatory entry tasks. Prize fulfillment will be handled by Escape Monthly. This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. Contest ends July 27, 2013.

Vegan Presence July 2013 Review

by Wendy Rose — 2 Comments

This is my second delivery of Vegan Presence and once again, I LOVE it! But who wouldn’t? Pretty little packages of vegan goodies delivered to your door every month — what’s NOT to love? (Bonus: They ship at the beginning of the month so I got this bundle of awesome on the 3rd. Nice!)

As with my June package, I took all of the items out and snapped some photos of ’em in their modest, wrapped up state before I unveiled their contents. The care that Vegan Presence puts into their packaging puts other boxes to shame. To shame, I say!

So what was inside all of these lovely presents? Funny you should ask…

[read more…]

Taste Trunk New Subscription Box and Exclusive Discount Code!

by Wendy Rose — 5 Comments

Taste Trunk is a brand spankin’ new monthly subscription box for people who like food. What’s that you say? You like food? No way! Well, this subscription is for you, my friend!

Every month, you’ll receive a “Trunk” chock full o’ fun goodies, including: 5-10 products, discount coupons, background info on each brand, and even recipe ideas incorporating the items in your box. Trunks are $29/month, shipping included.

Taste Trunk offers 4 different trunk themes — which you can change at anytime! Yay for options!

Gourmet Trunk – For those who want their edibles to have a little class.
Health Trunk – For the more health-conscious, label-reading folks (hey, that’s me!).
Sweet Trunk – For those who like to indulge in chocolates, candies & other yummies.
BBQ Trunk – For the grillers of the meats. (I’m going to go ahead and imagine everyone grilling up veggie burgers with these particular trunks… Hey, a girl can dream!)

I decided to order the Health Trunk and was told that all but 2 of the products in the first box are vegan. Since it’s not advertised as being vegan at all, this was pretty awesome news. I can’t wait to see what’s in the box!

Want to order your own Taste Trunk AND save a little money doing so? (Heck yes, you do!) Use my exclusive promo code (“2littlerosebuds25“) at checkout to save 25% off your first box! Awesome!!

Ecocentric Mom Mystery Box (for Baby) Review

by Wendy Rose — 6 Comments

I think I’ve just discovered the mother (pun intended) of all mystery boxes!

Ecocentric Mom is a mom and/or baby box that features high quality natural and organic products (many of them vegan!). I’ve been interested in trying them out for a while now, but I knew Mike would kill me if I signed up for another subscription box.  Lucky for me, they recently announced a “Mystery Box” for a one-time charge of $25 (shipping included). You could choose from 3 different themed boxes — Mom-to-Be, Baby, or Mom. They promised that each box would include at least $65 worth of products. Um, yeah. I totally jumped on it (good thing I did, because they sold out pretty fast!). I wasn’t sure which box to go with, but eventually settled on the Baby Box.

When the box arrived, I knew it would be awesome based on its weight alone. This thing was PACKED. It was a challenge to get everything into one photo, let alone cram it all into that little box. I don’t know how they did it!

[read more…]

Goodies Box June 2013 Review

by Wendy Rose — 2 Comments

This is my first month of Goodies. What the hell IS Goodies, you say? Well friend, lemme edu-micate you… Goodies is a subscription box full of generously sized (big ass, if you will) snack products that are sent right to your door every month. The best part? It’s only $7 freakin’ dollars! Oh, and shipping is included. Definitely one of the cheapest box subs I’ve come across. The not so awesome part (well, for me)? Many of the products aren’t vegan-friendly. BUT some of them are. You just never know what you’ll get. For $7 a month, it’s worth the gamble.

Sadly, only 2 of the products this month are vegan. The non-vegan stuff will be going to Mike or my dad. (You’re welcome.) I’ll show you all of the products, but I’m not going to go into much detail about the items I can’t/won’t eat. I’m not gonna sing the praises of something I’m not down with. Make sense? Good, good. [read more…]

Citrus Lane June 2013 Review & Discount

by Wendy Rose — 2 Comments

*As of December 2015, Citrus Lane is no longer in business. If you’re looking for an alternative, bluum is a great choice. — You can see my reviews of them here. With bluum, you can choose your own products and build your own box. They feature the same great brands, plus you can save $10 on your first month with coupon code “MRVA286CCE“.*

It’s here! My June Citrus Lane Box finally arrived today. It always feels like I’m the last person to get theirs. My box tends to hang out in Jersey for an extra day, gettin’ its GTL on. Not cool, box. Not cool.

Since I got mine so late I had already read a ton of spoilers, so I had an idea of what would be in this month’s box. The theme was “Fun in the Sun” and all of the boxes in my age group (11 months) included a hat, sunscreen, a sand/pool toy, and some kind of snack. There were a lot of complaints on Facebook about the size of the sunscreen, and the fact that buckets were sent without any kind of shovel (no one likes a shovel-less bucket!). So after seeing all of the bad reviews, I was kind of nervous about getting ours.

To my surprise, my box was actually pretty awesome. (No shovel-less bucket! Woo!)

Here’s what I got…

Opening the box is always exciting… Even when I already have an idea of what might be inside. Hey, it’s the little things… [read more…]

Conscious Box (Vegan Box) June 2013 Review

by Wendy Rose — Leave a Comment

It’s Conscious Box time again!

My tracking number told me that my box would be here on Monday, but it decided to show up Saturday afternoon instead. Hey, no complaints here.

I gotta say, after seeing some of the sneak peaks on their Facebook page, I was a little bummed that I didn’t get one of the products they hinted at. It was some kind of cupcake-shaped thing… A bath bomb maybe? Whatever it was, I wanted it. Bad. Don’t go enticing me with cupcakes and then not send one…That’s just cruel. No one likes a cupcake tease.

Alright, cupcake disappointment aside, here’s what I DID get:

First look.
First look.

What I saw when I opened the box… Snacks! I totally forgot to take a “full box” photo with all of the goods displayed… Once the camera’s left the room, it’s not comin’ back. 😉 [read more…]

Vegan Presence Box June 2013 Review

by Wendy Rose — 3 Comments

This is my first Vegan Presence box and I’m super impressed!

Vegan Presence is a monthly subscription box service that features — you guessed it — all vegan-friendly products. Items can range anywhere from food to beauty to household essentials. The website states that it’s $85/6 months or $165/year, but that’s for an introductory offer which is no longer available. However, when I mentioned it to them, they were happy to still honor it. Yay! Oh, this is my mother’s day gift from Mike, so… Thanks Mike! 😉

I was so excited when I saw the box on my front porch. I wasn’t expecting it, as all of the reviews I’ve read showed it coming in an eco-friendly bubble mailer. They are BIG on recycling/using sustainable materials. As you’ll see shortly, a box was a definite must this time.

First look!
First look!

How cute is that folded up letter? It contained all of the product details, including how to use them, why they were chosen, and where you can purchase more. It made it feel more like a care package from a friend, than a subscription box.

SO stinkin' CUTE.
SO stinkin’ CUTE.

It really did feel like I was opening a personal birthday gift. Look at those bows! These folks definitely pay attention to the details. Bravo, Vegan Presence! [read more…]

Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in our 20’s anymore.

by Wendy Rose — 2 Comments

Monday night was “date night” for Mike & I. Our first date night that actually took place AT NIGHT. (What a concept!)

It was also the first time that we weren’t able to put our little rosebuds to bed ourselves. *sniff* My sister arrived around 6:30, I kissed the girls goodbye, and we headed downtown to see Mates of State.

Downtown Buffalo is very… vacant. Being that it was a Monday night, it was even more so. We found a place to park and walked a few blocks (in the rain) to the venue. We expected to see a line waiting to get in, but it was eerily quiet. The guy at the door seemed kinda giddy to have someone to talk to as we gave him our ID’s. We made our way inside and sat down at a table near the stage. There was a handful of people with us, awkwardly milling around. It was going to be a long night.

Eventually the opening bands played. The first was some dude who played music over his laptop while he wanked on his guitar. I am SO not a fan of wanking. Snoozeville. Next was a band that I would have loved in my early 20’s. Not so much in my mid-30’s. It just made me feel… old.

I had plans of letting loose and getting a few drinks (something I very rarely do)… However, my “boring old mom” gene kicked in and I ordered a veggie wrap (it was awful) and a black coffee. Yep, a coffee. At a show. On date night.

Once Mates started setting up their gear, we got up from our seats at the table and *gasp* stood up near the stage. My feet were soaked through from walking through the rain and I was hoping that people would fill in around us to keep me warm. Didn’t happen. Despite the wetness/shivering, the show was pretty enjoyable. They played a few of my favorite older songs and a brand spankin’ new one that we were the first to hear.

By the end of the night, my back was killing me, my feet were frozen, and I felt like an 80-year old. I couldn’t wait to get home, shower, and kiss my sleeping babies. At one point during the night I half-jokingly asked Mike if this was going to be our last show. He laughed and nodded. Looking back now, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was… I mean, who needs a live show when you’ve got iTunes to listen to and sweet babies to kiss goodnight — all while wearing your slippers? Just add coffee & you’ve got yourself a perfect date night.

Here’s a little video I made of the show with my iPhone. Not the best quality, but what can ya do…

Daily Dose of Green Snack Box June 2013 Review

by Wendy Rose — Leave a Comment

Snacks!
Snacks!

Daily Dose of Green boxes always show up right as the new month begins. I’m always pleasantly surprised when I open my mailbox and see it sitting there, atop all of the boring junk mail. It’s definitely nice not having to anxiously wait all month for a box to arrive. Not that I ever do that or anything… Ahem…

If you’re not aware, Daily Dose of Green is a monthly subscription service that specializes in eco-friendly (and mostly vegan) products. Household items, skincare, makeup, snacks, etc. It’s only $15/month, shipping included.

This month’s theme is Healthy Snacks. Woohoo! I sure do like me some snackage. [read more…]