As I put this week’s list together, don’t think it has escaped me that next week at this time I’ll be hip deep in BlogHer.  Sweet Mary and Jesus.  FYI: My plan for the YNTR list next week is to compile the list of posts (which may or may not include BlogHer prep posts) through Thursday.  The list will be published on Saturday like usual.  But I will reserve posts on the conference itself for the following week.  Sound like a plan?  (Can you tell I’m a planner?)  Good, now lets get on with this week’s winners!

• Getting inside my shell from Running Stitch.  Brit nails what it’s like to be on the brink of motherhood.  It’s hard to remember what that’s like, looking back over the years, but she got it.  And yes, your views of the preciousness of life tend to change as well.  I know mine have.
• Forget The Flowers For Your Hair, Just Don’t Bring Your Shorts to San Francisco (Part 1 of 2) from Nothing But Bonfires.  Gee, I wonder if I should pack shorts?  It’s good to get the “inside scoop” from a local and I anxiously await the rest of her guide.  In the meantime, I better go put those shorts I set aside back in the dresser.
• The End from Lag Liv.  PRAISE BE TO JEEBUS.  I’ve been hoping for a (happy) ending to this particular drama and am so glad that it finally came.  And I can understand her deadened reaction to the outcome they fought for so hard.  After so long and so much trauma, nothing can take that away.
• Owning Up To My Irresponsible Ways from Wiping Up Snot.  I about wet myself reading this post.  I love the banter between her and her husband, mostly because it so closely resembles the sort of issues my husband and I bring up to one another (Phone Incident of 2008, anyone?) but I had to love how she worked this one to her favor.
• In case I’m too drunk to post this later: The obligatory “I was left out at BlogHer” post from Mrs. Flinger.  AWESOME.  (FYI: There are a lot of BlogHer prep posts in this week’s list.)  In a long line of “disclaimer” style posts (originated by Sparks and Butterflies, natch), which I also participated in, Mrs. Flinger lays it all out there on what we can expect from her come Conference Time.
• The one where I finish the story I was telling yesterday from Crash Test Mommy.  Aww, this story warmed the deepest cockles of my cold, black heart.  I love stories of lost pets that end happily.  Perhaps because we lost the best cat in all the world and never got him back.  It’s nice to see that there can be happy endings.  I miss Shadow.
• Survival tips for meeting bloggers IRL (In Real Life) from Seattle Mom Blogs.  Jenny’s “On Blogging” series has been fabulous and this post is decidedly “BlogHer tinged” in that it talks about meeting other bloggers, particularly at a gathering such as BlogHer.  She gives some great tips that anyone, even the shyest among us, can easily follow.
• I Know These Women… from Queen of Spain Blog.  Just your basic “You all ROCK, now who’se with me??” post that we come to know, love and (yes) expect from The Queen.  I puffed out my chest, just a little, when I finished reading this.
• Hey, Jealousy. (Of the blogging kind, of course.) from loraleeslooneytunes.com.  I thought this was a great post from Loralee.  Like it or not, we are all bit by the jealousy bug at one time or another.  The key is to find peace within ourselves (okay, that was totally cliche).  But Loralee gives some great tips on how to deal with the jealousy and move ahead.
• First Year at BlogHer? Read on from A Mommy Story.  One of many, but an AWESOME post nonetheless about surviving your first year at BlogHer.  This is even good advice for those of us who have been there before.  Should go in the guide as required reading.
• The Superpowers of Motherhood from moosh in indy.  This is one of those truths about motherhood that you are never really told: You do it all because you just do.  Someone has to wipe the bottoms.  Someone has to turn out the lights at the end of the day.  Reading this post made me feel like I actually am kinda cool.
• It’s Just a Blog from The Bean.  I’m pretty sure everyone and their brother has linked to this post this week.  But that’s because it speaks to us.  At least to some degree.  Except I don’t quite get the part about “being invited”.  To all you all not going to BlogHer this year:  You don’t have to be invited.  You just GO.  That said, I kinda wish she was going because I’m all kinds of lovin’ her blog.
• The meanest mom in the whole damn town from mothergoosemouse.  OMG.  This is me.  Well, more specifically, me and my mom.  I’m not the “cool mom”, never will be.  My house will not be a hangout.  I think I’m okay with that.  My mom sure was.
• Britax Frontier is a Total Winner from Suburban Turmoil Reviews.  18 months ago, we bought a Britax Boulevard for Liam.  We fell in love with it right there in Babies R Us when we found out just how easy it was to work with.  Plus it had some rockin’ safety features.  Fast forward to now and we’re starting to wonder what will happen when we need to move Evie out of her infant seat.  Move her into the Boulevard and Liam into another carseat/booster?  I believe THIS solves the question for us.  It has all the features we love about our Boulevard and an incredibly high weight limit to boot.  SOLD!

Whew.  It was a BIG list this week.  I read a lot of blogs this week, apparently.  Plus, in case you’re interested, my Links page was updated this week too.  Now, unless I’m mistaken, that links page should automatically update itself with the blogs I read.  If it does?  OMG, it is a miracle.  Time will tell.  Anyhow.  You all out there in BlogLand have a great weekend.  I don’t have any specific plans and that’s just the way I want it.