Guest Pots: Tips for a Happy, Healthy Easter

Thanks to Health Wise Home for this fantastic set of tips for keeping Easter Happy AND Healthy!! 

Tips for a Happy, Healthy Easter

Easter is almost here! As an adult, I look forward to our family’s traditions that surround the holiday. When I was a child, I looked forward to many of those same traditions, but my main focus was centered around one common theme: Easter candy! Between school celebrations, a visit from the Easter Bunny, egg hunts, and family celebrations, I was practically swimming in jelly beans, marshmallow chicks, and chocolate bunnies by the end of the Easter weekend.

As a health-conscious parent in today’s over-commercialized world, trying to maintain a healthy balance can be especially challenging around the holidays. It seems like everything is centered around candy, and lots of it. I have found that the best solution for our family is to allow our children to enjoy the celebrations outside of our home (class parties, community events, etc.) at their own discretion, and try to make our home and family celebrations centered around more meaningful things, like having fun together!

With a little planning, you can help create a happy AND healthy Easter for your family. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1.     Choose a Healthier Theme for Easter Baskets. Chances are, your kids are going to get plenty of Easter candy between school, community, and family celebrations. Instead of focusing on filling their baskets up with candy, pick a healthier theme that appeals to your child’s interests or upcoming events. In years past, we have done a Sports theme, a Beach theme, a Garden theme, an Art theme, and a Rainy Day theme. My kids look forward to seeing what the new theme will be each year!

2.     Mix Up the Egg Hunt. Who says that all of the plastic eggs have to be filled with candy? Mix things up a bit. The anticipation of “What will be in the next egg?” makes the egg hunting even more fun. Fill some of the eggs with trinkets, money (always a BIG hit), or family fun “passes” (family movie night, stay up 30 minutes past your bedtime, a trip to the zoo, etc.). You can even turn your egg hunt into a scavenger hunt by filling each egg with a different clue leading everyone to a final prize or destination.

3.     Play with Your Food. Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring. That’s what Pinterest is for, my friends! With a little creativity, you can create an Easter spread that is healthy and visually appealing to your children. Better yet, let your kids play with their food to come up with their own healthy Easter creations.

4.     Enjoy the Holiday. At the end of the day, holidays are meant to be joyful celebrations that bring family and friends together. Don’t stress over the little things. Instead, try to find a healthy balance that works for your family and then focus on enjoying the moments and time shared with those that bring the most love and joy to your life.

Happy Easter!






Sarah Young is a wife, mother of three, Health Education Specialist, and healthy living advocate. She created Health Wise Home several years ago to help educate, empower, and inspire others to "Eat Healthy. Live Well.". In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family and her dog, Maple. You can find her at her website, Health Wise Home, and on Facebook, too!

3 Fantastic Field Trips for Homeschoolers

3 Fantastic Field Trips for Homeschoolers

Whether you’re going on a field trip to extend learning, provide hands-on opportunities, or to visit experts in a field of study, you can be sure that your homeschoolers will benefit from the outing. As EducationNext points out: “In particular, enriching field trips contribute to the development of students into civilized young men and women who possess more knowledge about art, have stronger critical-thinking skills, exhibit increased historical empathy, display higher levels of tolerance, and have a greater taste for consuming art and culture.”

Whether you’re planning to visit a local firehouse, museum, aquarium, or cultural center, you can be sure your homeschoolers will reap the benefits of the field trip. Here are some excellent field trip destinations to help you start planning your itinerary:

Historical Sites Significant To Your Lessons

Historical sites are abundant in the United States, so there is agood chance there is at least one near your home. Of course, historical sites such as Gettysburg, Boston, Washington, DC, Williamsburg, and Philadelphia are fantastic places to go on a field trip when you are teaching about our nation’s history. U.S. News & World Report ranked the best historic destinations in the USA, and any of their locations would be a fantastic trip for homeschoolers because they contain “preserved landmarks, notable monuments, and tourist-friendly services.”

Depending on where you’re going, you might spice things up by encouraging the kids to dress up. For example, if you’re going to Colonial Williamsburg, they could wear colonial costumes. Or you may want to create a scavenger hunt or challenge questions for them during the trip, and give them journals or cameras so they can document their experiences.

Science Centers

There are only so many experiments and hands-on activities you can provide for your homeschoolers. Taking a field trip to a science center will give them more opportunities to touch, learn, and experiment. There are some science centers in the U.S. that cater to younger children; in fact, Parents magazine has rounded up a list of the 25 most innovative places that are perfect for younger kids, and I have included their top 10 picks here:

1.     The Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio

2.     Exploratorium in San Francisco, California

3.     Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts

4.     Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey

5.     St. Louis Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri

6.     New York Hall of Science in Flushing, New York

7.     California Science Center in Los Angeles, California

8.     Sci-Port Discovery Center in Shreveport, Louisiana

9.     The Franklin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

10. Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland

If you take a field trip to a noted science center, kids will be engaged in the interactive exhibits and will remember their experiences learning about science in fun ways for a long time.

Museums

Museums hold mysterious and fascinating objects, from dinosaurs to early airplanes. Museums are fantastic field trip destinations for homeschoolers because they have exhibits that appeal to a variety of interests and have several connections to your homeschool curricula. Of course, as Larry Olmsted, contributor to Forbes points out, museums that are geared toward adults have exhibits that are appropriate for children, such as the dinosaur skeletons at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, Chicago’s Field Museum, and the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC.

But, there are 12 museums in the U.S. that are best for children, according to Olmsted. You may want to consider these when compiling your fantastic field trips for homeschoolers short list:

1.     Children’s Museum Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana

2.     Port Discovery in Baltimore, Maryland

3.     Boston Children’s Museum in Boston, Massachusetts

4.     Brooklyn Children’s Museum in New York City, New York

5.     Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio

6.     Children’s Museum of Denver, Colorado

7.     Discovery Center Museum in Rockford, Illinois

8.     Children’s Museum of Houston, Texas

9.     Children’s Museum of Maine in Portland, Maine

10. Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

11. Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota

12. The Strong in Rochester, New York

Wherever you take your homeschoolers for their field trip, they are sure to have a fantastic time learning, exploring, and experiencing outside of their normal learning environment. Historical sites, science centers, and museums that are geared toward kids hold the key to enriched learning opportunities.

Jamie Strand is a former homeschool kid and unashamed science nerd. He’s a community college professor and proud father of two daughters who wants to inspire a passion for science and math in today’s young people. That goal drove him to start SciCamps.org with help from a good friend. When he isn’t teaching, Jamie can often be found digging for fossils in the backyard with his daughters, exploring the local nature preserve, or binge watching Star Trek reruns.

Guest Post: Top Tips to Meet Disney Characters

Top Tips to Meet Disney Characters

by Patricia Mickus ·

I have had a few people ask “What’s the best way to see and gather autographs from #Disney characters? After reviewing a recent list of characters I determined I have met 55 over the years. Character meet and greets are located throughout all the Disney parks. But standing in these lines can cut into your touring time. So here are a few tips on how to see get the most out of your character meet and greets:

1. Book Character Meals. During these meals Disney characters and princesses will walk around and greet each table. Guests may take pictures and ask for autographs all while enjoying a relaxing meal. My favorite meal is Goofy’s Kitchen at Disneyland. Here you not only see the Fab 5 but the princesses too.

2. Take a Disney Cruise. Each day on the ship Disney characters take time to greet guests. The lines are so much shorter than in the parks.

3. Attend a special party. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are great events to see Snow White will all 7 dwarves or the Princes with each Princess. May hard to find characters only come out to play on party nights.

4. Arrive at Rope Drop. Now with Fastpass+ you can schedule that ride on Space Mountain and use the early morning hours for meet and greets. Many characters are located outside the Railway station on Main Street USA in the morning. Disney has added a few meet and greets to the Fastpass+ selections.

Patricia Mickus is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner with Magical Memories Travel.  Patricia lives in Bristow, Virginia with her husband and two sons.  She believes you can have a Disney vacation of a lifetime and maximize your vacation dollar. All of her concierge planning services are FREE to her clients.   Contact Patricia at patricia@magicalmemoriestravel.com or visit her Facebook page or blog - www.MagicalMickeyTips.com for more Disney planning tips.

Guest Post: Taking the Train To Disney

Taking the Train To Disney

by Patricia Mickus · 

Have you ever thought about taking the train to Disney. My family did several summers ago. It was a very relaxing way to start our vacation. Check out my newest article on The Disney Planning Blog.
If you live near Washington DC you should consider taking the Amtrak Auto Train to Disney.  The Auto Train leaves daily and runs between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida (43 miles from Disney World).  This is my kids’ favorite way to reach Florida.  At times it has been more relaxing than the normal 2-hour flight with all the stress of air travel.  Your fare includes coach seating and all your meals (dinner and breakfast).  You can upgrade your ticket for sleeping accommodations at an additional cost.

Once at the terminal you will be directed to park your car.  Each passenger will be allowed to bring two carry-on bags.  Make sure you put any medications or other important items in your carry-on.  Once your car is taken away you will not have access to it until it is unloaded the next day.  All other items will remain in your car. Upon arrival inside the welcome center you will check in and choose your dinner seating time.  Passengers wait until boarding is announced.
The Auto Train leaves each station at 4:30pm and arrives at its destination by 8:30am.  It takes approximately 2 hours to load and unload all vehicles.  Therefore you are requested to be at the train station to load no later than 2:30pm.

There are restrictions on vehicle size.  You should check http://www.Amtrak.com for more information or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.

If you have coach tickets you will be seated in a Superliner coach car.  The seats here have footrests and lean back.  First Class passengers will be assigned a sleeping car.  A train attendant will be able to direct you to the correct sleeping compartment.

Once the train leaves the station, guests will be able to visit the Club car for refreshments and light snacks.  A wine tasting is offered in the Lounge Car an hour prior to departure.  Dinner is usually served at three different times.  Meals are included in the cost of your fare.  Dinner usually consists of a choice of 5 different entrees – chicken, fish, beef, vegetarian and special.  You will also be provided with drinks, salad and dessert, wine is complementary at dinner.  Children can order from another menu if they prefer.  Breakfast is continental with your choice of cereal, muffins bagels, fruit, juices and coffee.  For entertainment movies are shown several times during the evening.
Bedding is provided for sleeping car passengers.  Your attendant will inquire prior to dinner what time you would like your seats converted to beds.  Coach passengers will be given a blanket and small pillow.  Feel free to bring your own pillow on board.

Watching the countryside fly by while sipping a glass of wine is so much better than fighting traffic on I-95.  The kids love the freedom of the train, being able to walk around and stretch their legs.  Our family was able to start our vacation the moment the conductor said “All Aboard!”
The procedures for travelling north are similar to traveling south.

Patricia Mickus is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner with Magical Memories Travel.  Patricia lives in Bristow, Virginia with her husband and two sons.  She believes you can have a Disney vacation of a lifetime and maximize your vacation dollar. All of her concierge planning services are FREE to her clients.   Contact Patricia at patricia@magicalmemoriestravel.com or visit her Facebook page or blog - www.MagicalMickeyTips.com for more Disney planning tips.

Guest Post: Nerd Block Jr Boys/Girls Review

Rhubarb & blackberry here again with another review of child-oriented subscription boxes. today we have nerd block jr!  Nerd block jr has both a boy's and a girl's version and we were lucky enough to get one of each to review for you.  we'll do them side by side so you can compare what is in each one.

cost
month-to-month: $13.99/month + $6 shipping
3 month sub: $12.59/month + $6 shipping
6 month sub: $11.89/month + $6 shipping
12 month sub: $11.19/month + $6 shipping
what you get
geeky toys for kids aged 6-11

here are the two boxes side by side.  the toys included in the boy's box will be listed on the right and the girl's box will be listed on the left.

Adventure Time Mad Libs - $3.25 we remember mad libs from when we were young - and they're still just as funny.  a great thing to share with your children!

The Quest for the Diamond Sword Novel - $6.41 this is a really nice chapter book and minecraft is popular with kids right now.

Frozen Reusable Sandwich + Snack Bag - $6.99 who doesn't know about frozen?  and we can't think of any young girls who don't like it.  great for school lunches!

Justice League On-The-Go Bottle - $6.49 this particular type of water bottle is very popular right now.  the graphics on this one are really bright and fun!

Hello Kitty Monsters Collection Zombie - $5.99 hello kitty is super cute as a monster - which one will you get?  she can hang out on your child's bookbag or lunchbox.

Tech Deck Star Wars Yoda - $12.00 these tech deck toys have been around for a long time and are still very popular.  with the return of a new star wars movie - these are right on trend.

Sonic The Hedgehog Collector's Edition Bouncy Ball - $11.23 all kids love bouncy balls and this one is supposed to be super bouncy!

Sick Bricks Set w/Smokey Burns & Gus Groucho - $3.99 this is a new video game type toy - you have to scan the package and then you can play online.

The Monster Factory 5" Plush Colin - $8.98 we've never heard of the monster factory, but chances are, the nearest 8 year old has.  this plush freaks us out a little.

Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Rocket Raccoon Magnet - $2.09 not sure how popular a magnet will be with kids, but you could hang their artwork on the fridge with it.

Girl's Box Value - $36.44

Boy's Box Value - $30.98

the value is there for both boxes and they contain items that are fun for their target audience of 6-11 year olds.  if you think that your children would enjoy a subscription - just click here!  use promo code "continue" to save 25% off your first box~

Author Bio: Rhubarb has lived in Prince William County for almost 16 years and is the mom to three wonderful young men. She is a sometime author and is active in her church. To relax she enjoys finding seashells on the beach and snorkeling for them in the ocean. Her new website and blog Rhubarb&Blackberry: Musings of a Landlocked Mermaid is a work in progress and is more fun than she could have imagined. Her current obsession is subscription boxes (beauty, food, home & lifestyle) and she hopes to launch her own branded items sometime this year.

Guest Post: Disney and Food Allergies

Disney and Food Allergies

by Patricia Mickus 

Disney wants to make sure that each guest has a magical and safe visit while vacationing. My husband and son each have a different food allergy and I have always been impressed that Disney will go the extra step and have the chef stop by our table for all sit down reservations to go over the menu. On year my son wanted to eat at ‘Ohana. We have never eaten there before. His had a pineapple allergy and everything on the menu is glazed in pineapple juice or touching a pineapple in some way. We decided to give it a try and see if he could be accommodated. The Castmember had no issue placing a special order for chicken nuggets and sent someone down to Captain Cooks to retrieve them for us. My son was so happy that he could finally eat among the Tikis and participate in the coconut races while enjoying his dinner.


Special meals and desserts are easier to order at a table service meal than the quick service or buffet options. So make sure you research your options before making your dining reservations. Make sure that you have the allergies noted at the time you make your ADR reservations. You can also make these notations by calling 407-WDW-DINE.
Disney will also begin to introduce new allergy friendly menus at approximately 120 quick service and table service locations. These menus will provide allergen content for each menu item, making informed choices easier and focus on the more common allergens: gluten/wheat, milk peanut, three nut and fish. The new menus will be available at all Signature restaurants starting April 14th and will be rolled out to all others through September 2015. You can view a sample menu HERE.
In addition, EpiPen Auto-Injectors are now located at First Aid stations throughout Disney Parks and on Disney cruise ships with personnel trained in how to administer them.
The Special Diets Team is only a phone call away. I highly recommend that you contact them at least 2 weeks prior to your vacation to make all special requests.

Walt Disney World – email: SpecialDiets@DisneyWorld.com – Phone: 407-WDW-DINE
Disney Cruise Line – email: special services@disneycruise.com – Phone: 407-566-3602

Patricia Mickus is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner with Magical Memories Travel.  Patricia lives in Bristow, Virginia with her husband and two sons.  She believes you can have a Disney vacation of a lifetime and maximize your vacation dollar. All of her concierge planning services are FREE to her clients.   Contact Patricia at patricia@magicalmemoriestravel.com or visit her Facebook page or blog - www.MagicalMickeyTips.com for more Disney planning tips.

Guest Review: iBbeautiful

We've reviewed quite a number of boxes, so believe us when we say that this is a very special sub box.  When we opened it - we were floored by the items included and how thoughtful and lovely they were.  iBbeautiful mission is "to help young girls realize they are beautiful just as they are without comparisons to how others look or act.  We do this by offering a monthly box of inspiration that includes fun lifestyle items and a message of empowerment to help young girls be confident, smart, brave, unique and kind.  Every girl should be confident that she will become the woman she is meant to be and can achieve anything she sets her mind to". We love this box. iBbeautiful kindly sent us this box free for review purposes.

Cost
There are two age groups that you can choose a box for: 8-12 and then 13+.
For either sub you can choose  the basic box (with no t-shirt) for $20 or you can get the box with t-shirt included for $30.  If you want a one-time only box the costs are $24 and $34 respectively.

Shipping 
Shipping is included in the above prices.

What do you get? 
Every box will have fun lifestyle items that promote a message of empowerment to young girls.

Each box includes a card that shares their positive, caring and empowering curation for the month.  Also included is a card detailing all of the items included and their values.

Bra Strap Headband (value $8) - this is ingenious and adorable.  Not really a bra strap, but a great idea for old bras.  You can wear it so many different ways and it has quality construction.

Aspire Journal (value $3) - This notebook is the perfect size for tucking into a pocket and jotting down dreams, ideas and other important notes on the run.  The message on the front is a reminder to invest in yourself and to work for the things where your heart is.

True Girl Exfoliator (value $18.50) - We loved this gentle scrub!!  It smells like a mix of berries and apple and left our skin feeling so clean and soft.  Great for teens to help with breakouts.

Zipper Headphones (value $8) - We can't believe that the value on these headphones is so low.  They are super nice and we really like them.  The zipper on them makes storage a breeze and the cool factor is seriously on fleek (did we just say that?)

Spring Scarf (value $18) - LOVE!  This is a beautiful, soft and airy scarf that is perfect for the fashions on trend right now.  The soft pink coloring with pale chocolate detailing is dreamy.

Aspire Graphic T-Shirt (value $22) - Super well-constructed fitted t-shirt.

BOTTOM LINE 
(Value $77.50) - Wow - this is an incredible value (considering the box only costs $30).  It is so wonderful to see a company that wants to empower young girls to love who they are, the way they are.  All of the items were very age appropriate (nothing too mature) and of a great quality.  We think this is one of our favorite tween/teen boxes.

Author Bio: Rhubarb has lived in Prince William County for almost 16 years and is the mom to three wonderful young men. She is a sometime author and is active in her church. To relax she enjoys finding seashells on the beach and snorkeling for them in the ocean. Her new website and blog Rhubarb&Blackberry: Musings of a Landlocked Mermaid is a work in progress and is more fun than she could have imagined. Her current obsession is subscription boxes (beauty, food, home & lifestyle) and she hopes to launch her own branded items sometime this year.

Guest Post Review: Geek Fuel

Hi everyone!  This week we are reviewing two boxes for you to check out.  Both of these are geared more toward tweens and teens.  We have Geek Fuel up first and then we will have iBBeautiful.  We hope that between these two subs we have your tween/teen boys and girls covered.  Up first - Geek Fuel!

Geek Fuel is a geek and gamer box that is relatively new that is geared toward 9-14 year olds.  Their first box came out in December and they've become very popular, very quickly.

Cost
A monthly sub is $17.90, $16.90 per month for a 3 month subscription, $15.90 per month for a 6 month subscription and $13.90 per month for a yearly subscription.

Shipping 
Geek Fuel ships to the US ($6.00 shipping fee), Canada, and other countries.

What do you get? 
Every box will have a t-shirt, toy/collectible, game download and more.   Geek Fuel kindly sent us this box for review purposes.

A t-shirt is included in every box.  This is a very high quality t-shirt.  It appears to be an exclusive for Geek Fuel and is a fun print.  This shirt is a mash-up of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Avengers which has the turtles as Iron Man, Hawk, Thor and Captain America while April is Black Widow.

There were some Jelly Belly beans and two boxes of candy sticks included.  We're not sure if there is candy in every box, but a treat is always a welcome addition!  The jelly beans were delicious and the candy sticks remind us of the candy cigarettes we used to have when we were younger (which would be *SOOOO* not politically correct these days, so now we have "sticks"). The Scribblenauts Unmasked Mystery Box character is adorable and we received Green Arrow who is a super hot hero right now.  He is listed as ?/18 so he may be a rare one!

Breakstuff Club Coffee Mug - This is a very nice quality mug and we've run it through our dishwasher several times and there is no color or graphic loss.  This also appears to be exclusive to Geek Fuel and is great for younger or older fans (remember Breakfast Club parents?) Avengers characters are represented by school lockers and the mash-up includes Loki (as the Princess), Incredible Hulk (as the Basket Case), Iron Man (as the Brain), Captain American (as the Athlete) and Spiderman (as the Criminal).

Also included:  a Kingdom Wars Battles downloadable game code and sticker sheet.  The game download is worth $20.  Very cool that a game download is included in every box - this pays for the price of the box in itself.  No other gamer boxes do this that we're aware of.

The Geek Guide is included in every box and tells about the curation of the box.  Plus you get a retro video game magazine which has great articles for geeks and gamers alike.

BOTTOM LINE:  There are so many exclusive and neat items in the Geek Fuel subscription.  We love that there is a t-shirt and downloadable game code in every box - those two items push the value for each box well beyond twice what you pay for it.  The collectible figure is super cool!  There is great value for your money here if you have a tween/teen who is into gamer/geek items!  Or maybe even a grown-up who is :)

Author Bio: Rhubarb has lived in Prince William County for almost 16 years and is the mom to three wonderful young men. She is a sometime author and is active in her church. To relax she enjoys finding seashells on the beach and snorkeling for them in the ocean. Her new website and blog Rhubarb&Blackberry: Musings of a Landlocked Mermaid is a work in progress and is more fun than she could have imagined. Her current obsession is subscription boxes (beauty, food, home & lifestyle) and she hopes to launch her own branded items sometime this year.

Guest Review: Crafter's Crate

Crafter's Crate Review

Today's review is about Crafter's Crate.  They were founded by a husband and wife to get kids excited about reading and to grow & nurture their imaginations.  Originally made just for girls, the team found that so many brothers were sneaking into their sister's crates that they began making boxes that were more inclusive.  Their target age group is 5-10 year olds. Their classic crate is $24/month.  However you can save money by signing up for a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription (the yearly subscription brings the rate down to only $17.50 per month).  You can also purchase a "Sibling Crate" which will provide twice the activities & crafts and is an additional $9.95 per month.

Crafter's Crate is offering PWC Mom and RhubarbandBlackberry readers a special discount.  Just use promo code PWC10 to get $10 off your first box!

Crafter's Crate has kindly sent us this box free of charge for review purposes.

Your first box will include a map that you can put monthly stickers on for your current crafting adventure.  This month a drink single was also included!

The team writes a new activity and adventure book every month.  This month's theme was "The Great Safari Race".

Inside the activity book are games and puzzles to do.  The Craft-A-Long book includes a theme-related story with instructions on how to do your crafts for the month.  I'm going to post two photos for each craft.  One showing the items as they arrive and the second showing all of the parts laid out.

The first craft for this month is to make a pair of elephant ears that you can wear.  Everything you need is included in your box.

The next activity is to make a pair of safari binoculars.

This month there is a game!  It's called "Distract the Crocodiles" and looks adorable and fun to make & play.

The last craft is a Spiderweb Kindness card.  After your children have made it, they are supposed to put it somewhere prominent to remind them to always do random acts of kindness.

I think this is a really cute subscription box.  With a yearly subscription bringing the cost down to $17.50 per month, I think it's a great value, too.  There are so many things to do with just the one month, I feel it will keep children entertained for more than just a few hours.  And with the game, you can play that over and over again.  Both boys and girls would enjoy it as well.

Author Bio: Rhubarb has lived in Prince William County for almost 16 years and is the mom to three wonderful young men. She is a sometime author and is active in her church. To relax she enjoys finding seashells on the beach and snorkeling for them in the ocean. Her new website and blog Rhubarb&Blackberry: Musings of a Landlocked Mermaid is a work in progress and is more fun than she could have imagined. Her current obsession is subscription boxes (beauty, food, home & lifestyle) and she hopes to launch her own branded items sometime this year.