Rock This Parenting Thing Book Blitz & Giveaway- 6 Winners in All!

Ever wonder if you are the only one going through crazy stuff when it comes to parenting?

We have 6 authors here who assure you that you are not alone.

Welcome to the Rock This Parenting Thing Book Blitz, showcasing 6 of the hottest humor parenting books from 6 authors who have been there, done that, and gotten the freaking T-shirt wrote the book about it!

This book blitz features 6 authors, tells about them, their books, their blogs, and gives you a taste of their parenting humor with an Author Interview for each. Then, once you get through all of that, you can enter to win a copy of your favorite book listed here! There will be 6 winners in all for the giveaway (many of the prizes are SIGNED copies of the books), so definitely check that out!

Grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine), sit back and enjoy the Rock This Parenting Thing Book Blitz! Each author is showcasing this post today, so be sure to hit them up and show some love!!

Tatted Mom's Guide to NOT Screwing Up Your Kids by Morgan Moss, from The Inklings of Life

#RockTheLunchBox This School Year!

Y'all know I'm a tree-hugging hippy at heart. I buy organic food when I can, make things from scratch so I know what my family is eating, and try and make sure that my kids are eating healthy at every meal, which, at at ages 11 and 8, isn't easy some days.

So when Honest Kids, Stonyfield Farm, Annie's Homegrown and Organic Valley teamed together for the Rock the Lunchbox program, I was super-stoked to help them pass on the word. These brands were already some of my family's favorites, and putting together lunches for my kids using their products was not only fun, but I knew my kids would be eating healthy, as well.

With The Ginger's lunch, I chose a sandwich and apples with peanut butter, then added Bunny Grahams and Bunny Fruit Snacks from Annie's Homegrown, YoKids Squeezers organic yogurt, and Organic Valley single serving of milk. I loved the fact that I had every major food group covered, and how many organic products my son was eating. He loved "drowning" his bunnies in peanut butter, then saving them, just to plunge them into his mouth and wash it all down with milk he didn't have to stand in the lunch line to acquire. Boys...

Tea Time!

Y'all know I lived in England for 3 years, and terribly miss my time there. So, when the people of Davidson's Organic and Nature's Bakery contacted me about hosting a tea party, and having their tea and fig bars as the refreshments, I was happy to do so, as I hadn't truly had a tea event since my time in England! We even dressed up for the event (pictures below)!

We were sent a nice variety of fig bars from Nature's Bakery, and Davidson's Organics sent a box of the Rooibos Spiced Chai tea, which I was very excited to try. I love herbal teas, and the fact that Davidson's are organic, just made it even better!

The kids loved the fig bars from Nature's Bakery, and I was pleasantly shocked to find that they were full of

Custom Inklings of Life T-Shirt Giveaway from WhoopTee (Ends 6/14)

Is your life Colorful and Chaotic, just like mine is? Are you proud of it? Then this t-shirt is just for you!

My friends over at WhoopTee contacted me about wanting to give 3 of my readers a FREE shirt of my design. Seriously, how could I resist that? I get to be artsy and design a custom shirt and have my readers get free stuff... Yes, please!!

The design process at WhoopTee was super easy! They have more fonts and clipart than I've ever seen on other custom t-shirt design websites, and you aren't as restricted as other sites to placement of items as you are designing.

While I played around with a few designs I had in my head, the "Colorful and Chaotic Life" design I came up with was my favorite. I figured, if you are a reader of my blog, your life is probably just as colorful and chaotic as my life is. This shirt simply states, "My life is Colorful and Chaotic... and I love every second of it!" Soooo true!

You can head to WhoopTee, check them out, and create a design of your own. They are GREAT for family reunions, work T-shirts, special occasions like birthdays or ladies' weekends out, sports team shirts, or just to have a shirt that no one else has! You should also check out WhoopTee's facebook page, twitter account and what I found most fun, their YouTube account, called WhoopTee TV (makes me giggle).

So, now's your chance to try and win the Colorful and Chaotic Life t-shirt pictured here. This shirt is NOT currently for sale, so the 3 winners and myself are the only 4 people to have these! Pretty cool, huh? Just enter below, and 3 winners will be chosen at random to receive coupon codes for this FREE shirt (including free shipping, one shirt per winner), which will be sent directly from WhoopTee. Now's the perfect chance for you to show your love of your chaotic life and your support for Inklings! Giveaway starts on 6/7/13 and ends at 11:59pm on 6/14/13, and is open to the US only. Good luck to all who enter!!


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Put that Spice Back into Your Love Life!

Every now and then, a company contacts me about doing a review of their product, and I don't even hesitate to reply to their email with a YES! Spicy Subscriptions was one of those companies.

I've done subscription box reviews before, but this one is unlike any other. The subscription box premise is the same: Basically, you head over to Spicy Subscriptions and choose between their Premium Spice Box and their Deluxe Spice Box, and each month you automatically get mailed these goodies. You receive different products each month to try out, some sample sizes and some full sized products. So what makes this subscription box service different than any other I've reviewed?

They send you sex stuff in the mail. And because you have no idea what you are getting, it's like it's Sex-mas every single month.

That's right. I said Sex-mas. That's an all sex holiday. Fun sex. Fun sex with fun things that Spicy Subscriptions sends you. Every month.

They sent me one of their Deluxe Boxes to review, and it contained full sized bottles of Sensual

Uncommon Goods Review and $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway (Ends 4/19)

When I was emailed about reviewing a product from Uncommon Goods, I was pretty happy about it. I had here and picked something out that I was dying to try.
heard of the website before, so reviewing one of their products was something I had to do. I looked through their list of great Mother's Day gifts

I picked out the Salts of the World Test Tube Set because we've really gotten into healthy eating at my house, and I'm really enjoying cooking with fresh ingredients. It was filled with salts from places like the Island of Cyprus (black flake salt), Denmark (Viking Oak smoked salt) and Australia (Murray River Pink Flake salt). Displayed in a solid cedar rack, each tube is glass, keeping the salts fresh.

The salts and display also came with a card that let me know which salts matched with which types of meat,

Adorable Baby Shower Idea: A Personalized Baby Blanket for a Baby Boy

Everyone knows that the cuddling and snuggling during the fall and winter leads to the birth of summer babies, so I'm sure you can think of a person right now who is expecting a child in the next few months. Consider heading to BabyBlankets.com for a unique baby shower gift for them!

When I first came across their site, I was blown away at how absolutely adorable their items are. They don't just carry baby blankets, but hand knitted booties, hats, stuffed animal rattles (a favorite!), and baby essential items like burp cloths, diaper changing pads, and hooded towels.

One of my favorite products was their personalized baby blankets for boys. Pictured above are the Bearington Silky Soft Crib Blankets which look amazingly soft- so much that while the age range says 0-24 months, I might be buying one for myself (don't judge me). You can also get receiving blankets personalized,

Conscious Box Review and Giveaway!

Y'all know I'm a tree-hugging hippie at heart. When Conscious Box emailed me about reviewing their product, I was pretty excited. I had heard of Conscious Box before, so I was finally going to get to see what they were all about.

Conscious Box is a monthly subscription service that sends eco-friendly product samples directly to your door. The boxes contain different samples each month, but include things like environmentally friendly cleaning products, vitamins and supplements, all natural medicines, teas, food, beauty products and more!

When my Conscious Box arrived, I popped it open to find it jam packed with products. I was expecting a max of 10 items, but there were more than 15 in there. My Conscious Box included a wheat grass shot (which was surprisingly good, and gave me more energy than a cup of coffee), some vitamins for my kids and I, tea, granola bars, all-natural cough syrup, organic tea and much more. There was even granulated

Nurturing the Soul of Your Family

Back in January or early February, I was emailed by a publishing company and asked to review a book entitled "Nurturing the Soul of Your Family" by Renee Trudeau. I read the synopsis, and it definitely sounded like it was right up my alley, so I agreed.

When I received the book at the beginning of March, I had completely forgotten I had agreed to review it. As I flipped through the pages about unplugging your family and enjoying each other's company, renewing yourself spiritually and finding time to do absolutely nothing (which is healthier than running yourself ragged like most people in today's society), I knew that this book had come into my life at the exact right moment.

Hubby and I have been majorly struggling lately with getting our family to act as a family. The Girl only wants to be with her friends, and while we give her her freedom, it's starting to take a toll on the rest of us. We all seem to be craving family togetherness (well, not including The Girl, she seems just fine playing with her friends all day), and I was in desperate need to get The Ginger off the video games and Hubby off the TV.

Renee Trudeau's book is absolutely amazing. As I read through it, I could completely relate to how she described families today- spending empty time together, not communicating, always plugged in to some

Custom Aromatherapy Spray Review & Giveaway ( Ends 2/23)

Y'all know I hardly ever do reviews and giveaways- it has to be something that truly interests me. When Kristen Peters, a certified holistic health practitioner and aromatherapist emailed me about having a custom aromatherapy spray made for me, I jumped at the opportunity. I love all natural items.

I asked Kristen to make a blend to help me with meditation. I wanted something that immediately helped put me into the zone when it came to meditating, and calmed and centered me at the same time.

Her blend is amazing! The spray she sent me is a blend of patchouli, sandalwood and jasmine, which I loved (yes, I'm one of those people who loves patchouli- it reminds me of the new age store I used to own). It arrived in a little blue glass bottle, which I loved, too. Glass bottles tend to be a little more expensive than plastic ones, and of course are more natural, so it's Kristen's attention to details like those that had me enjoying the spray even more.

I've told y'all I'm a tree-hugging hippy at heart.

I use the spray when I'm getting prepared to meditate. I get comfortable, take a few deep breaths and spray

NatureBox Review (and Deal!)

Y'all know I don't do reviews very much. When I do, it's because the product peaked my interest and is something I would want to be able to tell my readers about.

NatureBox hit the nail on the head.

When I was first emailed by a rep for NatureBox about reviewing their item, I immediately did my research. It's a monthly subscription snack food service. You pay a flat fee each month, they automatically mail you a box of goodies. These aren't processed, full of chemicals and crap, high sugar, low nutrient snacks, either. They are healthy- no high fructose corn syrup, no trans fat, no artificial colors, sweeteners or flavors. I'll bite, sure. The website said the snack foods "taste great", but you know me- I'm a skeptic. Most snack food that is healthy tastes like cardboard and isn't sweet at all. I'll have them send me a box so I can tell let people know what's really going on.

The coolest thing I found out on Naturebox's website: They donate one meal to Feeding America for every Naturebox sold. I'm getting healthy snacks for myself and my kids, AND helping to feed a hungry child in America. Amazing!

When the box arrived, I opened it to find 5 snack foods, individually bagged in a paper-like material. No full plastic bag, which sucks for the environment. Even the packages are environmentally-friendly. They are all resealable, meaning I could throw them into my purse for when I was on-the-go. Plus, they felt cool. Seriously. The package was soft to touch... not that I pet the packages... nope, not me...

The Girl and I dove in. Each month of NatureBox is different. Their 5 snacks each month are seasonal. For January, we were sent Wild Berry Bunch, Lone Star Snack Mix, Chocolate Ginger Bliss, Cranberry Almond Bites and Orange Crush Granola. I immediately flipped the packages around to the ingredients- no partially hydrogenated oils, no fake sugar, no fake anything. Even the chocolate chips in the Chocolate Ginger Bliss

"Magic Mike" and Ass Tassels- A Tatted Mom Style Review

I'm sure most women out there have already seen "Magic Mike". While I may be a little behind in the times, it's well worth the wait, because now you ladies get a review of the movie, Tatted Mom Style.

Let's start with the plot of the movie. It shocked me to find that this movie actually had a plot to begin with and a damn good one. Magic Mike (played by the amazing Channing Tatum) is a male stripper who is just doing it to pay the bills (don't all strippers say that?) and save money to open his own custom furniture business (hey, at least he isn't "putting himself through college" as a stripper). During the day he's also a building contractor, and has an auto detailing business. He comes across (not literally, ladies get your heads out of the gutter right this second- I'll let you know when you can put them back in the gutter) The Kid at his day job; a 19 year old hottie, Alex Pettyfer, who is pretty much lost in this world. The movie chronicles their friendship, how Mike gets The Kid a job stripping at night, and how The Kid gets too deep (out of the gutter) into the lifestyle that is sex, drugs and money, with his sister (played by Cody Horn) worrying about him the entire way- a sister that Mike just happens to fall in love with.

Now that we have the basic plot, you ladies can insert your mind back into the gutter for the Tatted Mom Style review.

Like I stated above, the plot was amazing... and there was too damn much of it. I sat down to watch "Magic Mike" thinking it was going to be nothing but naked hot guys shaking their tight little asses, and they throw this awesome story line at me. There's love (and not just the love I developed for Channing Tatum's on-stage moves), there's betrayal, there's sacrifice- there's a REAL movie hidden under all of the thrusting hips. Much more than we can say about any stripper movie in the past- think "Showgirls" and "Striptease". Prime examples of why stripping movies should be about male strippers.

Within the first minute of the movie, we get some nice Channing Tatum ass- and when I say nice, ladies, I mean niiiccceeee. There were several times throughout the movie that I had to pause it and say to a friend of mine (because hell yes, we made this a Chick Event), "Can you believe he's our age?" I wasn't mesmerized by some 18 year old's ass in this movie- I was mesmerized by an ass in its 30s, which made me feel so much better about my life. Getting older means the hot actors in movies are getting younger, and when they are so much younger than me that I could have babysat them when I was a teenager, it doesn't matter if they are of legal age, I still feel like a perverted old lady oogling their goodies. Not in this movie. Channing Tatum is a healthy 32 year old, and Alex Pettyfer teeters on the edge of acceptable at 22, but I'll take it.

And please don't forget about Matthew McConaughey. He's in his 40s and I wouldn't think twice about licking pudding off of his abs. Holy crap, that man is hot. And his southern accent is alive and well in this

The Honest Company: An Honestly Amazing Business

I've mentioned before that many years ago I made all natural bath and beauty products. I did this because I couldn't stand the chemicals found in the commercial products. I also made my own cleaning products with natural ingredients and plant-based essential oils, because I didn't want to worry about what happened if my child decided to lick the dining room table after I had just wiped it down with a cleaner.

If The Honest Company had been around 10 years ago, my life would have been so much easier back then. It's fine, though, because they are around today, and I don't have the time to make these things nowadays. I gladly let them do it for me.

Click the picture to be sent to The Honest Company

When I was first introduced to The Honest Company, I was blown away. Non-toxic, eco-friendly products that are effective and affordable? Get out of town. I didn't believe it. I had yet to find eco-friendly products that didn't cost an arm and a leg. I was proven wrong with The Honest Company.

They offer household cleaning products, skincare items, and even diapers and wipes that are non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and made with NO harsh chemicals, ever.

Let me digress for one quick second. Do you all even know some of the ingredients found in conventional bath, beauty and home products? How about formaldehyde? Did you know it's a common ingredient in shampoo and conditioner? Yeah, it is. Or how about propylene glycol? It's found under the hood of your car in antifreeze, as well as in many of your commercial lotions. Fun, right? And we have all heard about how sulfites are chemicals that have been linked to cancer, yet found in your shampoos, conditioners, lotions and body wash.

The Honest Company's products contain none of these chemicals. They even have an Honestly FREE Guarantee to prove it.

Their baby diapers are eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, chlorine-free, and made with plant based materials, ensuring that your baby will not be exposed to any harmful chemicals. Their baby wipes? Same thing, along

Beauty Box 5- Get Yours Now!!

Okay, Inklingers, an amazing product has fallen into my hands, so I want to pass it onto you. There are tons of beauty subscription boxes out there, but Beauty Box is quickly climbing up the rankings as being women's favorite.

Never heard of Beauty Box or even the beauty subscription box concept? I hadn't either, until I lived with my sister. She loved makeup (as do I), and signed up with a beauty box subscription service. Basically, you pay anywhere from $10-$20 a month (depending on the company), and they send you a box each month with makeup, lotion, face care, hair care (and more) samples that value well over $50 (many times upwards of $100). These are samples that the companies generally charge for, and many times you get an actual full sized product instead of just a sample. When that little box comes in the mail, everyone in our apartment used to get excited (she gave me the stuff in the box that she didn't think she'd try). Hell, she even got tea to drink one month. It was awesome!

Beauty Box is a great way to try samples from many different beauty companies before buying their products. Y'all know I like samples. It's just $12 a month if you sign up for them to deliver to you monthly (more for quarterly or yearly), but admit it- it's worth $12 to have a little surprise, that's all yours, mailed to your door each month.

So, if you are interested, give Beauty Box a try.

Below the picture is a video from youtube of one of Beauty Box's subscribers doing a review of Beauty Box. It's pretty awesome all of the things she got in her box!






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Posy Lane Personalized Tote Bag Review

When I was asked to review a product from Posy Lane, I was ecstatic! Their products are absolutely adorable, and you can personalize them for an even more special touch.

When I started looking through their site, The Girl came up and looked over my shoulder.

"Mom, I want a purse! Can I have one, please?"

How could I resist? She chose the Aqua Seersucker Everything Tote, which I couldn't be happier about because I was curious as to what in the heck 'seersucker' was anyway. We had an 'S' personalized onto her bag (though you can have a full name put on), and emailed the company our order.

Personalized Tote Bags by Posy Lane

It came within a few days. I was surprised at how fast it shipped. As soon as The Girl opened the package, I knew we had gotten an amazing product. Her eyes lit up, and knowing my love of purses and bags, she took the bag and ran to her room, screaming, "You can't have it, Mom, it's MINE!!!"

It's at that moment that I knew I wanted it. So what, my name doesn't start with 'S'? It could stand for 'Super Mom' or 'Sexy'. I was determined to figure out how to make it mine.

Personalized Tote Bag by Posy Lane

Now let me tell y'all, when a company sends me something to review, my family and I review it. We put that product nearly through hell and back, because I'm going to give the most honest product review possible. The Girl toted her things around in this bag for about a week- Tennis shoes, clothes, books, art supplies- just about everything she could fit into it, which, let me tell you, was a lot. These tote bags are roomy (see my picture below), at 16"x13"x4". And this seersucker fabric? Awesome! It's soft but durable, machine washable, and the inside is lined, as well. It has rope handles which took all of the flinging of the bag we did and held up just fine. And when we weren't using it, I just folded it up and set it aside. Pretty amazing.

After a week or so, I stole the bag. I had to review it myself, after all, right? That's when I jam packed it with stuff for my car- My 2" couponing binder and our library books that we had just gotten (like my 'Mean Moms Rule' book? Ha!). There was still room to put more stuff in that bag. I was in heaven!

Currently, The Girl and I are in battle over who gets to keep the bag permanently. I'm sooooo trying to pull the 'Mom' card, but when she pulls the 'You always get stuff to review' card, I feel kind of guilty. We trade off for the moment. Fingers crossed I'll win.

Posy Lane is amazing. The personalized tote bag they sent me is durable, cute as a button, and was used by the 10 year old and me. These bags are priced lower than I've seen them anywhere else, which is great. Head over there and check them out!


*This review is completely my opinion, and I was not paid for this review by anyone. The product was sent to me for free to review, but the opinions posted here are mine and mine alone. Y'all should know that I'm going to be 100% honest about things I review and that no company can buy my opinion!


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Freefly's and Swagbucks- Questions Answered

Quick post for those who have been emailing me. I've been asked lately where I get my free samples from, if there's a catch to them, which sites are spam and which aren't, and what else I do to earn free stuff. Below are 2 of the sites I head to just about every day.

Click picture to sign up for a FREE freefly's account!

The first one is Freefly's. It's the easiest place to go for free samples. They are categorized by food, beauty, kids, health, etc, and they give you the direct link to each free sample, and explain what (if anything) you have to do to get them. Some of them you just sign up for a newsletter, some of them you just put in your info to get the sample. The samples come directly from the companies themselves (for example, I got a free sample of Hugo's new cologne for men, and it came directly from Hugo). Through this site I've gotten free samples of Planter's peanut butter, Hugo and Lacoste cologne, Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner, Eucerin lotion, Purex laundry detergent, Nescafe coffee, and so much more. Samples start rolling in about 2-3 weeks after you sign up, and many of them are accompanied by coupons. Amazing site, indeed (and definitely NOT spam)! Free to sign up for an account, and I believe you can do it with your facebook (it's been so long that I've been a member).

Click the picture to sign up for a FREE Swagbucks account!

Y'all have heard me mention the surveys I do and stuff- I do them through Swagbucks. Basically, with Swagbucks, you earn their bucks for doing things like completing surveys, checking out offers from companies, answering polls, surfing the internet, etc, and you can trade those bucks in for merchandise or gift cards. Hubby and I decided to do this as a way to buy Christmas presents for the kids. So far I've earned a $50 Amazon gift card, and I've only been doing Swagbucks for about a month. It's easy to sign up for an account, and free, so you can give them a try and see what you think!


There you have it! I know I replied to those who emailed me with this info, but I have been getting messaged about it so much lately, I figured a post was warranted. It's free to check both of these sites out, so go ahead and see what they are all about.


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Freebies, Special Offers & More from Inklings' New Sponsors

Last week I announced on the Inklings' facebook page that I had some new sponsors. Each day I featured a new sponsor and asked facebookers to check them out. Many of y'all did, and many of y'all emailed me with questions. Are the sponsors spam? Are they reliable? What does it mean to be a sponsor of The Inklings of Life? I answered many emails one-on-one, and realized that  maybe a quick blog post would help out. I want to properly introduce y'all to the newest Inklings' sponsors and let y'all know what they are all about, so if you decide to check them out yourselves, you know what you are getting.

First thing's first: No, these sponsors aren't spam. They are companies that I trust, that I have personal accounts with, that I enjoy enough to share with my readers. All of the companies have free accounts you can sign up for, you can opt for their newsletter, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

The second most asked question I get is, what does it mean to be an Inklings' sponsor? No, I don't get paid if you decide to place an order with any of these companies- they aren't "affiliates". Basically, they pay me to advertise on my site. It's that simple. Does that mean I'm pushing advertisers down y'alls throats that I don't like? Hell no. See the paragraph above- I was a member of many of these sites before they decided to advertise with me. If I don't like them, they aren't on my site. It's that simple. Y'all should know me better than to think I'd push anything I didn't believe in.

So, do I want y'all to check them out? Of course I do. They are amazing companies, many of them have specials for my readers, and if I send people in their direction, they help me out. Every little bit helps keep Inklings running, helps keep my sanity in check, and helps Hubby relax some when I go to do crazy things with Inklings, like give away its merchandise for free.

Here's a quick rundown of who these sponsors are, what they have, and why you should check them out!! I've made it really easy if you see something you like- just click the picture and it will take you straight to the site!

Sneekpeeq



When I found out about this little beauty of a company a few months ago, I fell in love. I signed up for an account quickly and easily with my facebook account, and I was rewarded with a free gift- They just started the Bed of Roses Earrings promo you see above, and I'm sure these will go fast; they are beautiful. You go through the site 'Peeqing' at items, and the more items you view, the more site credibility you build. There

Smile for the Wall Art! (Photo-Canvas.com Review)

I recently received an email from Photo-Canvas.com about reviewing one of their photo-to-canvas products. I have always wanted to have one of these made, but unfortunately never have, and with so many companies out there and not knowing which ones are good and which ones aren't, I gave Photo-Canvas a try.

It was the best decision I've made in a long time.

I was told to head to their website, www.photo-canvas.com, and upload a picture I wanted made into a canvas. The hardest part of this entire process was trying to figure out which picture I wanted to use. We had family pictures done at Christmas, and ordered a huge 16x20 of the main family picture, so I didn't really want that to be my canvas. I decided Hubby and I needed our own work of art.

I headed to their website and uploaded my picture. It really was super easy. I also saw an option for creating your own pop art, collages, and adding messages to the front or back of the canvas (described on their Products page). The ideas are limitless. You could have one of your toddler's drawings turned into a canvas work of art. You could have your kids turned into an Andy Warhol-esque center piece for your living room. They even make those 3 paneled canvas pieces that I love so much.

I placed my order on a Saturday for a 12"x16" canvas of Hubby and I. I got email notification on Tuesday that it had already shipped and the tracking number included said it would be delivered Wednesday morning. The company is located in England, Inklingers. They created my photo canvas, packaged it, shipped it and it arrived in 3 business days. That, to me, was completely unheard of. I honestly didn't think it would be high quality with a production rate that fast.

I was proven wrong. The canvas arrived on a Wednesday morning, and the first thing I noticed is it was heavy. I'm going to let y'all in on a secret. I used to work for a nationally-known cookie cutter photography

New Times Moving and Statewide Relocation Review

Alright, Inklingers, I told you all I would be posting a review post about my moving experience, and here it is, in all it's glory!

For those who find this review through a search engine, here's a quick snapshot of my moving experience with New Times Moving and Statewide Relocation: On a scale of 1 to 10 of my happiness with the move (1 being not happy at all, 10 being ecstatic), I'd give them a -523. Yeah, that's a negative 523. From start to finish, it was a horrible experience, and I wouldn't recommend this company to my worst enemy. For more details, continue to read below, and trust me, it's worth it.

Hubby called New Times Moving Company to get a price quote for moving us from Virginia to Arizona. This company, unlike other moving companies, estimates your move by cubic feet of household goods instead of weight. Hubby gave them a pretty detailed list of what we were bringing, and the representative at New Times Moving said he was putting it into his little moving calculator, and it spit out 400 cubic feet at $4 a cubic foot, for a total move of $1600.

We'll pause right there. Go and google '2 bedroom apartment cubic feet' and see what you get. Hell, I'll make it easy on you. The estimate of how much space the contents of a 2 bedroom apartment take up is 875 cubic feet. 400 cubic feet is a small 1 bedroom apartment with hardly any furniture. So right there, the company underestimated our move by half; keep that in mind, it will come up later. Yes, we should have done our research beforehand a little more into this, but the representative made it sound like we really had 400 cubic feet of household goods.

Hubby and I talked about it, decided this company must be awesome, googled some reviews and made our decision. We put down our deposit, scheduled a date for pickup, and started the saving money and waiting game.

After receiving our confirmation email, we get a call from Statewide Relocation saying that New Times Moving had contacted them about our move and they would be handling it from here on out. Hmph, a red flag was raised, but whatever, this must be how things are done. Spoiler alert: New Times Moving IS Statewide Relocation. Google Statewide Relocation's reviews and you'll start to put the puzzle together. Same company, same address (I kid you not- look at the 'Contact Us' sections of the websites- they moved a '1' over to make it look like it's not the same address) 2 different websites, 2 different phone numbers, 2 different sets of reviews so you are thankful, when you do your research like we did, that you are getting a company with amazing reviews. After you pay your money, you find out that Statewide Relocation, who has horrible reviews, is the actual company moving your goods. Yeah, no lube, no loving, you just got screwed big time.

What can I say about Statewide Relocation? They hardly ever answer their phone. When you actually do get

Happiness Comes in a Box??

Let me start out by saying I don't do reviews. The Inklings of Life is not that type of blog. I don't get products free to review them, tell everyone in the world that they are amazing, and possibly get paid for it. No one has paid me to do this post, or even asked me to do it. If I ever do a product review, it's because I tried something, and fell in love with it so much that I want to tell the whole world about it.

I have come across such a product. Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Color: Light Intense Auburn (R3).


I have been dyeing my hair now for 15 years. I started with the shampoo that, as you used it, it slowly left color deposits that dyed your hair (someone please tell me they remember that? Aussie brand did it, I believe). Then I moved to the box dyes, and for some reason, I was always drawn toward red (I figured if my personality was fiery, my hair color should be, as well). Box dyes never quite cut it, so I moved toward salons, to hairdressers who promised bright red. I have done red and black hair, red and orange, red with blonde streaks, dark burgundy red, strawberry blonde with bright red streaks; paid upwards of $125 to get the look I wanted. Times got tough, couldn't head to a salon anymore, so I started on the search for the perfect box of red dye, something I could do at home.

In 15 years of dyeing my hair, I have never been as pleased as when I used the Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Color kit.