The right bling can instantly upgrade your outfit (and attitude!), and if you love funky jewelry finds, check out Twisted Silver. Offering an impressive collection of unique twists on classics, today Twisted Silver contributes to our online birthday party with their flowery, asymmetrical Diva Necklace. Simply check out the rules after the jump and leave a comment on this product line to enter to win.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Karen D.!
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Rules:

Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (your name but NOT your email will be published with your comment. Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK.)

One comment permitted per person; US entrants welcome.

Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded.

Entry period closes tonight at midnight EST, Tuesday, July 22, 2008.

The posts for the next three days are in arrears and written on airplanes.  I thought those of you who didn't go might like my account.

As I took the little angel to school, I feel my chest tightening.  I learned a long time ago to keep it light when preparing to leave, because if she reads any unhappiness or uncertainty on my face, she deteriorates into a puddle of goo. 

I asked her if she wanted to wave to me through the window as I left.  We waved and blew kisses until I was out of the parking lot. 

I made it to the stoplight at the end of the street before I felt the hot tears and wanted to turn around and say fuck it.

I wanted so bad to go to BlogHer, and I wanted so bad to turn around, pick her up and spend the next three days off work just hanging out with my daughter.  Such is motherhood. Ambivalence becomes your reality, always hissing just below the surface.

When I arrived at the airport (right before boarding) (I forgot my jacket and had to go back, because I know from experience it is fucking cold in San Francisco in July), Average Jane was grinning at me and holding up her copy of Sleep Is for the Weak.  It was smaller than I thought it would be, but very beautiful.  It was the first time I'd seen it in bound form. I didn't want to fawn over it too much.  I figured I could open the 90 pounds of SIFTW in the hotel room and maybe roll around in them naked once I got there.

We love local mamapreneurs, and thus were thrilled to receive this tip from Aimee of Arlington: “I just checked out the new Twinkle Star baby boutique in Ball Square, Somerville. It’s a cute shop and great play space for kids. I also met with Salina of Diaper Lab (she rents space at Twinkle Star) for cloth diaper ideas for my new little guy. She has a supply and sample of every cloth diaper available - what a great resource!”
Click here for a coupon for $5 off purchases of $75+ at Twinkle Star Boutique.

Twinkle Star Boutique & Diaper Lab, 703 Broadway, Somerville; Tel: 617-776-2340

Life is meant to be lived joyfully every day, and for parents looking for ways to translate this basic – but sometimes lost – principle to their children, there’s Focus Friends, an independent collection of books and artwork designed to translate messages of beauty, joy, appreciation, wisdom, and inspiration. Today, Focus Friends contributes to our online birthday party with their Joy Is The Greatest Gift storybook + 11” x 18” framed Seeing Beauty print. Simply check out the rules after the jump and leave a comment on this product line to enter to win.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Kimberly V.!
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Rules:

Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (your name but NOT your email will be published with your comment. Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK.)

One comment permitted per person; US & Canada entrants welcome.

Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded.

Entry period closes tonight at midnight EST, Monday, July 21, 2008.

*One winner will receive the Joy Is The Greatest Gift book + 11” x 18” framed Seeing Beauty print (value: $102).

And now for our weekly dose of web highlights from some of our stylish blog partners:

Moms’ Buzz provides a primer on commonly used acronyms that kids use while text messaging and chatting. Classy Mommy features a video of Katie Couric reporting on the powerful mommy blogger revolution. And visit MomFinds to enter to win a $200 shopping spree at The Fine Art of Family.

Today, April reviews a simple and stylish gifting solution in Dani Note’s personalized stickers. Read on for her review, as well as to learn how to win a set of personalized note cards with matching gift stickers from Dani Notes!
“I really love cards but I never remember them. Ever. I can juggle an amazing array of activities and projects, but this one always stumps me. We are those people who have a blast shopping for a present, make it a family affair to wrap it, and then have to scrawl on it with a Sharpie once we get where we’re going. I decided not to stress about it and let it go. Cards always fall off, anyway, right? Stickers are much, much better.

We picked out simple bird motif stickers printed with our daughter’s name from Dani Notes. We’ve stuck them onto presents and packages (and even to seal up a brown-bag lunch). Our daughter has an accent in her name, and sometimes that gets translated into an apostrophe or is left out entirely, but Dani Notes got it perfectly right. I expected the sticker to be slightly glossy, but the paper is matte, making it easy to write on with a pencil, a ballpoint pen, or a crayon. That’s in case we want to add a little message to the already adorable bird.

Now, even though we might forget the card - which we will, without fail - the recipient isn’t left in that awkward position of wondering who to thank or who the gift is from. You also don’t have to be on hand to holler out, “Oh, that one’s from us!” when they pick up your skillfully wrapped cadeau. Also, we save them the pretense of carefully opening and reading each card before tearing into the wrapped present. That seems too much to ask of young kids - or grandparents.

With a wide array of images, like boats, alligators, and birds, most kids’ styles are covered. I’m thinking of going back and getting some of the more grown-up styles with the family name.

Oh, and for those of you who can remember cards, check out the note and enclosure cards. Like the stickers, they come in kid, monogram, and grown-up styles.”

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Jill D.!
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Now, want to win a set of note cards with matching gift stickers from Dani Notes*? Here’s how:

Visit the Dani Notes website, then email contests@bostonmamas.com (with ‘Dani Notes’ in the subject), and name a favorite design.

One entry permitted per person; US entrants welcome to enter.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Friday, July 18, 2008.

*The winner will receive a set of note cards with matching gift stickers of their choice.

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And for those who wish to shop now, use code SHOPBM for a 15% discount on your order.

The days are longer; the bedtimes are later. And come tomorrow, you and the kids can wile away the summer hours in green fashion at ArtBeat 08 in Davis Square. Beginning tomorrow at 6pm, and running through Saturday, this green festival will feature live performances, eco-conscious exhibits, craft vendors, food, and art/green activities.

The saying goes that it takes more muscles to frown than smile, and if your face needs frown therapy, you’re in luck. Today, Frownies contributes to our online birthday party by offering 3 winners a box of their natural wrinkle reducing facial pads. Beloved for over a century, Frownies hold skin smooth and flat overnight, allowing skin cells to reposition and facial muscles to retrain into a relaxed state. Simply check out the rules after the jump and leave a comment on this product to enter to win.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winners Kam, Ana, and Melanie!
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Rules:

Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (your name but NOT your email will be published with your comment. Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK.)

One comment permitted per person; US entrants welcome.

Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded.

Entry period closes tonight at midnight EST, Thursday, July 17, 2008.

I leave tomorrow morning for BlogHer. I'm sharing a flight and a room with my good friend Average Jane.  I'll be spending the entire flight staring at the agenda and hoping people will buy the books that are sitting in the Westin St. Francis at this moment. 

And, I'm preparing to face the comments of people who will have read the book by then, as the preorders are shipping and people are e-mailing me to tell me they are holding a copy in their hot little hands.

Mine hasn't gotten here yet, which is a little like having a guy in high school tell you he's seen your senior pictures before you have.

<gulp>

So, I'm going to be away from Surrender, Dorothy for a few days in the estrogen hotbed that is BlogHer, hanging out with some (not all, I wish everyone could make it) of my favorite people from the Internet.  If you are going, please check out my panel, which is called "Blog to Book Redeaux," in which I'll be discussing my experience making Sleep Is for the Weak into a real, live book, along with another author, a literary agent and a publisher.  It's on Saturday afternoon.

Anyway, I wrote a normal out-of-office at work.  Here's my blog version, for the rest of the free world.

Rita Arens Is Ignoring You Right Now. Please Do Not Be Offended.

I will be out of my body from Thursday, July 17 to Sunday, July 20 at BlogHer '08. I will be pretending my real life doesn't exist and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Also, squealing a lot when I see someone I know, and trying to make eye contact with people I don't know but might like to know.  Also, handing out my new business cards that have cool swirly clouds on them because I ordered them from a weatherman business card site. 

I won't be reading blogs, reading e-mail, thinking about my job or anything but the present moment in which I am living.  I will contact you again when I return and realize the clothes are unfolded, the cat's ass still stinks, and I still have to work hard for the money.  Unless you live in my house, do not expect to hear from me until Tuesday, July 22.  Monday is reserved for a certain redheaded girl who will probably miss her mommy while I am gone. 

Sincerely,

Rita Arens