Though I thought we were doing fertility treatments because we wanted a child, it turns out that we were just doing it for the accouterments of parenthood: the bugaboo stroller, the Kate Spade diaper bag, and the minivan. Actually, who am I kidding? We endured all those injections just for an airtight excuse to play with Legos. Brooke Shields has paired with Volkswagen in their new ad campaign on the "Routan Boom," a baby boom based solely on the parent's desire for "German engineering" and a sleek new minivan.

You've done all the planning and spending, and you're finally embarking on a much-needed family vacation. You've even reserved a rental car with a car seat for baby, so that you don't have to lug yours. So smart! Unless it's not, of course. While rental car companies offer infant and toddler car seats as an "added convenience" (and at an additional charge, of course), it turns out that the reality may be worse than you could've possibly imagined.

At this point, it takes a lot to shock me when it comes to using women's naked bodies to sell other products. Yet back in late April, I ripped an ad for Cabana Cachaha Brazilian rum out of the May 5 issue of New York Magazine. The black and white print ad featured a super slim, utterly hairless, totally naked-sans-a-thong-tan -line-and-stilettos woman on lifting her perfect nude ass in the air and arching her back. In small print at the bottom, viewers were promised uncensored photos, footage, and more online. Curious, I headed over, but it wasn't up and running.

While listening to the radio the other day, I heard a teaser for an upcoming Marketplace (7/7/08 show, Racing after gay consumer segment) that made me stay by my radio to wait for the show air. The teaser was something to the effect of, and I'm just giving you the gist of what I recall, 'car manufacturers race to advertise to the untapped gay market.' My immediate response to this promo was to talk back, and I do mean to speak out loud, to my radio, "What!?

We've all read about how to save money on gas. "Just buy a high-mileage car." Right. Roll eyes. Get real. What if we could save 15% on gas expense right now, today, no purchase required? FiveCentNickel.com demonstrates how. Just click this post's title for two easy, do-able, money-saving tips. Go do it, then start the savings, the next time you take the wheel.

In 2002, we traded my husband's Ford Escort for a Ford Explorer. Then we had a Ford Explorer and a Geo Prizm. In 2006, the 1994 Geo Prizm got t-boned on a busy street, and we "replaced" the 100,000-mile Ford Explorer with a 2005 Ford Explorer.The 1998 Ford Explorer is still kicking at 140,000 miles three years later. Oops.

Last week, I quick blogged about stress. I should have known better - it only got worse and it has continued to get worse, even when I thought it wasn't.

A dear friend of mine is from England, now living in the U.S.  She sat in my living room recently, telling me that one of the hardest things to get used to in America has been the way that people spend so much time in their cars.  In England, she told me, life was centered around smaller villages.  Mothers walked their children to school, because they lived close enough.  They walked to the market, and to church.  And it would be nearly unheard of to drive for 15 minutes to go shopping.

Marketing is suffering from an identity crisis. It's one of those every day activities that is critical for a businesses' success and yet very few people can agree exactly what it is. It's a funny thing about marketing. Lots of people go to college and major in marketing. Lots of people have jobs with the title of director of marketing, Lots of people have consulting firms to help other businesses with their marketing,and goodness knows there's a healthy genre of blogs devoted to marketing.

I've known this day was coming since the first day I held my son in my arms. The day he would start driving. I don't know about other mothers, but this is sending me right to the edge of sanity. Since the first day (three weeks ago), I have had a constant twitch in my left eye. I don't think it is a coincidence...I think it's most likely an outward physical manifestation of my subconscious fears and anxieties over my son driving. I just made all that up, but you know what I mean, right?

A few weeks ago I picked up an issue of People Magazine and read about Robin Roberts battle with breast cancer. I don't watch Good Morning America so I am not really familiar with her. I was struck by her story but I was also struck with how beautiful she looked with her bald head.