In the past I had subscriptions for make-up or snack boxes but never an activity box!  In the past, boxes came and months went on.  I would have a drawer or cupboard full of useless items. Things I would end up never using and then throwing away! This equates to so much waste. 

 I don’t at all see that to be the case with the Movement In A Box.   I feel the opposite.  With the high quality items we received in our Ready, Set Swing Box.    Everything we got in our box has multiple purposes. The creators even thought about organization of the items after use.  The box included a netted bag for easy storage and maintenance. 

In our first box included two foam rackets, bash birdie, six snowballs (in various sizes), various colored cones and my favorite, a movement guide. 

Foam Rackets: 

These foam rackets are high quality. The handles are padded making it easy for tiny hands to hold. There is a cloth lining around the entire top of the racket. This lining is really helpful to protect the hardwood floors in the house. 

Bash Birdie: 

This birdie is multi-colored and textured. Aurora loved talking about the colors and textures. Aurora loved throwing it around as the birdie rolls differently than our other balls.  Aurora also loved balancing the birdie on the racket! 

Snow Balls: 

The snow balls are soft and fluffy like cotton balls but are ultra durable. We have been hitting them around the house, pulling, hitting and carrying the snowballs for several weeks. They have held up really well. (And no broken items in the house since they are so soft) They are durable enough for my two year old to run around the house hitting them with the racket.  And then soft enough for my five month old to roll around chew and drool on. 

Colored Cones: 

These cones are super versatile, colorful and useful for countless activities. They aren’t hard like some cones, rather they are pliable. They are forgiving for a clumsy toddler.

My favorite: Movement Guide: 

I LOVE this guide!! This guide has 12 activities with the four categories of items included in the box. The guide helps educate the caregiver with nuggets of knowledge.  Increasing engagement between caregiver and child.  The guide is like having a child development specialist right in your living room helping to guide engaged play.  Movement Guides literally outlines activity with direct, simple and easy instructions for activity 1 through 12. These step by step guides and QR codes throughout make instruction and reference a breeze.

The guide outlines the skills that the box is designed to help kids develop essential skills. For example, this movement box fosters development: Locomotor skills ( run, walk, slide, March)  Stability: (Bend stretch, turn, lift, reach) Manipulative: Strike, catch, toss. Learning concepts: Counting, spatial awareness, body awareness/control, listening skills and body part awareness. 

This guide is tired momma gold! I love this guide! This guide is so helpful after a demanding day at work when I am not feeling very creative or engaged (guilty tired working momma here). The direction and resource of the movement guide provides help to direct creative and engaging play with my children.   This education helped me understand the importance for carving out play time. Additionally the guide helped me be more creative and adapt the play for my five month old. I was able to utilize the cones and snow balls for a miniature baby floor obstacle course.

One of the did you know sections in the movement guide explained that both children and parents benefit from play time. I learned that when caregivers and children engage in affectionate play time that the bonding hormone oxytocin is released.  This is the same hormone that allows nursing mothers to bond to their infants. This realization has helped me reinforce the importance of carving out this time with Aurora and Arlen every day.  

In conclusion, I really enjoyed playing with my children with the items in our Movement In A Box. The items are engaging, durable and interchangeable for numerous activities. Activities that foster healthy lifestyles for my family.    I am looking forward to trying some of the other boxes such as, the Shape Exploration Box to help Aurora work on shapes and colors.

Getting the kiddos to hold still to get photos taken was quite the feat. ( But that is the point)

I have been looking for activities to help limit screen time.  We really try to be mind full with our screen time but during the winter months findings indoor activities can get tricky.  Happy Fox Books has come to the rescue! Their team has put together an amazing and engaging new series, Easy and Fun Paint Magic with Water Books.  Fox Publishing designers have honed in on numerous developmental building blocks. This series showcases bold colors, shapes and engaging scenes on each page!  Even though these books are rated for 4+, my daughter, Aurora, who is two years old enjoyed the interactive pages.

The Coloring Books: 

The books are part of a four book series. The series includes coloring books about Dinosaurs, Fairies, Unicorns and Aurora’s favorite, Animals.  The books come with a paint brush. (Watch how you put the paint brushes in the dishwasher. I found out that the brushes can easily slip through the utensil rack and melt! Whoopsie!) The water color is so gentle and easy to clean up a quick rinse in the sink is all that is needed.

The Pages: 

The pages have a nice perforated edge which makes removal from the books a breeze.  The edges rip off clean and easy.  The ability to remove these pages has greatly increased the life of this activity, giving me more bang for my buck.  If Aurora has a coloring book in her hands she often flips through, colors a little bit on each page and then says all done before moving on to the next task.

In addition to being perforated, the paper is a thick heavy duty construction like paper. This thick paper comes in handy.  Aurora is refining her motor skills, at times she can come off heavy handed with her paintbrush. The card stock like paper allows the paper to retain it’s integrity even when excessive water and pressure are applied to the paper.

In conclusion: 

Aurora and I are really enjoying these children’s books by Fox Publishing. These activity pages allow me to do what mom’s do best, multi-task.  I can set Aurora up to color and juggle a baby on my hip. The activity are an easy set up: a paint brush, pour a small cup of water, rip a page out of the book and stick it to the table top.  (Mom hack: tape the pages to the table top to help facilitate motor skills and increase activity time).  I can walk away after setting up without fear of returning to a mega mess or expensive supplies drying up.  The pages are very interactive with a variety of shapes, animals, colors and scenes.  I am digging how easy it is to generate conversation with Aurora. I will often ask her to point out items on the page.   We hope you enjoy our first project.

As parents, we know mom’s mental health is just as important as the kiddos. So when everyone is tucked into bed, it’s time to catch a break, relax, and enjoy some Really Good Boxed Wine! The company just released a 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, and not only is it delicious, but it’s more sustainable than bottled wine. A win/win!

The wine comes boxed with a 3 liter bag of wine, which is equivalent to four bottles! This is called “Bag in Box” technology – the benefit is that oxygen doesn’t hit the bag, so the wine will stay fresh for six weeks after opening. No need to feel that you have to finish the whole thing or it will spoil. Because of its packaging, the wine is not only tasty but environmentally friendly. The box is significantly lighter than bottles, making it greener to ship; resulting in Really Good Boxed Wine having a 50% lower carbon footprint and 80% less landfill waste than bottles. The wine is packaged with a handy valve which prevents any leaking when pouring. Wine directly dispensed from the fridge without a single drop of a mess to clean up?!  Yes, please! 

Price-wise, Really Good Boxed Wine can’t be beat. It’s $65 for a 3 liter box, which comes out to $16.25 a bottle of high end wine. For me personally, I was really impressed with how the packaging looked and felt that it had a high price feel for a reasonably priced item.

When tasting Really Good Boxed Wine, I felt that it lived up to its name. It reminded me of high dollar wine served at high end Italian restaurants.  This wine has a great body and a smooth finish. This vino has undertones of black cherry, plums and toffee. It’s wonderful on its own with a good book (hello aforementioned mental break!) or as a yummy addition to dinner with your partner.

In conclusion, Really Good Boxed Wine lives up to its name. I love that it decreases its carbon footprint more so than traditional bottled wine. It’s also cost efficient and I love that it’s delivered straight to my doorstep (just order off their site!). So much easier than purchasing wine from the store with my two munchkins running around! Really Good Boxed Wine will be releasing a 2021 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Rosé this month and I’m looking forward to trying it as well.