Review: Brompton Lakes Self Catering Lodges in North Yorkshire

Last weekend I was invited to stay for the weekend at Brompton Lakes self catering lodges in North Yorkshire. Myself along with five other bloggers head over the Dales for two nights of relaxation, food and laughter. What I didn't expect was the peace and companionship I found from spending time with women who expected nothing from you but to be yourself.

A Weekend In Cumbria With Sally's Cottages

A couple of weeks ago I was invited along with eight other bloggers to spend a weekend in Cumbria with Sally's Cottages. This was the third blogging retreat to take place with this group of bloggers, however it was my first chance to attend so I was really excited to get together with all the girls and have a good natter and relax.

Blog On Blogging Conference Five Years Later

This weekend I attended the Manchester blogging conference, Blog On. After originally thinking I wouldn't attend this one, I decided I couldn't miss out on the social aspect it brings me twice a year, and I'm so glad I did. I have been blogging nearly eight years now and in that time have attended many a blogging event and conference. Eventually they all fade into a blur of faces, brands and sessions you don't really remember, however there is just something different about Blog On.

The cake
Photo credit: Steph

Who Am I?

I am a wife.

I am a mother.

I am a thirty something.

I am a Yorkshire lass.

I am a chronic illness sufferer.

I am a sensitive soul.

I am an idiot at times.

I am gullible.

I am naive.

I am ferocious.

I am creative.

I am passionate.

I am ambitious.

I am not a blogger. At least not for now.

For six long years blogging has been a major part of my identity. It has given me purpose. It has give me focus. It has given me a sense of pride. It has made me confident. It has brought friendships. It is the only thing I have ever stuck to and one of the few things I remained passionate about. It gave me a place to record every memory. It gave me a place to offload. It gave me a voice. And now it feels like that is lost somewhere. One more thing stolen by this illness. One more battle lost.

For a few months now things have not been right. My head has been too busy for my body to keep up with. I've spent too much time in bed and too many hours trying to stop my brain from it's endless cycle. I have been fighting to keep up to it all, to retain my normality as much as possible, refusing to give in or back down.

 But I can't keep it up anymore. Something has to give.

I am so angry and so, so sad to lose this part of me. But I want to be there, to be present in my own life, and be awake long enough to watch my children grow and spend time with my husband, family and friends.

So with a heavy heart I am giving up this part of me, the thing I said I never would do. Hopefully it won't be for long, but it must be until I feel I have enough left to give. So this is a bit of a goodbye to anyone that reads this little part of the Internet world. Hopefully I will be back, we will see what the future holds.

BML16 Video Round Up

A couple of weeks ago saw the annual blogging conferences, BML16 (otherwise known as Britmums Live), take place. Hundreds of bloggers, myself included, flocked to London to learn, socialise and eat cake and generally have our regular catch-up that some of us wait all year for. It was a really great day and I vlogged during my time there:

What To Do When You've Lost Your Passion?

Here I am, part-way into January already and this is my first post of the New Year. And it's a bit of a lost one, as I'm really not sure what to write. Ever since Holly was born, five year ago, and I turned to blogging to give me something to do other than tending to a newborn, it has been a hugely important part of my life. I've shared my stories, listened to others', I've made friends both in person and online, I've learnt so much about the blogging world and about myself and I can't remember a time when I didn't flick on the computer as soon as I'd made my morning brew and catch up with whatever I'd missed overnight.

That is until now. I've opened my computer a few time, but mainly to check cinema listings or look at holidays. I've not checked my blog stats, as I'm pretty sure they would be minuscule, ad every time I've considered writing I've just thought 'no.'

I feel a bit empty without it though, as though a part of me has died somehow. Writing it all down and being part of the community has always meant so much to me I'm not quite sure where to go from here. Do I give it all up, all the years of hard works, laughter and indeed tears, and walk away, or do I just keep waiting for some lightbulb to come on that will reignite that fire I had back at the beginning? I'm fearful that it won't come back at all, and I'm not sure what I'll do if it doesn't. This blog means the world to me and leave it to drift away would just feel wrong.

I'd love to know if you have felt this way and what decision you took? Did something come back on or did you feel ok about walking away? Where are you now with it all?

Where it all began

Pro Blogger Interview: A Mummy Too

Continuing my series, interviewing some of the most successful bloggers of the moment, this week I am talking to Emily Leary from hugely successful blog A Mummy Too.

Originally a parenting blog, Emily found her niche in the food blog arena and quickly made herself known. Her blog this year won Best Food Blog award and Emily has been featured in magazines and run workshops and presentations at many prestigious events. On top of all this, her blog is in the top ten bloggers on Teads, Tots100, Foodies100 and Cision.


Can you tell me a little about your background before blogging? How did you get into it? 
I started out in PR and marketing while still at uni and soon found my specialism in the digital/social sphere. By the time I started my blog, A Mummy Too in 2011, I’d been in digital for about 10 years. The blog was just intended as a hobby while on maternity leave, but I kept it going where I could once I went back to work and really fell in love with it – the creativity and the community especially. After a couple of years, I knew that blogging was where my heart was, so I decided to leave my career behind to write about food and lifestyle full–time.

Having worked in the PR industry for a number of years you must know better than many of us how it is to work from the other side of things. Are there any insights you can share on what PR's are looking for? 
I think something that comes up time and time again is understanding why they want to work with you. Whether in-house or agency, PRs and marketers are ultimately working to meet their company/client’s business objectives and more specifically, that year or quarter’s marketing objectives. They’re not (or at least shouldn’t be!) simply doing blogger outreach for the sheer fun of it, rather it will be part of a plan for the year, so the better you can understand how you fit into those plans, the better equipped you are to deliver your part in the campaign to the highest standard. If a brief feels loose and you’re feeling a little unsure as to what activity to propose/deliver, it’s completely fine to say, for example, “Can you give me a little outline of what the campaign is aiming to achieve and any key messages you’re looking to convey?"

You are a well known full time blogger, has your previous experience helped with this at all?
Through my previous career I’ve had a lot of writing practice, understand social and have lots of experience working with brands, which is obviously all useful, but I don’t think a PR background makes it much easier to be a successful blogger. Being on this side of the fence is very different, and I’ve had to learn as I go, just like everybody else :)

What would your advice be for someone who is looking to turn blogging from a hobby into their career?
Start treating your blog as a business long before you begin to rely on it as your sole source of income. Be organised, keep records, plan, standardise your working processes, rates and terms and organise them along with your credentials into a media kit to share with brands, learn from your analytics, strive to continually improve on your own best.

You must pitch a lot to different companies, what seems to work best for you and what not so much?
I rarely, if ever, cold pitch – it’s much easier to propose an approach when you know what campaigns that brand/agency is working on at that time. I prefer to focus on warm/responsive pitches i.e. when a brand gets in touch to tell me about a campaign, if it’s something I feel is a good fit, then I’ll come back with some ideas about how we could work together.

Emily is a full time blogger at A Mummy Too and can be found on Facebook and twitter.

Pro Blogger Interviews: Ghostwriter Mummy

Welcome back to my fortnightly blogger series, where I interview today's top bloggers and ask those burning questions you would love to know the answer to. Hopefully these bloggers can help unlock some insights that will help us all grow our blogs and develop to a place we would all love to be.

Today's interview is with with Susanne from Ghostwriter Mummy. Susanne has been writing her parenting blog for five years and in that time has shared her very personal stories of birth trauma, Hyperemesis Gravidarum and IUGR. Susanne also supports a number of charities including the Lullaby Trust and the Maternity Matters Academy and has raised thousands for these causes close to her heart. By sharing her story, Susanne has helped numerous others in their own journeys and was this year nominated for Outstanding Contribution in the Mum and Dad Blogger Awards.

Your blog really seems to have taken off in the last year or so, what do you attribute this to?

When I started writing about my pregnancy with Elsie, I realised that I hadn't been writing much of what really mattered to me. I found writing about the HG, IUGR and hopes for her birth so cathartic, and without realising it I was going back to basics. So I think the only thing I did was write from the heart (I know that sounds corny) and I stopped worrying about stats etc. I wrote for me and it was nice to remember what that felt like.

You run your own business as well as blogging, how do you find the time to fit it in?

Haha. I get up early, and I actually work a lot from my phone whilst feeding Elsie. I type onto the pages app on my phone which syncs to my Mac, then I edit it when I get chance and add photos etc. I always proof read and probably leave it a day before I publish as there's always something I can change at the last minute. I'm not as prolific as other bloggers, but I do take my time over each post. I have no set schedule so they go up when I have a window of time.

What is your best advice for managing your time as a blogger?

Close all the tabs while you're working. I close Facebook, Twitter and my emails so that I can concentrate on one thing at a time. I set a timer on my phone too - so if I decide to spend thirty minutes on my blog, I spend only thirty minutes. It can always wait.

You support lots of different charities, how do you choose who to support when your time is so precious?

I support charities that support me, and charities that are close to my heart. Namely The Lullaby Trust, the Birth Trauma Association and MAMA Academy. All charities who have helped myself and others over the years, and I feel an affinity to them all. You cannot support every charity, no matter how much you would like to.

If you were to give advice to bloggers who are wanting to work with charities themselves but not sure in what way they can help, what would you say?

Approach them and ask if they would consider working with you on their next campaign. Write about them and their work and tag them in tweets. Support them and be vocal about it. They will appreciate the support and they will probably bite your hand off to work with you!

Simple Daily Habits To Ignite Your Passion For Blogging

I have been blogging for getting on for five years now, and in that time my frequency has been pretty hit and miss. From blogging daily around a year ago, I now blog two or three times a week. I have had periods of no blogging and there are often times I sit down to write and the words just do not come.

So today I thought I would put together a few ideas if you are in the same boat as me and not always feeling your blogging mojo. If nothing else I can refer back to these myself when I'm having an off day!

Print from Charm & Gumption

Pro Blogger Interivews: Coombe Mill

Welcome back to my fortnightly blogger series, where I interview today's top bloggers and ask those burning questions you would love to know the answer to. Hopefully these bloggers can help unlock some insights that will help us all grow our blogs and develop to a place we would all love to be.

Today interview is with with Fiona from Coombe Mill. Fiona and her husband Farmer Nick run fantastic self catering farm holidays and alongside this Fiona runs their blog where she shares activities from the farm as well as the weekly linky, Country Kids. Fiona has won four awards for her blog as well as countless nominations and is widely recognised as both a fantastic blogger and brand.


How do you think your experience as blogging from a brand perspective differs from personal bloggers?

In many ways not very much and I think this is actually the secret of my success. I really like to know and understand and connect with bloggers as fellow parents and not just see them as potential customers. I chat just like any other parent on social media and try to remember significant events in others live. On the blog I am mindful not to alienate followers so my posts are not ranty, shouty or sweary and few posts are controversial. The odd post that has involved a little controversial debate created great interest but on balance I decided it was best to steer away from such subjects. Generally my posts cover the happy events on the farm, things in our personal lives which are well received though interestingly they are often nothing to with the business. I believe it is good to have a mix of posts, those which are designed to entice you for a visit and those that are purely an insight into our lives away from working. I am keen not to be a pushy brand but rather a friendly blogger. I join linkys, host my own and comment widely and am always striving to improve my blog.   

Do you get many requests from people looking for freebies? How do you feel about them?

I do receive a fair few requests for freebie holidays; they are generally nicely worded and opportunistic. I don’t mind at all, after all I think it is quite common with the bigger companies and ambassador programmes. However in reality we are only a small family business and apart from an occasional competition, like the one I’m running now on my blog to Win Christmas with us, I don’t offer freebies. Not that I wouldn’t like to, simply that I can’t afford to and for all the popular times we are fully booked anyway. I think I have been extremely lucky to have appealed to the parent blogging community and now have a full Pinterest board of holiday reviews for Coombe Mill from paid for visits. https://www.pinterest.com/coombemill/holiday-reviews-for-coombe-mill/

If you could advise someone on the best way to pitch to brands, what would it be?

My advice on pitching to brands would be to be clear what you can offer them. They may not understand the blogging community and social media as well as you do as a blogger so spell out the obvious and don’t feel shy to shout about your commitment and achievements and what that will give them in social media presence, but be realistic and honest to them and yourself about the time you have and what they can expect to see from your efforts. Find out the person you need to speak to and address them by name then email, tweet or phone, sound confident and friendly, the worst they can say is no, this is why I never mind if someone approaches me. Despite being a brand I still pitch to brands myself, like my linky sponsorship of ‘Country Kids’ with Muddy Puddles and ‘Trash 2 Treasure’ with Duck Tape Colours.  

You obviously run your own business as well as your blog -  how you find time to fit it all in?

Do you schedule posts or is it more when you have time you write a load at once? Running a business, a blog and bringing up 6 children is a juggling act. I work late into the night 7 days a week and thrive on just 5 or 6 hours sleep every night. This said I will also take an hour out in the day to go for a run or a bike ride and my children are now growing up and do help with the business. I have days when I have my “writing head” on and will draft up 3 or 4 posts, coming back to them during the week to edit and add photos. I usually work a week ahead in draft as I hate being up against deadlines and always worry about the unexpected with the children or the business so I like to be prepared. 

What is your best advice on running a linky and how to make it successful?

My advice on running a linky is to choose a topic you are really interest in and know you can create a host post for easily. For me outdoor fun was a no brainer with the freedom of our 30 acre holiday farm. Make your theme wide enough to encompass a range of posts but with clear boundaries and try to be original, no one likes to be copied. Having done this, tell the world about it, make reference on your other posts and share on twitter but be careful not to spam people with it. Be a good host and comment and share all who link with you. Never take those who link up for granted, it takes time and effort to join in and it is important they know you appreciate this, but be warned, it takes me about 10 hours a week commenting and sharing and inviting back on Country Kids, so give it some serious thought before you jump in to run one. I think linkys work best run weekly or monthly, personally I find bi-weekly really annoying as I forget which week it is and I’m sure I’m not the only one; I run Country Kids weekly and Trash 2 Treasure monthly.

Pro Blogger Interviews: Honest Mum

Today is the first in a fortnightly blogger series where I interview today's top bloggers and ask those burning questions you would love to know the answer to. Hopefully these bloggers can help unlock some insights that will help us all grow our blogs and develop to a place we would all love to be.

Today I'm kicking things off with Vicki from Honest Mum. Vicki is a full time professional blogger who works with some amazing brands. She has modelled, presented and been the face of several companies all the while blogging and being mum to her two boys.

You work with so many amazing brands and have fantastic opportunities, do you tend to pitch to brands or do they find you? 

They come to me 99% of the time but if I see a brand I like who are usually following me on twitter perhaps, I will send an email or dm and ask if they are seeking bloggers or have any upcoming campaigns. I'm for being proactive, and self-promotion. My background as a filmmaker helps with this hugely, I've had to pitch to producers and networks a lot in my past. Definitely bloggers should pitch and start relationships with brands. Don't limit yourself whether you've just started or are established, everyone has targeted, niche audiences that matter to brands. Also when I'm approached for campaigns, I pitch my own ideas or offer my own angle on campaigns. We are digital storytellers who know our blog and audience best, great brands respect and understand that and will let you make paid posts personal. Those are the most successful and most natural campaigns. Be yourself.

If you could give a blogger any advice on how to approach brands, what would it be? 

Ensure your blog is as a professional and slick as possible and that you have a media kit (without fees ideally - always negotiate based on brief) and a 'work with me' page too. Make it easy for others to discover and work with you. An clickable email at the top of your blog along with social media badges and an 'About' section. Always be polite and professional and work with brands which fit your ethos and style.

You come across as a fantastically confident person - is this something you've had to build on over time or does it come to you quite naturally? 

I think most outwardly confident people are not necessarily always confident inside (it's impossible to be all of the time), we're just used to fighting the fear and doing it anyway - and confidence is a muscle to be practised, the more you feign confidence the easier it becomes and the more opportunities you push yourself out of your comfort zone, the greater you grow. A bit cheesy but true.   I lost my confidence hugely after a traumatic birth with my first son Oliver - blogging, the support of my family and a councillor ultimately helped me regain it piece by piece after losing my identity after a tough time. Confidence is fluid for all, I think as long as we are aware of that, it's OK. No one really talks about feeling worried or nervous to save face so those who are struggling feel alone whereas in reality we are all struggling to varying degrees dependant on what day we've had and tasks await. It's natural for most creatives to struggle with confidence, we are laying ourselves bare whatever our medium and craft and it takes great courage to do so. It really is crucial to push through the self doubt though, to pursue our dreams and goals.

How do you manage to fit your busy work schedule around your family? 

It works, I have a small team here, a publicist who negotiates my contracts and help with business development, someone who deals with IT and keeps my blogs looking their best, and an assistant. My eldest goes to school, and my youngest is in nursery part-time and my parents help a lot too. My husband shoots for me when he's not working in IT and we're a team. I expanded the business as it grew and having the support means I can focus on what I love-the written word and moving image. I work a lot on business development too and have some exciting new areas I want to pursue. This job is wonderful because I am in control, in the driving seat. I am there for my kids, working on my terms and in my own time. I work full time hours but they are structured around my family so I don't get to miss out on dinner, bedtime, fun. I always have Fridays off for Xander and I, and weekends are dedicated to my family too. This year more than ever has made me feel more balanced and happier than before. I'm also in a position to say no to projects I don't love and focus on those that feed me creatively.

If someone was looking to become a professional blogger like yourself, what would your top tip on how to go about it? 

Trust your voice. The Internet can often feel like an overcrowded space but there is room for us all. The beauty of blogging is, with a touch of a button a like-minded audience can and will discover you instantly. Follow your passions, write from the heart and share what you love.

Vicki is a full time blogger, award winning filmmaker and Mum of two who writes http://www.honestmum.com and style blog http://www.mummysgotstyle.com.

How I Made It Into Tots100's Top 50

So this week I found out I made into in the top 50 of Tots100. For anyone who isn't sure what this is, it's the chart for parent bloggers which has over 8000 blogs in it, so top 50 is pretty darn good. So today I thought I'd share how I did it.

Surviving A Blog Conference With Chronic Fatigue

This weekend sees the return of the renowned blogging conference Britmums Live, and for those of us in the blogging world with chronic illness, the anxiety will have well and truly set in. As much as we want to go to these events and even look forward to them, there is always that little nagging voice in the back of out heads wondering if we can do this, and if we are slightly crazy for trying.

In the two years since I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue I have attended six conferences, most of which were in London. Some I have come away from proud of myself for doing it, some having found some incredible support, and some crying my eyes out, completely overwhelmed and wondering why I bothered.

All ready to go

If you suffer with chronic illness you may be feeling similar to myself, but I'm here to tell you that I have done it and you can too. Here are a few of my suggestions for making your time away manageable and dare I say, enjoyable too!

BlogCamp UK 2015

Each year as April approaches I start to get pretty excited. For us bloggers it is the beginning of the season where we have the chance to get together in 'real life' rather than the virtual one, chat about something we all have in common and refine our craft - it is the start of the blogging conferences.

Blog Babies

Last week saw hundreds of us waiting up until midnight, constantly clicking refresh, awaiting some big news. A few of us sat on Twitter, chatting together, killing the time. For those of you who aren't aware, it was the day when primary schools places were announced. Like many councils, our local results were revealed online just after midnight and as the minutes approached I began to get butterflies. Would we get a school we would be happy sending our first born to, or would we have to deal with appealing and the disappointment of a possible failure?

One by one the results filtered through and via Twitter and Facebook and shouts of happiness or disappointment were announced. We were fortunate to get the results we wanted, but not everyone was. Regardless of the sentiment though, we all came together to share in the moment.

My Britmums Live 2015 Sponsors

After a bit of back and forth I have decided to attend the parent blogger conference, Britmums Live once more. I was unsure at first as to whether I wanted a change of scenery, having attended for the last two years, however in the end didn't want to miss out on such a great day surrounded by amazing brands and inspirational bloggers.

As I have done previously, I was on the lookout for one or two sponsors who I could offer my support and shout about for the next twelve months, and I am thrilled to announce them today.

Juicing and Yoga With Curry's

Just over a week ago I was invited to attended an event in Leeds with Currys PC World. I travelled across the moors with local blogging buddy, Let's Talk Mommy and we had a lovely catch up, making the hour and a half journey fly by.

The lovely Jenny

Crafting With Laura Ashley

Just before Christmas I was invited to attend a crafting event with Laura Ashley with lots of other bloggers. We all met at the stunning Rosylee restaurant in Manchester and had a lovely few hours crafting, chatting and eating the amazing canapés on offer.

I put together a little video from our day, which I thought I would share with you today.

It was really nice to take some time out and have a natter without constantly being interrupted by children. It was also lovely to do some crafting, which I always enjoy but never have time for - my poor sewing machine is collecting dust in the spare bedroom! We also got to get our hands on some beautiful Laura Ashley paper!

A huge thank you to Laura Ashley and Joe Blogs for a great afternoon.

A New Direction?

This weekend I attended Blogfest, the blogger conference run by Mumsnet. I spent my time with some incredible and inspirational bloggers and had such a great time, laughing and chatting away, in fact we spent more time doing that then attending the sessions!

Meet The Midwife With Cussons

Last week myself and a few bloggers enjoyed a lovely afternoon at PZ Cussons HQ. It was a special day for the brand and one special lady in particular, Kerry Evans, who is their chosen midwife to receive the financial support of £60,000 to enable her to undertake a PhD, starting this month. Working with the Royal College of Midwives and Wellbeing of Women, the sponsorship is the first of its kind to enable research for a PhD whilst allowing the midwife to continue working in the field.