GlobeIn Refresh Box!

I was contacted by GlobeIn to check out their 'Refresh' box, which is sold individually or as a part of a subscription box service. I normally do not partake in subscription box services, but after checking out their website and the concept, I was completely drawn to it! It is a unique take on monthly boxes and I think a wonderful concept to include pieces from independent artisans around the world.

The Refresh box is a box containing "spa" like items, for personal beauty and home use - a handmade soap, hemp woven washcloth, candle, teas, and a shampoo... all inside the signature GlobeIn woven palm leaf basket.

The assortment of items in the Refresh box was great, and I will enjoy getting use out of all of them - I'm a huge tea drinker, I love home decor and beauty items, so it was a great fit for me. I also liked how the GlobeIn box included a card with the information about the independent artisans that made the items within the box. In my GlobeIn box, the items came from:

- Palm Leaf Basket made by Martina Garcia, Oaxaca, Mexico

- Shea Shampoo handmade in Togo, West Africa

- Hand-painted candle handmade in Napier, South Africa

- Yerba Mate Tea hand harvested in the South American Atlantic Rainforest

- Dead Sea Mud Soap handmade by Sindyanna in Northern Israel

- Natural Hemp Washcloth handmade in Bagdha, Bangladesh

I think this is such a wonderful concept to be connected with things outside of our local circle and a great way to support artisans from around the globe!

Get 25% off your first month box with code BEINGMOMMY

Check out GlobeIn: http://goo.gl/qd978x 

The GlobeIn Artisan Box​ is a monthly subscription box. Each month, GlobeIn delivers “the globe in a box” ­ a themed collection of artisan ­made products from around the world. GlobeIn introduces you to products that you can feel good about - they are often organic, fair­ trade, and support artisans and farmers from around the world.

** Items in this post were sent complimentary for purposes of review. This is not a paid post. All opinions are my own.

5 Reasons Why Being a YouTuber is AWESOME!

... and why you should YouTube too!

This post just randomly hit me one evening while unloading the dishwasher... yes, dishwasher - but honestly, I loved the concept and wanted to share why I LOVE being a YouTuber! And why you should consider trying out YouTube too!

BeingMommywithStyle YouTube Channel!

1. There is a community for everyone on YouTube!

I'm a part of the mommy, housewife, and handbag communities on YouTube... upon further investigation, I began to realize that there are a TON of sub-communities on YouTube and you can pretty much find your niche where ever your heart is happy! Love horse back riding? I'm sure there is a community for that. Toys... reviews, skits, YouTube has them. And I can absolutely guarantee you there are thriving mechanical and Jeep communities - as my husband checks in on them regularly!

So the best part about this, is whatever your interests are - you can more often than not find like minded people to converse with.

2. Which brings me to my next point... it's FUN!

The filming and editing process are actually a lot of fun for me to partake in - but beyond that, the back end... where you get to talk to people about your content and meet other YouTubers with similar content is a lot of FUN! You can get into some great and productive discussions through the comments and it is nice to know there are people "just like you" out there in the world!

3. It is a great way to diversify your Social Media portfolio

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy... but if you're interested in the business side of things - YouTube IS a giant in the social media world and is a HUGE influencer for our younger generations. Just look at Shopkins! (Don't know what Shopkins are? What is a Shopkin you ask? You obviously don't have a preschooler... but just go ahead and search "blind bag" for a moment in YouTube - and you will find an entire world that toddlers, preschoolers, and young children alike are enamored with... being driven by YouTube videos.) It also is a great addition to the social media that you are already connected with your viewers or readers.

Videos are a great way to connect with your audience on a personal level and also the advertising placed on them is quite powerful.

And that brings us to...

4. People actually make money doing YouTube!

What? You read that right. (I just had to backspace "heard" instead of read... see, even my brain things "in YouTube".) YouTube is a fun hobby, where you can meet like-minded people, and even have the possibility of gaining revenue! While YouTubers aren't allowed to talk specifics about their numbers and what they are making, there are examples of YouTubers that are successfully (very successfully) doing it as a "full-time gig", some that are just making a bit of extra cash... and a whole lot of ranges in between.

5. It helps preserve priceless memories in a way you can continue to look back and enjoy them for years to come.

I'm a bit biased on this one - since I consider myself primarily "a YouTuber that sometimes blogs" - and not vice versa, a blogger that is trying out YouTube... I feel like I have a unique perspective on this one, and yes, it's probably a bit biased.

It is my belief though that video documentation whether through "day in the life" style videos (vlogging your life DAILY!) or through occasional life updates are these fantastic capsules where you capture moments that wouldn't have other wise been captured, may have otherwise been lost in your memory bank... and you have them in perpetuity to look back on. It's amazing to be able to pull up a random Tuesday in August 2013 and see... what we had for breakfast. How little my daughters were! Aww, look at their favorite toys... and the list goes on. I get the warm squishies just thinking about looking back on old videos, so you can imagine what actually going through them does!

I hope this list has inspired you to give YouTube a try! It really is quite FUN!

What about you? Are you a YouTuber? Do you already have a channel or have been thinking about starting one?

Check out my YouTube Channel!

Breville Tea Maker

Welcome to my new favorite toy in the house! The Breville Tea Maker is an automatic tea maker that you can brew loose leaf or bagged tea in, either hot or iced. (Double your tea proportions for iced tea.) Retail price is $249.99, and at Bed, Bath and Beyond where I purchased it, you CAN use the 20% off coupon that most consumers routinely receive in the mail. Also, Teavana carries it and they sometimes have sales as well.

I'm an avid tea drinker and have been considering this purchase for quite some time. I primarily drink iced tea, and like the occasional cup of hot tea - especially in the evenings. I will admit, the price tag held me back. Even with how much tea I drink, I didn't know if this purchase would end up being "worth it" or not.

After my old iced tea maker finally broke (again, I was on my 2nd or 3rd model of them since we'd been married) - I decided to finally go ahead take the quality plunge. I purchased it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and with tax it was around $211.

As soon as I got it home, I set up the cleaning function (basically setting it to boil water) and set out to make tea right away... My old iced tea maker had been broken for about a week at that point, so I was ready for some TEA.

And I can say right off the bat, it did not disappoint! First of all, it is very amusing to watch run, the basket which holds the tea automatically steeps to the desired tea strength level after the water has reached the appropriate temperature. I especially like the "keep warm" function. With little ones running around, I frequently get distracted and it is nice to know that I'm not going to come back to a ruined pot of tea when I remember it 15 minutes later.

Also... the tea tastes GREAT. I was able to notice a favorable difference between my old iced tea maker and the tea from the Breville Tea Maker - and obviously from the week prior when I had been heating up tea on the stove trying to "get by" while I made my decision on what tea maker to get.

All in all, I'm very happy with my decision to go ahead and buy the Breville Tea Maker. It will get a lot of use in my house and I think it was a great place to invest in quality, since we make tea so often. I will be sure to follow up with a video review as well after I've used it for a while, but wanted to share my initial thoughts.

Do you have the Breville Tea Maker? What are your favorite types of teas to make in it?

** This post is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. I purchased this item on my own.

Girls Disney Themed Easter Baskets

The past few years we have had homemade Disney themed Easter baskets - and they did not disappoint! The girls loved them! This year I was able to find a number of unique things and we are of course very into blind bags right now, so I included a number of mystery items as well!

My favorite items in their baskets this year are probably the Palace Pets! The girls have been loving these lately and have developed quite a healthy collection! (Yes, I believe a Palace Pets collection video is going to be in order!) The Mickey chocolates also look very yummy!

Lots of cute Disney goodies!

One of the most frequently asked questions I am asked about my Easter basket & Christmas stocking videos are where to find all of the items, so below is a comprehensive list of where to look for the items in our 2015 baskets!

Palace Pets - Target or Toys 'R' Us

Imagine Ink Books - Target

Floating Bath Princesses - Toys 'R' Us

Cinderella Plush - Disney Store

Marie Tsum Tsum - Target

Frozen Eggs - Target

Mickey Ear Eggs - Toys 'R' Us

Mickey Chocolates - Toys 'R' Us

** This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. All items featured in baskets were purchased by me.

BLIND BAG & SURPRISE EGG BUG!

We've been bitten by the BLIND BAG & SURPRISE EGG bug at our house… and boy, oh boy… has it even come on quick!

We spent a number of days running around this past week grabbing some fun items to have an initial blind bag opening - and the girls LOVED it...

So after seeing their reaction, I decided it would be a great idea to do a full on SURPRISE EGG OPENING PARTY!