The 1st Monday of every month Blessed Nest, B.Y.O.G. and Eli's Lids will be hosting a giveaway. Last month our friends at B.Y.O.G were hosting and giving away one of their beautiful Maternity gowns!

If you missed it don't worry, we're at it again!

The prize this month is a Nesting Pillow by Blessed Nest &

                 $75.00 cash

We created MoMday Morning to serve, love & nurture mom bloggers, the women/men who support them, & their readers. Why not have something to look forward to on Monday morning? You don't have to be a Mom or write a blog to enter.
   Grab your coffee, sit back and watch the video with all the scoop here

It's labor day! Why does that make me think of labor pain? Maybe because the joyous experience of giving birth is work or maybe it's because we all make baby products everyday!  B.Y.O.G is known for their amazing labor and delivery gowns. Eli's Lids have creative Lids for baby on up and you know us at Blessed Nest for our Nesting Pillow great for breastfeeding, resting your head or your lap top. We work hard every day to give you the best of us and the best of the world around YOU!

MOMday is our way of giving back to you, the blog community! Thank you for giving us your best everyday.

Now......

How to enter...

1. 1 entry (required) Tell us a back to school tip for making the transition from summer to school fun & exciting.

*Your tip will be tweeted so leave your Twitter @name in the comment area along with your tip if you want it tweeted.

leave a separate comment for each follow, like, etc on FB and Twitter!

2. Follow us on Twitter. Leave a comment here telling us you did so.

For 1 extra entry follow:

Blessed Nest on Twitter

BYOG on Twitter

Eli's Lids on Twitter

3. 1 extra entryTweet about MoMday Morningusing the hashtag #MOMdayMorning @blessednest @B.Y.O.G. @ElisLids in the tweet (One entry every day!) So Tweet and Re-Tweet! (tell us in the comments that you did so!) example:win a Nesting Pillow & $75.00 cash sponsored by @blessednest @B.Y.O.G. @ElisLids #MOMdayMorning.

( get creative with your own tweet too so we don't seem too spammy. Ya know what I mean?!)

4.  1 extra entry per "like" Tell us you like us on Facebook. It makes us feel important and it gives you ANOTHER entry in the giveaway!

Blessed Nest

B.Y.O.G.

Eli's Lids

5. 10 extra entries: We know you really want to win & you're generous too! September is birthday month for our favorite CEO (Heather at Blessed Nest) & our favorite charity (Charity:Water). Heather gave up birthday presents and asked for clean drinking water instead. For 10 extra entries, donate $39.00 to Heather's Charity:Water page and tell us you did so here in the comments. (Tell us the name you donated under).

 Mom bloggers in the spotlight this month....fun story

I asked on Twitter if there where any mom bloggers with birthdays in September. I received two tweets. I've decided to highlight both bloggers. Here's why. One blogger is from OC, CA where Donna spends her time in the sales studio and the other blogger is from Lawrence, KS where Heather creates our Nesting Pillows in our main Nest at Blessed Nest!

 Meet these amazing bloggers, Happy Birthday Erin and Megan

Erin blogging from Lawrence, KS (home of Blessed Nest)

“reformed fat girl. still eats bacon. downright enjoyable. personal training. distance training. nutrition education. wellness programing. life coaching.”

  *read more about Erin at Fit Mama Training here

Megan blogging from OC, CA (home of the sales studio at Blessed Nest)

@mamabub her bio reads

“Wife. Mom to Bub and Bubette. Cupcake connoisseur. Living in domestic bliss in Orange County.”

*read more about Megan at Mama Bub

Thank you for joining us this MOMday Morning!

Remember...one winner (U.S. residents only) will receive a Nesting Pillow (of your choice) and $75.00 cash to be paid via PayPal transfer only.

Contest closes Monday September 13^th 9:00pm PST

Happy MOMday Morning!

 MOMday Morning guidelines available for your reading pleasure here

Developmental area: Social & Emotional

It is easy to feel like home might be less important once your child starts school, but just the opposite is true. Your home actually becomes even more important for your child because it is his safe place. In the security of your home, your child can feel safe to make mistakes, know he is loved, be who he really is, and feel free from criticism. Having a safe place to express his disappointments of the day, joys of the day, or fears of what is to come is vital for your child's development.

As your child faces more peer influence during the school day and stress of learning new things away from you and your home, he needs to know he can come back home and be loved for who he is. Creating an environment that is safe and special will help your child know he is loved and accepted. Bake special treats or have special snacks when he returns from school. Set aside a time after school for him to share his day and unwind. Continue to read aloud to your child, even when he becomes an independent reader, so you can enjoy books together. Create traditions that your child can rely on for security and fond memories. Remember, home is where the heart is!

Press release....Momma needs a photographer? Babyphotographers.com is your place to be!

• Babyphotographers.com is a comprehensive resource for moms and dads seeking information about baby photography.  This highly informational web site helps parents around the world compare and contrast baby photographers to discover the perfect artist for a family’s style, goal and budget. 
• Busy moms are now able to locate a great photographer quickly. Sophisticated profile pages let you browse photographer bios or overviews about their services, photo galleries and videos as well as links to all of their contact information.
• Babyphotographers.com also features articles to educate and inform moms about great topics like “How to Have the Perfect Baby Photography Session.”
• Babyphotographers.comis launching the “Smile Baby” contest where you have a chance to win $2,000 in free baby photography. A grin, a giggle, even a smirk – we all love to see babies smile. But how do you get YOUR baby to beam? Babyphotographers.com wants to know the lengths you will go to make your baby smile, and we are giving away big prizes! Enter the brand new “How Do You Get YOUR Baby to Smile?” sweepstakes and you can win a $2,000 gift certificate for a photo session with the babyphotographers.com photographer of your choice.  For more information and to enter, visit: BabyPhotographers.com
• You can find Babyphotographers.com on Twitter (http://twitter.com/BabyPhotogs) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/babyphotogs)

A week in reviews......My hope is that I brought you some fun and informative reviews this week!  

Moon Dough for ages (2-4) really? My (5-7 age) little girls LOVED it! Yes, it is perfect for little hands but a tactile delight for any age! It is soft marshmallow -like, and  hypo allergenic, wheat free and never dries up! My seven year old gave it a thumbs up. She loves playing with her little sister and got a kick out of the shape making machine aka barn.

Just place the moon dough in the top of the barn and turn the wheel. Out pops little farm animals. We even invited out 11 year old neighbor over and she loved it. These big girls made quit a mess but it is an easy clean up.

What we loved:

• fun for the whole family. Great for home school families where big brother or sister can play and have fun with their younger siblings!
• does not stick to hands.
• easy clean up. Sweeps up nicely!

little inconveniences:

• all though it cleans up easily, it is messy. I would suggest laying down a mat our have kids play outside. We just swept it up quickly when we where outside but inside was a bit more of a chore. 

My little Sophie thought it was the best thing ever. Thanks Team Mom!

 We love that is is made by SpinMaster ( toys made in the USA)

Find Moon Dough at all your favorite stores including Target.

My girls just love that I review for Team Mom. We get goodies in the mail monthly. Thank you Team Mom for sending quality items we can enjoy. As I've said before, I don't review for the sake of reviewing and getting stuff. We truly love to inform you about companies who manufacturer in the USA and or practicing fair trade!

Extreme sports is a term I'm familiar with. We have friends and neighbors who have enjoyed success in the extreme sports world...but how do you get from street sports to extreme sports? How does a child interested in doing “jumps” really learn without hurting themselves? They need safe equipment. I love the fact that now, the neighborhood kids can learn some extreme moves with safety in mind.

The Shox Scooter is a moms dream. The Shox Scooter is built with a new, innovative spring shock deck that not only absorbs impact when landing jumps and stunts, but also springs back to increases the rider's power. The deck's rough grip surface provides foot control and traction while performing tricks. The back break offers control and safety while riding!

Why should you buy it?

• Made for age 5+. Safe for your little “extreme sport enthusiast”

• The Shox Scooter is made with lightweight aluminum, designed to increase speed and make traveling easier.

• The Shox Scooter retails for $59.99

• Located in NJ USA – practicing fair trade.

WHAT IS A WASTE-FREE LUNCH?

Waste-free lunch essentials for kids going back to pre-school or daycare:
-Reusable lunch bag or backpack. If you need to store food for many hours, choose insulated bags.
-Reusable containers and sandwich/snack bags. Stainless steel or glass containers are a safe alternative to plastic. Choose cloth snack bag instead of plastic bag.
-Reusable utensils and bowl. Bamboo is a very eco-friendly option.
-Reusable placemat.
-Reusable waterproof bib or cloth napkin.
-Reusable bottle. For babies choose safe plastic (BPA-free and phthalate-free) bottle. For older kids choose stainless steel water bottle.
-Reusable labels for naming all your kids items.

The Blessed Nest flock

More Wordless over at 5 Minutes for mom.com

Today we are celebrating Heather's 39th birthday ( the founder and creative crafter at Blessed Nest)!

Anyone who knows Heather is aware at how selfless she is. Heather literally puts everyone before herself and her birthday is no different. All Heather wants for her birthday is water...Charity:Water.

A note from Heather on her Facebook page......

"My favorite charity is starting their "September Birthday Campaign" early this year, on MY birthday! (the founder, Scott Harrison started Charity:Water by turning his Sept. birthday into a fund raiser... great story, read it here ) When you... turn on your faucet, think about how easy it is to provide clean drinking water to those who can't.

Heather's Charity:Water page. Give water and life to someone today in celebration of someone who is a joy giver and a blessing to all of us everyday!

We love you to the moon and back,

Donna & your Blessed Nest family~

 I was extremely saddened -not by her comments, but by the reaction to it.  We moms should all be on the same team, and  spewing the hate mail before she was even given a chance to explain herself just shows how vulnerable we all are.  Those interviews can be misconstrued and quotes taken out of context to sell magazines, and it worked!  Many of us bought into the hype.

 I was outraged by some of the things people wrote in response to her flippant remark. The criticism that came forth addressed her birthing method, career, husband, intelligence, family, ethnicity, etc.  She may be wealthy and famous with a husband many women swoon over, but she needs grace and forgiveness like the rest of us.

 We all need to give each other a break. I think most moms out there know “breast is best” and make the decision that's right for them- which for some, means choosing formula feeding.  We must trust that we are all doing the best we can- even when it involves a new mom who is so passionate about what she is doing that she wants the rest of the world to do the same. 



today's post written by  Shawn A. Tassone, M.D. author of “Hands Off My Belly! The Pregnant Woman’s Guide to Surviving Myths, Mothers, and Moods” – Mom’s Choice Gold Recipient and Arizona Book Publisher’s Glyph Award Winner.

So much mysticism and mythology surrounds the pregnancy due date.  Much of the mysticism is held by physicians who hold on to the old ways of  determining when a pregnant woman will deliver.  Believe me, most physicians would love a way to determine the due date so we could plan our lives around the deliveries of our patients, but the truth is only 1-2% of women will actually deliver on their due date.  So what determines a due date, and what is the difference between EDC (estimated date of confinement) and EDD (estimated date of delivery) and what the heck is Naegele’s Rule.  This post will help show the origins of the due date and how we are currently using a system that is about 250 years old.

Franz Karl Naegele (1778-1851) was the German obstetrician who initially came up with the rule to determine a woman’s due date based on her last menstrual period (LMP).  There are many ways to calculate Naegele’s Rule.  I use the system where you take the LMP, add 7 days, and subtract three months.  So if your LMP was April 1, 2009 then your due date would be January 8, 2010.  You can impress your friends at parties with this maneuver.  There are problems with Naegele’s Rule and many people have pointed out that this 250 year old method is no longer appropriate for our advanced age.  What are some of the potential errors with calculating the EDC in this method?

• It assumes that you are having a regular period and that you ovulate on day 14 of your cycle.  I am a gynecologist and there are many women out there that have irregular cycles that ovulate on day 20, 25, 12, 15….you get my point.  This obviously would add potential error to the EDC determination and could change things by days to weeks.

• There is another assumption that the routine pregnancy is 280 days long and that is based on our current calendar system.  The problem with this is that there are many months that contain 30 days or 31 days and what happens in a leap year, or if you are not pregnant over the shorter month of February.  The point is that there is a movement out there that is trying to say that the number should be 288 days and that we are inducing women that have premature babies.  A study done in 1990 stated that the proper method for determining a due date was to take the LMP, count back three months and add fifteen days for a primiparous (first pregnancy) woman or 10 days for a multiparous (subsequent births) woman.  This was published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

• There are many that argue this method of calculating the EDC is as archaic as the term EDC itself.  Lending to the agrarian societies from whence it came, the EDC literally came from the fact that a woman was confined to her bed for the last part of her pregnancy to prevent preterm labor.  While we still prescribe bed rest today as a possible therapy for preterm labor it does seem odd that the medical establishment uses terminology from the 1700’s.

The due date is as individual as the pregnant mother.  While the EDC is currently calculated by Naegele’s Rule this does seem a bit archaic and inefficient; especially if we are using this dating method to determine inductions and postdatism.  There have been other methods with increased accuracy but they require a woman to measure body temperatures and be move involved in her own self-care.  Many reading this article are very involved with birth and feel as though self-care is very important, but there are many women out there that simply choose not to be observant of their own cycle.  So, what do we “do” with the “due”.  Unfortunately, I think we will keep going with the current system and back it up with ultrasounds which are accurate within 5 days if done in the first trimester.

Approximately 3% of so-called term births (occurring after 37 weeks) are completed with fetal lung immaturity and this could be because the baby may have been between 35-37 weeks and not term.

Are we too involved in the birthing process?  Are there better ways to determine the pregnant due date or should we not worry wbout and just let man/woman  be born in his own time.  The latin word natura gives rise to the word natural and means “to be born”.  Maybe we should just leave well enough alone.

Hands Off My Belly! The Pregnant Woman’s Survival Guide to Myths, Mothers, and Moods is for sale on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and at most brick and mortar stores.

Thank you Shawn for posting at the Perch I know our Moms will enjoy your book and insight!