The Vintage Body Spa Giveaway

One of the perks of riding with The Blogrollers to Blogher this year was some of the great sponsors they had! When they said we'd get to try natural body spa products from Vintage Body Spa I was pretty excited. One, because hello... What woman doesn't like pampering herself and smelling nice? And Two... I'm all about trying the "natural" things nowadays! I haven't gone all crazy with it yet, but I am trying still trying it.

I checked out her site and was excited to see a few things. One, I LOVE body scrubs. I don't use them often, but every now and then when I'm feelin' a hot bath, I love to bust out some scrub and exfoliate my skin. I got that in the chocolate scent (thinking my husband would like me smelling like chocolate) But after smelling one of the other women's containers of Lemon Lavender, or something citrus like that I was totally jealous!

Ok, the other thing I got I'm so excited to tell you about! I recently had a friend ask if there was some kind of product you could use before pregnancy, or during that could prevent stretch marks before they start. Well, I've heard of coco butter and things like that but then I read this description about my Shea butter lotion and was SOLD: "Rich in vitamins and nutrients, this lotion can be used to minimize the appearance of stretch marks and used pre-pregnancy to help aid in skin elasticity."

So I've been trying it, and I'll keep using it, hoping it'll keep my belly from getting the stretch marks my booty has (yes, it had a growth spurt post-birth control... But I'm not complaining about that!).

But guess what?! I've got the hook up for you! One lucky winner will receive a gift bag from Vintage Body Spa. Here's what you'll win:

Butter Beans (moisturizing bath fizzies)

Suga Lips Lip Balm

Wherever Body Cream (rich body lotion)

Whipped Shea Butter

A few extra goodies from The BlogRollers

All you have to do is leave me a comment! If you follow me or subscribe leave two comments!

Easy, right? I will give you extra entries if you friend Vintage Body Spa on Facebook and/or follow her on Twitter. Don't forget to come back here and let me know you did it. For even more entries visit the rest of my road trip buddies, Christie at My Life ... A Work in Progress, Denene at My Brown Baby and Lorraine at Ask Wifey and comment on their posts, too. The winner will be announced on Christie's Blog Talk Radio show, The ChatterBox Show on FRIDAY AUGUST 7th at 10:00 AM EST. Good luck and be sure to tune in!

The Blogrollers Goodbye: New Sisters

It wasn’t until I had gotten out of the car, grabbed my things, and turned to say goodbye that I realized what had formed. Not just a friendship that will be lost in time… A friendship—I think, will last for a lifetime.

In a short week I met, got to know, and fell in love with three wonderful women, all from different backgrounds, all with amazing talents. I learned valuable lessons from each of them, and took advice I’ll never forget.

As I walked toward my blood family, I felt as though I was leaving another part of my family behind. I confided in them about things I’ve never told another friend. After a matter of hours we felt comfortable enough to tease, and joke with one another. After a matter of days we shared delicate stories and formed a bond I hope won’t be broken.

I learned a lot at Blogher ’09: Ways to turn my blog into a published book, and ways to better write the way I’m feeling. I learned about marketing and advertising, and spreading the word about your brand. But most of all I learned more about the importance of life and relationships.

My eyes watered as I saw the way each of these women shared the pictures of their families. I nearly cried as I heard them telling their children when they were coming home, or as I saw the thoughtfulness they possessed for them. I smiled as I listened to them brag about their talents and witty ways. I felt a sting of envy when I heard their children pour the words “I love you” through the phone into their mother’s ears… And I loved witnessing every moment of it.

They called me “Youngin’” and sometimes picked on my inexperience and innocence, and joked that they were old enough to be my mother. But they treated me like a peer and we learned from each other.

I scanned their brains, and listened to their life experiences so I could learn from them, and think of how I’ll handle the situation if I’m ever faced with similar tests.

As I turned to hug my overjoyed little sister, running to jump in my arms… I realized I had just hugged my new big sisters goodbye.

Spending nearly every waking moment with three other women for a week sounds like a challenge, but I loved it, and I couldn’t have chosen any other women I’d rather share that moment of my life with.—And hopefully, more precious moments in the future.

The Birth Stories and Bellybars: Blogher Road Trip

We are back on the road again. Yesterday was a blast, we ordered food and chatted about our lives. It was nice getting to know these ladies even more. We were quoting movies and laughing our heads off about wedding stories, the funniest thing is we were so loud. Hotel management came up to our room to tell us people were complaining we were too loud. I’m not sure why they couldn’t just call but whatever.

As we were falling asleep we got on the topic of worst fears. Mine, without a doubt being spiders, and MyBrownBaby feels the same. Wifey and Chatterbox have weird fears if you ask me. Chatterbox is afraid of mascots and people who don’t talk at haunted houses and fairs and Wifey is afraid of pigeons of all things! She even told me she almost left her kid in his stroller to be taken away by them when they got too close.
They’ve all been married longer than I have, and as they shared stories of their lives it made me realize just because you’re together longer doesn’t mean you’ll always get closer, it’s something I’ll be working at forever.

This morning we got to McDonalds right before 10:30 and we really wanted breakfast. Wifey ordered first and the people there switched the signs to the lunch menu before the rest of us ordered. I don’t really understand that--30 second after 10:30 it’s time for lunch. That’s way too early for lunch. They almost didn’t let us get breakfast but luckily they hooked us up with some biscuits.

After that and a few Zzzs on my part, I started asking them about their labor stories. All of them told me they were not playin’ and went with the epidural. Wifey had a couple of false alarms before the real thing, and the night she was going into labor she didn’t want to go to the hospital before she ate her Copelands for dinner. Chatterbox didn’t want to go until she was done watching Lost. She also said she went to an Italian restaurant that guaranteed the eggplant meal would put you into labor within 24 hours.—And it worked!! I’ll have to research this topic when I’m pregnant and see if there’s any place like this near me. You heard of anything like that?

Hearing their stories about being mothers makes me excited to be one. I in no way think it will be easy, but I am glad I’m going into it with my eyes wide open.
Oh, and you know how I’ve been taking prenatals? Well, I have for a couple of months because I heard it gives your body a chance to stock up on the nutrients you need before you get pregnant. Unfortunately I forgot to pack my vitamins for this trip, which isn’t a big deal since it’s just a week—But then I realized the Bellybars I’ve been eating are still giving me a lot of the vitamins in prenatal vitamins. I told you they were one of my sponsors, and if you’re following on Twitter you know I’ve been munching on the bars and chews this whole trip and I’ve been sharing them with the ladies I’m riding with.
I know some people at first may be thinking “isn’t that a pregnancy bar?” but it’s not! It’s a nutrition bar with vitamins important before, during and after pregnancy, and in my opinion they taste better than a lot of other snack bars, and it’s not like chocking down a huge vitamin everyday. So, if you’re pregnant, or like me and thinking of getting pregnant you should check these out! My favorite flavors are the citrus chews and the yogurt crunch bars (it’s in the blue box). I’ll be giving away some prize packs when I get back, and giving more details about these yummy snacks. Oh, and if you’re at Blogher come find me, I’m giving away some chocolate belly bars (among other things... Check this pile out I put together).As far as the blog conference, I am SO excited to meet all these women., we’re almost to Chicago so I’ll start to meet people today. I am a little worried I won’t know anyone else at the conference, or know the best way to make the most out of it, but I’m just excited to be here and learning as I go.

The mommy fact learned today: Switch boobs when you breastfeed, or pump out the other one after you feed from one to avoid uneven boob sizes. Believe it or not, I didn’t know that, though it makes sense.

The Last 32 Hours-- Blogher Road Trip

I'm not sure why but I sorta feel bad that I didn't update the past couple of days. I had a REALLY bad night the other night while I was packing for this trip. We really wanted Stromboli, and my husband was craving it all day, so I made enough for us to eat the night before my trip, and so he could eat some the next day as well. Considering the fact that I wanted to pack, and get other things organized before I left... I was in a hurry to make dinner. Well my hurried dinner turned into a ruined dinner because I turned the temperature up an extra 100 degrees and this was the outcome:I was devastated!--And burst into hysterical tears. No really, I couldn't stop. And my poor husband was mad too but as usual, my tears turn him into a consoler. So he scraped off the blackness and ate two pieces, all the while telling me it tasted great.--Great guy I know.

I decided to move on to something else and make my shirt for Blogher. Nothing special, just a shirt with my Twitter name on it to wear around one day. The front of my first shirt went on first and it looked great. I moved on to the same task on my second shirt... a black one, cute style, and what did I do?--I burnt it... And started crying again.

When I finally got the courage to finish the back of my first shirt, I accidentally ruined that too by burning off one of the letters and cried through the whole process. I know my poor husband must have been wondering what in the world was wrong with me, and about ready to start consoling and start yelling or something, but instead he laughed at me. I couldn't laugh then...And I still can't laugh, but I'm sure I will be able to one day. For a second I began to wonder if I was with-spawn, I mean seriously... I cry a lot, but not so much over little stuff.

I stayed up late packing, and almost overslept my alarm. I had to leave my house at 4am in order for me to make my 6:15 flight in San Antonio, and I made it perfect timing. Once I made it on the plane things started to get better.

My BFF greeted me and brought her cooking baby along with her. I LOVED seeing her tummy, and it's feeling more real now seeing it myself. We had a blast going to the mall, Babies R' Us, and visiting my favorite news station.Last night we went to The Blogrollers bon voyage party, and I met the people I've been blog stalking for months. They were as great as they are online, and just as fun in real life.

Last night I stayed up late organizing my stuff before crashing to sleep. Now... I'm on the road, blogging from the car now.
I've already been asking them a lot of questions about careers, and a little bit about raising kids.One thing I've learned from today: Pregnancy kills braincells... It's called "Momnesia." I'm not sure what my emotional breakdown was about earlier this week, but I'm doing much better now, and can't wait to learn more!

The Trip-- to Blogher '09

I'm about to embark on what may be one of the funnest trips of my life. As many of you know I won the 4th Wheel Contest with The Blogrollers and I'm heading to Atlanta tomorrow morning!! I'm leaving a day early so I can spend a day with my best friend, who is expecting her little one (the one who tested out the Intelligender for me!). We're hoping to spend the day catching up, and I just can't wait to see her tummy! She's about 19 weeks now and she says she has a little bump. Expect to see lots of pictures and possibly videos coming!

I've never been to BlogHer before so I'm not quite sure what to expect. I've been to several journalism conferences in the past but those were much more professional. This one should have a lot of parties, and get-togethers, as well as classes. Don't worry, I'll share all the good info I learn!

While the Blogrollers are hooking me up with a sweet ride (courtesy of Chevy), my ticket, and fun along the way, I also have my own amazing sponsors who are hooking me, and others up with cool stuff during the trip! You'll see me blogging about:
Conceive Online: Probably my newest favorite website. A GREAT resource for all things TTC. I'm one of their newest bloggers, and it's been fun sharing my thoughts there as well. They also have a great place on their site called MyConceive which has great forums, and places to get advice and connect with others TTC. Look for me to get some Conceive swag!
Skincare RX: A great site that makes dermatologist and spa-grade skincare products easy to access. I'll be trying out some of their stuff during the trip.
Dittany Baby: What a shop! They have some of the most beautiful, high-quality products I've seen so far. They sell adorable things for mommy and child, from nursing covers, to slings to leg warmers and lula covers, there's a cute color or style for everyone.
Bellybar: I can't begin to express how excited I am about these guys! I've been wanting to say something for awhile but I have been so busy and trying to get it organized. I was looking at different kinds of nutritious bars to bring on the trip and when I found them I freaked! This company specialized in products to use before, during and after pregnancy! How perfect is that for me? Sure... I could eat any kind of protein bar, but this one is yummy, and has some good natural prenatal nutrients. Find me to get a sample!
Kelloggs: Can you believe they hooked me up?! I am so excited to be munching on some of their 100 calorie packs on the trip... Lawd knows I get the munchies! I'll let you know what kind I'm eating, and if you're lucky, I'll share!
Poken Zoo: Also sent me a Poken... remember in my video I was asking what they were? I'll tell you more about this later but basically it's a REALLY cool social networking device!!

Like I said I'll be blogging more about these sponsors during my trip, as well as other stuff I get while I'm there and things I try with The Blogrollers.

Now my question for you... Are you going? If you are let me know, I'd love to meet up! Speaking of meeting up! If you are in the Atlanta area, we are having our "BlogHer or Bust Road Trip Bon Voyage Party" at 7:00pm on Tuesday July 21 at their favorite pizza joint, Blue Moon Pizza in Vinings. Come join us for a fun-filled evening of pizza, BlogRoller-tinis (I'll be drinking the virgin kind), and of course, PRIZES!! Leave a comment to get an official invite or click here. We'll also be streaming the party live if you can't make it.

It's funny but I'm probably just as excited or more just to be riding with these great women! They all work from home and have successful careers, and are moms. MyBrownBaby has three kids, Wifey has two and so does Chatterbox. And they've all written books!! ...I just am excited to pick their brains about being moms and doing it all! How do yall do it??!

AND... When I get back it'll almost be August which is just one month away from September--My tentative date for putting the Baby Makin' Machine in full service!! I told my BFF and she's excited.. We're hoping our first kid will be less than a year apart... BUT again... Not going to try to overly plan! I don't want to get my hopes up! I'll take it easy.

Question for you: A commenter told me that the thing she thinks made the most difference when TTC was position... What do you think what the thing that helped you best?

I'll leave you with a silly video my BFF and I made a couple of years ago. Oh man... What's to come?! Just to give a little background... We were vlogging before we knew what that meant, in this minute-long video we are trying to figure out what the glitch is in the corner of my computer screen.