So sad ;(. Sending my thoughts and prayers to everyone in Boston today.
Pray for Boston
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Would you ever dye your own hair?
Loading ...I dye my own hair all the time, but I realized yesterday when I posted a picture of the box (and the after picture of my hair) that not everyone does. I was kind of surprised, because I thought it was fairly standard? But clearly it’s not!
I do it for a few reasons. First of all, I cannot STAND sitting in that chair at the salon for 2 hours. And then of course, there’s the fact that it costs a fortune. Dude, I don’t need to be paying $150+ for something that I could pay $7.99 for at home you know? However, if I happen to be at the salon (for a haircut or am there with L and B – we all go to the same place) and my hair is looking a hot mess, my girl will insist on dying it.
I don’t always use the same brand (I mean if I have a coupon, I will buy whatever), but I do really like Garnier line. The instructions are really easy to follow and it’s not a huge mess.
If you have never dyed your hair before, but want to give it a try, here are my tips:
~Do it on a night where you don’t have to go anywhere the next day (i.e. work), but also on a night that your salon is open the next day (JUST IN CASE). I’d recommend a Friday night.
~Follow the instructions. I once left dye on for longer than the instructions said because I wanted my hair to be “really dark brown”. Umm, yeah, it turned black. OOPS.
~Don’t go from blonde to brown or brown to blonde or whatever the FIRST time you ever dye your own hair. It’s just not a good idea.
~Have someone help you if you are super worried. I used to have B help, but now that I have done it a bunch of times, I don’t need him anymore.
Allright, so tell me, do you dye your own hair? What are your reasons? Do you hate being trapped in that chair as much as I do? And if you do, share your secrets and tips! What brand do you use? And if you don’t, why not?
Monday Morning Ramblings
~We had a great weekend which included seeing Scooby Doo Live (thanks to MichiGal and her contests)! The boys (B included) and I loved it. L was so into it and WB was screaming he was so excited. If you’ve never been to a kids show, you must go to least one. Everyone arrives late, it’s loud and there is lots of people coming and going during the show! It’s fun. During our trip to the bathroom / concession stand, we had to hit up the trinkets and ended up with a $20 stuffed Scooby (which likely has a retail value of $2) and a $10 Mystery Machine flashlight (how could we not?).
The Show
~This weekend also included an impromptu trip to the Genius Bar because someone spilled water on her MacBook. As a side note, this never would have happened if I were drinking soda. I would NEVER spill my precious Diet Pepsi! But thankfully we live close to the Apple Store and I made a quick appointment and we all headed over there. L loves the Apple Store so he HAD to come. Happily they were able to fix my computer (for free) and I was in and out in like 10 minutes. I can’t help but wonder what people who don’t have Apple stuff or don’t live near an Apple Store do? Those guys have saved me more times than I can count. They have replaced iPhones, fixed my laptop, everything. For free!
~I’m expecting lots of boxes his week, including Birchbox, Birchbox Home, Love With Food, the Julep Sea Salt Mystery Box, Kiwi Crate and Lip Factory. That’s what I know about anyway. I have some boxes that are new to me coming this month as well, including Bestowed, Julibox, Tyler Florence Fancy Box, MyIrelandBox and Bugsy’s Box to name a few! What boxes are you expecting this week?
~I must be super old, because I didn’t even know the MTV Movie Awards were last night! Seriously I used to mark that stuff on my calendar! And not only did I not know about them, when I looked at pictures, I didn’t even know who half the people were. Snooki looked great though!
photo credit: invision
~How was your weekend? What’d you do? And what are you looking forward to this week? As you know, this is a huge week over here since B is turning 30 and WB is turning 1!! Eeek!!!
April Crafter’s Crate Review
April Crafter’s Crate
Crafter’s Crate is a monthly subscription box that delivers hand-picked crafts and activities made for girls. It’s $19.99/month and is billed for girls ages 5-12. Although I don’t have girls, L does have some little girl cousins, so I figured I would give it a try.
The Box
Crafter’s Crate is shipped via USPS and comes in a brown box with their cute little elephant on it.
First Look
Second First Look
How pretty is this packaging? Seriously? And a handwritten note to my cousin? Too cute! It pained me to untie that pretty pink bow because I knew I’d never be able to make it as pretty again!
The Information Card
Crafter’s Crate includes “Grown Up Instructions” which includes an overview of all the projects and discussion points and ideas to use the projects. Each individual project includes an instruction card as well! The April Crafter’s Crate theme is “April Flowers bring May Flowers” and here’s what was inside:
~Magic Bubbles: I’m totally doing these with L because I know he’d love them. Of all the craft projects we have done, I don’t believe we have ever made bubbles! I am super excited about them and am even more excited to actually get outside!
Magic Bubbles
Magic Bubbles
~Hair Flower: This is adorable and while my boys would want no part of it, I wouldn’t mind wearing it myself (you know how I love headbands). But I will let my cousin make / wear this instead. And I love the message about using this as a opportunity to boost your little girl’s body image by telling her that taking care of herself, loving herself and being a good person all help to make a girl beautiful. So true!
Hair Flower
Hair Flower
~May Day Basket: I have to admit, I don’t know much about May Day (much less May Day baskets), but after a little reading, I learned that you put flowers or treats in a basket and leave them on a neighbors doorstep, ring the bell and run away! Pretty sure I love this idea and it’s something we are going to start here. I love showing L that it’s just as fun to give gifts as it is to receive them and I gotta tell you, I think he’s getting it! And he will totally love the surprise element of this as well!
May Day Basket
May Day Basket
~Pin Wheel: What is it about kids and pinwheels? We’ve never made our own pinwheel so I think L and I may do this one as well. He won’t care that it’s pink at all! This activity teaches girls (and L) about how things work and gives a little lesson on how you can explain why the pinwheel moves!
Windy Pinwheel
Windy Pinwheel
~Cup-o-Grass: The cup-o-grass gives you a chance to teach how grass grows. Just like you grow when you eat and drink, so is the grass! The clear cup lets you actually SEE the roots forming which I think will be awesome for L!
Cup-O-Grass
Cup-O-Grass
While Crafter’s Crate is billed for girls (ages 5-12), I do think L will be able to enjoy a lot of these crafts as well! I do love the lessons they aim to teach with their projects and think it’s something most girls will enjoy!
Do you subscribe to Crafter’s Crate? What’d you think of this month’s box? If you are interesting in subscribing or just want to learn more, click here. And if you use the code “RAMBLE” you’ll save $10 off your first month!
Disclosure: This box was provided for review purposes. No compensation was received and, as always, all opinions are my own!
Sunday Social – All About Twitter
I am, once again, linking up with Ashley and Neely for today’s Sunday Social.
1. When did you join twitter?
After a little GTS’ing, I learned that I joined Twitter on 9/3/2008. So 4.5 years ago. And in that time I have tweeted 2,722 times. I find this shocking because I rarely tweet. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t love it.
2. Who is your favorite non-celeb to follow?
Gosh, I am going to go with Jenelle from Teen Mom. She’s @PBandJenelley_1 in case you want to follow her and she’s probably my most favorite tweeter ever. You want to know every last detail about what’s going on in her life? No worries, she’ll tell you. I am putting her in the non-celeb category because she’s really not a celebrity. I mean, she’s famous and all, but you know….
3. Who is your favorite celeb to follow?
I’m going with Lindsay Lohan. It’s like reading someone else’s twitter because you’d have no idea what was going on in her life from twitter. Like I am real sure she spent the entire night (last week) playing Draw Something. Unless she was playing while sitting under the table in Brazil, this didn’t happen!
4. Have you ever had a celeb respond to a tweet?
Umm, no. I don’t think so anyway? Like I said, I don’t tweet much, so I don’t really think there is much chance of anyone ever tweeting me back. And this really isn’t the question, but can I just say how much I hate retweets? Hey Justin Bieber, I love you, can I get a retweet? NO. You cannot.
5. What is your favorite store/brand to follow?
Target. I mean I just love Target, so why wouldn’t I love them on Twitter? Their TargetTruths always crack me up and are totally true.
6. Give us three tweeps we should be following.
I really don’t think I am qualified to answer this since I am not totally into twitter (instagram is my true love), but I am certain you will be bored if you follow me (@theramblingjen). I mean you can, but I think you will be bored! I do look forward to reading everyone else’s suggestions though!
April I-Ella The List Review
The List by I-ELLA
The List by I-ELLA is billed as “the ultimate gift bag”. Every bag is a reflection of your own personal style and is selected just for you by the stylists at I-ELLA. You fill out a style profile, list your favorite designers, colors, must have items, etc. and they do the rest. You can expect everything from designer brands to emerging trends in your I-ELLA gift bag.
The Box
I was shocked, impressed and excited by the huge size of the I-ELLA box! I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was certainly not expecting it to be so big. I could not wait to tear into it!
First Look
How fun does this look to tear into? Seriously it was like Christmas morning all over again. The List has three subscription options: “Starter Bag” $59/month, “Soho Bag” $129/month (this is the one I received) and “St. Barth’s Bag” $389/month. Yeah it’s more expensive than the other subscription boxes out there, but wait till you see all the goodies I received!
The List by I-ELLA comes with a letter which includes details on all the products included, prices and a brief description of all of the items, but I didn’t take a picture of it because I didn’t think you’d be able to see it very well. But you’ll have to believe me when I tell you I liked all the information it provided.
Allright, allright, here’s what was inside.
~Cynthia Steffe Maya Maxi Dress ($178): This was my BIG piece and I loved it! It’s from Cynthia Steffe and is even better in person than in my pictures. I think I wrote that my must have fashion items were sunglasses and maxi dresses and they totally delivered! This dress is this season and I will totally wear it!
Cynthia Steffe Maya Maxi Dress
~Vanessa Mooney Mixed Metal Tear Drop Earrings ($42): At first I wasn’t too sure about these earrings, but the more I look at them, the more I like them. They are also from the Spring 2013 line, which I was happy to see because I know that some other boxes include left over things from previous seasons and who wants that? Also, this earrings came at kind of the perfect time because L and I have been talking about “metal” all the time. Yeah, I used the earrings to explain the difference types of metal. You can make anything into a lesson 
.
Vanessa Mooney Mixed Metal Tear Drop Earrings
~Herban Essentials Peppermint Towelette ($7.50): I cannot wait to try these. Sure you could just use them as a hand wipe (they are naturally antibacterial), but you can also use the peppermint ones to “press on pulse points and breathe in aroma to relieve motion sickness”, “tuck in car air conditioner vents to clean air and pep up the driver” and more. Oh and they even make wipes for dogs! I may actually get some.
Herban Essentials Peppermint Towelette
~S.W. Basics of Brooklyn Cleanser ($24): I have never heard of this line before (which means pretty much nothing), but I am quickly falling in love. All of their products are made with just 3 – 5 ingredients, are affordable and eco-chic.
S.W. Basics of Brooklyn Cleanser
~Olivella Eye Cream ($21.95): Olivella is an Italian company and they use olive oil in all of their products. I really should check more into this line because olive oil is known for it’s anti-aging properties and I am getting old, but would prefer not to look it. Cannot wait to try this!
Olivella Eye Cream
~Mt. Sapola Natural Soap – Charcoal ($8): Charcoal soap? Well I never! The charcoal in this soap “scrubs off dead skin cells and gets rid of unpleasant odors”. I’m not big on bar soap, but even I am interested in try this out! And in case you are wondering, it does NOT smell like charcoal. It’s a cool, refreshing mint scent!
Mt. Sapola Natural Soap – Charcoal
All totaled, my The List by I-ELLA Soho Gift Bag had a value of $281.45. Umm, how insane is that? Considering that the bag was only $129 and I love everything in it, yeah, that’s a pretty great deal!
What do you think of The List by I-ELLA? Want to give it a try? Click here to get all signed up!
Disclosure: I received this box for review purposes. All opinions are my own. No compensation was received.
Saturday Smiles
Today I’m smiling because:
~I think WB has a little tooth poking through! Is it possible that he will have his first tooth before he turns one? Maybe! I doubt I will ever get a picture of it though, because he’s NOT down to let me poke around in there.
~A 14 year-old 8th grader has made the cut at The Masters! How amazing is that? I am totally pulling for this kid.
image credit: Phil Noble/Reuters
~I totally spaced on announcing the winners of a few recent giveaways (although they have been contacted), so I am smiling because Rachel U. won the Homegrown Collective Greenbox and Gabriel C. won the NCAA Tournament Challenge! Congrats to them! Ohh, and speaking of winners, WB won a prize in the Stork Stack Cutest Baby Contest! Go WB!
~L picked out the craziest outfit for school yesterday and for some reason, I had forgotten what he wore. So when I picked him up I was kind of surprised to see it again . But he was so pleased with himself that I couldn’t help but to smile. And yeah, he has a t-shirt and a long-sleeved shirt on. Because “it’s cold out”. Makes sense to me.
The Outfit
~I am FINALLY going to make it to the Post Office today, which might not make most people smile (the lines are always nuts on Saturdays), but it makes me smile because I love knocking things off my To Do List!
~I was able to get all the frosting stains off WB’s hat, bib and diaper, so I can use it again for his party! Woot woot! Colored frosting is no joke people!
image credit: capture a moment
~We have a fun weekend planned which includes Scooby Doo Live and maybe a pre-birthday dinner celebration for this week’s birthday boys (WB and B). B’s turning dirty thirty on Thursday and WB will be 1 on Friday! Eeeek!
That’s it from here! What’s got you smiling today?
April ipsy My Glam Bag Review
April ipsy My Glam Bag
I’m not sure what the issue was, but my April ipsy Glam Bag seemed to take extra long to get to me this month. They changed their shipping from plain old USPS to some DHL / USPS combo, so I am sure that has something to do with it.
The Pink Envelope
As always, I love the ipsy bubble mailer. And this month they added the “ipsy” to the mail, which makes me love it even more!
The Information Card
The April ipsy theme is “Pretty in Pink” and is described as “This April, pinks have never looked so pretty! We have a bouquet of amazing beauty products waiting just for you.” As always they don’t include product information on the card because they have videos on their site showing you how to use everything. Here’s what was inside:
~Be a Bombshell Blush (Sweet Checks)($16): This might be a little too pink, but I will give it a go. Everything always looks different in the package than it does when it’s actually on, so I can’t really judge it until I see it on.
Be a Bombshell Blush (Sweet Checks)
~MICA Beauty Cosmetics Shimmer Powder (Earth) ($14.95): I love this color, love the product, love everything. Can you ever go wrong with shimmer? I think not!
MICA Beauty Cosmetics Shimmer Powder (Earth)
~Sation Nail Laquer (Of Corset I’ll Call You) ($5): I wish I liked this, but I’m just not loving the color. I have a few similar colors and I never grab for them. Although, I do have a lot of fun glitters I could put over this which would make me like it more.
Sation Nail Laquer (Of Corset I’ll Call You)
~Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Treatment($4.39): I am going to try this stuff after I do my “I’m Totally Trying It” with my Moroccan Oil. It sounds like it provides the same benefits, but appears to be about half the price. I can’t wait to see how this stacks up!
Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Treatment
~The Bag ($2): While I do think the white and pink bag is cute, it is also super impractical for me. I will have this thing beyond dirty anywhere I put it. I don’t think you see many white cosmetic bags for a reason!
The Bag
All totaled the April ipsy My Glam bag had a value of $42.34. Way way more than the $10 cost of the bag, but I still just felt kinda meh about it. Ipsy is great for some people, but I just don’t think it’s for me? I can’t put my finger on why though? I mean it’s a great value and great stuff, so I don’t get it? It’s not you ipsy, it’s me!
Did you get ipsy this month? What’d you think? If you are interested in signing up or just ant to learn more, click here.
Friday iPhone Dump
If you feel like linking up and showing off your weekly iPhone pictures grab the button and link-up below! If not, that’s cool too.
1. WB is obsessed with our iPhones and luckily he got a special WB case for Easter. I threw my old iPhone in it and downloaded a baby app for him and he just happily presses the buttons and scrolls around like an old pro. I should actually get him candy crush because he’s all over that game when we play together late at night.
2. I can’t believe Baxter is going to be 7 this year! Yes, 7!! He was the start of our little family and I can’t remember what life was like before he came along. Sweet little Baxter was on sale because no one wanted him ;(. They made a bad decision all those other people!
3. While WB refused to try on his hat when it arrived, L was game. And WB just looked at him like yeah, good for you and that stupid hat! He still wanted no part of it even after seeing L in it!
4. This picture cracks me up. These boys are just so funny. I don’t even know what L is doing here but they were like that for awhile!
5. How sweet is this kid (that is one of his Wittlebee shirts from our March box)? Seriously! I can’t get enough. I let him stay up a little late the other night because I found ET on tv and I just had the best time listening to what he thought about E.T. And yeah, that is the best movie ever.
6. We got our 2nd book from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library this week and I was totally thrilled because we don’t have it! If you haven’t checked them out yet, you should. You can get a free book each month for your child (up to age 5). It’s not available in all areas, but luckily we have it here!
7. I received the Stella & Dot goodies I ordered earlier this week yesterday (that was some fast shipping) and yeah, I am in love. Um, that bag (it’s the “How Does She Do It”) is even better in person. And the poof was way bigger than expected, which made me love it even more.
8. The boys are at it again. This is all L’s idea. He gets WB all set up on the lion and then pushes him all around. WB loves it. I mean who wouldn’t?
9. And in case you missed it on Instagram, WB didn’t totally hate his pictures. He only really hated the part that involved cake. I LOVE the way everything turned out and am go glad the girls at CAMP posted a little sneak peek for me on Instagram yesterday. I’m pretty sure they did it because they knew (I told them) I’d be stalking their entire lives until I saw one .
( Collection closed )
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ramblingjen
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