Brew Up The Perfect Tasting Cup of Tea Each and Every Time When You Reach for Adagio Teas -- Their Sampler Boxes Make for Great Gift Ideas for Tea Lovers! (Review)

 Disclosure: I was sent samples from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

Well, we had our first snowfall of the season two days ago, and public school kids were happy to get a snow day.  One of the downsides of homeschooling and doing online schooling is that there are no snow days. But my girls didn't mind, as they have become like me and hate the cold weather outside.  They would rather be bundled up under warm blankets or in warm layers inside, than deal with the cold temps and wind we have been experiencing.  I know it is winter and we should expect this type of weather in New England, but I am already wishing for warming temps and could do without any more snow.  I could never cut it living in the south where it is really hot in the summer and then you have to deal with hurricanes and tropical storms, but just listening to the weather this week in Savannah, GA, and it being high 60's, I would deal with that type of winter weather here in New England.  Heck, I would be outside in a t-shirt and no jacket, and my youngest would be sporting shorts and sandals if it was high 60's here. :-)

With the colder winter weather comes the need to stay warm and find quick ways to warm our bodies.  And, while I would be quick to make another cup of coffee mid-day, I try and limit my caffeine intake in winter, as I could find myself just reaching for a cup of coffee every time I get cold or need to warm up.  Thankfully my girls aren't coffee drinkers, but they do like to drink tea.  So, we have been enjoying tea mid-morning and then again in the evening.  We like making our own tea using loose leaf tea, as it seems to stretch things, and you get more tea and less waste than if we were to use a single tea bag.  Our go to brand after sampling a few different ones over the years is Adagio Teas.  We like how they offer both loose leaf tea in a variety of flavors, as well as have tea bags for those instances we find ourselves on the go or away from home for the night, but don't want to have to run out and pay a fortune at a cafe for tea. Instead, hotel rooms, libraries, etc. always have hot water ready, and we are always with tumblers and travel mugs. So, I usually keep a few tea bags in my bag and some in the glove box of my car, whenever we get a hankering for tea on a cold winter day in New England, which is every day right now.

Have you tried Adagio Teas before?  If you haven't and you like flavored teas or being able to buy an assortment of tea, then you will definitely want to check out their website and see their tea and essentials (think honey, gift sets, and more) and see what you have been missing out on.  Recently, the folks at Adagio Teas sent me two sampler boxes to enjoy with my family -- a box of their winter teas, and their pillow time teas.  Both of these are available on their website to order and have shipped direct to your door, and nationwide, if you still have people to shop for for the holidays who like tea.  These sampler type box set make great gift ideas, as the boxes with 4 flavors each, will make a total of 35 cups.  

In addition to starter sets and samples, Adagio Teas offers a wonderful selection of all varieties of teas (black, matcha, chai, herbal, etc.), iced teas, blends, gifts sets, tea of the month club subscriptions, and seasonal offerings.   I found myself the other night stocking up on starter teas, samplers, and even matcha hot chocolate to try. I like that Adagio Teas offers you the ability to try many of their tea products as a sample, so you can try it before you invest in a bigger container or box only to find that one particular flavor is not to your liking.  

And, if the two tea sampler boxes weren't enough, the kind folks at Adagio Teas surprised my girls and I by including a 12 oz. jar of their Adagio Bees Blueberry raw honey to enjoy.  This luscious full-bodied honey with a soft aroma of ripe berries offers a nice sweet taste when you stir a spoonful into your tea, or just want a quick spoonful to coat your throat on a dry winter day.  I had no idea they had honey available, even though I am a fan of adding honey sticks to my tea.  Now, I get to not only order my favorite tea varieties from Adagio Teas, but I will be stocking up on my of this and other raw honey varieties they offer including garden herbals, fruit tisanes, and rooibos, which come in a 3-jar honey sampler pack on their website. 

Buy now for only $14

As I mentioned previously, I was sent two sampler boxes, both containing 4 samples, in which the entire box would make 35 cups.  

Buy now for only $14

For the Winter Teas sampler box, I was sent Yuletide Toddy, Rooibos Nutcracker, Christmas, and Pomegranate Grove tea flavors to sample.  My girls and I really had fun sampling these festive flavors.  My youngest really gravitated towards the Yuletide Toddy, which was an herbal tea with notes of cranberry and orange and hint of cinnamon spice. She said it reminded her of warm mulled cider, but with a more citrusy and warmer feel.  My oldest daughter really enjoyed the Christmas tea, which was a tangy black tea with warm notes of cinnamon, pungent cloves and zesty oranges.  It had a nice kick to it that she said would awaken her tastebuds in the morning. Plus, she said it paired well when snacking on the milk chocolate pieces she would open in the AM while sipping on her Christmas tea. While I liked all four sample teas sent, I have to say that my personal favorite as the Pomegranate Grove tea, which was another herbal tea with cinnamon, but also had hits of sweet pomegranate and ginger.  This was a very soothing and relaxing herbal tea that warmed my body up, while also awakening my tastebuds with the pomegranate flavors.  Yum!, I am getting thirsty just thinking about this tea.  Good thing I ordered more with my recent Adagio Teas order, as I didn't want to run out.

Buy now for only $14

The second sampler box we received, the Pillow Time Teas Box, contained 40 winks which is a soothing herbal blend that helps promote healthy sleep; chamomile, my go to when I can't sleep or starting to feel under the weather and just want to rest; rooibos vanilla, which has a nice combination of fruity rooibos blended with sweet vanilla; and, lastly peppermint which is just so refreshing pure peppermint tea that offers a cool, crisp taste, all while relaxing you.  My girls and I loved each of these four flavors, and like the Winter Teas sampler box, I was quick to order another box of the Pillow Time Teas to help get us through the winter.  

My girls put in their wish lists requests for more Adagio Teas including their 24 days of tea advent calendars, to help get them through the cold winter months here in New England, and I am happy to say that Santa will be delivering on their requests. :-)  They will both wake with a stocking full of loose-leaf tea from Adagio Teas, as well as some samplers to try and a gift certificate each to use to get more teas and products from Adagio Teas throughout the new year.  If you are a tea drinker, or love to switch things up in winter by drinking more tea or switching to tea instead of coffee, then I highly recommend you give Adagio Teas a try, if you haven't already. They offer a wonderful assortment of products and flavors, many I had never heard, but are now curious and want to try.  And, thanks to offering samples that start at $2 (and usually make up to 10 cups with many of the loose-leaf blends), you can sample different blends and tea flavors that catch your eye before buying a bigger box or container.  Many of their teas come loose, as well as in Teforia-ready portions or in full-leaf pyramid tea bags, making it easy to enjoy a cup of tea at home or on the go.  

With the holidays fast approaching and the shopping window closing to get shipments in time to wrap and get under the tree, don't delay in getting your order in at Adagio Teas for yourself or that special tea lover in your life.  Once you sample Adagio Teas you will see why my girls and I love their tea varieties and want to try more.  

Head on over to https://www.adagio.com/ and see what you have been missing out on.  And get ready to sit back, watch the snow fall outside this winter, all while enjoying a delicious cup of tea from Adagio Teas.  It really is a great way to start your day, or end a crazy day, with a nice warm cup of tea to help warm you up and relax you.

 Disclosure: I was sent samples from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

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Have Fun Sampling Full-Size Japanese Candy and Snacks When You Subscribe to the Monthly Tokyo Treat Box -- Makes a Great Family Gift! (Review)

 Disclosure: I was sent a sample from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

Does your family do monthly subscription boxes?  If so, what are your faves?  When my girls were little, we would do all the STEM or arts and craft type boxes.  But, as they got older, I found the boxes would arrive and just sit there before starting to pile up, as the girls were either busy or not interested in the different activities as they seemed to get repetitive over time.  So, we took a break for a while, before trying monthly subscription boxes again.  This time, though, instead of activity-type boxes, we wanted to try out the different food-themed boxes. We tried cookie of the month clubs, baking boxes, and international themed snack boxes.  In the end, we seemed to gravitate more towards the international snack boxes as we liked doing family taste tests and trying out unique foods and snacks, we otherwise would never have tried or found in stores near us.  

So, this year, when compiling my holiday gift guide, I wanted to share a new snack themed box we recently tried and LOVE!  Have you heard about or tried Tokyo Treat?  

I wasn't aware of this treat box filled with snacks, candy and food from Tokyo, but so glad I was able to try it, as this box is the best by far of all the international snack themed boxes we have tried over the years. Why?  For one, the box is filled to the brim with an assortment of snacks and treats you can share with you family.  

These are all full-size treats -- some even huge, like the pastries they include each month. Plus, the cost of the box is affordable.  Depending on if you do a one-time box ($37.50) or go with a 3-, 6- or 12-month subscription, you can't go wrong with the price and all that you get.  

Plus, be sure to check out their daily offers and promotional codes to save even more.  I was able to get a $5 off coupon by signing up for their mailing list.  And, for the holidays, they are offering up extra goods like Pokémon toys and keychains, Pocky and more (depending on the length of your subscription), by using promo code: XMASNY (Expires 1/15/25).

The kind folks at Tokyo Treat sent me their October Halloween box to sample with my family, and we had a blast trying out all the treats.  

Just look at all the goodies we got...

I liked how they include a booklet explaining what everything is, so you know what each package is, plus this helps when you want to search online to order more of a treat you like from Amazon and other websites.  

I can't get over their huge Kit Kat snacks -- you would never see these in the United States.  

In addition to explaining what each of the treats in the box is, the booklet also includes fun Japanese facts about a particular holiday -- in the case of the Halloween box, they talked about Halloween in Japan, cultural facts, as well as share a monthly contest where you can win some cool prizes.  

My girls really enjoyed reading threw this booklet learning about the treats, as well as attractions in Japan, and even things about Anime and Manga that my youngest daughter who is a huge fan had no idea about.  

As soon as the last Tokyo Treat snack was sampled, both of my girls were quick to ask if I could sign up for more, as they wanted to keep getting this cool box full of tasty treats from Tokyo.  And I couldn't' say, "No," as I was thinking the same thing.  Another cool thing about the Tokyo Treat boxes is that every month they share a video showing you what you will be getting in the current box.  

Check out what is include the December Tokyo Treat Box -- 

   

You have until Dec. 15th to order this box, so don't delay!

This was always an issue with other food boxes we tried, as we never knew what would be included, and if we had, we would have cancelled subscriptions early on, as many just didn't have things we would like or want to try. You would think knowing what was in a box wouldn't be a surprise anymore, but I really like knowing what you'll be getting, plus you get even more excited just waiting for your box to arrive so that you can try out these new tasty treats from Tokyo.  When my girls saw the Christmas Tokyo Treat box video, they got so excited about the different holiday candies and pastries that are included in the box.  We are planning to use the box, once it arrives as an advent of sorts, counting down until Christmas -- that is if we can limit ourselves to 1-2 treats per day to sample.  I am not sure about this, thus my saying an advent calendar of sorts, as we may just try the whole box in one sitting. :-) 

If your family loves monthly international snack subscription boxes and you have never tried Tokyo Treat, I highly recommend you give them a try. You will not be disappointed!  And, like us, you will be amazed at just how many treats they are able to pack inside the box.  It will not be sparely like other popular snack boxes or pay for certain number of treats per snack box size.  For one price you get everything that is included in their sneak peek video they share -- and remember all treats are Full-sized Japan-exclusive snacks & candies!  Sign up today and get excited for your first Tokyo Treat box to arrive to enjoy with your family.  It has been a hit in our house, and I know you and your family will enjoy these rare and oh so tasty Tokyo treats.

 Disclosure: I was sent a sample from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

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Give the Gift of Creativity and Fun to Little Artists This Holiday Season with Curated Art Kits from Tiny Easel #MomOwned (Review)

Disclosure:  I was sent samples from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

You can never go wrong with art and crafts and art supplies for kids, no matter their age, when it comes to birthdays and the holidays.  Ever since my girls were little, I was filling their stocking with mini craft kits and art supplies, as I knew they would come in handy on snow days, sick days, or when they came to me asking what to do when they were bored and the toys they had gotten for Christmas were no longer fun.  Art kits were and continue to be a hit with my girls, and family and friends we also gift them to at the holidays.  And, this year, I am excited to introduce you all to Tiny Easel, a mom-owned business that creates art kits for little artists. Upon stumbling upon Tiny Easel, I knew I had to include it in my holiday gift guide and make you aware of the brand, as these curated art kits for little artists will make for great stocking stuffers or part of a fun arts and crafts themed basket you put together for each of your kids.  These art kits were created by a mom, who also holds a Master of Arts degree, so you know the quality of her products are top notch not just because she knows what works with her kids as a mom, but also being an artist herself, she knows how to keep kids engaged and excited about creating art with her curated art boxes. Her art boxes include high-quality art supplies, washable and toxic-free watercolors, original illustrations and content developed for all skill levels.  

Tiny Easel offers one of a kind curated art kids for little artists, to inspire them to create art, without the need for parents to step in and offer help.  With easy to follow along guides and all the supplies they need to complete an art project, kids will be off and running, letting their creativity and playful imaginations come to life through the art they create.  As a busy parent of multiple kids, there is nothing better than finding projects like art kits that contain everything a child needs, without the need for me to run out to the craft store to buy additional supplies, or search high and low in the house for more paints or watercolors as the kits didn't have everything needed from the get go.  You know when you come across a mom-invented/mom-created product, that they think about things like this and make sure they are offering a product that will make fellow mom's life's easier, and keep kids engaged without needing a helicopter parent on stand-by.

I was sent Tiny Easel's Mini Cupcake Art Kit and one of their Art in a Box kits, the Tiny Easel Wonderland art box, to check out firsthand. Both of these art kits are geared towards children ages 3-10 years old.  But, I will say my oldest daughter who is almost 15 years old and loves art, really appreciated these curated kits with all the art supplies included and even commented on how great the high-quality art supplies included in each kit were.  She hopes to major in art when she heads off to college, and spends all her free time drawing, crafting, and just immersing herself in  all things artistic, where she can let her imagination and creative run wild.  I had her help me review both of these kids and she couldn't stop raving about both of them.  

Buy now for only $19.99

When it came to reviewing the Tiny Easel Mini Cupcake Art Kit, like me, she really liked the compact grab and go feel fo the art kit, in the cute plastic tote.  She said it would be perfect to throw in a bag and bring on the go to keep kids entertained on the go...and, I couldn't agree more. I know when the girls were younger, I would struggle to put together little busy bags for them, that I could grab and bring from dropping the girls to my parents if I had to run out for an appointment. If only Tiny Easel art kits were around then...it would have made grabbing something fun for the girls to Grandma's a cinch. And, I know my mom would have appreciated that the art kits included everything needed to complete the art project, without needing to buy or gather up anything further.

Even though my daughter is older than the recommended age for the mini cupcake art kit, she did have fun painting the cupcake canvas with the travel watercolor set included.  She liked the added touch of the watercolor paper pad to continued art experimenting and creating with the watercolors long after the canvas was painted and displayed for all to see, thanks to the little wooden easel included in the kit.  

After complete the  mini cupcake canvas watercolor kit, she moved onto the Tiny Easel Wonderland Art in a Box kit also sent our way.  This box was filled to the brim with high-quality art supplies including premium watercolors and brushes, a splat mat (a nice touch Mom liked), ten tiny tree wooden trees for kids to paint and decorate after completing the canvas paint project, a watercolor paper pad, another pre-designed canvas -- this time with a fun snowman illustration to paint, as well as a spill-proof water cup.  This kit also contained another wooden easel so that parents can display their child's final art piece once dry, for all to admire.

Buy now for only $38.00

My daughter really liked the wooden trees that were included in this wonderland art kit.  She had fun using the watercolors included, as well as used markets she had on hand, and fun embellishments like rhinestones, glitter, pom poms, etc. that we had leftover from past craft projects.  But, remember this isn't necessary to have on hand, as the art box has enough stuff in it to keep little artists busy completing the painting projects.  

My daughter just likes to add her own personal touch to her arts and crafts projects.  She ended up lining up the mini wooden trees around her tabletop Christmas tree has has on her nightstand in her bedroom, to make it look like a mini tree farm.  And, in between the trees she had little string lights cascading through the trees to light it all up and add a festive touch at night time.

In the end, my daughter gave both of these art kits from Tiny Easel a 5 out of 5.  She said the mom who created these kits knew what she was doing and went above and beyond including high-quality art supplies and fun pre-designed canvases for little artists to add color and their own personal touch to.  And, by including a watercolor pad with each kit, it let kids continue their art exploration and fun long after the cnvases were painted.  So, it wasn't like a one and done art kit.  Kids will definitely use the watercolor paint sets time and time again. And, you can always grab more watercolor pads or paper, if you don't have any laying around in your arts and crafts stash, for your little ones to paint further, when they are bored, there is a snow day, or they are home sick.

If you are still looking for fun stocking stuffers to grab for your kids, or they love arts and crafts and painting, then I highly recommend you check out the Tiny Easel website, and this support this mom-owned brand.  My daughter and I absolutely love the two art kids we were sent to review, and know these and other curated art kits from Tiny Easel will make for great gift ideas for budding young artists this holiday season.  Head on over to Tiny Easel today and browse their wonderful selection of art kits, artist totes and tiny easel books available to purchase online and have shipped direct to your door.

Disclosure:  I was sent samples from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

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