Bill Me Later – This is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of having to enter your credit card information over and over again, you just enter it once at Bill Me Later and the charges from other online stores are all sent to one site. They were handing out nylon shopping bags that folded up into a teeny pouch. I stuck it into the glove box of the car for shopping at the drug store.

Commission Videos – Profit bloggers should take a peek at this site. I picked up a calculator for Noah and a notepad/pen/post-its combo for Doug.

Hooked on Phonics – I have never seen Hooked on Phonics anywhere but television commercials. They were giving away free workbooks at BlogHer and as someone who regularly buys workbooks, I have to agree that their books are really good quality. Bright colors, clear instructions and not a lot of pointless repetition. Amy and Evan got workbooks.

Leapfrog – Leapfrog was giving away stuffed animals, so I picked up one for Amy and one for Evan. They had a drawing to give away two of their new handheld games. The new didj is a step up from the Leapster and iQuest with its’ progress reports based on abilities mastered in the educational games. Sarah won a didj and gave it to Amy. Amy is absolutely in love with the didj. I just wish it came with an AC adapter.

LG – This popular booth was promoting their upcoming site for text illiterate parents. I suspect that most of the BlogHers have a pretty good handle on texting, but the site is a good idea for grandparents. “Sarah just sent me a text message and I don’t understand what it means.” LG was handing out laser pens with flash drives. I brought back one for Doug and one for Noah. After they both praised the size of the flash drive, I wished I had gotten one for myself.

PBS – The network which hosts Evan’s beloved Curious George was wisely promoting PBS Engage. Visit the site and collect some new blogs to follow, learn about upcoming live chats and watch videos. I found three new reads there to add to my daily feed. They were also handing out UT orange rubber ducks, so Evan, Amy and Noah got ducks.

Playtex – This incredibly brave crew did video interviews with the over-caffeinated BlogHers, except me, because I have Dr. Girlfriend’s voice. They had baby bottles at their table and I flabbergasted them when I said my five children skipped bottles. Then, I insulted them when I pointed out that they would have trouble convincing moms of product safety as long as it is stamped ‘Made in China’ on the bottom. I’m sorry Playtex. I’m sure your product is awesome. Maybe next year you’ll distribute something different.

Saturn – Who generously provided our transportation from Knoxville to DC and the hybrid VUE which I want to talk about this weekend. They had nylon bags, so Noah got a new bag for toting around airsoft pellets and other boy treasures.

Shine – Shine is a Yahoo site that is like an interactive women’s magazine. They should partner with salons and let women click the site instead of flipping through magazines. The only treasure I kept for myself from BlogHer was the soft, fuzzy Shine slippers. Sarah liked hers so much that she wore them the entire day of BlogHer. She tried to wear them out to dinner that night, but wasn’t stealth enough.

Springpad – A clever online notebook application that I recommend for its’ simplicity. I am trying it out as a holiday planner. So far, it is much better than the multiple lists and scribbles that I have relied on in the past.

If I have forgotten anyone, let me know and I will add them. Their swag made the children almost forgive me for leaving town without them for three days. Almost.

Monday – I started the day seriously contemplating staying in the shower all day. I decided to leave the blissful hot water and brave the crowds in the deepest dungeon of the Bethesda Hyatt. Cell phone reception was spotty at best, but we Twittered too much anyway. Unlike conferences where you have to visit the hotel suite of someone selling something to get food, BlogHer has food magically appearing in the foyer throughout the day. Breads, cereals, fruits and coffee morphed into an incredible Asian buffet which became a cookies and candy table. Sarah just ate breads, cookies and candy.

The conference began with a PowerPoint review of a BlogHer survey. The survey shoved me into the Baby Boomers when my technology usage fits Gen X, so I think I will start lying about my age now. Michael might be interested in page 10 and 15 of the survey. I like page 17.

The blogging community is passionate – before giving up participating in the blogosphere:
– 43% would give up reading the newspaper or magazines
– 50% would give up their PDAs
– 42% would give up their i-Pod
– 55% would even give up alcohol
– BUT, some things are sacred … only 20% would give up chocolate!

The audience was a mix of women who wanted to learn and prepare before starting their own blogs, women who were blogging but wanted more out of it, financially successful bloggers, popular bloggers, bloggers there for the sense of community and men who wanted to know more about women who blog. After the opening program, we broke out into smaller groups for focused panels on different topics. The programs were educational but motivational. My very favorite panel was the non-profit panel. I love, love, love the idea of blogging about something that you feel passionate about, to increase public awareness, instead of spending all your time writing grants and pushing paper for foundation boards. I don’t know what you would expect the mood to be in a building packed with females, but I promise that it was the happiest, friendliest crowd I have ever seen. This was a crowd of intelligent women who are passionate and involved. Okay, one person seemed a bit stiff, but I’ll guess that’s because she was in a crowd which was largely passionate about politics that differ from hers.

Although she spent the cocktail party playing laser tag with Lisa Stone‘s son, Sarah came away from the event with a very clear plan for her blog. She’s actually more excited about it than I am, she’s just too cool to show it. If there was a tag cloud for the day, the largest word would be Twitter. It wasn’t just that Twitter was open on so many laptops, it was a hot topic in almost every panel, including the keynote with Lesley Stahl. BlogHer was amazing and I want to do it again when I don’t feel like I’m breathing water. I hear there will be an event somewhere in July 2009. Somewhere not yet revealed, but rumored to be on the upper East Coast.

We ended Monday with my DC brother, at a Lebanese restaurant where I ate delicious food that looked like tiny fried pies with meat and cheese in them. Sarah ate bread.

Tuesday – After we checked out of the hotel, Sarah spotted a McDonald’s less than a block from where we had been starving her for the past two days. I think she wept.

I’m sure you’re all sending me to hear me blog about something other than laundry and see pictures that weren’t made in the car. You will get that. I get to be with other people like me. Women who feel compelled to write. Women who are passionate about things outside of themselves. Women who value ideas, opinions and feelings. I am excited about having conversations with adults, not feeling like I went an entire day using zero brain cells and bathing in a fully functional bathroom. I have several goals for the adventure. My first goal is to completely fill the memory card on my camera. My second goal is to be so refreshed that I don’t melt when I see what the house looks like upon my return. All the other goals are inconsequential. Thank you for giving me a few days to just be myself. The only thing better than blogging is bloggers like you.

*I need a link!

Homecoming is this weekend and Sarah picked out a cute, but backless dress. Her solution? Duct tape. I can’t believe I complained until I got to go bra shopping with a 15-year-old. It only took 2 hours of trying them on, but she found a solution that is NOT a flower shaped pasty. I thought strippers had to special order that stuff, but there it sits in the regular people store. Sarah is now very excited about her outfit for homecoming. Want to see it? She’s going to be wearing it for the cocktail party at BlogHer. I’ll be wearing duct tape.

The last time I was in DC was for a children’s advocacy convention at the end of 2001. It was a few months after 9/11 and I was pregnant with Amy. To call the experience surreal would be an understatement. Entire buildings were wrapped in plastic because of poisonous mail. People were searching for the remains of a missing intern. I carried no purse to speed up the process of getting in and out of buildings. The mood in the city was an odd mix of paranoia, fatalism and confusion. The advocacy workers from all over the country were exhausted and hopeless. George Harrison died and I sat in my hotel room crying far more than was appropriate. It was not a happy visit to DC. While I was gone, Doug decided to surprise me with a freshly painted living room. I was disappointed to be left out of the color decision, but happy to have fresh paint. He painted the living room walls a peach color and the hallway a churned butter yellow. Since that was 7 years ago, I think it’s now safe to say that I don’t love the colors. I know Doug will be overwhelmed taking care of Evan, but just in case, I have paint chips picked out and sitting beside my computer. I show them to Doug every few days. “THIS is the color I want the living room walls to be.” He is responding to my nagging with the anxiety-inducing suggestion that the walls need to be gutted, re-insulated and replaced with new drywall.

I am determined to enjoy this road trip. At Doug’s suggestion (“It will be a fun mother-daughter bonding experience.”), Sarah is going along. I think he just wants to get both of us out of his hair for a few days. I asked Sarah what she wanted to get out of the trip.
“I want to see **Ziggy and I want a BlogHer t-shirt.”
“Well, I can just bring you a shirt and you can stay home.”
“Ew.”
“Ew? What does that mean?”
“Just ew.”
“Thank you for sharing your feelings Sarah. This has been such a special moment for me.”
“Mu-therrr.”

*I have a list of my sponsors to thank, but I’m waiting for something. It will be posted this week. I promise.

**Danny, can you put your dog in a taxi and send him to the Hyatt?