Blogger Monica Bielanko reveals in I Drank While Pregnant that she imbibed in a glass of wine or beer Fridays and/or Sunday nights throughout her third trimester and to no ill effects. It’s also worth mentioning she got the green light from her doc, too. Bielanko explains her experience:

I’ve had several unpleasant exchanges with folks about drinking while pregnant. They accuse me of taking unnecessary risks with the health of my child. Thing is, I don’t feel that way. Each time this debate arises, the Surgeon General’s warning on alcohol during pregnancy comes up.

Listen, the Surgeon General can’t really greenlight drinking while pregnant or a bunch of morons will start binge drinking claiming the government says it’s okay. As I mentioned here, the concern lies with overindulgence, which is why the Surgeon General deems it best to take the “better safe than sorry” approach and avoid alcohol entirely when you’re pregnant. You can’t really blame ‘em. Tell ten women a bottle of beer is okay with dinner, and one idiot out of the bunch will swig a sixer. Every night. And then sue the government for misinformation.

Recently ABC’s What Would You Do? program featured pregnant women (they were really actresses outfitted with faux bellies) at a bar getting drunk on tequila shots to the horror of fellow bar patrons. When someone would stand up and chastise the woman or stop her from getting another drink, host John Quiñones would congratulate him/her on their bravery. But the reality is, situations don’t typically look like this. Instead, it’s a usually a woman who is expecting and wants a glass of wine or one beer with dinner. At the same time, The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is on board with the Surgeon General, saying “no amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe during pregnancy.” So, what do you think?

Would you hit up happy hour for the occasional glass of wine, or is it totally off limits? What did your doctor say? Do you consider it a risk?

With summer officially upon us (finally), many families and sitters are changing their schedules, making it even more essential that sitters and nannies update their Sittercity availability calendar regularly.

By doing so, parents will know if a potential sitter is available, and the sitter will also appear higher in search results. If a sitter applies to a job and a parents sees expired availability, there’s a chance they might not be considered for the job.

Setting your availability is easy. Just log on to your Sittercity account, and find the calendar under the My Sittercity tab. Select the days and times you’re available, then click “confirm” towards the bottom right of the calendar. You can set your availability for up to 30 days, and you should confirm your availability every time you log in to ensure your most current schedule is displayed. Remember, if you’ve opted in for Short Notice jobs, you must update your availability calendar every 7 days.

Sitters, how often do you update your availability? Parents, would you contact a sitter if their availability calendar was expired?

(Sitters, update your availability here.)

In a new study from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, researchers discovered that one-third of clothing marketed to tween girls as young as age 7 is sexualized, reports MSNBC. Think suggestive messages printed on tees, shorts that leave little to the imagination and jeans designed to bring attention to a perky tween behind. Parents everywhere are sighing a collective “duh”—or at least anyone who’s had to drag their daughter out of Abercrombie Kids for fear she’d show up at school the next day looking like a 20-year-old.

So, it’s no surprise Abercrombie Kids made the list—after all, they recently landed in hot water for creating that aforementioned padded push-up bikini and sold thongs nearly a decade ago—but it may surprise you to find out that Justice, Aeropostale and even Neiman Marcus are guilty, too. Explains MSNBC:

“Sexualized clothing is clothing that reveals or emphasizes sexual body parts, or has a sexualized print,” says psychology professor Sarah Murnen, Ph.D. who conducted the research with Linda Smolak, Ph.D., a psychologist who focuses on body image and eating disorders in youth.

Girls who choose more sexualized clothing are more at risk for body image problems and are perceived as less intelligent, the Kenyon researchers suggest. In another study Murnen and her associates showed 162 college-age subjects three pictures of a fifth-grade girl: one in sexualized clothing, one in ambiguously sexualized clothing, and one in childlike clothing. “The [participants] found the girl in sexualized clothing to be less competent, less intelligent and less moral,” says Murnen.

What kind of message do you think they send? Too sexy or no big deal? It’s easy to see that a super-short skirt can be construed sexy, but the study also put embellished/bedazzled jean pockets in a similar category. So what do you consider inappropriate? How would you handle it if your daughter asked for something skimpy?

Score another one for Rosie. Pre-baby counseling is the new way soon-to-be parents are working to prevent a relationship implosion. And, their fears aren’t unfounded: One 2009 study showed that in the 218 couples studied, 90 percent reported a decrease in marital satisfaction after the first child was born. An earlier, large study from Florida State University indicated that parents experience higher levels of depression than their childless peers.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal’s Andrea Petersen explored the new role of birth coaches who dole out delivery advice along with a side of relationship rescue. One of the biggest sources of conflict, she reports, is “dividing up—and keeping score of—who does what for the baby and the household”: Who will clean? Who will wake up with the baby in the middle of the night? Can he still hang out with his buds until 2 am?

One counseling service, Urban Balance, which is based in Chicago, told the WSJ that 50 to 75 couples sign up for their “pre and post-baby couples counseling” program each year. According to them, some reasons for the turmoil include: old, unresolved relationship problems that get worse with baby stress and sudden lack of sleep, poor adjustment to a new lifestyle, money stress, and couples that forget to focus on the relationship with each other.

So we want to know: What do you think of pre-baby counseling? Did you set any ground rules before you had kids? Is your marriage baby-proofed? Could you use a session with Rosie?

Bugaboo lovers argue that it does so much: it transforms from a single, to a double, back to a single stroller! Miraculously, there’s side storage! The bassinet can face you while the other seat faces away! It converts to carry babies and toddlers! It’s got a coffee cup holder! The wheels tackle multiple terrains!

The stroller is hot everywhere: The Daily Mail reports that one London shop sells one every hour. Mariah Carey is reportedly toting around twins Moroccan and Monroe in the Donkey. Baby boutique Giggle held a red carpet launch event for Bugaboo in Manhattan—tickets sold for $100.

The haters say that it’s an overpriced status symbol when $100 strollers do the same thing: push your kid and carry your stuff. Comments on news blog Slate expressed feeling ‘horrified’ and “silly,” and “embarrassed” but many called it “a high-quality, well designed product” that you “don’t have to replace over and over.”

And then comes this from the New York Daily News: “We knew it would be popular but it’s turned into a global frenzy,” says Kari Boiler, president of Bugaboo Americas. “One mother even told us she’d put off having a second child until after the launch!”

So we want to know: are you lining up for a Bugaboo Donkey? Did you put off having kids until it came out? Or is that just nuts?

If—sigh—you already have a Bugaboo and now, to your horror, it’s passé, you can spruce up your older—and, ahem, cheaper $700 and $800 models—the Cameleon and Bee with the soon-to-launch Missoni line of accessories. The block-print Cameleon sun canopy and bassinet apron set sells for $269, while the Bee sun canopy, in a bright zigzag pattern, runs for $199. The line rolls out in July at Neiman Marcus.

Meanwhile, check out the video that celebrates the collaboration—just don’t get too dizzy: http://www.bugaboo.com/252

And, if you’re really sick of the stroller debate, save your snark for this site: toobigforstroller.com. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.

Hollywood isn’t short on glam mommies. And we love them for their ability to trot around preggers in sky-high Louboutins and lose the baby weight by the time they post the first Twitter pic. So in honor of Mother’s Day, we’ve rounded up a short list of seven we might want to call mom. Who makes yours?

Jada Pinkett Smith

Raised “Whip My Hair” phenom Willow, 10, and seven-figure movie actor/karate expert/friend of Justin Bieber, Jaden, 12. If you were her kid, you’d be a superstar in something.
On being a stage mom: “I’m transitioning into a whole other state of being by having a young daughter who’s now just beginning her career.”

Gwyneth Paltrow

It’s hard to find a more glamorous—or crazy fit mom-of-two—than Gwynie. But maintaining a strict 2-hour-a-day workout schedule most days of the week means her time is limited. At least with her new cookbook, you know she can whip up a mean duck ragu—or blueberry spelt muffins.
On pushing veggie love: “Luckily, my children love broccoli, and although we sometimes enter into UN-like negotiations about how many ‘trees’ they need to eat before they can partake of ice cream, it is a vegetable they tend to embrace.”

Heidi Klum

Supermogul mom-of-four Klum might run an empire—and her body might have an uncanny ability to bounce back after baby—but after we spotted her at a Manhattan playground eating ice cream cones with her kids, we fell in love with her down-to-earth attitude.
On having no more: “Four is a lot of children. Now we’re complete; we look around the table and feel like there’s no one missing.”

Bridget Moynahan

Famous for her breakup with Tom Brady, then announcing her pregnancy shortly thereafter, the actress maintained her composure as he married supermodel Gisele, who also considers Moynahan’s child “her own.” Bonus for you? Two impossibly beautiful moms.
On single mommyhood: “Being a mom, whether single or not, is not easy! Certain individuals and the press present motherhood ass if it’s easy or painless, and that’s irresponsible.”

Angelina Jolie

Not only are her and Brad Pitt’s six kids (Maddox, 9, Pax, 7, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 4, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 2) consummate world travelers and humanitarians-in-the-making, but if you lived under their roof, you’d reap the $10 million dollars they reportedly spend on their kids per year.
On making the family bigger: “We want to make sure we don’t build a family so big that we don’t have absolutely enough time to raise them each really well.”

Katie Holmes

Daughter Suri wears clothes more fashionable than yours (ahem, an $850 Ferragamo handbag?) and can rock heels better than you, too. Need proof? Suri reportedly came in 21st in Glamour magazine’s annual style poll (catch it in the June issue).
On Suri’s fashionista image: “She’s got a great eye”

Britney Spears

Okay, not an obvious choice, but these days, brit brit is more mommy-focused: spending her days teaching tots Jayden James, 4, and Sean Preston, 5, how to brew sweet tea and tweeting about hanging at their tee ball games.
On her role in the kitchen: “I help cook dinner sometimes. I’m not that much of a cook, but I help.”

Sources for quotes:
Jada Pinkett Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow, Heidi Klum, Bridget Moynahan: Self magazine, August 2010, Angelina Jolie, Katie Holmes, Britney Spears

Referring is easy, here’s how:

To get started, click the “Refer Friends & Earn” button towards to the top right of your Sittercity dashboard once you log in. You can also locate the referral button towards the bottom right on the Sittercity homepage.

Once you sign up, you’ll get your custom referral link and can start sending your link to friends and family. You can share this link via email, Facebook and Twitter.

It’s that easy! When your friends and family sign up using your link, they’ll receive 30% off a Sittercity membership, and you will receive a $30 Amazon gift certificate when they join.

* Please note: this referral program is only valid when your friends and family join as paid parent members. You will not be rewarded for caregiver (sitter) memberships.

So just how important is a profile photo? Take a look at what this parent had to say:

“Recently I’ve posted a job. The last several applicants have not posted photos of themselves…I think I as a consumer I am more inclined to select a candidate when I know what they look like. Aspects of grooming, what people consider appropriate poses, etc. can communicate a great deal of non-verbal information about a potential hire.” -Jayne J.

Adding a picture can move you up in search results, gaining more views from parents and ultimately getting you more jobs. Plus, it is now an essential step in passing Sittercity’s profile review.

Here’s some tips for your photo:

• Use photos where your face is clearly visible
• Appear professional and dressed as you would for a job
• Don’t use blurred or dark photos
• No group shots. If needed, crop photos so there’s no confusion about who you are.
• Don’t include kids without parents’ permission
• Smile!

Parents: Sitters also like to see pictures to your account, as it gives them an opportunity to get to know you a little better.

So whether you’re a parent or caregiver, pictures are important! Do you have one posted? Are you more inclined to pick a caregiver (or a family) if they have one?

We can’t thank everyone enough for all the fabulous ideas and entries for our iPad contest. We knew Sittercity sitters and nannies had some great ideas in them, but we were blown away by not only the number of entries, but just how creative they all were! So thanks again for making Sittercity great. You guys rock!

And with that, we’d like to congratulate Annie W. for her winning entry titled Homemade Fossil Rocks. Congrats Annie!

But don’t worry, there will be more opportunities to win, so stay tuned! Also, be sure to check out our Facebook page for a chance to win every month.

Thanks again to everyone who entered!