5 Subscriptions I Love
If you’ve been around since the beginning Sol Book Box days, you’ll probably be unsurprised to hear that I love a good subscription service. That’s kiiiind of why I founded one!
And I have to say, I have tried several of them in my day– you know, for market research purposes :). But also because they make me so happy! Getting something fun in the mail every so often is just the best, ¿que no?
I was thinking about Book of the Month, which is one subscription I REALLY love and that I had been meaning to share about this month, since March is National Reading Month. And then I figured that if I was telling you about that one, I might as well tell you about some of the other ones I’ve been enjoying in case you’re in the mood to treat yourself (or your kids).
So! Here are 5 subscriptions I love: two for me, and three for the kids!
FOR ME
Book of the Month – I signed up for Book of the Month wayyyy back in the spring of 2020, thinking it would be a fun little mood-booster while we were pandemic-ing. To be honest, prior to that I didn’t buy too many books (for myself– books for kids, well, that’s a whole other story). I figured, that’s what the library is for! But I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to get to pick a BRAND NEW book every month and not have to wait in an outrageously long hold line for the library copy. Plus, now I always have great books to lend or give as gifts, which also makes me very happy. I can’t prove it because I didn’t keep track of my reading until last year, but I’m pretty sure that I do a lot more reading, too, because I always have a beautiful book I’m excited to read. AND (have I convinced you yet?), Book of the Month books are about half the price you’d pay normally. Wins all around.
MommaStrong – I’ve talked about this one before, but it’s another long-time subscription for me. I think I’ve been subscribed to this exercise program for the entire life of my youngest child! The founder, Courtney Wyckoff, is not only experienced but also extremely relatable. She’s a mom who doesn’t have hours to exercise, just like the rest of us, and sometimes finishes a workout while holding a baby, haha. Her workouts focus on core and pelvic floor strength, and also on “functional fitness” (read: preparing moms to do all the squatting, lifting, and crawling you actually have to do when running after young kids). ALSO. The workouts are 15 minutes long, which I love because even in my busiest seasons I can convince myself to do them. Right now I’m doing her “Momma-to-be” program for pregnant women, but I’ve done her “New Momma” program for post-partum, and love the regular “Momma D15” one, too.
FOR THE KIDS
Sol Book Box – I mean, obviously :). Sol Book Box was acquired in 2021 and I have slowly been transitioning to a smaller role under its new ownership, but I still 100% vouch for the power of libros en español in raising bilingual children. One cool thing is that Sol Book Box now has a few different options, depending on where your kids are in their language journey! The “Amor Box” for babies has board books, the “Sol Box” is perfect for Spanish learners, and the “Book Box” is the classic subscription that sends one hardcover book in Spanish for kids who are already fluent. If you haven’t checked out the new(ish) website, take a look around!
Kiwi Co – This is another phenomenal subscription for kids. We got all of our kids a year-long subscription as a Christmas gift this year, and it makes their day every month when they show up. My 7-year-old gets the Kiwi Crate, which she loves and can do on her own. My 4-year-old and 2-year old both get the Koala Crate, but they each get a different one every month that’s more personalized to their specific age. I love that this subscription makes me feel like I’m the type of mom to look up/plan/prep/purchase all the stuff to make these cute crafts and projects (because… I am not.) KiwiCo honestly has a crate for everybody (STEM, cooking, art, and geography, with options for babies to adults) and they’re all SO well done. That link is a referral link (just a regular person one, not an “influencer” one), and you get $10 off your order if you use it.
Little Poppy Co – For the girl moms of the group! I feel like bows really had a moment a few years ago, and all these bow-making small businesses really took off. I think bows are maybe not such a big thing now? But I have to say that nothing brings me more joy than seeing all my daughters bien peinaditas, and preferably with an adorable bow or two. (Tell me you’re a mamá mexicana without telling me…) I had this moment a few months ago where I was doing my daughters’ hair and realized that their bows were looking kind of sad. I decided that if ever there was a time to address the bow situation, it’s now while they’re all still little and will actually wear them! This subscription sends you 3 bows a month and they are BEAUTIFUL and really well made. Another referral link for you – if you use the code BFF5 at checkout, you get your first month of bows for $5, which is an amazing deal!
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I’d love to hear about any subscription services you love! I think they’re so fun to give as gifts (I gave my mom a subscription to FabFitFun last year for Mother’s Day and she got a big kick out of getting her box every quarter!).