Yesterday’s mail brought the first of, what will be many, back-to-school catalogs. It is jam-packed with deals on everything from pencils to gym shorts to flash-drives to three-ring-binders.

I think I heard my wallet scream.

Because back-to-school shopping can be pricey, I do my best to put my coupon-cutting, savvy-shopping skills to work. The catalog I received yesterday will be perused and used to compare against the next one. I am always looking for the best deal. I have even been known to stockpile.

You’re selling a bag of #2 pencils for $.49? I’ll take fifteen. Composition books for $1.00? Give me the whole lot. I don’t care what color they are, what company manufactured them or the store from whence they came.

And, the dictionary that I just had to use to look up “whence” wasn’t anything fancy either.

Of course, there are some products that I just won’t skimp on. I buy a certain brand of school socks, I never buy cheap pens, and when it came to the tools my kids would need for papers and projects, the only choice was Microsoft Office.

Not only do I use Word and Excel every day in my own work, but my daughter has become a PowerPoint pro! Her middle school presentations look like a professional made them, and from what she tells me, they’re a breeze to put together (I wouldn’t know).

And, when she found out that she could automatically create a bibliography from in-paper citations, you would have thought that I had given her the moon. I was happy to make that easier for her, because dealing with a 13 year-old is tough enough, but throw in a bibliography and they’re downright grouchy.

Trust me, Microsoft Office 2010 should be on every parent’s back-to-school list!

Because I love a good deal and I want to share some savvy shopping with all of you, I’m sharing this offer with you. Buy Microsoft Office today and save 15%. This promotion ends on 9/14.

Be sure to visit Microsoft Office’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts on back-to-school shopping.

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I had this great big post planned because I have been gone so long (I’m pretty sure my advertisers think my colonoscopy killed me). I typed it out at the airport in New York yesterday and thought it sounded awesome, but when I looked at it again today, it was just a giant rambling mess.

There is too much, just TOO MUCH, to say and when I try to put it all together it looks like verbal vomit on my computer screen. So, instead, I will share the very few pictures I took, and a few that I stole from my friends without asking. Without further ado, here is my last week in pictures.

I visited the 9/11 Memorial. It’s beautiful and well-designed. I ran my fingers over random names and had goosebumps the entire time.

I hung out with friends.

photo courtesy of Dresden from creatingmotherhood.com. Food courtesy of Ree from The Pioneer Woman.

photo courtesy of Angie from awholelotofnothing.net

In some photos, I appeared more greasy than others. NYC in August, holla!

photo courtesy of melisa of suburbanscrawl.com. photobomb courtesy of Jenn from mommyneedscoffee.com

And, for geeks like me, the fun and games continued in the panel rooms where I spoke at a day-long workshop on how blogging can change your life and then at a session on how to leverage Twitter and Facebook. The Twitter and Facebook panel was standing-room only and was a highlight of my short, but amazing, social media career thus far. I took a picture from the front of the room before we got started.

And, my friend Angie, snapped this picture from the audience.

That’s me on the right. This was insane fun for me. Geeks, unite!

I fulfilled my AV dreams. This is where I sat during keynotes by Martha Stewart and Katie Couric as I fed questions to the interviewers. It’s a long way from the cable access show that I worked on in high school.

Yes, I just wrote about how awesome it was to sit with the tech crew. At least I own my level of geekdom.

An impromptu dinner with the hilarious Jessica Bernturned into a quick tour of the Upper West Side and I got to see The Dakota and Lincoln Center and eat a vegan burrito in a hole-in-the-wall, which made it all the more delicious.

The gate John Lennon walked through just before he was shot.

I went to mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, I walked along the plaza outside of 30 Rock, strolled past the entrance of the Museum of Modern Art, and I bought an I <3 NY shirt from a street vendor. I peered into Gray’s Papaya and Carnegie Deli, but couldn’t resist the food at the Famous Halal Guys’ cart on the corner of 6th Avenue and 53rd Street.

The best falafel. Period.

I did SO much, but I didn’t scratch the surface of what NYC has to offer; yet my heart and mind are full.

And, more than anything, my feet hurt really, really bad.

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I am somewhere buried in a spreadsheet (or three) (okay, five), having brief breakdowns and not cleaning my house. If not for my mom, I doubt my kids would still be getting fed.

I, however, am a stress eater so I have been sustaining myself on bags of chips and cereal straight from the box. It’s not unusual, lately, for me to work well into the morning hours then sleep a few, only to get up and do it again. It’s like I’m a medical resident, only without the stethoscope.

This is my busy time. Like, walk-around-saying-there-aren’t-enough-hours-in-the-day-and-REALLY-MEANING-IT busy. Like, I’ve-seriously-considered-a-catheter busy.

Why would anyone beat themselves up like this? I do it because I love my job. I love what I do, with whom I do it and for whom I do it. I am passionate about what the internet can do for people. I know a lot of people scratch their heads and wonder why I work so much, but I scratch my head and wonder how they work at jobs they hate.

So, if you’ve emailed me, called me, or knocked on my door, there’s a reason why I haven’t answered. In a couple of weeks, things will calm down a little bit.

Until then, pass the chips.

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A few days ago, my son got up early in the morning and climbed into our bed. I hugged him and asked him if he slept okay while he poked his index finger at the freckles on my arm. After he had “counted” every one of them, he took his hand and ran it down my forearm. Surprised, he said, “Look mom! When I rub my hand on your arm, your skin moves so much it looks like a wave!”

Awkward.

Look, I know I don’t have the firm…well, anything…of a 20-something anymore and my years of sun-loving have left my skin a bit wrinkled and loose, but a wave? It’s not quite that bad. Yet.

Still, it was enough to traumatize me a bit, so I took to a new product that Dove sent me. I’ve been a big fan of their body wash for a while now, so their VisibleCare toning crème body wash with NutriumMoisture was a logical step in the right direction.

This product is designed to help promote skin’s elasticity and strength and, clearly, I needed some of that. The toning crème is scented with ylang ylang (which is just plain fun to say) and delicate wood fragrance, so it smells especially fresh. It’s not sweet or too masculine smelling; it’s subtle and clean. It also has a thick lather and is gentle on my sun-loved skin.

Not to mention that it also has the highest concentration of NutriumMoisture (with added vitamin E) of any of Dove’s body washes. Combined with a daily regimen of sunscreen and moisturizer, I feel like I’m giving my skin the TLC it deserves. After just a few days, my skin feels softer and smoother. With continued use, I hope to turn my waves into mere ripples!

I know it isn’t possible to completely fight off aging, but I can give it my best shot and Dove is one of my weapons of choice. Sure, it comes in a green bottle and smells like delightful essential oils, but that’s just a bonus; what I really like is that it packs a mean punch.

Speaking of essential oils; have you ever had a Swedish massage? See below for info on how to enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

Visit Dove^® VisibleCare^® to get a coupon for $1 off!

Enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age

18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/18/2012 – 8/22/2012

Be sure to visit the Dove^® VisibleCare™ Crème Body Wash brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

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