It would appear my first post of 2014 is going to break an unspoken rule of blogging: never blog about blogging. I’m not sure if this is a rule I once imposed on myself but, having broken it several times already, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.

Anyway, as 2014 begins I wanted to take a moment to look ahead to the new year and make some plans blog-wise. It seems as good a time as any to commit to paper some of the thoughts I’ve had over the past couple of weeks. Non-bloggers may want to skip this post…

Next month will mark my third year of blogging. I started this blog back in February 2011 while sleep-deprived and a bit confused. Emerging from those chaotic newborn days I knew I needed to make some big decisions about my career and starting a blog seemed a good place to begin. Mainly, I wanted to see if I could still write. It turned out having a baby didn’t spell the end of my ability to string a sentence together and, ultimately, I ended up leaving my full time job as a radio journalist to go freelance. Blogging played a huge part in my confidence to make that decision, so thank you blog. 

And here I am. Sitting in our brand new family home 200 odd miles from where I started this blog. We changed addresses from Berkshire to Devon. We went from renters to home-owners. We switched jobs and work patterns and the security of what we knew for something totally different. But the blog remains. To ensure it stays a faithful part of my life, there are some things I need to remember for 2014. Things I know now that I didn’t know back when I started. Things I have remembered since my enforced internet break.

1) Blogging is fun

I write this blog because I like writing, sharing photographs and, generally, having a place to be creative without the constraints of an editor or a client brief. It’s a place to share family memories and musings on parenting. Blogging is fun and, for me, remembering why I enjoy it is key to continuing to enjoy it.

2) There are no rules

You don’t HAVE to set up a G+ account. You don’t HAVE to run your own blog Facebook page. Not all bloggers are on Pinterest and there is no golden rule that good bloggers blog every day. The only rule I follow is to disclose commercial posts, the other things I pick and choose to suit me and my way of blogging. This keeps it fun.

3) Every blogger is different

Different people blog for different reasons and are motivated by different things. I plan to remember this throughout 2014 and not get bogged down in the, “My stats aren’t as good as her stats” or, “They had a better PR opportunity than me” trap. These were things that used to matter to me in the early days, as I discovered the UK parent blogging community and the discussions around blogging on Twitter and Facebook. Comparisons are a slippery slope though and, I tend to find, don’t a happy blogger make.

That’s it. Three simple statements for a fulfilling blog year (I hope). What would you add to the list?

PS. I will be sharing pretty things and little interiors projects from our new home over at my other blog Play Love Grow If you like cushions and Annie Sloan paint then do pop over and say hello.

The post Blog rules? Don’t make me laugh appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

It’s not the first time I’ve considered giving up blogging and, I imagine, it won’t be the last. Time is the main reason. I never seem to have enough hours in the day, juggling work with being a mum and writing a blog. That’s not all though. Sometimes I have days where I just feel… meh… about blogging in general. I’m sure it’s something all bloggers go through at some point – and if they haven’t yet, then they will eventually.

Anyway, today I thought I’d write a post for myself. It’s to remind myself what I love, and hate, about blogging. I’m hoping it’ll help put the meh into perspective.

Writing

Writing what I want, when I want. Writing about anything that takes my fancy, in a way that takes my fancy. Even if it’s a stupid list about blogging. As someone who earns their living writing for other people, this is a rather liberating thing.

Community 

I have forged real friendships through blogging. Gemma from Helloitsgemma and Jane from Northern Mum are counted amongst some of my closest friends. I even got a birthday present from Alison at Not Another Mummy Blog. There are too many friends to mention here, but they are all mates in the proper sense of the word – not just faceless avatars on Twitter who I exchange a bit of banter with. These are real people who I see in real life, often over wine or play-dates with children.

Shared experience

Whether it’s an anecdote about something my three year old has said or done, or a serious political or ranty post, there is always a sense of shared experience when you blog. You get instant feedback and opinion from other people. You get words of commiseration, advice, wisdom or just the knowledge that, somewhere, there is someone who knows – or cares - how you’re feeling.

New skills

Three years ago, I didn’t even really know what a blog was. Through blogging, I’ve learned about writing online, taking photographs, editing photographs, using social media, using platforms like WordPress, networking, building up a business and, ultimately, being self-employed. I’m not sure I’d have learned so much, so quickly, if it wasn’t for this blog.

Being creative

Sometimes I feel drained of interest. On days when I have a three year old screaming at me, a husband late home from work, and an inbox that won’t stop pinging, it’s all I can do to remember my name, let alone anything else. Dipping in and out of reading blogs will often help me formulate ideas of my own – be those articles to write for other people, news stories to look into or creative and fun things to do at home with my daughter.

New opportunities

I’ve been to places that I might not have visited, because of this blog. I’ve worked for people that I might not have worked for, because of this blog. I’ve reviewed things I wouldn’t have bought and met people I wouldn’t have met, all because of this blog. There have been lots of new opportunities that have come about because of my tiny corner of the Internet, even if they’re not the reasons I started a blog in the first place.

Shouty behaviour

Have you ever met someone who can’t wait to tell you how great they are, how clever they are and how they are just SO much better than you? In real life, these types of people are pretty easy to avoid. But in the world of blogging it can be harder to ignore.

*Touch wood* I’ve never had a “blogging bust up” before (I’m not a fan of confrontation and I have better things to do than argue on Facebook), but I know they happen. A lot. The very sense of community that I love in blogging is also one of the things I hate. I hate the arguments, the “I know more than you”, the “I got a better PR opportunity than you”… all that stuff. I don’t see it much, but there are times when it’s hard to get away from.

Technology

I am never going to be a technical guru, much to the dismay of my IT teacher husband. I started blogging to see if I could still write, or if having a baby had zapped that part of my brain. I do not get excited about plugins or techy speak. I can appreciate when something is cool (and get a huge proud feeling when I work out a solution to a technical problem myself) but my brain doesn’t naturally work like a technical wizard. I have to puzzle over it, ask for an explanation and, inevitably, get frustrated if I don’t understand the answer.

Noise

I’ve never had so much noise in my head since I started blogging. Whether it’s a post that I want to write, a thought about a blog post or Tweet that I’ve read, or just a sense that stuff is being talked about – interesting stuff – and I want to be part of the debate… the noise is pretty much always there. I think they call it “Social Media Fatigue”. Having a phone that is constantly pinging does not help. Sometimes I wish I lived in a wood with zero Internet signal.

And that’s it for the hate list.

I think I’ve just talked myself down from the edge of the precipice. Six in favour and three against. I call that a win for blogging.

Have you ever considered giving up blogging? What do you love – and hate – about it?

The post What I love (and hate) about blogging appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

That’s so not me.

When I’m writing, I need the following:

This is my (tiny) home work space. It’s where I write this blog, write features for magazines and websites, blog for companies, send emails, edit websites and take my client phone calls.

It’s my “cave”, my little cubbyhole at the bottom of the stairs, just for me.

Since going self-employed two years ago, I’ve found there are a number of ingredients that I need for the right “headspace” to string together a coherent sentence, or edit a feature. (None of this applies to the radio work by the way, that needs something TOTALLY different, obviously.)

My perfect recipe looks like this: tidy desk, hot drink (in the evening that’ll be a peppermint tea), notepaper to jot down scribbles, a closed tweetdeck, no music, To Do lists on my blackboard and a blanket for when it gets chilly.

Often I’ll have about ten ideas jostling for room in my head before I sit down. Whether it’s a feature, a blog post, a piece of copywriting or some editing, I tend to take a couple of minutes faffing before I get into “the zone”.

It’s funny to write about what I do when I’m writing, because I’ve never really thought about it until now. It’s the one thing I’m pretty particular about, in that I can’t concentrate if I’ve got a pile of rubbish on my desk, or loud music in the background.

I find it fascinating to see how other people work. Those of us who write for a living tend to have different ways of doing things. I have friends who compose features at their kitchen table on a laptop, others who take to their bed with a pile of magazines and an iPad and others still who come up with their most creative ideas while in the shower.

Many of my ideas come to me while doing something mundane like pegging out the washing or driving somewhere, but they don’t get made into anything tangible until I’m safely settled in my “cave”.

I remember watching a documentary years ago about Roald Dahl’s work space. I was struck by how simple it was; a tiny shed in the garden, a chair, a blanket and a wooden board to rest on his knees. With just those items, in that place, he could let his imagination dream up the twisting plots and colourful characters he became famous for.

This post was inspired by my blogging buddy Jo at Dexterous Diva, but I’d love to know how you achieve your perfect working / blogging frame of mind. What do you need to compose that post? Do you write on the hop or have you got a little ritual you go through before you get stuck in?

Leave a comment – or write your own post and link up in the comments below.

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Not successful enough? Not rich enough? Not achieved enough in your career? Not been a good enough parent or partner?

Because I get that. All the time.

I got a postcard from my mum today. She titled it “Bringing Home The Bacon” and put a note on the back, reminding me that it’s important to be ambitious but not to the point where you set yourself targets you can’t reach. She is wise.

Still.

I can’t seem to battle the feeling I’m not doing ENOUGH at the moment. Before Christmas, I blogged about my huge workload and battle to get everything done. I wrote last month about a lack of balance and shared recently that things have started to even out a bit. I’m working less and relaxing more.

Still.

There’s always a voice in my head that whispers “Do MORE!”. I feel like I should blog more, better. I should pitch more, to bigger publications, better. I should be actively seeking out more broadcasting work, touting myself more. I should be, just, well, BETTER.

A better mum, a better writer, a better presenter, a better wife. I look around my Twitter feed and see a string of successful people. Surely I can’t be the ONLY person to occasionally get a pang of career envy or mother envy or just, sheer self-doubt, as I kick myself for not trying harder?

I’ve always been this way. As a kid at school, I’d get an A grade and instantly feel cross with myself that it wasn’t an A*. Or at university, I’d write a piece for the student newspaper or do a stint of work experience at a radio station and feel dissatisfied. It wasn’t enough that I’d done something more than my studies, I would scold myself for not being the one student in the year to be picked out for a job before they’d even graduated.

I don’t think being a woman helps. I constantly question if I’m being a good enough mum to my toddler, if I’m around enough, if I give her enough attention and arrange enough one-to-one activities for her. I battle with a constant pile of laundry and unmade beds and dusty carpets, cross with myself that I haven’t stayed up an extra hour to get it all done. I know my husband doesn’t worry about these things.

And that takes me back to the being good enough issue – I’m not a good enough homemaker (or whatever we call it in the UK). Basically, I’m rubbish at housework.

The share it all society that we now live in doesn’t help particularly. I live in a world of Facebook and Twitter, emails and text messages. Not a day passes when another person’s success, big news, exciting project or motherhood win isn’t posted in my face. We are connected with so many people, so much of the time, that simple maths concludes we will regularly witness these kinds of triumphs. This is positive – of course it is – but it’s also negative, if you’re having a bad day. On days like these it can make you feel like a bit of a failure if you don’t have big news of your own to shout about.

On this occasion, I’ve decided to take my mum’s advice. Like I said, she is wise. I’m going to remain ambitious in every area of my life, but I’m going to be pleased and satisfied with the small wins too. I don’t think we shout enough about the small wins – the ORDINARY stuff. I need to start feeling successful again.

So, my small win of the day: I made a pancake without it breaking up into a mound of rubbery gunge. Granted, not IMMEDIATELY…

But I had it down to a tee after the fourth attempt.

What’s your ordinary win of the day? And do you ever feel like you’re not good enough? I know I can’t be the only one…

The post When “good” isn’t good enough appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

On this day two years ago (or maybe yesterday, or maybe tomorrow, I can’t actually remember) I sat down in front my computer and published my first ever blog post.

The post was about whether it’s ever OK to have a phone conversation with someone on the toilet. I know – a burning question I’m sure you ask yourself daily. Yeah, well. In two years of blogging my life has changed pretty drastically. I know stuff I didn’t know before. I know people I didn’t know before. I know how to DO things I didn’t know before.

Blogging has taken me to new places, given me new experiences and opened new doors in a career I didn’t even really know existed before I crept into the vast world that is the internet. 

Blogging has charted my baby’s growth into a feisty toddler and her battle to start walking. It’s taken me through family loss, new work, holidays, desperate exhaustion and mishaps with crafting. Whatever has been going on in my life off the internet, my blog has always been waiting patiently, ready for me to come back to it and do something creative.

Two years may be a tiny snip compared to other more seasoned bloggers but, personally, I don’t think you can measure a blog’s success on the time it has been around. There are some blogs I love that are less than a year old and some that have been going in the region of double figures. Two years seems like a solid time though. I’m not a baby any more. I’m a bumbling toddler.

Here’s what I’ve learned about the wonderful world of blogging in my two years here:

1) There are no limits

The only person who can put limits on what you post about is YOU. There will always be people out there trying to wield some kind of imaginary wand over the internet as they preside on their imaginary King of Blogging throne, but they don’t actually have the power to tell you what to do. As long as you don’t libel someone or break the law, you’re OK. You can write or draw or photograph about what you want. It’s YOUR blog.

2) There will always be opinions – don’t be scared of them

You can’t please all of the people all of the time. It’s just not possible. The great thing about blogging, compared to other forms of publication, is that you get an almost immediate response. You can debate stuff, agree or disagree, like a photo or not. Whatever. It’s a big wide world out there and you have a place in it.

3) Say yes and the opportunities will come

It might be a blogging conference, or a review opportunity or another blogger asking if you’d like to write a guest post for them. In the last two years I’ve said yes to lots of things and I haven’t regretted one. That’s not to say you can’t ever say no, but saying yes to things you like the look of, despite the juggle of children or weekend plans or the fact you’ve never written a review before, will likely lead to good things. It goes back to Number 1) There are no limits.

4) It pays to be nice

I think this is a life lesson generally actually. Being nice doesn’t have to mean being insincere. If you’re nice and generally considerate to people (readers, people commenting on your blog, other tweeters) you will get more back. I’ve had disagreements with people in the land of the internet before, but I’ve generally found that not running around flinging insults here and there has been in my favour. Plus, my mum reads this blog.

5) Be you

Obvious really. I don’t take the best photographs. All my pictures are taken on my phone. I read lots of blogs with beautiful images but I’m just not that blogger. I can’t do all that soft focus stuff. So I take my snaps and I write. And when I write I write in MY voice, about what I’M thinking. And that’s what makes my blog MINE. If I was writing as myself but trying to imitate the words of another blogger or columnist or whatever, that wouldn’t be authentic now, would it?

What are the things you’ve learned since you started blogging? 

The post Two years of blogging – what have I learned? appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

Many moons ago (about ten years) when I did my English Literature degree, I was in a seminar discussing ownership of words and ideas. The basis of my lecturer’s theory was that once words have been written you can’t control them. It doesn’t matter how clear you are during the writing process, once your words are being “consumed” they’re no longer yours to shape.

I like to imagine it as a little scene inside a dusty old attic.

The writer is hard at work, bent over a creaky table writing in longhand. The words come alive, dancing on the page. He has a choice to let the words be free, or to shut them in a box.  He chooses freedom, knowing that is also the end of his control. Standing at an open window, the writer watches his words flutter out into the world, ready to climb inside the head of anyone who reads them. The writer can’t follow the words inside every head. He can only stand at the window and wave his words goodbye.

It’s not a new idea, but it’s one I think is still incredibly current – especially in the 140 character Twitter world in which we live.

Let me explain.

A little while ago, I wrote a post called How Do You Decide What Your Blog Is Worth? for Geekalicious. It was all about blogging and commercialisation of blogs – namely, how we value our own blogs.

As with much of my writing, I wrote it, had it published and then forgot about it in the minefield of my current crazy working / mum life. Today I was reminded of the post, after a fellow blogger told me (via Twitter) that she didn’t like my tone.

One of the things I really love about blogging and Twitter is that you can share opinions. And I wasn’t offended by the critical tweet. I just politely agreed to disagree. But after a bit of tweeting back and forth, the blogger (who blogs at Kelloggsville) came back with a tweet I wholeheartedly agreed with:

“It’s problem in a 2D words world. Body language and tone removed and readers fill in perceived gaps.”

This is SO true. When you write something, you might have a clear idea in your head of how your words sound. But those words are in YOUR head.

Once they’re out in the world, being read by others, they’ll be in other heads, read by people with different opinions, experiences and memories to you. It doesn’t matter how clear you try to be, there will always be the chance your words will not be read in the way you intended them.

The thing is, I don’t think that matters. If you spent your whole life trying to tailor your words (or language) to only ever be consumed in one way, with one point of view, you’d be fighting a losing battle. Plus, wouldn’t that make the world a rather boring place?

On this occasion, my post was interpreted as “sarcastic” and “condescending”. That’s fine. I disagree, but that’s fine. That’s the way my writing was read by that particular reader and there’s nothing I can do about it – apart from let her know that wasn’t my intention and apologise if she was offended.

I’m well aware that once you write something (and publish it on a blog or book or newspaper or magazine or social media platform or piece of paper stuck to a tree) it’s out there in the big wide world of different opinions and ideas and experiences. I’m well aware that I could unintentionally write something another person was offended by.

But I’m also aware that if I spent my whole time worrying about that I would never write anything at all.

How about you? Do you tailor your words carefully in the fear they may be taken “the wrong way”? Is interpretation something you even consider before hitting “publish”?

The post Once your words have flown appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

This is something I’ve been pondering about on and off for the last few months. I’m always really hesitant to blog about blogging here as, mainly, I think it’s desperately dull for the people who read this blog and don’t blog themselves. So if that’s you, feel free to look away now.

For the rest of you, I’d like to know your opinion. Which is why I’ve decided to publish a completely self-indulgent, blog-naval-gazing post.

So, blogging. Is it enough just to have great content? To be a good blog WRITER (if that is your thing), do you need to also be a good blog READER?

I grew up an avid bookworm. I loved reading books and would immerse myself for hours at a time in other worlds, completely unaware of what was happening on the other side of the page. But I also loved to write. By the age of ten I had amassed a huge collection of stories, many with illustrations. I would read, feel inspired and then write.

The same is true of more recent years. As a journalist, the more newspapers and magazines I read, the more ideas I would have for articles – both on the radio, online and in print. I really do think that the more “content” you consume (novels, news stories, features, photographs etc etc), the more you can be inspired to produce your own unique content.

But when it comes to blogging, I feel a bit lost at sea. The sheer volume of amazing blogs out there can sometimes be overwhelming. And the pressure to comment and let people know you’ve read and enjoyed what they’ve written or posted can sometimes be enough to put me off reading altogether.

It hasn’t always been this way. This time last year, when I wasn’t stretched to working 60+ hours a week, I would happily read LOADS of blogs and comment on nearly every single one. These days, time is non-existent. I’m now lucky if I get 6 hours sleep a night and that doesn’t always leave me in the best place to fit in blog reading time. So I guess I’ve become a bit of a bad blog reader.

I’m often guilty of reading and running, will often mean to share a great post but run out of time, don’t always read a post that grabs me and too many times have had to make the decision between posting on my own blog or reading and commenting on another. And because I’m clearly not an altruistic enough blogger, my own content will always come first.

But that has left me feeling a bit uneasy. Surely one of the great things about blogging is that level of engagement with other bloggers? It’s fine to just post and do your own thing if that’s what you want to do, but my blog has really benefited from engaging and commenting and sharing with the blogging world. On days where I read lots of blogs and comment, I notice a jump in my stats. I find new ideas to inspire me to write new blog posts. And when I’m doing that I feel like a “proper” blogger.

But it just isn’t possible to keep that up all the time. Commissioned writing that I’m getting paid for has to come first and (occasionally) I also need to sleep. Not to mention the tiny fact I have a demanding toddler who takes up just a tiny proportion of my time *cough*.

So where does that leave the blog? If I can’t be a good blog reader to the extent that I used to be, does it follow that I can’t necessarily be a good blog writer?

I’d love to know your thoughts on this, because I’m stumped for an answer.

The post Blogging – just about the words? appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

Where I blog

I’m going to break a self-imposed rule. I’m going to blog about blogging.

Indulge me, just for this one post. Please?

Right, if you’re still here (Mum, there’s no obligation to keep reading, this probably won’t interest you) then I’d like to pose a little question:

How do you define blogging success?

It’s a question that’s been on my mind a bit recently, on the commute to work and back again, floating at the edge of consciousness in between singing along to Carly Rae Jepsen on the radio (don’t judge me).

I suppose with the latest shortlist of awards announced and a huge conference this weekend, it was inevitable I’d come to write about this sooner or later.

First of all, let me explain something about blogging to those of you who don’t blog. It’s a bit addictive. It’s very satisfying. It can be rather lonely. It can get too noisy. It’s not easy to pin down.

No one really knows how “big” blogging will be, or how it will change now it’s started spilling over and merge with mainstream media. It’s a bit like sitting on the edge of a huge wave, right before it peaks and crashes onto the beach. You can’t yet tell how big the wave is going to be.

There are many, MANY, different blogs out there. Some gain hundreds of thousands of readers a month, some have led their authors on to totally different careers, some inspire, some educate, some ramble and some win awards. Lots of them.

But how do you define a successful blogger?

This time last year I had only just set out on my blogging journey. I was shortlisted for two different awards, every time someone commented on my blog I felt a thrill of excitement and I had just met my first “blogging buddy” in real life, who is now a very good friend.

I felt new, inspired, like an empty sketchbook waiting to be drawn all over.

Now, just over a year on and my blog has changed my life. I owe a large part of my new radio career to it. I also earn money writing because of it. It’s led to a family glamping holiday this summer and many lovely new products to fill our tiny cottage.

But I still don’t feel “successful”.

I don’t know if this is because that’s the nature of blogging. It’s such a wonderfully huge and diverse world, full of wonderfully huge and diverse personalities, all writing and creating wonderfully huge and diverse content, that you never really feel like you’ve “made it” as such. Or I don’t anyway.

It could be my own “ambition”, driving me forward. I’ve never been content to sit and take stock of what I’ve achieved. Nothing’s ever enough. I’m onto the next big thing, chasing down the next big project / show idea / blog post / feature. It’s exhausting and I wish I was able to slow down a bit, but that’s just not me.

So is success in blogging about topping the various rankings sites? Is it about finding and hosting a really popular linky or meme or inspiring other bloggers to blog about your idea? Is it about winning awards or being nominated and shortlisted for awards? Is it about earning money or the amount of free stuff you can get?

I don’t know if it’s about any of these things really. Not for me anyway.

Of course I want people to read. And good stats are an indication that people ARE reading. And I love when people comment. It’s immediate feedback – just as when a listener texts in the radio show or someone writes on our Facebook page.

If people are engaging with your content it shows you’re striking a chord somewhere, with someone. If that stuff didn’t matter then why blog at all? You may as well just keep a private diary.

But again, I don’t think stats and comments and the like are a measure of blogging success. Some of my favourite posts from other bloggers haven’t garnered a huge number of comments. And some are so new they can’t have a huge following, not yet.

So I’m back to the beginning. Which is why I need you to help me out. Just think about it for a second, will you? And tell me, how do you define blogging success?

The post How do you define blogging success? appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

This week’s Introducing is all about the MAD Blog Awards, in celebration of the finalists being announced this week. And no, it has nothing to do with me being shortlisted in the Best MAD Baby Blog category. Ok, maybe a little bit.

Anyway, back to the task in hand. For those of you unfamiliar with Introducing, it’s a weekly feature I run sharing my limelight with three other blogs. It’s that simple.

My picks this week are all fellow finalists in the MAD Blog Awards, along with two former Introducing stars, Circus Queen and Northern Mummy with Southern Children. What can I say? I have good taste.

So, without further ado, stepping onto my stage this week are:

The 5 F’s

Shortlisted for MAD Blog Post of The Year, this is an amazing blog, packed full of beautifully brave writing and thought-provoking posts. There is also a brilliant weekly feature, Meal Planning Monday, where women like me can rip off another family’s weekly meals and pretend we are organised rather than domestically challenged.

Never Plain Jane

Shortlisted in the Best MAD Craft Blog category, this is a gorgeous blog with short, snappy posts that are incredibly easy on the eye. From baking to scrapbooking, bunting to garden decorations, there’s no shortage of inspirational ideas here. Plus the Rocky Road looks rather nice.

Jam and Cream

Shortlisted in the Best MAD Food Blog category, this blog should come with a warning: do not approach if all you have consumed in the last two hours is water and a rice cake.

I am now intensely hungry after perusing tasty posts about Spanish Rice and Spiced Indian Tomato Soup. In fact, it’s given me inspiration to attempt something other than pizza for my tea tomorrow night. Also, the blog comes from Cornwall which, as a graduate from Falmouth, is a big bonus for me.

Voting for the MAD Blog Awards is now open. Just visit their website where you can vote for any of the above blogs – and while you’re there I’m shortlisted in the Best MAD Baby Blog category. Just saying.

The post Introducing: the MAD edition appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve been busy, rushed off your feet I expect. Take a break. Sit back and acquaint yourself with some brilliant blogs. Because Introducing is back.

And this week’s stars are:

Baby Ephemeraldigest

A beautifully written blog about life as a single mum to a gorgeous baby girl. Oh, and she lives in Bristol. Which, as you know, is always a bonus.

But be warned, the photographs on this blog could very well send your ovaries into over-drive. This is one seriously cute baby.

 Manana Mama

This woman is funny, witty, thought-provoking and has a wonderful way with words. I hate her.

If you haven’t already come across Manana Mama, you should go and meet her.  She didn’t even ask to be featured, that’s how cool she is. She was pointed out to me in a recommendation by Ghostwriter Mummy (who is also very cool, by the way).

Three Beautiful Things

The original blog of positivity. An anti-depressant in blog form, if you will. Yet another wonderfully written gem, which lists three beautiful things the author has experienced each day.

From the mundane and tiny (freshly baked muffins, a little girl counting plastic ducks) to the huge and overwhelming (a new dress, a night out) the beautiful things keep on coming.

And if you missed last week’s Introducing, you missed some more cracking blogs. But in another fit of uncharacteristic generosity, I will update you. Here it is.

Now get back to work Lady Gaga. (I’m still waiting for a tune to rival the magnificence that was Poker Face. I know you won’t let me down.)

The post Introducing: The May edition appeared first on Mother's Always Right.