What does my new iPod stereo have to do with this book giveaway? Because when I moved things around to make room for the new stereo on my office shelves, I found a stack of books that I’ve been meaning to give away to readers since… well, whenever.

Less parenting books than books for parents, the books document the life adventure of raising kids with humor, wit, inspiration, love, heartache, and sometimes schmaltz — all the stuff, I guess, that rolls into parenting itself.

If you’d like to receive one of these, leave a comment below with the title you are interested in. I’ll pick winners randomly. (Please be sure to include a viable email address so I can contact you if you are a winner!)

Because I Said So by Dawn Meehan

Meehan, the author of a blog by the same name, has penned this read inspired by life with her husband and six children. From Amazon: “One of the most popular mommy-bloggers thanks to a humorous eBay listing about her child’s baseball which was circulated rapidly until she became a household name, Dawn Meehan offers readers a hilarious journey along with her six kids on madcap adventures, underscoring the notion that a sense of humor is an essential parenting skill. Because I Said So affirms that parents are not alone in the daily chaos, struggles and joys of child-rearing. With a huge dose of laugh-out-loud, real-life examples, Dawn shares hard-won wisdom gleaned from life with six children.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Like Mother, Like Daughter by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hanson, with Amy Newmark

Motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen have published more than 100 collections of these short, inspirational stories and essays since their original “Chicken Soup” title debuted in 1993. From Amazon: “This new collection from Chicken Soup represents the best 101 stories from Chicken Soup’s library on the special bond between mothers and daughters, and the magical, mysterious similarities between them. Mothers and daughters of all ages will laugh, cry, and find inspiration in these stories that remind them how much they appreciate each other.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Moms and Sons by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hanson, with Amy Newmark

More soup, this time with Moms and sons. From Amazon: “There is a special bond between mothers and their sons and it never goes away. These heartfelt and loving stories written by mothers, grandmothers, and sons, about each other, span generations and show how the mother-son bond transcends time.”

Interested in any of these three? Give a shout below…!

Kate Olson is a mother of 2 toddlers and lives in rural Wisconsin. She balances motherhood & working from home in a semi-functional fashion - you can read more about Kate on our contributors page. She blogs about education and lots of business/tech stuff at Kate Says . Want more? Read all of Kate’s posts!

Read on to win a set of the Laugh and Learn DVDs!

In my never-ending quest for products that would have made my journey into motherhood easier and less scary, I was recently approached about reviewing the Laugh and Learn childcare, breastfeeding and birthing DVDs. I’m obviously a glutton for punishment, because the entire time I was watching these classes by Sheri Bayles I was kicking myself for not having these DVDs when I was pregnant for the first time.

Sheri is, according to her website, “an award winning Certified Lamaze Instructor and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant with 20 years of experience teaching at New York Presbyterian Hospital.” She has taught over 4,000 couples (including celebrities!) the methods, tips, and tricks of breastfeeding, childbirth and newborn care. You can see on her website the numerous celebrities who love this DVD series and also the magazines which reviewed the DVDs - I figured she must be doing something right! After watching the set of classes, I joined the Laugh and Learn fan club.

You may be asking why I’m so enamored of a set of DVDs that I don’t technically even need anymore - am I right? Well, when I was pregnant for the first time, my husband was really reluctant to attend childbirth classes and actually our schedule didn’t permit us to attend anything other then the weekend course that our hospital offered. This was a 2 day course that covered EVERYTHING in 2, 8-hour sessions. I wasn’t at all interested in sitting through that and neither was my husband. I thought about finding some DVDs, but didn’t know of any that were worth even checking out from the library at the time. Therefore, we didn’t do ANY childbirth preparation besides what was offered in the books that I obsessively collected at the time.

I would have absolutely LOVED it if a friend would have handed me the 2-disc set of the Laugh and Learn “About Childbirth” class! My husband and I would have been able to watch bits and pieces of the class whenever we had the time and could do so from the comfort of our own home. I never ended up taking a childbirth preparation class and really wish that I had this DVD available to me at the time.

The breastfeeding class DVD and newborn care DVD would have also been immensely helpful to me when I was a brand-new mom. As it was, I never took a breastfeeding class the first time around and ended up taking one when I was pregnant with my second child. The class wasn’t half as informative as the Laugh and Learn breastfeeding class and the DVD version offers the benefit of being able to review the material again as well as have it on hand when you actually have the baby and are having problems with nursing.

Sheri Bayles does an excellent job of presenting the material in a light, non-judgemental way. She makes it seem normal to be apprehensive about childbirth and breastfeeding and doesn’t make light of the fears that many new mothers face. She uses humor to lighten the mood and is very easy to watch and listen to.

The bottom line?

I’d definitely recommend these DVDs to expecting mothers - both first time moms and those looking for a refresher course. They’d be great baby shower or “yay, you’re finally pregnant” gifts - now I just keep wishing I would have had them when I needed them!

Buy them!

The complete set of DVDs sells for $79.95, which is a great deal compared to face-to-face classes. The DVDs retail individually for $24.95 each for the breastfeeding and newborn care classes and $39.99 for the childbirth 2-disc set. You can buy the DVDs at the Laugh and Learn website. Free shipping for U.S. orders - I LOVE free shipping!

Win a Set of Laugh and Learn DVDs!

We’re able to offer 2 sets of the Laugh and Learn DVDs to our readers - that’s great for you or any expecting mothers you might know!

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment here telling us who you’d think would most appreciate the set if you win - maybe it’s you, maybe a friend, sister, daughter, daughter-in-law - it doesn’t matter! Just tell us who would benefit from Sheri’s classes, it’s as simple as that.

This contest ends on June 30, 2008.