Meowbox
We have done our share of subscriptions in our family, but Meowbox was the first one we have done for a pet. Our cat Tonio is still a pretty young cat, he will be turning three this august but he still has a very playful side. A few of my favorite things about Meowbox, that actually made me choose them vs. some other pet subscription boxes were the options. You can sign up for monthly delivery or bi monthly delivery. The was the first time i have seen a subscription box with a bi monthly option. I loved this, each box comes with several items and our pets are already a little spoiled, so new items showing up is fun and exciting but we don't need it monthly it would only add to our clutter! The second option that caught my attention was for "fat cats" like Tonio, you can choose an option where they only send you toys and no treats. This is also a great option for pet owners who's cat has allergies or food restrictions.
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When Tonio's first box showed up i think the kids were the most excited to see what was inside. He got 5 or 6 toys, and a pack of Hello Kitty Tarter Control treats. All of the items in the box are low production items and unique, you wont find them in your average store. I think our favorite was the cat toy shaped like a corn dog! Tonio also enjoyed playing with his box. (the site hits at the possibility that they spray down their boxes in catnip)
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The last, nice little extra, was that inside the box it says Hi Tonio! It's a hand written little personalized touch, that makes you feel like this small company is still connected to it's customers. Kira enjoyed going through the box so much with Tonio she made a picture and wrote a letter to the employees of MeowBox thanking them and letting them know she thinks they are doing a great job!
Hunt a killer
Hunt a Killer was a subscription box set i saw via a friend on Facebook right after Christmas. I loved the idea of having an activity i could do with Brandon that did not require screen time. When our first box showed up we didn't know what to expect, but the items were high quality and they looked very authentic. The story line was good, and the investigation piece was solid. It seems to get a little more difficult with each box, and each box can literally be hours of entertainment. Their website gives the option of ordering a whole pack up front but it is fairly expensive to do it that way and they often sell out. With the monthly subscription you always have the option to expedite your next box with is nice. We get boxes every couple of weeks generally because the game is that enjoyable and we dont' want to wait a whole month.
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The stories are refereed to as seasons when you do the monthly subscription. Each Season is 6 months (or 6 boxes) So in theory if you do it by month it will take 6 months to solve your mystery. This is quite litterally like an escape room in a box, and with stay at home orders this is perfect!
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It is fairly addictive and we quickly learned having a cork board, some highlighters, and notebooks really does help. Each month you also get a collectable pin with your box. If you do the subscripton monthly it's about $35 (or a little less) per month. We were not sure if it would be worth it when we first tried it, but for the amount of time spent on this, i think the price isn't too bad. We spend that much on other game subs in the house, and it's cheaper than going out to dinner and a movie.
Rayman legends (ps4)
Rayman is one of Donovan's favorite games to play on the PS4. he's been playing since he was 4 years old, and now that he is 5 he has been able to beat the whole game multiple times on his own. However though simplistic, it is a fun game for everyone in the family to play. Even Athena (soon to be 4) has started playing, and is quickly picking it up. The music stages like Donovan is playing in the video below are exceptionally fun!
cool maker sew n'style
Kira has been asking for a sewing machine for a couple of years now, so this year for her birthday we finally got her this kids version. Though it does work, it was fairly difficult to figure out the instructions, we had to resort to a youtube video to figure it out. However after going off the youtube video it was fairly straight forward. My biggest complaints would be that there is no spool system, it uses yarn vs. thread that is supposed to feed through the top, however it almost takes an extra set of hands to make sure this process goes as expected. The second complaint was the one we received (via Amazon) did not have a working battery compartment door. Kira did enjoy it however, and was pretty excited she was able to make these little animal pillows on the right. She want's to make a stuffy for Beatrix next!
