September 2020, I was burned out.
Hi, my name is Holly and if you’re new around here I’m the creator and founder of Broccoli Boxes: Sensory Kits for Kids. In 2019, I left the classroom to help my husband start his dream business and to be more available for my Little Man who was 2 and a half. Then, due to Life in 2020, I became a full-time stay at home mom to my Little Guy while we locked down. And, I was exhausted. Mentally and emotionally exhausted.
I spent all my time planning and setting up activities, cleaning, cooking, working… I didn’t have any quick, ready to go activities that I could just pull out when I needed them and while we are certainly not a screen-free home, I didn’t want that to be my “go-to” activity when I needed a minute. I wanted something that I could just as easily pull out, would keep him busy, and was developmentally really good for him. I didn’t have anything like that and I desperately needed it.
I needed something I could pull out when I needed to work, so he could play next to me. I needed something that would allow me to cook dinner easier. I needed something that would allow me to wake up a bit in the mornings before we jumped into the day. I needed something that would allow him to use his imagination. And, I needed something we could do together that wouldn’t take a lot of brain power from me. It was a tall order and I was stuck.
One day, my older sister and I were talking about what we wished we had available to us as moms. We wanted ready to go sensory activities. So, we didn’t have to gather items, purchase themed accessories and get to 5 different stores just to find what we needed. As we talked about it, I laughed and told her, “you should start a business!” She laughed and said, “You do it!”
So I did.
I immediately called my husband and told him I had an idea. Less than a month later, Broccoli Boxes was born.
Since then we’ve been able to serve hundreds of families with engaging, educational, ready to go sensory play each month, as well as through the donation of Broccoli Boxes to children in foster care. Our mission is to encourage families and strengthen communities and one of the ways we do that is by donating 1 box for every 10 sold. So far, we have been able to bless nearly 100 foster families with educational sensory play.
