Monthly Archives: February 2013

Axe Me About A Cravebox

(See what I did there?)

I don’t expect to look quite like James Bond walking into M’s office when I leave the house, but I was raised to believe that a clean, neat appearance is important.  My father worked for almost 50 years in heavy construction, and whether he was an equipment operator (before I was born), a superintendent (when I was a kid), or the head of an entire division (for the last 20 or so years before he retired), he always left the house clean-shaven, with his somewhat limited hair neatly cropped & combed, and wearing sharply pressed clothes.  In fairness, my mother deserves part of the credit for that last part.  Anyway, like my dad, I very rarely even run out to the store on a Saturday morning without shaving and getting my fortunately-much-more-considerable-to-this-point hair under control.

So I was intrigued when I heard about something new this week:  A service called Cravebox is offering a collection of AXE hair styling products for $12, including shipping.  There are 3 AXE ‘looks’ from which to choose:  spiked, messy, or clean cut.axe_logo_hair_black_vertical

Sounded great, but I had no idea what a Cravebox was.  It turns out Cravebox is “a fun product discovery service that brings you fabulous products in beautiful, themed boxes.”   Each Cravebox is designed around a central theme, and includes 4 to 6 specially selected products.  The price is right for trying out something new:  $12-$18 each.  Craveboxes are themed around dozens of categories, such as:

  • cooking, entertaining, and grilling
  • kids, babies, and family
  • home products and home solutions
  • health, wellness, and beauty
  • hobbies, pets, arts & crafts

This video explains what the AXE Cravebox is all about:

For anyone, like myself, who is new to Cravebox, it gets even better:  There’s a contest.  For information about how to order and about the contest, read on….

  • To order the AXE Cravebox, click here.
  • The contest is for new members.
  • Enter Promo Code AXEMen on the Registration Page.
  • Don’t miss the Promo Code field. It’s right next to Zip Code, so don’t skip it.  (If you submit without it, there’s no going back to add it.)
  • The first 50 people who order an AXE Hair Styling Cravebox Kit will receive a Credit for a FREE future Cravebox.
  • If you’re not one of the first 50, you have a second chance to win.  Cravebox will also randomly pick 50 other people who purchase an AXE Hair Styling Cravebox Kit to WIN a credit for an upcoming Cravebox.

A few final thoughts that might be helpful:

  • Joining Cravebox is free.
  • Quantities are limited, so I would invite you to order today.
  • You can also join Cravebox online to learn more, rate products, and join the fun with Twitter, Facebook and Blog contests featuring cool prizes!

This is an amazing first: I was compensated to share information contained in this post.  All opinions are my own.

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Filed under Cool Products & Services, Dad Takes A Break, Living Well

Savoring Time

richmond2

Serving at 17

Over the Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday weekend, I took my 17 year old daughter to Richmond, Virginia for her first major tournament of this year’s club volleyball season.  Thousands of girls from elementary school 12 & unders through college-bound 18 year olds compete every year over 3-day holiday weekends from January through May.  This is nothing new for our family:  some combination of us has accompanied at least one of our daughters to these travel tournaments for the past 7 years.  (Our now 14 year old played club volleyball for 3 years before deciding to focus on swimming.)

But this year is different.

Most girls do not come back to play for their club teams as 18 & unders during their senior year of high school.  Clubs that routinely run 3-6 teams of 15, 16, and 17 year olds often run only 1 or 2 teams of 18s because many girls who are not planning to play for their colleges close out their club careers in 11th grade.  Why?  The biggest reason is that the club season is difficult to balance with senior year commitments and events, and the tournament schedule runs right up to, or even beyond, graduation.

hitting at psu

Flying at 15

My own daughter loves volleyball above any other sport or activity she has ever tried.   But she has also thrived in 3 years of high school drama courses, and she has never been able to go out for one of her school’s shows.  After her high school volleyball season ends next November, she plans to focus on drama (along, of course, with school, college applications & decisions, and being a senior) for the rest of the year without the commitment of 3 volleyball practices per week, local single-day tournaments every 2-3 weeks, and 4-6 multi-day tournaments requiring overnight travel.  So she is 95% sure this is her final year of club and right now she is comfortable with the feeling that it is time to walk away.

digpink

Looking young at 14–3 quick years ago.

As I watched her matches in Richmond, I thought about how much her volleyball career has meant to my daughter…and to me.  As a former high school volleyball coach, I was fortunate to be able to coach her teams for her first few years of club.  And now, long after I sent my favorite player on to play for other coaches, I still regularly remind her that I will always be her biggest fan…and critic.  But these days I (usually) wait for her to ask for my feedback or instruction.  We both understand that they aren’t our matches anymore–they are hers.

So I savored this year’s January tournament, and I thought about how we are headed into a season of likely ‘lasts.’  Good times, challenges, and even disappointments have added up to a great ride for both of us since she was 10.  It’s true that I am very much aware that there are far fewer of these days ahead than behind.  But even though it is almost time to turn the page, we’re not quite there yet.

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Filed under Activities & Sports, Appreciation