CUBSOFJOY.com | Review & Discount Code

I have recently been introduced to CUBSOFJOY, an online shop started by a mother and a father who have twin boys of their own and another baby on the way. The shop carries a curated range of products selected based on their safety, innovativeness and practical use.

Currently many of their products are catered to younger children, like these really cool customizable pacifiers, and SippiGrips.

There are however, a number of items for mothers too (check out these Mother's Day gift sets), and for older children.

CUBSOFJOY sent us one of their best sellers, theses Squeez'Ems, to try out:

These are fun, re-useable food pouches that you can fill with your favourite liquid-based snack - stuff like purees, juices, milk, or yoghurt. I filled a Squeez'Em with what I had on hand - Bubbles' favourite chocolate flavoured organic soy milk. It was very easy to use - just unscrew the large cap to fill it up. I popped it into the freezer to harden, and took it out just before heading out to pick her from school.

She was thrilled to see her favourite beverage packaged into something fun like that, and immediately asked to try it. The slushy milk could be slowly squeezed upwards and savoured, reminding me of the flavoured iced-lollies of my childhood that came in long plastic casings!

Have a look at this video to details about how the Squeez'Ems work:

CUBSOFJOY also sent us this very practical SplatMat, that we now place under Bun's highchair:

It is such a sight for sore eyes considering how I used to put newspaper there to protect the floor from all the food that she drops (and throws!). The mat has been a breeze to clean. Being light-weight, it is easy to fold and put away till needed too. Because it is so light and folds to a small size, I think it will be great as a picnic mat as well and plan to use it soon for that purpose! It will easily fit into a diaper bag.

CUBSOFJOY is giving you 10% off your order with discount code "dollop10off"!

This discount code is good for all products except for the Mother's Day gift sets (they are already heavily discounted), shoes and items on sale. This offer is valid till 30th May 2014. (Thank you CUBSOFJOY!)

Happy Shopping!

My iHerb Haul

I have been ordering frequently on iHerb.com and guess who has been playing with the packaging my orders come in? I forgot about these photos taken last month and when I re-discovered them I just melted all over again. How adorable is my little one? :)

And since I found these photos, I thought it is a good time to share that I have signed up as an iHerb affiliate. I wasn't sure if I wanted to at first, but now that I have shopped from that site several times and am really happy with my buys, I am confident to recommend it to others. I will therefore be sharing some of my buys here, and if you click through my links or use my code FLV421 (you can also see this on the sidebar) when making your purchases, iHerb.com will make small credits to my account. (These credits come from iHerb.com's marketing budget and not from you!)

Here is a recent order that I received, which includes some things that a friend wanted:

If you are like me, you may find that iHerb.com has so many products that at first glance it is difficult to know what to look for. I was intimidated initially too, although I heard so many good things about the site. What made the push for me to try out the site were the prices. Most of the products are considerably cheaper than what I could find in Singapore. (For example these HappyPuffs cost S$4+, about $2-3 less than in Singapore) Since I was already spending so much buying things like gluten free pastas, coconut oils, "healthy" kiddy snacks and health supplements, I thought it would definitely be worth my while to try to save some money by buying online.

My experience so far has been that my orders get shipped to me within the week and in great condition. I love it that what I want get to me so quickly. I have also found the customer reviews on the site useful in deciding on my purchases. So far the reviews do reflect my experiences with the products I have ordered.

For my family's health, I am now a lot more mindful in choosing products that we use daily. Besides food, I am looking also at bath, beauty and cleaning products. As much as I can, I choose to use products with as natural ingredients as possible, so that our bodies and our environment are kept safe. I am still in the process of slowly making all these changes, and the sheer variety of products on iHerb.com has helped me a lot in making this change.

I hope that by sharing some of my favourite iHerb.com buys, I could also be helping others like myself. (If you prefer to shop at local shops however, check out my post on where to buy natural, organic and health foods in Singapore - the list currently includes a section on Home and Beauty products too.)

Here are 5 of my current favourite iHerb.com buys:

1. Lundberg Organic Brown Rice Pasta, Spaghetti - iHerb sells a good range of gluten-free foods, including pastas and baking products. Lundberg is one of our favourite brands of gluten-free pasta as it has a good bite and does not get mushy.

2. Aubrey Organics, Silken Earth Powder Blush, Warmed Rose - This was a surprise buy and I only did it out of sheer necessity. I am one of those people who looks pale/sleepy/sick when I do not have some blush on. I broke my blush and needed a new one, and so I clicked to purchase this after reading the good reviews. Absolutely love it! A little goes a long way. I love the texture and the colour and will definitely be buying this again. I hope to try out more of this brand's cosmetics once I run out of my current ones! Organic/natural cosmetics can cost an arm and a leg in Singapore, and I was glad this was affordable.

3. Navitas Naturals, Organic, Cacao Powder, Raw Chocolate Powder - Raw cacao is one of nature's superfoods and it is very rich in antioxidants. I use this in my chocolate bakes and to make chocolate sauces for my children.

4. Eden Foods, Sea Salt - I am trying to rotate the type of salt we use at home so that we can reap the benefits of a variety of minerals from salt sourced from different places. This sea salt is one of my favourites. I like the flavour as it has a mellow saltiness that lifts the taste of foods without being overpowering. Another plus for me is that it comes in a glass jar. Great for re-purposing.

5. BabyGanics, Tub Time, Extra Gentle Bubble Bath and Body Wash, Fragrance Free - My children love bubble baths but they had to go without for a long time as I searched for one that I felt was safe to use. (Their previous one was a generic bubble bath solution that was given to me. It was fun to use but it dried out Bubbles' already naturally dry skin.) We all really like this BabyGanics Bubble Bath! Just two squirts under running water can produce a large mound of super fun bubbles in a large bath-tub. I need to find time to take a soak myself!

If you are keen to see more of what I have bought, have a look at my shopping cart here. There are lots of lovely products in there that I am happy with.

I hope you will find these recommendations useful! If you are new to shopping on iHerb.com, using my code FLV421 will get you up to $10 off your first order. 

Happy exploring and here's to better health!

Going Barefoot

There is something liberating about going barefoot outdoors. My children readily kick off their shoes when they are out playing and it is only recently that I have done so more frequently. When my bare feet are on the ground, something changes inside of me even if only for a little while. A deeper sense of awareness of my being and surroundings is evoked, and the sensations from my soles pull me towards the here and now.

A quarter of the year has gone by and the deadline of returning to work is getting closer. I have started putting some things in place in preparation for new routines and logistical arrangements for when I return to The Office.

Bubbles was as usual hesitant about me going back to work. She thought long and hard about it, and came up with a solution:

"Mummy, I have an idea! How about you work for one month and Daddy be a stay-at-home-Dad, then Daddy works for another month and you be a stay-at-home-Mum? You can take turns! Isn't that a great idea?" She beamed brightly, convinced that she came up with The Solution...

By now, she is used to me going to fits of laughter because of something she has said, and skipped off merrily as I chuckled.

As always, all three of us (Bubbles, Bun and I), kick off our shoes at the playground and do our thing. What joy it is to play barefoot, surrounded by the laughter of my children and enjoying their antics. Knowing in my heart that we are here together, right at this moment called "now", is enough for me to celebrate today and leave the tomorrow to God.