The Blogger Recognition Award.

I’ve been nominated for The Blogger Recognition Award! (It’s not a put on a shelf award but I’ll accept it regardless) 
I was nominated TWICE which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy because two people, who aren’t my mum, like what I write. So thank you Lisa at Pass the Prosecco and Lucy at Lucy at Home for reading my ramblings and sharing them 🙂

You guys are the BEST.

The Rules

• Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
• Write a post to show your award.
• Give a brief story of how your blog started.
• Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
• Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.

How it all began

My Facebook statuses (stati?) were always funny little tales of the things Aoife had been up to. People used to say things like “You should write a book” but that seemed a lot like hard work so instead In January 2016 I started writing a blog.
It’s largely stories about my children, my approach to parenting/surviving, wine and whatever else is on my mind. Most of the time it’s pretty laid back and tongue in cheek but I do get serious. Initially Mum and Trish were pretty much the only people who read it. So this January I decided I was going to ‘up my game’ see if I could get non family members to read it, lo and behold it happened! So it’s all getting quite exciting now. Well for me it is 🙂

Two pieces of advice I’d give new bloggers

This is hard. Whenever I see a blog post entitled “12 things I have learnt since I started blogging last Tuesday” my eyes roll so hard it hurts. Even after blogging for 16 months I feel I have no right or authority to offer any advice.
Saying that, I’m still going to.

1. Keep in mind why you started your blog and try to stay true to that. It’s easy to see how well others are doing and get wrapped up in stats and the idea of making it a full time job. That’s all very good and well but, as a keen reader of blogs, it can ruin them. There’s nothing wrong with reviews or collaborations but when a family blog or whatever starts churning out 2 reviews a day every day it starts getting a bit dull. If I review something I make sure it’s something that I’d try whether I blogged or not. I won’t be reviewing car wax or skis!
2. It’s bloody hard work! Seriously, if you want to increase you readership you need to put some right hours in. We all hope we’ll write one thing, it will go viral and we’ll bask in the glory of that forever. Not a chance. If you want more readers than your mum you need to spend a lot of time self promoting and shouting “read this”. Some weeks I put 30 hours in just tweaking, tweeting, writing, and emailing and I am still a VERY small fish in this blogging pond! If you bear point 1 in mind though, this hard work won’t bother you because you’re doing what you love. Don’t let anyone make you doubt what you do.

So that’s my advice, you see why I don’t offer it very often!

I am nominating the following lovely people and I strongly recommend you read their blogs. If I’ve not included you on this list it’s because I know you’ve been nominated recently.

Rosarts blog 
Ricecakes and Raisins
Mums of Wandsworth
So Called Mom
Miss P Meets World
The Mum Project
Life, love and dirty dishes
Captain Bobcat
Life with Baby kicks
Single Mum Speaks
Matthew Blythe Meandminimees