If you’ve been following my blog lately, you know I’m trying out subscription boxes. Well, this one is my favorite of them all. At only a dollar (plus $3.99 for shipping), it’s also the cheapest. And it’s food. Who doesn’t need food? Male, female, single, married with a house full of children–this box is for everyone! They have different subscriptions, but I signed up for the Dollar Snack Club Box, which comes with six healthy snacks. To get the box for a dollar, I have to fill out a quick survey after I receive the box each month. Otherwise, they’ll charge me $9.99, which is the usual price for the box.

The name of the company is SnackNation, and each month they send out a mix of bars, chips, healthy indulgences, and classic snacks. The healthy indulgences are sweets, and the classic snacks consist of dried fruits and nuts. They seem to be full-sized, and a lot of them are unique.

I’m always searching for new, healthy food for my family, and I’ve spent quite a bit of money on some fails. I’ll see something that looks great, but when I get it home, no one in the house likes it. One of the main things I like about this company is that I’ll get a box of new snack items each month–much cheaper than what I would pay at the store. If my family likes it, I’ll start buying it. If we don’t, then at least I didn’t waste much money on it. And with four people in the house, there are a variety of tastes to appease.

Here are the six items I got in my first box:

Definitely worth more than a few dollars! And my family tried some new foods. The Pipcorn bag was big, and it only had 81 calories total. I’m so glad I tried it. My son took the sunflower kernals to school for his snack, and my daughter took the meat stick. (She didn’t like it, though.) The chocolate wafer bites were yummy, but since I usually eat dark chocolate for my sweet snack, it’s not something I’ll buy in the future. The children liked the SHEFFA bar, but my husband I didn’t care for it. The Pure Protein bar hasn’t been eaten, but we’ve bought those in the past. It’s not a new item for our family.

Along with the subscription box, I bought a large box at checkout. For $39.99 I received a separate box with fifty snacks in it. It took longer to come in, and I just got it today. The box had (my son already got into it) ten different snacks–five of each item. 

No regrets on buying the large box. I already know some of the items, while the others are completely new to me and my family. I plan to hide the Pipcorn in my office (next to my dark chocolate stash), and I’ll share the rest of the items. It will help with school snacking.

I just looked on SnackNation’s website and can’t find the big box for sale. I believe it’s something you can only get at checkout or your first purchase. If you decide to sign up for the monthly dollar box, I highly recommend getting the large box as well. It’s a one time purchase. If you like any of the items in the box, you can buy more of them at a discount price on their website–for a limited time. It’s like a discount snack store. They also have some office snack boxes for your company’s employees.

Oh, and did I mention SnackNation has partnered with Feeding America? They donate one meal for every order shipped. I’m loving this company!

I love tea, but I never really liked chai until last year–when my tea addiction led me to the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. While there, I tasted hundreds of teas from around the world. It was amazing! And although I tried various chais, only one stood out. No powder or skimpy ingredients–only all natural, handmade and blended fresh ones. The display was quite impressive, with a large container of chai on a podium, for all to see and smell. Covered in Australian Bushland honey, the blend was dark and shiny. And the taste? My friend and I were hooked immediately. When I got home, it was on my list of top teas, and I now sell it locally. No worries, though. It recently popped up on Amazon, so you can get it easily.

Meet Prana Chai–one hundred percent Black Ceylon Tea, Australian Bushland Honey, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, peppercorns, cloves, fresh ginger, and salt. Although it tastes like a guilty pleasure, it’s loaded with health benefits. Just look at the pictures below. You can actually see the spices.

I traveled the entire summer and picked up many chai and matcha lattes from various coffee and tea shops, yet none of them tasted as good as the Prana Chai I make at home. And I won’t even go into the amount of money I spent on them! My advice–make your own chai latte at home, for less than five minutes. It’s simple, healthy, and tastes amazing. A chai latte shouldn’t be a sugar-laden, pricey splurge. You can easily add it to your daily lifestyle.

The only ingredients you need are a bag of Prana Chai, milk, a small pot, a small strainer, and a mug. Although you can buy special chai pots, any small pot will do. You’re not going to boil the milk, so you don’t have to worry about scorching it. Except for the Prana Chai, most people have the other ingredients on hand.

First, add two heaping teaspoons of Prana Chai into the pot. (I use tablespoons, because I usually supersize mine.)

Then add the milk. I usually pour it into my mug first so I get the right amount.

Cook on medium high while stirring. The color will soon start to look like chocolate milk. Your goal is to get it nice and hot–not boiling or simmering! The whole process takes only a couple of minutes.

Then you pour it over a strainer into your mug.

Notice how yummy the blend looks, even after heating.

And here’s the finished latte:

The end result is a creamy and tasty chai latte–in less than five minutes! And although it’s premixed, did you see any powder or fake ingredients? Nope!

Now, everyone has their own milk preference, and the recommendation is to use almond milk. I did that at first, but I soon found something better. I tried it with Fairlife milk, and it tastes even better than before. I’m not saying you should go out and buy the more expensive brand of milk. I’m just saying you should try different types until you find the one that works for you. I personally use Fairlife so that it’s a healthy splurge. It’s lactose free and has less sugar. Although this chai tastes like a guilty pleasure, it’s not. I can have my cake and eat it too–or rather, have my chai and dark chocolate and eat them both too.

Many people add extra honey to the pot before they heat it, but I find it tastes fine without it. I’m more of a purest and don’t add sugar to my teas. I advise people to try to go without the extra sweeteners. Your taste will adjust, and you’ll soon not want the sugar. That’s my advice for the day. Try it first without extra honey. In fact, try it a few times without extra honey. You’ll start craving it without.

If you know someone who loves chai lattes, Prana offeres a variety of gift sets, and I highly recommend them. If buying for yourself, you really don’t need the extras. You can just use what you already have at home. I’m telling you. This is the good stuff, and you should definitely try it.

I’m still trying out new subscription boxes. So far I’ve reviewed Ipsy and Simply Earth, and today I’m adding Walmart’s quarterly sample box. It’s only $5 four times a year, but I’m not sure it’s worth it for me. They actually sent two boxes by mistake but only charged for one. They have different items in them, so I really got to see what this season’s samples are all about. However, I’m not really impressed and am considering canceling my subscription. After looking at other reviews, it seems this season’s box is lamer than usual. Last spring’s box held travel size samples I’d use, but this season’s box consists mostly of tiny Garnier sample packs. I’m not a fan of Garnier, and I don’t think either of the boxes is worth $5.

Rembrandt 3 Day Whitening Boost Kit and $2 coupon

4 Nair Wax Ready-Strips

Palmer’s Natural Fusions Shampoo and Conditioner

Garnier Fructis Damage Repairing Hair Mask

Garnier SkinActive Moisturizer

8 Kleenex Wet Wipes

I like this box better than the second one. I plan to try the teeth whitening strips, and I’ll share the Nair strips with one of my teenage daughters. Both of those will be new experiences. My oldest teen colors her hair a lot, so I’ll give her the hair mask. My other teen has oily hair and can try the Palmer’s shampoo. She usually only uses Nature’s Gate Tea Tree (which is amazing for her oily hair), but since this Palmer’s sample is a clarifying shampoo, she’s willing to try it. (The card said it’s ethically and sustainably sourced, along with no animal testing. I’m all for that!) I’m not sure about the Garnier SkinActive. I have sensitive skin and am cautious about everything that goes on my face. Don’t think I’m going to try it. Oh, and my son got the Kleenex wipes to help with his school snacks. White cheddar popcorn leaves a mess on his fingers, so this sample works great for that.

Now the second box:

Garnier Whole Blends Gentle Shampoo and Conditioner

Acai Berry Revitalizing Sleeping Mask

Village Naturals Therapy Aches & Pains Muscle Relief Bath Oil/Body Wash and Lotion

8 Kleenex Wet Wipes

Garnier SkinActive

Garnier Fructis Damage Repairing Hair Mask

Except for the sleeping mask, most of these samples are what you occasionally find in magazines, and in my opinion, they aren’t worth $5. The sleeping mask may cost $2.50 at Walmart, but it’s not for my skin type and isn’t worth anything to me. If I had to choose between this $5 Walmart box and the $10 Ipsy box, I’d definitely spend the extra $5 to get the Ipsy box. You get a LOT more for your money with it.

I don’t know if I’m going to give Walmart one more try. With this subscription, they’ll automatically send out my box when the time comes and charge my account $5. I don’t have to do anything, and if I don’t like the next box, I can easily unsubscribe. It’s that easy. This box is highly rated with a lot of people. Maybe they just had a bad season.

What do you think? Let me know if you want to try it. I’d love to hear your opinion in the comment section below.

Have you heard about Ipsy yet? It wasn’t until I started researching subscription boxes that I found this beauty bag. It’s only $10 a month, and you can cancel at any time. Although I’ve always avoided subscription boxes, my experience with Simply Earth taught me that you can receive more products for less money through some of them. It’s also a bit exciting to receive gift boxes in the mail. I highly enjoyed Simply Earth, but I ended my subscription when my stock of essential oils became sufficient. I just don’t need any more at the moment.

After canceling my subscription with Simply Earth, I started researching other subscription boxes and decided to try Ipsy, along with a few others. Ipsy has a big following with high ratings, and at only $10, it’s affordable–especially when the products you receive cost a lot more in the store. Each month you get a makeup bag with full-size, deluxe, or sample products. You fill out a form when you sign up, so the products are tailored to your skin tone. Each bag is different, depending on the person.

Lately, I haven’t been wearing much makeup, but with two teenage daughters, I figured I’d give them most of what I received. Hah! That didn’t happen with my first bag. I’m keeping almost everything.

A full-sized Luxe Longwear eye pen with a star stamp at the end = $19

bdb billion dollar brows mini universal brow pencil = $18 full size

1 oz. Formula 10.0.6 Three Times Sublime = $6.99 3.4 oz

Deluxe size Hikari cream eyeshadow in Latte – $13 full size

Sample size the Pore Professional primer – $31 full size

Ipsy makeup bag

Not so bad for $10, and I’ve seen some valued at over $50. I love the products I’ve tried and would never have bought a cream eyeshadow for myself. I almost gave it to one of my daughters, but I decided to try it first. So glad I did! This subscription service will definitely get me to try new things, and I can easily gift what I don’t want to sample. If my daughters walk into a makeup store with me, I wind up spending quite a bit. This subscription should help to curb that. Ipsy also has products on their site at discounted prices with reviews. I can see why it’s is one of the highest rated subscription boxes. It’s definitely got my vote! You should check it out.

Did you know those portable gas cans occasionally explode when tilted at a certain angle? The source of the spark could easily be static from your clothing or friction from pouring the gas. How often does this happen? More than it should! I’ve done the research and found plenty of lawsuits, yet the companies continue to ignore the dangers. Before you grab your little red can of gas to refill your lawnmower or other whatnot, be sure to read on. And at the end of this post, you’ll find a video from the Today Show. For your safety, PLEASE take this seriously.

We bought a sailboat last spring and spent most of the summer on it. The children were with friends when our accident happened, so this account only includes me and my husband. It was July, and we had just sailed into Beaufort, South Carolina. Immediately after hooking our boat to a mooring ball, we had to evacuate due to an air show about to start over the water. We hopped into our dinghy and motored to shore to find some art booths set up and plenty of people around. We enjoyed the afternoon walking around downtown and waited until we got the clear to go back onto the water. We had driven our SUV there the night before, and we planned to leave our boat that night to join our children at our friends’ house. Already packed, we just needed to do a few things on the boat before heading out.

When we arrived back at our dinghy, we found the gas container disconnected, and it had leaked slightly into the bottom of the small boat. It was the first time we had used it since buying the sailboat, and my husband said he’d have to buy a few things and fix it later. We just needed to clean up the spill so it wouldn’t get in the water and then lock up the boat. With another long drive ahead of us, we just wanted to leave.

We got back to the boat, and my husband cleaned the spill. Then he asked me to help him pour the gas from the can into a larger one. We were standing in the cockpit, and it had been hours since the boat motor had been turned on. I took hold of the funnel, and he began to pour. We were almost finished when the gas can exploded in his hands, and the entire cockpit went up in flames. I jumped to the back of the boat while slapping a flame on my sundress, and my husband jumped to the side of the boat. His feet had been on fire for a few seconds. Our first instinct was to jump from the boat, but with the flames no longer on our bodies, we both turned our attention to the burning cockpit. My husband was near the door to the boat, where a fire extinguisher was attached on the inside. He quickly grabbed it and put out the fire. All of this happened within seconds, so he got the fire out before any damage happened to the boat. Since there had been an air show, DNR (Department of Natural Resources) officers were everywhere on the water. Seeing the explosion in the air, they immediately started toward us and called for ambulances.

We were VERY blessed in more ways than one. For instance, if my husband had been standing behind the gas can instead of to the side, it would have blown him back. (That’s how a lot of deaths happen with these can explosions.) Also, we can’t forget about the can of gas sitting in the cockpit–the one we were pouring gas into. It was full, and it was surrounded by fire. If it had exploded, there would not have been anything left of us or the boat. It would have gone full Hollywood! With the cockpit in flames, my husband was able to see a clear path to the cabin, and a DNR boat got to us quickly and rushed us to the ambulances on shore. We really came out blessed. We’ll take first and second-degree burns, along with flash ones, over death any day.

Without an obvious source for a spark, our accident intrigued everyone around us. While we were at the hospital, DNR officers boarded our boat and took pictures for their report. The staff of the nearby marina grabbed a few things from the boat and locked it up before stopping by the hospital. Although we all understand gasoline, in general, is dangerous, no one seemed to know why the can exploded. It wasn’t until I started doing some research a few days later that I realized this is quite common–yet not common knowledge. In fact, it can happen to anyone–at any time. Even filling a snowmobile tank in the winter can cause an explosion. It’s not about the heat. It’s about the can.

The manufacturers know about the problem, yet they choose to ignore it. The simple solution would be to add a flame arrestor to every can. A flame arrestor–or flame trap–is a small metal device that stops fuel combustion by extinguishing the flame. The old metal gas cans had them, and some liquor bottles now have them, along with charcoal lighter fluid. It’s an easy, inexpensive fix!

So, now we’re throwing out all of our gas cans and replacing them with ones that include the arrestor, and I strongly advise you do the same. I found plenty on Amazon and will include the links at the bottom of this post. I’m only going to post one picture of my husband’s feet as he left the hospital, because I want to keep this PG. In the end, he had to have surgery, and they grafted pigs’ skin over his burns. He took pictures every day, and they’re gory. The picture below looks great. A few hours later his toes had huge blisters over them, and everything swelled. I just got a few burns and was able to drive that night.

The irony is that I had done a lot of research on burns last year for Unexpected Beginning, and I had planned to do more for Unexpected Legends. Well, now I’m confident my information will be accurate when it comes to writing about burns. I even got to speak to more than one burn specialist. It’s a silver lining, along with God’s blessing over us that day.

Be sure to watch this Today Show video. It will help explain things as well. Here’s some safe cans on Amazon: