Category Archive for YNTR

Posted on August 2nd, 2008

Holy cow, it’s August!  I think back to last August, that total TRAINWRECK that WASN’T and… well… SO much can happen in a year, can’t it?  Wait, before I start waxing poetic, let’s just get to this week’s link list, shall we?  It nearly rivals last week for sheer number of posts.  Except there’s a definite THEME this week.  And that theme?  LIFE SUCKS.  Or pretty close to it.  See, I wasn’t the only one who has had a rough time of it.  Maybe I was just drawn to posts where people were dealing with The Shit.  I don’t know.  I’ll let you decide, how about that?

• Cancer from Midwestern Mommy.  I know how to start with a bang, don’t I?  Probably the biggest news in the blogosphere this week was from Midwestern Mommy whose somewhat casual visit to Urgent Care for what she thought was a stomach bug ended up in her being admitted to the Oncology Ward at the hospital.  SCARY AS HECK.  And yet, I had to admire the (seeming) calmness with which she talked about it.  All my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family.
• Little Pieces Everywhere from Swistle.  I could identify with all of this, from the awkward social situation remembered in minute detail, the difficulty falling asleep and the angst over a clean house (or lack thereof).  Shoot, can I just go ahead and put my name on this post and call it a day?
• Brave and If You’re Happy And You Know It from The Spohrs Are Multiplying.  First, we have a post that is so sweet.  I’ve been following the story of Jackie! with interest and the story of the “brave” t-shirt just warmed my heart and put a tear in my eye.  The juxtaposition of the entire post really got to me.  Then we have the second post from Heather and… well… Like I said in the beginning, I think I picked a lot of these posts for a reason.  And I can tell you, I don’t want it to take nine months.  Bravo to her for finding the road to wellness.
• Cloth Diaper Mamas’s Friday Giveaway from Cloth Diaper Mamas.  Whew, a break from all that heavy stuff!  Are you in the market for a (OMG CUTE) ring sling?  You still have time, just hop on over to my Cloth Diaper Mamas blog and enter Brit’s giveaway.  You have until Sunday night to comment to win!
• I’ll be your Huckleberry from Mamalogues.  Dana wrote an entirely awesome post concerning the NY Times/HBM/VoxDay debacle that I urge you to go read.  She writes it from the perspective of a Christian woman and I think it’s safe to say that she pretty much nailed it.
• Blog the Recession from Motherhood Uncensored.  See, I’m not the only one who noticed that there’s a whole lot of suckiness in the blogosphere lately.  Shoot, there’s a whole lot of suckiness in the WORLD right now.  I have to applaud Kristen’s effort to try to bring something positive out of it and her “Blog the Recession” campaign includes some awesome blog bling (see mine in my sidebar?) and a promise to click through to the sites you read from your feed-reader and give them some much needed pageviews for their ads.  I can do it.  How about you?  Head over to MU and get your own button and write a post spreading the word.
• 8 Useful Tips for Building Your Mommy Blog Into a Business from ProBlogger Blog Tips.  Hot on the heels of BlogHer, comes this great post that gives some really good tips for growing your blog (and psst: they don’t JUST apply to mommy blogs!).  There is some great advice here and while it’s only the tip of the iceberg, it’s a great place to start.
• what happy people look like from and so she blogs.  Yep, I’m there with you girlfriend.  I am pretty low on the friends numbers and most of the friends I do have live so far away that I’m LUCKY if I get to see them once a year.  In the case of my best friend from high school it has been FOUR years.  Maybe this is why the week or two after BlogHer is so hard for so many.  We go from scads of wonderful friends to our lonely lives back home and it’s just such a LETDOWN.
• Power Blogging Tips: Comment on Blogs From Within Google Reader from Lorelle on WordPress.  Wow, do I actually have something up on Lorelle?  I’ve been using this Firefox Addon for months now and I don’t know how I lived without it.  Basically, it allows me to visit sites, comment and read sites who truncate their feeds without leaving Google Reader.  It is FANTASTIC.
• Dads and Daughters from Attack of the Redneck Mommy.  I love this story of a daddy trying to protect his daughter’s honor (in his underwear no less) and her obvious love for him just shines through her teenage annoyance.  Again, my thoughts and prayers are with her and her father as he undergoes a painful surgery and recovery.
• Dropping eggs and shoving fat kids from moosh in indy.  I understand all too well what Casey feels like when it comes to having a second child.  Well, maybe not all of it, but at least the frustration with “Why am I not pregnancy already??” The constant ticking of The Clock, everyone else getting pregnant and having babies and then getting pregnant AGAIN, all while you wait for just one positive pregnancy test… It is it’s own brand of agony, right there.
• Perceptions and personal responsibility from Poot and Cubby.  Along the lines of my own post on this subject (but a lot more eloquently), she talks about some of the negative feelings that surround BlogHer and how at some point we have to take responsibility for our own feelings.  Amen, sister.
• Because You Haven’t Really Arrived As A Feminist Until You’ve Bitched About Being Condescended To By The New York Times from Catherine @ MamaPop.  Her Bad Mother cranks out a fist-pumping post regarding the recent article in the NYT about this year’s BlogHer.  She also addresses a rather disdainful blog post or two from certain misogynists who believe that mommy bloggers don’t have anything interesting to talk about.  Quite plainly, this is a serious MUST READ post.
• Hey little boy don’t press my buttons from Slackerpapa.  What’s a little nepotism, huh?  But I honestly did enjoy this post from My Dearest on his Very Own Blog.  I enjoyed the wildlife aspect of the photos he took.  It gave me a chuckle, which is desperately needed this week.
• The Blogging Justice League from Backpacking Dad.  I gotta love the notion here.  I hope the idea really catches on because I think we can use a Justice League (we certainly needed it this week!).  And who better to champion it than our own Knight in Shining Armor than Backpacking Dad?  It’s destiny, yo.
• Things That Just Need To Be Said from Dad Gone Mad.  HA! When it comes to standing up for mommy bloggers, Danny does a mighty fine job too.  And I loved his suggestions to the BlogHer peeps and the kicking to the curb of all the teen Disney stars.  A-freakin-MEN.  I have a feeling a post like this is in my future because it seems wonderfully soul-clearing.
• That’s Me In The Corner from Her Bad Mother.  Shoot, here’s another post that I could written myself (except for the minor detail that I cannot even TRY to write this well).  This is almost spot-on exactly how I felt at BlogHer this year.  Who knew that she felt the same?  Let it be known: BlogHer with a baby in tow is a big, hot, mess.  Be advised.
• When in Doubt (or in Thyroid Hell) Post Pictures! from Joy Unexpected.  I can definitely identify with Thyroid Hell.  And I love the pictures she got from BlogHer.  Makes me ache for a GOOD camera.  And a weekend in the city sans children.  And perhaps a McDonald’s cheeseburger.
• In which I pretend that I didn’t go to a blogging conference from Absolutely Bananas.  Okay, this was the damn funniest post I read this week.  The pictures along with the staunch denials of BlogHer were enough to make me snort my coffee.  (In case you were wondering: That’s a god thing.)
• Quite Frankly, I’m sick of it from Mrs. Flinger.  Mrs. Flinger fires off a post calling out the whiners (hey, much like I did!) and calls a spade a spade.  Popularity, I’m afraid, is so often in the eye of the beholder.  And a lot of people just need to realize that and get over it and MOVE ON. (I’m moving on, how about you?)

Whew!!  Wow, that was another loooong list wasn’t it?  I hope you didn’t have any other plans this weekend.  As for me, I recently popped my first thyroid pill in FOUR MONTHS and am drinking a cup of coffee and starting to feel like something resembling a human being (well, minus the strange, crippling pain in my left hand.  What’s the dealio??).

Tags: blogs, links, You Need to Read
Filed under YNTR |

Tags: blogs, links, You Need to Read

Posted on July 26th, 2008

Wow.  Have I ever got links this week.  A great many of these links are various blogger’s BlogHer wrapup posts so if you aren’t interested in those, beware.  But some are not BlogHer themed and are just as awesome.  ANYHOW.  There are easily three times as many links this week as I might normally have.  So if you’re all caught up in your feeds and need something to do?  I’VE GOT YOU COVERED.  Seriously.

• Welcome from Slackerpapa,  As I mentioned yesterday, Kile is blogging now.  GULP.  So far, he’s really into it.  I actually think it’s pretty cool (if a little freaky) and hope he sticks with it.  Because then maybe he’ll be able to see why I love it so much.  Slackerpapa.  He’s so original.  SNORT.
• Things I Learned at BlogHer 08 (or, as I like to call it: “Facebook LIVE!”) from Greeblemonkey.  Aimee’s “twitter-style” post of short sentances that present her BlogHer experience was nothing short of brilliant.  I actually, honestly SNORTED when I was laughing, which should say something.
• Month One: Just Write, Dammit. from Blog Nosh Magazine.  Have I mentioned Blog Nosh yet?  I’m a channel editor for the family channel over there and I’m just so danged honored to be a part of it.  And this post from Megan (fearless leader!) was an awesome reminder to just drop the pretenses and get down to why (most of us at least) we started our blogs: just write!
• In which I lose my Kool from a little pregnant.  I would have lost my “kool” too.  Who the heck did this woman think she was?  I HATE this kind of attitude when it comes to childbirth.  I’m pretty sure I’ve exhibited this before many times and you all are sick of hearing about.  So you go, Julie.  Rock your repeat c-section self!
• A Single Syllable from Confessions of a Pioneer Woman.  Oh. My. Heavens.  YES.  I love P-Dub as much as the next gal and I enjoy her folksy humor and awesome photography and drool-worthy food (see below), but every now and then she puts out a post like this one that just SPEAKS.  I do know this syllable and have seen my husband do something similar and it is just heartbreaking.  I hope they find their dog too because I’ve sorta been there and it’s not happy.
• Cloth Diaper Laundry: Not so scary after all! from Baby Cheapskate.  Hey!  I wrote this!  I was so happy to participate in Baby Cheapskate’s “Cloth Diaper Week” and I hope my little post about laundry helped people realize that it’s REALLY not that difficult.  I’m hardly an “expert” but it works for me and hopefully can work for other people who are looking for information too!
• i will never learn…and i suffer from the wonk-eye from Cheaper Than Therapy.  I think I kind of love Ali.  That’s all I need to really say about that.  Other than I apparently need to learn the same lesson regarding business cards as she does.
• Sound Advice and Some Photos from Boobs, Injuries and Dr Pepper.   I loved her story about the slide (OMG, seriously?  A bar you have to slide into??) and her AMAZING list of links.  I only got to say hi to her in passing, but I kinda wish I could have hung out with her.  And now I have a hankering for Dr. Pepper.
• Egg-in-a-Hole (See Alternate Names Below) from The Pioneer Woman Cooks! She forgot “Eggs in a frame”.  That’s what we always called them.  My family used to always make this when we went camping and to this day, when I ask that Kile make them for breakfast they always taste like foggy, cool mornings and pine trees and giggling brooks to me.  I love this breakfast, you HAVE to try it.
• The One Where Some People Will Get Too Disgusted To Ever Return from misszoot.com.  She needn’t worry because I AM EXACTLY THE SAME.  I sit on the toilet seat.  SO THERE.  Anyone else feel the same?  Read this post.
• Maybe I Am Not The Joiner I Thought I Was? from Sizzle Says.  I pretty much felt exactly the same as Sizzle did about the conference (except I was lacking a PR person… must have one for the next conference).  And can I just say (again) that is freakin’ adorable?  Cuz she is.
• It might burn from PAPATV.  I met this guy at BlogHer and found him to be pretty awesome.  And his blog?  Even awesomer.  And this post (admitedly like a week old or more)?   AWESOMEST.  I laughed pretty dang hard.
• I got more and more to do and less and less to prove…. from Running Stitch.  Have I mentioned yet how much I love this woman?  Oh, just about FIVE TIMES this week so far.  What’s one more time?  I thought she not only had some awesome pictures, but some awesome words to sum up this year’s BlogHer.  I love seeing it through her eyes.  And you know?  It WAS beautiful.
• Because you were hoping for another BlogHer Update Post and I always deliver from Rhi in Pink.  I was so happy to meet Rhi at BlogHer and I loved her post-BlogHer post.  I only wish we could have found more time to hang out because I think she and I are very much on the same wavelength.
• Who do you think you are? from Rancid Raves.  I also love this woman.  And her BlogHer summation was fantastic in a way that I’ve just come to expect from her.  Plus, I totally agree with her about the bringing the baby to BlogHer part.  Mine wasn’t teething but she may as well have been.  Babies?  They crimp our style.
• The Princess & the Pantyhose (aka Blogher ‘08) from amalah . com.  Can you believe I don’t think I even SAW Amy at BlogHer this year?  For shame.  (Of course, if I had I would have been far too shy to introduce myself.)  Once again, she has charmed me with her particular brand of storytelling and while I wasn’t able to experience a lot that she did (aka The Macy’s Party), I can see it through her eyes.  Awesome.
• BlogHer ‘08 Part I: A preemptive strike from loraleeslooneytunes.com.  I don’t have to tell you all that I love Loralee because you know by now that I do.  But I haven’t told you that I love this post.  She, rather successfully I thought, shows us that we all have these awkward feelings when going to BlogHer.  We are ALL in the same boat.
• BlogHer 08: The beginning, middle, but not so much the end from Mom-101.  I loved her words about the community keynote because I felt exactly the same about it.  SO amazingly inspiring.
• CheeseburgHer 08 from Suburban Turmoil.  OMG, I can’t believe I missed the Cheeseburger Party AGAIN.  Next year, I SWEAR.  I loved the re-telling of it though and the pictures are PRICELESS.  Who knew a couple of sacks of McDonald’s Cheeseburgers would equal SO MUCH FUN?  (Watch, next year friggin’ Micky D’s themselves will be sponsoring this bad boy.)
• The Best of BlogHer 2008 Awards from Motherhood Uncensored.  I loved Kristen’s “Unofficial” awards here, particularly the award for best swag as that was a big hit around here too.  I hope to see these awards next year too (you hear that Kristen?  Now you have to do this EVERY YEAR).
• Spoiled, Not Stupid from Queen of Spain Blog.  Erin often makes me want to pump my fist.  I don’t always agree with her, but there is almost always a lovely grain of TRUTH to what she’s saying.  Maybe we should request more?  Or should I be happy with what I get?  Good questions.
• The Fool-Proof Friend-Making Strategy from Mandajuice.  Making friends while being a mom is freaking IMPOSSIBLE.  I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks so.  She gives some great strategies here.
• The Heather Armstrong Experience from EmilyPie…For Realz, Yo.  Reno, represent!  Until I found Emily, I thought I was quite possibly one of the only bloggers in Reno.  At least, the only one who is found in this particular circle of female bloggers.  So reading her post about wanting to go to BlogHer and hoping to meet Dooce and then meeting her and getting a picture?  Made me all kinds of happy for her.
• jealousy, envy and bitterness. WHEE! from moosh in indy.  I gotta love the pictures of Casey busting a move on the dance floor.  And for the most part, what she says is true.  If you don’t have fun at BlogHer, it’s pretty much your own fault.  But in a nice way, of course.

I’ve heard some really nice things said about my links list and I thank each and every one of you for coming back, week after week, and checking out these awesome links that I pull together.  It means so much to me.  Anywho.  I’ve got a bunch of people who are hassling me to get out the door for a day of shopping so I guess I’d better get going.  Have FANTASTIC weekends, everyone!

Tags: BlogHer 08, blogs, links, You Need to Read
Filed under BlogHer 08, YNTR |

Tags: BlogHer 08, blogs, links, You Need to Read

Posted on July 19th, 2008

It’s going to be a short list this week, people.  Plainly put, I didn’t get a lot of blog reading done this week (GEE I WONDER WHY).  Right now, it’s 6:30 am and I’m typing this in the dark of my hotel room while my son and husband are alternating their snores.  I would be sleeping too but I had to pee SO BAD that after putting it off for a few hours, I finally just had to get up.  No point in trying to go back to sleep now, right?  AHEM, where was I?  Oh yes.  Short list.  A lot of these posts are BlogHer themed (for which I apologize, non-attendees!), but that is what I was obsessed with the earlier part of this week.  So without further ado…

• BlogHer 08 from loraleeslooneytunes.com.  This guest post made me laugh so hard that gin and tonic came out my nose.  Seriously.  Especially the part that lists out reasons for not going to BlogHer.  Even if you’re not doing BlogHer this year (perhaps especially if), you have to check this post out.
• A conversation with my daughter that finally explains my relationship with my older sister from dooce.  Ha, ha.  How original.  Highlight a post from DOOCE.  But seriously, you guys, I loved this post.  And little kids that ask for siblings just warm the cold, dark, cockles of my heart.
• Is there such a thing as happily ever after? from Absolutely Bananas.  OMG, the Seal Saga.  Does it sound terribly dorky of me to admit that I was glued to this entire drama every time she posted about it?  I do believe I even wringed my hands a time or two.
• BlogHer ‘08 Conference FAQ from Mom-101.  This was pretty funny, an interesting take on all the “Newbie’s Guides” that have been going around the blogosphere in anticipation of the Big Conference.  This post here told me that I could just settle down, step back, and relax about the whole darned thing.  Which, you know, is only IMPOSSIBLE to do!
• Don’t Judge Me from Dutch Blitz.  I have felt like this A LOT when it comes to blogging.  I’ve had family members give me “looks” and make semi-snide comments about the level of “interest” I have in blogging.  Cheeses me right off, it does.  I loved her responses.

So that’s actually it.  All I have this week.  I’m sure next week, I’ll have more and I fear they will be even MORE BlogHer themed.  As for how the conference is going… I can tell I already have some regrets.  There are also some things that I wish were done differently.  BUT, it’s only half over at this point.  Just because Day 1 was rough, doesn’t mean it all will be, right?  (RIGHT??)  Still, Day 2 will be rough as I think we’ll need to leave at 2pm.  SUCK.  I’ll fill all ya’ll in later. GOOD TIMES.

(edited to add hours later when I realize this is just sitting here in drafts: It would probably help to actually publish this post, don’t you think?  DUH.  This should tell you how I’m doing here in S.F.)

Tags: BlogHer 08, blogs, links, You Need to Read
Filed under BlogHer 08, YNTR |

Tags: BlogHer 08, blogs, links, You Need to Read

Posted on July 12th, 2008

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.

Tags: BlogHer 08, blogs, links, You Need to Read
Filed under YNTR |

Tags: BlogHer 08, blogs, links, You Need to Read