This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by.  The winners are Donna C. (BitDefender) and debp (Bejeweled).  Congrats!

A little over a month ago, I had the privilege of joining the hippest bloggers in Los Angeles and Orange County for an amazing spring party, hosted by the SV Moms Group and sponsored by BitDefender and 20 other sponsors.  I recently signed on to write for their brand new Orange County Moms Blog (my first post is up here).  I’ll let you in on a little secret…I’ve wanted to write for SV Moms Group for a LONG time.  Funny enough, when they launched Los Angeles Moms Blog I had JUST moved down to Orange County.  But here I am, 2 years later, proud to have finally joined an inspiring group of women writers.

Before the event, Kimberly Clayton Blaine of The Go-To Mom, led a roundtable discussion on vlogging.  Unfortunately, I missed that session, but I’m hoping to attend a workshop she’s going to be hosting on incorporating video content into blogs next month.  The second discussion focused on how brand and bloggers can work together.  Interestingly enough, I’ll be on a panel next month with Ciaran Blumenfeld of Momfluential, Jill Asher of Silicon Valley Moms Group and Maryanne Conlin (MC) Milker of The Not Quite Crunchy Parent discussing the topic of “Connecting With Moms In Social Media.”  The discussion, which included input from sponsoring companies, broached issues such as getting paid v. working [with companies] for free, the role of a brand ambassador/enthusiast, and aspiring to work with desirable brands.  I found it incredibly valuable to receive input from companies, including the good and the bad.

What ensued was an incredible opportunity to network one-on-one with a handful of sponsors. Here are the companies that were represented at the event:

BitDefender -
Stride Rite – Read my review here.
Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel -
BusyBodyBook -
litl -
PopCap -
Ebates -
iGo – Read my review here.
Dole -
Bosch -
Cinnabon -
Whole Foods -
Stonyfield -
erbaorganics –
Taga – Read my review here.
Focus Features/BABIES movie –
Joseph’s Rugs -
Ju-Ju-Be -
Pretend City – Read my review here.
Whrrl -
Pose Prints -
Skechers – Read my review here.
Bootights -
Eden Fantasys -

I’d like to thank SV Moms Group for putting together such an incredible event.  Stay tuned for individual posts about some of the companies I really “clicked” with.  I should note that there was no obligation for us to write about the event or any of the companies/products present.  But they were amazing and I want to share with you some of my favorites.

Photo credit:  Carla Duharta-Razura of babyjidesign

Win It! One of you will win a BitDefender Internet Security 2010 ($49.95) and one of you will win Bejeweled Twist ($19.99).  Simply leave me a comment with something you like from one of the sites listed above (any site!).  Comments will close on April 10, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

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I did not receive compensation for this post.  Product samples, coupons, and discount codes were provided by many of the companies above.