Giveaway - 250 custom greeting cards from digitalroom.com

And the winners are comment 1 from Bikiniwho said " I would probably do something goofy involving photoshop and pictures of my family" 

And comment 6 from Kelly who said  "I would either make my Christmas cards or create some invitations with a ridiculously embarrassing picture of my husband as a child on it. His 40th bday is coming up and we are going to have a huge bash. I hope I win!"

I will forward your information on to Digital Room and they should be contacting you soon with the information you'll need to make and receive your cards!


Congrats!




DigitalRoom.com - the UPrinting Network, is offering my readers another great giveaway! Previously they have given away 500 custom business cards and 250 custom stickers on MNT! I received a set of both and let me tell you I was impressed. I gave the business cards out all over BlogHer'09! And now I have MNT stickers, which is cool, but I have no idea what I am going to do with 250 of them. Leave them in public restrooms perhaps?

Not only does DigitalRoom.com offer business cards and stickers, but they do just about every other kind of printing job you could imagine, including custom postcards and custom greeting cards.

I am definitely a fan of UPrinting and Digitalroom.com, and not just because they have sent me free products and they are a sponsor of my blog. If I didn't love their product I wouldn't be supporting them. Now that I've seen the work that they do I will definitely use them if I have other printing needs. I'm actually trying to get my workplace to use them!

So, on to the giveaway!

DigitalRoom.com is offering 2 yes TWO of my readers 250 custom greeting cards (7x5" - half-fold). They will be full color outside and blank inside, with a 10 pt cover with matte or gloss coating. The winner pays for shipping. This is around a $90 value! Now, I'm not positive, but I don't think envelopes are provided. Just FYI.

I think there are so many things you could do with these! If you are one of those people that actually plans ahead for the holidays you could use these for your Christmas or holiday cards! What an amazing deal, right?

I am not on the ball enough to get ready for the holidays so soon, and I definitely don't know 250 people to send cards to. So what I'm going to do with mine is scan or take a digital photo of some of Noah's artwork and put that on the front of the cards. He has an amazing art teacher at school and has painted some impressive things with her guidance. So amazing that I have had them framed and my boss is putting them up in our conference room at work. Her idea! I think that using his artwork on cards he knows I am sending out will be a huge confidence boost for him! Plus I think it makes for a great general use card, for thank you's, notes, etc.


So, who wants to win some custom greeting cards?!?

To enter to win all you have to do is leave a comment telling me what you would do with 250 free custom greeting cards. Super easy! Please make sure you leave your email address or a link to your blog in the comment. I'm using commentluv and I haven't quite figured out why sometimes it gives me information I can click through to, and sometimes it doesn't. So don't take a chance that I won't be able to contact you and just leave your email address in the comment. You can always type "at" for @ and "dot" for .

If you don't see a place for comments click where it says "comments to ponder" under and to the right of my Katt signature and that should open up the comment box.

This contest ends September 3rd! I'll announce the winner September 4th!

And come back soon, because I'll have another giveaway posted soon for 500 custom business cards! I know! This company rocks!

Offer Valid for UNITED STATES SHIPPING ONLY.

I can't make conversations like this up

Rich and I "graduated" from couples therapy tonight. In and out in 20 minutes tonight. Well not really, since he was 20 minutes late seeing us, so really, in and out in 40 minutes. Still had to pay our $20 copay, even though it is supposed to be a 45 minute session.

Have I mentioned Len before? You have to say Lehhnnn...with a bit of a nasal edge to it. He's our therapist. Well was. Like I said, today we graduated.

Lehhnnn's an OK guy. Nice enough. Rich liked him. I tolerated him because he made Rich comfortable and we were making progress.

Mostly he irritated me because he was always at least 15 minutes late seeing us. And he never got my sense of humor.  And when I mentioned phone sex once I swear the man blushed. Tonight I caught him doing the big eye roll at something I said. 

On our drive home I mentioned Lehhnn's eye roll and asked Rich if he saw it, which led to this conversation:

Me: OMG, did you see that eye roll when I made the comment about me not letting your brother kick you around?

Rich: huh? oh. no.

Me: oh yeah, it was huge! I've told you, he never got my sense of humor. At. All!

Rich: huh. a lot of people don't get your sense of humor.

Me:

Rich: there are a lot of eye's rolling when you are around

Me: huh

Rich:

Me: but my blog friends think I'm funny!

Rich: well yeh, you do have a talent for comedic writing

Me: *glowing* wow, that's like one of the nicest things you have said to me in a long time. Thank you!

Rich: Yeah, you just aren't that funny in person. I'm the one with the live talent.

Me: huh

Me: but you think I'm funny, right?

Rich:

Rich: yeah, most people don't understand you.

Me:


We start back in therapy next week.

Housekeeping! and a little bit of teasing!

No, this is not an announcement that I have cleaned the house. Sorry Rich. And you probably aren't getting lucky tonight either. Really sorry!

It is however a quick post with some updates for MNT and my wonderful readers!

1. We are implementing a new behavior program with Noah and I'm going to be blogging about it on a new site I'm setting up. Stay tuned for more information! This a big deal for our family and I'm very excited to be working with Debra Sale Wendler the Respect Effect Mom. I met her on Twitter as @adhdparenting. So far I'm very impressed with the program even though it is a lot of work and at times it scares the hell out of me because it's making ME change a lot about myself and how I parent. So seriously, stay tuned!

2. I'm going to be featured in Blog Nosh Magazine this Thursday! More information and links to that later this week!

3. I'm in a book! I know!!!! Squeee! It's coming out in November. More information about that soon too!

And now, some great stuff for you!

4. Remember my posts about being chosen as a Purex Insider? See those buttons on my left sidebar? Well, as a founding member of the Purex Insider Program they have given me the chance to invite two of my blogging friends to be a part of the program too! Cool huh? As a Purex Insider you will be among the first to try and review brand new products from Purex, and be a part of special promotions and giveaways.

Now, don't get too excited. Because in all honesty, other than a coupon for a free package of their new 3 in 1, and some "opportunities"' to promote their product, it hasn't really involved much. But, I am a fan of their product because it is so freaking easy to use. And who knows, they may figure out ways to "reward" us better for helping promote their product in the future.

So, if you are interested in being a Purex Insider please leave your email address in the comments below or email me at mommyneedstherapy at gmail.com and tell me why you are interested.

5. I'm going to have two more giveaways up on MNT later this week.

One for the new Zhu Zhu Pets toy. Zhu Zhu Pets are fun, interactive hamsters that talk, move and even navigate their way around their own habitats. And the best thing about these pets? No mess and no fuss…just hours of interactive play! I'll be giving away one hamster and one slide with ramp.

And one for 250 Custom Greeting Cards from Uprinting.com for TWO of my readers. I've been thrilled with the business cards and stickers I've received from them recently! I'm very excited about this giveaway!

Make sure you check back later this week so you can enter!

6. BSM Media has offered my readers first crack and a free offer for a new kids website. Here is what they have to say about it. The code for the free offer is within the body of the following information.

We'd like to introduce you to Pocketville. Pocketville is a creative virtual world where kids can play games, decorate their own environment, and adopt "In My Pocket" virtual pets. Kids will discover a world of fun that offers a safe social place to meet friends, engage in innovative games, create their own avatar, and dress their pets to look the coolest in the town! And luckily for Mom and Dad, all of these fun activities are free.

Parents can feel safe letting their children play in Pocketville because the site is 100% secure and no open chatting is permitted. All users are anonymous and can't share personal details with other players. And in addition to the fun they'll have taking part in the games and activities, kids will learn responsibility by taking care of their virtual pets and virtual piggy bank account.

We're so excited to offer you and your kids an exclusive Pocketville experience. By visiting Pocketville, http://www.jungleinmypocket.com/, and entering the voucher code below, your child can purchase items for their virtual pet at the Pocketville Pet Supplies Store:

Voucher Code: B9GX8NUDYS
Valid for 250 Pocketville Tokens

Please feel free to share the voucher code with other Moms and kids who you think might enjoy the site. Please note that the voucher code expires on September 30th, 2009 so make sure to take advantage of this fun offer while it lasts! If you have any questions about the code redemption, please contact yourfriends@inmypocket.com.

We are confident that your children will love exploring Pocketville. Pocketville was developed by the makers of Puppy In My Pocket, a trusted and popular company who specializes in children's character lines and toys that is sold in over 50 countries worldwide.


I think that's it! Don't forget to check back later this week for more information, updates and chances to enter the new giveaways!

The winners of my 4th Blogoversary giveaways!

Alright everyone, it's time for me to pick the winners of last weeks giveaways! Using Random.org I chose a winner for each day, and here they are:

The winner of the Kix prize pack from Day one is commenter number 5: Gwynne PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH YOU CONTACT INFORMATION!

The winner of the Nippies from Bristols6 on Day two is commenter number 8: teachelgin

The winner of Day 3, the Yo'Baby prize pack, is commenter number two: melaniet42

The winner of the six month supply of Dropps laundry detergent (Day 4) is commenter number 23: Benita G.

And the winner of Day 5, from Eden Fantasys is commenter number 17: Nessa

Congrats to all of you! I'll be emailing all of you soon for your contact information. GWYNNE please email me, I can't figure out how to contact you from your comment!

And thanks to all of you who entered! I wish I could give you all something besides my thanks for helping me celebrate my 4th Blogoversary!

My readers rock the whole band out (as Noah would say)!

How a 6 year old understands death. Well, how my 6 year old does anyway.

Noah is understandably upset about Rhone's death, but he doesn't show it with tears like I do. He isn't even really talking about Rhone so much as he's talking about death. You can tell he's trying to understand it and place it in his world.

On the way to camp this morning he was saying (although I think it was as much a question as it was a statement) that when I die (me, not him) I won't be able to make another me, or another Kiel.

Then he talked about if he was 999 years old he wouldn't be alive anymore. And he was 536 years old would he be alive? So we talked about how long people can live.

Which led to him confirming how old Rich and I are. And then Bubby. Who he says is reallly old! Then he started with Kiel and worked his way up through himself, me, Rich, and Bubby as to who has the most time left.

And then he said he'd like to be a car so he won't die. So I told him that he's right, cars don't die because they aren't alive, but they do get old and stop working and then no one wants them.

So then he said he'd like to be a brick, because nothing is stronger than a brick.

And that's when we arrived at camp and I breathed a big sigh of relief.

How do you guys handle talking about death with your kids?



Don't forget to enter my giveaways from last week! They are open until I get around to picking a winner sometime tomorrow (8/19). I'm pretty lax on deadlines if you hadn't noticed. On my blog anyway! Not in real life! Or at my job!

And I changed my comment settings to add CommentLuv and I'm not sure I'm happy with how it is working. If you guys hate it or are having problems with it please let me know. If its too much of a pain I'll remove it.

It's not just Eat More Kittens Friday, now we have Dead Cats Tuesday

We found our cat Rhone dead tonight. I asked Rich last night if he had seen him, since I got home late and he said yes, so when I didn't see him I wasn't that worried. Sometimes Rhone liked to hang out on the sofa in our basement family room.

Tonight though I realized I had not seen him this morning either, so I asked Rich if he had seen him and he said no. So I went looking. And I found him. The best way to describe it is he was flat. Hind legs out to the sides. Stiff.

This fucking sucks! First we lost Ambien in May, and now Rhone. My first babies. My last link to my single life is dwindling. I moved here to be with Rich and brought four cats and a dog. Now only Stel is left.

Poor Stel, he isn't happy about the new kitten, Thor. Thor and Rhone wrassled together, which left Stel in peace. I think Stel is going to have a hard time finding peace in the days to come. His brother and sister both gone now, and all he is left with is a crazy little kitten and a toddler that loooves to squeeze him and lay on him.

I really miss Ambien. She was my true fur baby. My girl. I miss sleeping with her curled up next to me at night.

Now I won't have Rhone sleeping on my feet either.

And to add even more suckage to it, I had to try and wrap his stiff body in a towel and then kind of wedge it into the cat carrier so I can take him to the vet tomorrow.

At least Ambien won't be lonely up on the shelf in her little wooden box anymore.

Day 5 of my 4th Blogoversary celebration! With a giveaway from Edenfantasys.com!

It's been an exciting week here in Mommy Needs Therapy land! My blogs 4th birthday! My first week of contests! The first time I'm giving away something that will make you squee with pleasure well, if you are one of those noisy ladies anyway...heh! And I'm not talking about the six-month supply of laundry detergent I'm giving away either! (But, you can still enter that contest if you didn't already!)

Drew G. with Eden Fantasys, my favorite adult toy store, has generously agreed to help me celebrate my 4th Blogoversary with a fun, fun, fun giveaway!

He gave me a couple options to choose from:

I Rub my Wormie

The I Rub my Wormie well you know I do, but we are talking about YOU right now!

This discreet sex toy looks like an innocent massager, perfect for when you’d like to have a vibrator handy but don’t necessarily want to leave one out for your mother-in-law the babysitter all to see.

Press the button on the tail to select one of three vibration speeds to suit your pleasure. The petite sectioned body, large round head, and nubby feet on the underside all feel great against your body.

Completely waterproof, the I Rub My Wormie Travel Size can join you in the bathtub or shower for some wet and wild fun.

And it comes in either pink or green! Cute, cute, cute!

Or, this one:

Bondage Duckie

Snuggly bound in its shiny black corset and spiked collar, the bondage duck is your best pal in a bathtub. Use it simply as a water toy or squeeze its back to make it a sensual clitoral stimulator. With powerful yet quiet vibrations the duck is also ideal as a general-purpose massager. It is completely waterproof and it floats.

Keeping this one away from your kids is entirely on you! I know I'd have to find somewhere better than the sock drawer for this little duckie!


When it came down to it, I couldn't decide! So you get to choose! If you win that is!

Because this is such an awesome giveaway, and because we should all have our own toys for the bathtub, I'm giving you several ways to enter! Just leave a comment on this post for each entry.

1. Leave a comment here and tell me which toy you would choose.
2. Follow my blog (on the right sidebar, scroll down towards the bottom)
3. Tell me about your fave adult toy (I'm always looking for new ones to try!)
4. Follow @drewg78 on Twitter
5. Follow @momneedstherapy (that's me!) on Twitter
6. Tweet about this contest using the hashtag #efneedstherapy and link to this post - you can tweet once a day, just come back and leave me a comment each time!

Don't forget to enter the giveaways from earlier in the week! Thanks for helping me celebrate my 4th Blogoversary!

You have until Wednesday, August 19th at midnight to enter. I'll announce all the winners on Friday, August 21st. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents!!!

Day four of my 4th Blogoversary celebration! Help me celebrate with an AWESOME giveaway!

Today I have an awesome giveaway for you guys! A six-month supply of Dropps laundry detergent!

I know!!!!

I guess it's the mom in me, but a six-month supply of laundry detergent excites me! I mean, this is stuff you will really use! And frankly, I'm jealous, because no one is giving me a six-month supply!

Earlier this summer my 20+ year old washing machine finally died. RIP Maytag, but hallelujah and hello new Electrolux front-loading HE washer!! I could wax poetic on this washing machine, but I'll restrain myself. Just know that I LOVE it! And since we do a load of laundry almost every day trying to keep up with Noah's swim trunks, towels, and camp clothes, I've had a chance to try out a number of laundry detergents in it. And I'll be honest, I think most laundry detergents work just fine when it comes to actually getting the clothes clean provided you pretreat stains, use the correct water temperature and washer settings, and don't over-fill the machine.

So now you are probably asking yourself "well heck, if that's what she thinks about laundry detergent why is she even bothering to review it." And I'm so glad you asked! Because what excites me about laundry detergent are things like convenience, cost, if it is "green," and yes, the scent.

And Dropps hits a home run in all those areas! (Yes, my husband is watching baseball...again!)

Dropps comes in tiny, pre-measured dissolvable pacs so it is super easy to use. No mess, no heavy jugs, no measuring. And it's an eco-friendly, green product that helps you leave a smaller footprint on the environment. I love the smell of the Fresh Scent version, but it also comes Scent + Dye Free, and there is a baby version - Dropps Baby (Scent, Dye, and Enzyme Free).

Dropps is available online at amazon.com, samsclub.com, target.com, cvs.com, drugstore.com, and walmart.com in addition to select stores nationwide. It looks like the average price is around $7 for a 20-pac bag, less if you buy in bulk.

You know what else I love about Dropps? They are located in Philadelphia!


And, as I said, they are giving away a six month supply to one of you! That's six 20-load pouches!

To enter is easy! Just leave a comment on this entry! To enter a second time become a member/follower of my blog (on the right sidebar, scroll down towards the bottom) and leave a comment telling me you already follow me or just started! Don't forget to leave your email address!

I'll have giveaways going on all week, so check back tomorrow and don't forget to enter the ones from earlier in the week! Make sure to come back tomorrow when I'll be giving away a little somethin' somethin' from my fave online adult toy store, Eden Fantasys!

You have until Wednesday, August 19th at midnight to enter. I'll announce all the winners on Friday, August 21st.

Sorry, this giveaway is only open to US addresses. :( But tomorrows giveaway is open to US and Canada! So don't forget to come back!

Day three of my 4th blogoversary celebration! Help me celebrate with a giveaway!

**Today's review and giveaway is from Stonyfield Farms and their YoBaby line of organic yogurt!**

At BlogHer a couple weeks ago I was fortunate to sit at a table with Sarah from Stonyfield Farm one morning! She passed on lots of information and some coupons to me, and more importantly told me about their new product YoBaby 3 in 1 meals.

I'll admit to being excited when she told me it contained fruit AND vegetables. I've written before about what a horrible eater Kiel is! The only fruit he will eat right now is an occasional banana (and only if he can eat it like a monkey - so don't dare take the peel all the way off!). He actually eats a slightly larger variety of vegetables. That is if you consider pees, carrots and baked beans a "variety."

So we tried the new 3 in 1 Meals and they are a hit with Kiel. Yeah! The only issue I have is they aren't as thick as the O'Soy yogurt he is used to, and since he insists on feeding himself it is pretty messy. Today I tried mixing it in a sippy cup with some V8 VFusion and he sucked it down! Anything to get some more fruit and veggies in him!

Here's a little more info about it:

YoBaby Turns 10 – and ‘Grows Up’ with New YoBaby Meals

3-in-1 meals provide convenience and nutrition

with a unique mix of tastes in one cup

Londonderry, NH – June 9, 2009 – Stonyfield Farm’s YoBaby turns 10 this year, and marks the occasion by growing its line to include new YoBaby Meals.

YoBaby Meals offer a unique 3-in-1 combination of protein-packed yogurt + fruit + veggie purée in one cup. They’re an easy, delicious and surprising way to help moms give their babies and toddlers a trio of important food groups at every meal.

Three delicious flavors -- Pear & Green Bean, Peach & Squash, Apple & Sweet Potato – are just right for baby’s growing appetite. And the single serve 6-ounce cup offers 50% more than current 4-ounce YoBaby multipacks.

One mom-tester was amazed at the great taste of these unique combinations – and babies and toddlers agreed!

YoBaby Meals are convenient nutrition, providing more than 35% of a toddler’s daily protein and calcium needs in one grab-n-go cup. And this is an easy way to get veggies!

YoBaby Organic Meals hit natural food store shelves nationwide July 1 and select grocery chains. Suggested retail price is $1.29* for a single 6-ounce serving.

*I found it at Wegman's for $1.09. They currently include a coupon on the inside of the foil lid to buy two get one free.


Stonyfield is offering one of my readers a YoBaby prize package that includes a YoBaby bag, a travel YoBaby bowl with lid and utensils, an Eric Carle growth chart, an organic YoBaby bib, and 5 FREE YoBaby 3-in-1 Meals coupons.



To enter is easy! Just leave a comment on this entry! If you have any advice on how to get Kiel to eat more I'm all ears! To enter a second time just become a member/follower of my blog (on the right sidebar, scroll down towards the bottom) and leave a comment telling me you already follow me or just started! Don't forget to leave your email address!

I'll have giveaways going on all week, so check back tomorrow and don't forget to enter the ones from earlier in the week! Make sure to come back on Friday when I'll be giving away a little somethin' somethin' from my fave online adult toy store, Eden Fantasys!

You have until Wednesday, August 19th at midnight to enter. I'll announce all the winners on Friday, August 21st.

Sorry, this giveaway is for US addresses only. :(

Day two of my 4th blogoversary celebration! Help me celebrate with a giveaway!

A couple weeks ago Kirsten from Bristols 6 emailed me to tell me about Nippies and Nippies Natural.

This is what Kirsten had to say about Nippies:

Nippies Natural and Nippies from Bristols 6 are essentials for moms hitting up the pool with toddlers that hang on to your swimsuit. Our high-quality cover-ups shape curves and shields from overexposure and 'chilly' waters, giving stylish moms the confidence to wear a bathing suit without worry!

Nippies Natural is the first adhesive silicone nipple cover that is thin and matte, making it undetectable under clothing and swimsuits. The adhesive and non-adhesive versions are washable/waterproof/reusable, making it a budget-friendly find that you can wear during the day at the pool or out to dinner with your hubby.

For 'haute' mamas who want colorful coverage, Nippies are made from real lingerie fabrics in designer-inspired prints and sparkling sequins. Nippies are soft, stretchy and slightly supportive coverage in over 40 styles that coordinate with any bathing suit or outfit!

Now, I don't wear a bathing suit very often like never if I can help it, so I'm not too worried about nip slippage in the pool. Hell, I'm actually not that worried about nip slippage out of the pool either. After breast feeding I'm pretty immune to the fear of the ladies showing themselves at all, much to the dismay of my husband.

But, one thing I really don't like is when the "Pointer Sisters" decide to make an appearance. You know, when it looks like you are smuggling Tic Tacs in your bra, although in my case its more like Raisonettes than it is Tic Tacs, or maybe even Goobers (gotta love pregnancy and breast feeding!). I hate sitting in a meeting and suddenly realizing my high beams are showing. For some reason that embarrasses me more than if my entire breast popped out.

So I'm thinking I should probably get myself a set of Nippies just for those times I need to feel extra professional and know everyone's eyes are on my face and not my chest.

To help me celebrate my 4th Blogoversary, Bristol6 has offered to give away a set of fabric Nippies of your choice to one of my lucky readers!

To enter is easy! Check out Bristols 6's website and then leave a comment on this entry and tell me which is your favorite Nippies design! To enter a second time just become a member/follower of my blog (on the right sidebar, scroll down towards the bottom) and leave a comment telling me you already follow me or just started! For a bonus entry tell me a funny or embarrassing story about you and "the girls." You know we all have one!

I'll have give-a-ways going on all week, so check back tomorrow and don't forget to enter yesterdays give away! Make sure to come back on Friday when I'll be giving away a little somethin' somethin' from my fave online adult toy store, Eden Fantasys!

You have until Wednesday, August 19th at midnight to enter. I'll announce all the winners on Friday, August 21st.

Sorry, this giveaway is for US addresses only. :(

Day one of my 4th blogoversary celebration! Help me celebrate with a giveaway!

**Once again MyBlogSpark has given me the opportunity to try something new and also share it with one of my readers! Thanks MyBlogSpark for participating in my 4th Blogoversary Week of Giveaways!**

Do you remember Kix cereal from your childhood? I do! At least I remember the commercials. I also remember it as one of those cereals that I always wanted my mom to buy, but she never would! Seriously, I was deprived people! Now I really have no idea why she wouldn't buy it for us because it's not one of those high sugar cereals like the other cereals my brother and I always begged for (like Sugar Smacks and Corn Pops and Fruit Loops - yum!!). We were more the Cheerios kind of family I guess. See people, just another one of the many reasons that I need therapy that I can blame on my mother. Heh.

So, General Mills has a new flavor of Kix cereal now - Honey Kix.

My boys tried it and it was a hit. They are big cereal lovers in general, so I wasn't at all surprised. And I have to say, I liked it too. Now that I have "mature" tastes I actually prefer a cereal that isn't too sweet.


Here's a little bit of info that I was given about the cereal:

We are excited to offer you Honey Kix cereal, which has all the goodness of Kix® cereal but now with a touch of honey! Honey Kix is a good source of fiber, calcium and vitamin D, contains 16 grams of whole grain per serving (at least 48 grams recommended daily) and has no artificial flavors or preservatives. A perfect balance of taste and nutrition through simple ingredients, which both moms and kids can agree on!

MyBlogSpark is giving away a Honey Kix prize pack to one of you! The prize pack includes a coupon for a free box of cereal, a honey jar, a cereal bowl, a container to take your cereal and milk on-the-go, and a great container to keep cereal fresh at home.

They also sent me a prize pack and I can tell you it's nice! The cereal container is a good size and is sturdy. I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but it has a two-in-one pour spout (large and small). The on-the-go container unscrews and you put the bottom cup (which has a freezer gel surrounding it) in the freezer (duh!) and it helps keep the milk cold. The top cup has a spoon that snaps into the lid. If you are thinking that it doesn't take much to impress me, well, you're right!


To enter is easy! Just leave a comment on this entry! If you want to tell me something you do to make your morning routine easier, that would be great and much appreciated! To enter a second time just become a member/follower of my blog (on the right sidebar, scroll down towards the bottom) and leave a comment telling me you already follow me or just started! Make sure you leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!

I'll have giveaways going on all week, so check back tomorrow! And don't forget to come back on Friday when I'll be giving away a little somethin' somethin' from my fave online adult toy store, Eden Fantasys!

You have until Wednesday, August 19th at midnight to enter. I'll announce all the winners on Friday, August 21st.

Chicken butt! And the heads up on my 4th Blogoversary.

Hey! Guess what?

Chicken butt!

Hah! Learned that from Noah last night at dinner. Sometimes I forget how much fun reverting back to six year old behavior can be!

Anyway...this post has nothing to do with chicken butts, but I'm sure having fun saying it.

Chicken butt! Hah!

OK, what I'm really here to tell you today is that I have some exciting things coming up on Mommy Needs Therapy! Because my 4th blogoversary is next week! Four years peoples! I've been spreading my charm and wit here for four years! Yeah me!

So, to celebrate, and because I would be nothing without all six of my readers, I'm going to be giving away some cool stuff next week. Five contests to be exact!

Five! One each day, Monday through Friday!

chicken butt

So don't forget to come back here on Monday and check out the first giveaway!

And I promise, it will have nothing to do with chickens or butts!

And I thought last weeks article would freak out my mother!

Another post where I admit my failings as a mother

Yesterday we were supposed to be at Knoebel's amusement park but we were rained out. This is a yearly trip we take with family friends. They camp out for a few days and we meet up with them for part of the time, but stay at a hotel. We tried the camping bit for a night last year and it was a massive fail. So we are just going to stick to the hotel and hang out with our friends in the evening, use their camp fire and drink their beer. It's really a win-win for everyone! Heh! Unfortunately, this year we met up with them, ate their food, drank their beer, played in their mud puddles, then went back to the hotel and swam in the pool. And then we woke up in the morning to rain that was going to continue all day, so we drove home instead of going to the park.

But wait, that wasn't really what I was going to talk about today, although I guess it's good background.

You see, the thing is, I dread going on these trips. Dread it! And it really has nothing to do with not being a big fan of amusement parks either.

It took three hours to get ready to leave the other morning, and that was with Rich helping (and not the typical "helping" but really, truly helping). And then we still spent the two hour drive going "did you remember....?" "Ummm...nope" "fuck"

But really, its not even the work of getting ready to go that's the problem, the problem is I'm constantly on edge wondering what Noah is going to do. And getting frustrated with his non-stop talking, and impulsive behaviors, and the mess, always the mess! Then you add in staying at a hotel and all of us sleeping in the same room with a kid who is up at the butt-crack of dawn and bouncing off the walls....

Traveling with most kids is difficult I guess; you are taking them out of their normal environment, messing with their schedules, etc. Noah probably isn't any different, just more extreme perhaps? And I know I don't help it when I'm on edge the entire time. But damn, I've been burned enough times over the last couple years with him that I can't let go of the feelings.

I used to enjoy traveling. I've done a fair amount of it, especially when I was younger. As I've gotten older my desire to travel has lessened. I really do prefer to be in my own home, my own bed, etc. That has nothing to do with Noah, that's just me and my homebody inclinations.

So combine the difficulty of travel with kids in general, Noah in particular, with my less than enthusiastic desire to travel and well, it makes that dread of traveling with Noah even more intense. And then I feel like a total shit and crappy mom.

I should want to do these things and create fun memories with my kids, right? Just because I don't like being away from home shouldn't prevent me from doing it, I know. Because as a Mom I'm supposed to forget about what I want and do things for my children, right? Even if it is hard, right? Even if I'm constantly worried about what Noah is going to do next, right?

I know that I need to expose Noah to these experiences. Sheltering him at home because I'm embarrassed when he misbehaves isn't teaching him anything. Focusing on how much work it is to do these things doesn't help me enjoy it either. I see other families taking their kids places, kids with far worse "issues" than Noah, and they seem to handle it all so well.

I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say here, other than I feel very guilty that I hate doing these things with my family! I feel lazy and inadequate because I focus on how much work it is and how my patience is so limited.

Anyone else feel like this?

What I learned at BlogHer'09 when I wasn't stalking famous bloggers

Yesterday I heard about the pledge to blog with integrity. It says everything I've been thinking far better than I ever could. I was going to end this post with the pledge, but I think it is more important than any of my blathering about "what I learned at BlogHer" and I don't want you guys to get so bored reading my verbal ditherings, that I decided to put it first. blather, dither, blather...

So here is the pledge:

BLOG with INTEGRITY

By displaying the Blog with Integrity badge or signing the pledge, I assert that the trust of my readers and the blogging community is important to me.

I treat others respectfully, attacking ideas and not people. I also welcome respectful disagreement with my own ideas.

I believe in intellectual property rights, providing links, citing sources, and crediting inspiration where appropriate.

I disclose my material relationships, policies and business practices. My readers will know the difference between editorial, advertorial, and advertising, should I choose to have it. If I do sponsored or paid posts, they are clearly marked.

When collaborating with marketers and PR professionals, I handle myself professionally and abide by basic journalistic standards.

I always present my honest opinions to the best of my ability.

I own my words. Even if I occasionally have to eat them.

You can sign the pledge yourself and get the badge (see my sidebar) at the website.


Now, if you really want to read my blathering...here you go.

I went to BlogHer with some questions I was hoping to answer and some issues I was hoping to work through. Once again I find myself at a crossroads with the direction I want to take my blog and BlogHer was the perfect vehicle to help me start working through the possibilities.

The sessions I went to were all so good! I chose the sessions I wanted to go to by who was speaking/participating in them, and I was not disappointed by the people or the topics.

One issue that came up was about anonymous blogging and if it was possible. Several people were successful (so far), a few started out anonymously and were found out (with major repercussions) and many were open, but really hoped their neighbors never found them.

Last year I made the decision to rename my blog and stop being anonymous. You may recall I had a few incidents in my real life that forced me to decide if I should shut down my old blog and start a new one (which I did) to try and keep my anonymity (which I tried for a while), or just say fuck it, set up a few boundaries as to what I would blog about, and drop the attempt to hide who I am. After much thought, and discussion with Rich because I felt he should have a say in it too, I decided to stop the attempt to be anonymous and just see what happened.

So far so good. I'm very careful about who I tell in my "real life" about my blog, although the more involved I get in the blogging community the more I want to tell people about what I'm doing. I do NOT want my parents to read my blog, not because I regret anything I have written, but because I know they would not be able to understand it and they would be hurt. Even if we aren't speaking, and I don't see that changing anytime soon, I still don't want to hurt them. If they could actually talk to me about what they read and we could have a discussion about it, it would be one thing, but the likelihood of that actually happening is pretty much equal to the likelihood of one of the cats cleaning his own litter box. I guess one can hope though...

One of the issues I've been considering has to do with how I represent Noah on here, and am I being fair in that representation. I went to a session titled Realllly Personal Blogging - How much info is TMI?. It was incredibly relevant to me as I find myself worrying about Noah's reaction to my blog if he ever reads it. I worry about him finding it sometime (years from now) before I show it to him. I want him to understand why I wrote what I wrote, and read it in context. I want him to read it and feel just how much I love him, even if I'm bitching about how difficult being a parent is. I'm not sure I have it all figured out yet, but some wonderful women offered great advice to me during the session, and if I ever put business cards to faces I'll be able to reconnect with them!

Admit it, when you saw the title of that session you thought I was going to say something about how maybe I shouldn't write about my sex life and vibrators, didn't you! And then you got worried I was going to stop writing about my sex life and vibrators, right? Well no worries, MNT wouldn't be MNT with out a vibe here and there.

And as I said earlier, I went to BlogHer considering where I want to go with my blog. I started it as a way to document Noah's childhood so I didn't forget the funny things he did and said, and as a place for me to just vent. And it moved on from there to also discuss special needs, infertility, pregnancy, donor embryos, etc. And somewhere along the way I got a few readers! I'd like to say that having people actually read my blog is just an added benefit, but it is more than that for me, it was and is damn thrilling! I love knowing that there are people that can relate to what I'm writing and find something I say on here either useful, or reassuring, or just plain funny.

I haven't answered the direction question yet, or even if I need to chose a specific direction or focus, but I did realize over the weekend that there are some aspects of my blog and writing that I want to work on. Like:

• I realized that the blogs I read that I truly enjoy and think are either incredibly funny, or just damn well written, are in fact, damn well written. These women put considerable time into their writing and EDIT their posts. What a thought, actually letting a post sit for a while and then editing it! I think I might try it!
• The best blog posts tend to focus on one topic. Although I know some writers that are very skilled at "rambling" I don't think I'm one of them although I know I do it All The Time.
• I know I want this blog to continue to be my outlet, but I also want to blog with purpose. I want to be more involved in the blogging community and to do this I need to read more and interact more.
• I do not want to be a "reactionary" blogger or Twitterer. If you don't know what I mean, check out the whole#nikonhatesbabies saga on Twitter and re-read the Blogging with Integrity information at the beginning of this post. If I'm going to have an opinion here or on another blog I want to know I've thought it through and I know both sides of the story (if relevant). It frustrates me when I'm reading comments on a post and the people commenting take a side without considering the facts, especially when the post is criticizing or responding to something on another woman's blog.
• I've never flamed another blogger, and I never will. If I can't be nice and respectful, I won't say anything at all.

If you made it to this point you must really like me, because I'm not sure I would have kept reading. I wanted to get it down in print though, so I have something to go back to if I feel myself floundering again, like I have been the last few months.

And a little bit of irony about this post? I started writing it early this week and I thought I had it set to publish Friday, but I must have thought I needed to let it sit a bit longer so I could EDIT it. Hah! I almost forgot to go back to it!