Goodbye Citrus Lane

I first started getting Citrus Lane boxes last fall after seeing some of the amazing ones they gave as examples on their website. I was currently subscribed to TeetheMe (no longer in business) and I was looking for something different. I liked our first box...but I felt it went downhill after that. We got our February box last night, it will be our last one.

Surprise Wittlebee Box & Snowstorm Nemo

First, apologies for the lack of posts the past few days. We had a bit of a storm around here and I've just been spending time with family while being snowed in instead of blogging. Thankfully we didn't get the 24 inches at the top end of the prediction, but I've heard we got somewhere around 18 inches.

I was surprised to find a Wittlebee box on my porch Friday afternoon. I have posted a few times in the past week about how my box that billed January 17th had gone to packing and processing several times. I was getting frustrated that it wouldn't just ship. Apparently there was some sort of system glitch as my box was mailed February 1st.

Top to bottom, left to right: LeTop Cardigan, LeTop Dress, Trish Scully Shirt, Wittlebee Leggings, Trish Scully Leggings, Crush Leggings

My Wittlebee Box is Packing....Again and What's Up With Those Pants?!

**Update: Apparently the Trish Scully pants on their website and the ones Wittlebee is sending out are different styles and not intended to look the same or be the same.**

How does that old saying go? Third time's the charm? Or is it three strikes and you're out? Either way, my Wittlebee box, that I was charged for on 1/17/13 went back to packing status on Tuesday evening. I didn't say anything at the time because I didn't want to jinx it and have it go back to processing again. To date, it is still packing. I guess only time will tell whether it will leave the warehouse this time.

Truth be told, I am scared it is going to leave the warehouse. The reason being that people have been getting boxes lately, and those boxes, much to my surprise, have included designs by Trish Scully Child. When I first saw people posting photos of their items, specifically the leggings in Sugar Plum, I was really excited. They're not something I would buy as I don't think they will fit O correctly, but I'd like to try them out. However, it became clear to me after seeing a few photos of the pants that something wasn't right with them.

Kate Quinn for the Win!

I posted the other day about my Kate Quinn grab bag and how I was sending 2 of the items back for an exchange. I also changed from a 3 item grab bag to a 6 item. Well, it came today and I couldn't be happier!

As a refresher, here are my original 3 items. I sent back the pants and the shirt:

Muppets...Again!

I grew up watching Muppets movies, I loved them. So I was pretty happy, and also somewhat shocked, when O showed interest in them. She was still very young when the most recent Muppets movie came out. She would play in the living room, paying no attention to the tv that would be on in the background...until a trailer for the new Muppets movie would come on. She would literally stop what she was doing to watch it, she was entranced. When it came out on blu ray we immediately scooped one up, and she loves it. She loves the singing and dancing and seeing all the characters.

Try as I might, I can't get her to show any interest in the older Muppets films though, something about them just isn't appealing to her. So, imagine my surprise this morning when I woke up and saw several people talking about the new movie that just started filming in London.

Love for Tea Collection: Get Set for Spring Contest

I am addicted to children's clothing. In addition to Kate Quinn, I also really love Tea Collection. Tea bases each of their collections on a different culture, the Spring 2013 collection is based on South Africa. They have great colors and patterns, and use natural fabrics. The name Tea comes from the idea that nearly all cultures drink tea, and the brand is dedicated to sharing cultures and encouraging adventure.

Here are a few items from the new South Africa Collection that I'd love to get for O:

Limpopo Bandana Ruffle Tunic

King Protea Party Dress in Cider

Cactus Flower T-Back Jumper

I Love Kate Quinn Organics!

One of my favorite things about the monthly kids clothing boxes I subscribe to is that I am always being introduced to different brands of clothes. Kate Quinn Organics is one of those brands that I had no knowledge of before I signed up for Wittlebee. However, now that I know about them, I am obsessed.

Kate Quinn clothing is made from 100% certified organic fabrics. They make clothing for both girls and boys and focus on using earth inspired colors and simple elegant lines that highlight your child's natural beauty. This really appeals to me because I have never been a fan of the clothing covered in phrases such as "princess," or items with cartoon characters plastered across the front. Until my daughter gets older, she's stuck wearing what I pick out, and I'm picking out a lot of Kate Quinn.

Do You Have Klout?

A few months ago I was introduced to a new app on Facebook called Klout. From what I gather, you are given a score based on how many friends you have and how much they interact with you on Facebook. The best part is that you can earn free perks based on your Klout score.

For example, I received this in the mail yesterday. Because I have one of my interests as being a mom, and my Klout score was high enough, I was offered a free Vicks Behind the Ear Gentle Touch Thermometer.

I have to confess, I have tried this thermometer before, which is why I jumped at the chance to get another. I really love that the screen lights up green, yellow, or red, depending on the temperature. This is especially helpful since this thing is so easy to use, you could literally use it on a sleeping child, in the dark. You simply place the top of the device just below the ear, they provide diagrams to show you exactly where. You press the button on the back of it and that pushes out a small device that will read the temperature. It only takes a few seconds, it's so easy to do. If you're interested in picking one up you should check out www.behindear.com for a $10 online rebate.

Wittlebee: My Box is Packing and a Brief Review

**UPDATE 2/1/13: My box is now back to processing. I guess I have a bit more of a wait.**

My Wittlebee box is packing, yay! This will technically be my fourth box, and I'm scared and excited all at the same time.

I have been a customer of Wittlebee since September 2012. I think I stumbled upon a review on another blog and thought I would try it. What is Wittlebee you ask? It's a monthly kids clothing subscription service. Wittlebee has been around for awhile, but is probably best known for the boutique brands they advertise as carrying in their boxes. Some examples of these brands are: Trish Scully Child, Kate Quinn, Small Paul, and Tea Collection. They also recently announced a partnership with Threadless.

Wittlebee has been experiencing some growing pains, and going through some big changes lately. Most recently, they announced that they were going to begin charging shipping on their boxes, something that previously was included in the $39.99 monthly price tag. In December 2012 they announced they would be moving all subscriptions to 6 items, and would be trying out an 8 item box at an increased price for families with more than one child. This move came as some of the original members were still receiving boxes with 8 items. I personally only ever had 6 items, so that wasn't a big deal for me.

I think one of the biggest complaints with Wittlebee is the long processing and packing time. I have heard some members have had to wait a month of more from their billing date for their boxes to ship due to low inventory in the size they need. The longest I ever had to wait for a box to ship was 28 days, and that was back in October/November 2012. My current box, that started packing yesterday evening, billed January 17th, so 14 day processing time, and as of yet unknown packing time. Another one of the big announcements made recently was the implementation of a new system where members will be able to pick items to put in their boxes. This will hopefully cut down on the amount of time it takes to get the box, since you will no longer have a stylist personally designing it for you.

Enough talk about Wittlebee, I'm sure you want to see my boxes!

Sweet Pea Box One: The Sweet Future of Monthly Clothing Boxes?

Although I just started this blog, I have been a customer of several different monthly boxes for quite a few months. I wanted my first review on my new blog to be about a brand new monthly kids clothing subscription box called Sweet Pea Box. Sweet Pea Box was started with moms in mind, by a mom just like you and me. She knows what we want to see in our clothing boxes and she is doing her best to fulfill those wishes.

Sweet Pea Box had it's soft launch in December 2012. I didn't sign up early enough to be on the very first round of boxes, but I was on the list for January 2013. I'm not going to lie, I didn't absolutely love everything in my box. However, everything in my box was nice. It was a matter of personal preference.

Hello and Welcome

This isn't my first attempt at a blog. They always start out great, but then I get bored and delete them after several months of never bothering to post anything. I'm hoping this one will be different. My vision for Mommycentric is for it to be a place to share reviews, advice, and for me to just talk about things I think are important and mommy/family related. So grab a seat and look around, I hope you enjoy! :-)