I'm a Brilliance in Blogging Lifestyle Finalist 2013 ... wooohoooooo!!!!!

Well ... you are not going to believe this but ... I only went and made it into the Final of the BiB Awards!!! I found out this afternoon when I was at work and couldn't resist a little dance! I am so thrilled to have made it to the top 6 blogs in this national competition.

If you are one of the people who nominated me or voted for me then ... THANK YOU!!!!! 

I have been writing this blog for about 7 years now and it has been such an enjoyable thing to do. I have always loved writing, but it never ceases to amaze me that anyone actually wants to read what I write about, never mind vote me into the final of a writing competition!!

I am in the final six with some really fab blogs and I thought you might be interested in having a look at them. So ... here are the links to them. Do go and have a read, but please come back to me!!! There are some really interesting posts and and a variety of voices and I hope you enjoy having a peruse! For me its really interesting to visit other blogs which are similar to mine in content and yet, at the same time, very different.

I would love to win this award, but, to be honest, I am just looking forward to meeting some of my fellow bloggers and getting to the final 6 is more than I ever hoped for. Plus I do believe they have champagne at the awards served up by rather gorgeous men who are stripped to the waist and have more than their fair share of muscles ... Obviously this would hold no interest for me ... I am a married woman of a certain age after all ...

Anyhoo ... enough of this idle and slightly sexist chat ... here are the links to the other finalists in the Lifestyle category. Good luck everyone!!!

Family Affairs and Other Matters

Margot tries the Good Life

More Than Toast

The Syders

What Sam Saw Today

Now ... I need to sort out what to wear ... would sequins be too too much ...??

Please vote for my blog which has been shortlisted in the BiBs Awards 2013!!!

A little while ago I put a badge up on my blog asking my lovely readers to nominate me for the BiBs and ... to my amazement and eternal gratitude ... some of you did nominate me and because of that I have been shortlisted in the Lifestyle category. Whoooop whoooop!!!

The BiBs are a national awards ... Brilliance in Blogging ... and are run by BritMums, the largest Parenting site in Britain. There are 16 blogs on the shortlist for each category and the voting now begins!! On 12th May the voting stops and the top 6 blogs for each category go through to the Finals where the judges will decide on the winners. Those winners will be presented with their awards at BritMums Live 2013, a huge blogging conference in London, complete with champers and spotlights!!

There are some amazing blogs up for the awards in various different categories, everything from photography to travel to inspiring blogs to new blogs.

So now ... if you like my blog ... I wonder if you could take a moment to vote for me?? Please!!! All you have to do is click on this badge below and you will be whisked away to the Land of Awards where you will find lists of blogs. If you scroll down mine is under Lifestyle.

If you look for the blue link that says:

Vote for the 2013 BiBs now!!  Click and you will be taken to the voting page.

                                                               

I hope that's not too convoluted ... Its pretty self-explanatory really ... and I would be so chuffed if you did vote for me. Thank you lovely reader!!! x

BritMums Live and The Brilliance in Blogging Awards 2012 ... I'm a Finalist!!

I have been blogging now for about six years ...  and a bit. For the last year or so I have been involved with the BritMums site - a place for parent bloggers of all shapes, sizes and philosophies. I sort of fell into my involvement there, drawn in by the friendly, easy to use site and the huge variety of discussions and debates, advice and friendship going on there. Now I am a regular visitor and have even been given the job of meeting and greeting new members - something I love doing!

One of the BritMums groups is a video blogging or vlogging group and from time to time I would dip in, taking part in the monthly vlog challenge. My efforts are 'au naturel' to say the least. I have taken their advice on 'tidy background', face the light ... after all who wants to see some old bag with her knickers hanging on a radiator in the background, rambling on in half shadow? But the heady heights of film editing and the placement of titles, sub-titles or other high tech 'stuff' have so far escaped me.

So you can imagine my absolute astonishment to discover that I had not only been nominated for a Brilliance in Blogging Vlog Award, but had reached the Finalists bit!! I am totally chuffed to pieces, but at the same time somewhat bemused. The 7 other vloggers who are Finalists are really rather good. I have wandered over to their sites and watched their videos which, frankly, leave me feeling a little sweaty. They are good.I feel a bit like someone who has wandered into a wedding without an invite and wearing a velour tracksuit where all the other guests are confidently and elegantly wearing Armani!!

If you would like to have a look at my fellow Finalists and their video blogs then this is the place to go and this is who they are! If you are a fellow finalist ... Good Luck!!!!

Cheetahs in my Shoes: @cheetahsinshoes

Chez Mummy: @Chez_Mummy

Geek Mummy: @geekmummy

Juggle Mum: @businessmum

Really Kid Friendly: kidfriendly_uk

Secret Life of an Unknown Housewife: @ugglymuggly

Snuggle Bubby: @snuggle_bubby

The Alexander Residence: @Aresidence

So I suppose now I should go and try to make a vlog, or maybe cook tea.Or maybe sort out my outfit for the Awards Ceremony ... OMG!! I am going to an awards ceremony!!! And I'm a finalist!!

Stress, BritMums Live and Awards - not necessarily in that order!!

I cannot believe it has been so long since I last posted. Life has been stressful to say the least recently so my blogging has taken a back seat. Usually I post about the things that stress me out, but these last weeks the 'stressful stuff' has been too hard to write about. I know that there are people these days who read my blog who actually know me in real life, and if you are one of those then please don't worry, but I have been preoccupied to say the least.

Still ... onwards and upwards. The good thing about the last few weeks is that I have been surrounded by very wonderful friends. Each dark cloud has a silver lining!!

I am very excited that, as the summer approaches, so does the BritMums Live conference! I have never been to any sort of conference, never mind a blogging one and I am so looking forward to it!! It is 2 days of seminars, speeches, networking ( that sounds professional doesn't it??!!) and general learning, all about blogging, blogs and everything connected to those topics.

The keynote speakers are Sarah Brown, Gordon Brown's wife and Ruby Wax. The days will be filled with cake, coffee, wine, (I hope), meeting new friends and learning how to make my blogging better!

I am quite a friendly type so I am looking forward to meeting new people!! I am starting to think about

• what to wear!!
• what to take.
• designing business cards ...
• finding a sponsor ...

I have never put adverts on my blog, but I am beginning to wonder if it might be an idea to place selective ads and links on in return for sponsorship. I am rather fussy though and I don't want my blog deluged with inappropriate rubbish. I have had a couple of offers, but they were not right for me - I just can't pretend to love something if I've never used it and never would!!

Another thing I am excited about is the fact that I have been put on the short list for the BiBs Video Blogger Award. Now I don't post my video blogs on here - they are a delight I save for the BritMums site, but I am thrilled to have been nominated at all and to reach the short list is a thrill!! If you have seen any of my vlogs and fancy voting for me - do feel free!! Just click on the link in the top right hand corner! I don't expect to win, but its really rather nice to have been voted for at all!

Well ... that's it for now. A little cryptic in places, but at least you know I'm still alive and kicking!!