30 days later - Nablopomo, the verdict.

Dear Reader

I agreed to nablopomo (a blog post a day in November) on a complete whim.

Here's what I learnt from some of my better posts:

• Quality Time - It's about writing about your own life, but making it relevant to others.
• Vintage Fisher Price Camper - I think my photography has improved this month.
• Little Legacy - I keep thinking I am nearing the end of this project, then new people join me on the journey, cheering me on my voyage through bereavement and offering beautifully written tales of inspiring people.
• Sponsored posts can be great writing prompts, which stimulate debate, and they don't have to stop you being you.
• Making people 'feel' can be more about senses than emotions. Psychosomatic nits anyone?
• I realised I love documenting the 'little bits' of our lives, nablopomo made me put them up when I might not have got round to it normally.  My 5yo daughter was caught singing I wanna be a Billionaire, my son rocked Pyjama chic.  

Here's the good bits:

• Having to post everyday helped me feel more relaxed about my posts, sometimes not having the time to agonise over them is a good thing.
• I believe 'just writing' is the best way to get the creative juices going, drive in the dark and see where it takes you.  Much of the time I don't pursue lots of ideas because I'm not posting daily.  I got to try out more ideas.
• I got more of a feel of what my blog is about, and what kind of posts work for me and my readers, although I think you are a very varied bunch.
• I reconnected with some good friends I started this blogging journey with.  I also spent more time visiting some blogs I had lost track of and met lots of new ones. 
• I became much more aware of the kind of content I want to read, I think this will shape the content I produce.  See I'm using the word content?  Perhaps it was timely for me, but I was ready to move out a little bit from the personal, to debate some bigger issues.
• I received some offers of cash, some lovely review products and other brand related opportunities.  Whether this was coincidence or down to posting more making me more visible I don't know, but it was nice to know my hard work was being rewarded.
• I fulfilled my dream to say 'Here's one I made earlier' Blue Peter style in this vlog.  A friend lent me Adobe Premier, I loved getting my hands on some decent editing software again.

The bad bits:

• I didn't have as much time to read other blogs, or reply to comments.  December will therefore be share the comment love month, as well as be a bit more sociable on Twitter month.
• I think I probably annoyed some of my email subscribers, but saying that some were amazingly supportive.  
• I may be a little more paranoid than usual about my blogging.
• Week 4 felt a bit lonely, perhaps everyone felt a bit saturated by my efforts by then.
• Some posts could have benefited from a bit more time to marinade.  On the flipside I think I might be better now at weeding out seeds of ideas that were never going to bear fruit in the long run.

Overall, I think it's been a positive experience, sometimes you don't see the full benefits of something until you have had time to step back, I think I will definitely spot more as I carry on the blogging journey.

I am also just proud of myself for sticking to my goal.  And I am so very grateful for all the comments and your patience with blog post bombardment and my written experiments.

Thank you

Penny
xxx

To do lists

I write lots of lists, but one of them sent me over the edge last night. Can you guess which one?

I have a house list which goes something like this:
fix washing machine
do washing
tidy up
food shop
cook
repeat lots
Find rattle bought for cousin's new baby and post (bribe 2yo to tell me where he hid it)
Post overdue thank yous for 5yo's birthday presents before they send birthday cards to the 2yo.

2yo's birthday party list
cake making, party bag filling and pirate game inventing etc.

Blogging list
Actually I stuck to this list last night and I didn't get sucked into random acts of internet time wastage.  I found loads of lovely blogs to comment on, in the Britmums nablopomo group.

The school list
Fill cup with sweets for Christmas Fayre
Take in a bottle and put child in own clothes on Friday in aid of Christmas Fayre
Take in soft toys and games for Christmas Fayre
Furnish the tombola for the Christmas Fayre
Make child do colouring competition for the Christmas Fayre
Sell raffle tickets for Christmas Fayre (Dad?)
Perhaps if you could spare an hour or two volunteer to help at Christmas Fayre.
Attend said Christmas Fayre
Enthuse tired and grumpy reception age daughter about reading (top priority)

I can actually cope with a washing machine repair, having to bribe the 2 yo and plan his party, but the list that sent me over the edge yesterday was the school one.  A book bag full of requests.  Much as I love the sense of community the PTA provide, I can't sustain the pace.  Although, after working through the entire pile of requests, I found the paper that said I didn't have to do all of the above.

A Christmas list will be following shortly.  I have been a very good girl.

Any tips for a parent new to the joys of school age children?  Any list management tips?

There is a sponsored link within this post.

Who said romance was dead?

My next Kodak Big App wall art project... 

Forget the kids, who said romance is dead? 

This one's for my husband.

Don't forget the Twitter party Wednesday 23rd Nov 1-2pm, get some great printer Christmas gift ideas and, if you tweet #printerprojects, with a tip, craft, idea or example of a Kodak Big App picture, you’ll be entered to win:

• a 7.1 Hero All-in-One printer with 4 packs of A4 photo paper and 5 cartridges each of black and colour in
• 1 x M5370 Digital Camera

I'm @Aresidence

Terms and conditions apply, see here for more information. This is a sponsored post in association with Britmums and Kodak.

10 is the magic number

I’ve been tagged by Helloitsgemma to answer 10 questions, as a way of getting to know a bit more about fellow bloggers. The idea is to then tag someone else, preferably someone who is taking part in the NaBloPoMo challenge.

1) Describe yourself in 7 words?
creative, direct, enthusiastic, thinker, impatient, restless, demanding.

2) What keeps you awake at night?
Very little, I have always slept in a crisis and suspect I am vaguely narcoleptic.

3) If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be and why?
The Queen of course.

4) What are you wearing right now!!
Dressing gown and pjs.

5)What scares you?
Rodents.

6)What is the best and worst about blogging?
Best thing is creativity, worst the time hoovered up in tinkering.

7) What was the last website you looked at?
This site about making easy, affordable wall art 

8)If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I did  a personality test, I am an ENTJ meaning I don't have a lot of patience with small children or less experienced people.  Yet I became a teacher and stay at home mum.  I wish I had more patience.

9)Slankets – Yes or No (this divides the blogging world 

No, I'm 34 not 4 or 70 thank you very much.  I do love camping and caravanning though, can see the benefits but much prefer my tartan rug thanks.

10).Tell us something about the person who tagged you?
Gemma is like a penpal, she gives me much needed perspective whenever I lose my way with blogging.   She loves climbing.  She's fab.

I’m tagging:
Mid 30s Life
Imperfect Pages

T is for Time The Gallery

The time has come when my two are beginning to work together.  How I have waited for this day.  How many games and activities have been destroyed by a rampaging two year old, or a four year old who wants to do it her way. But at 'nearly three' and 'just five', and finally separated by Miss L starting school, they are beginning to appreciate the fun of working together.  Inbetween healthy bouts of scrapping and sibling rivalry of course.

For me this clock represents their first truly co-operative joint venture.  Mr G made the tower, Miss L made the clock face.  I love the way it captures where they are in time; he is learning to represent the structures of the world, while she is learning to represent its signs and symbols. Together they painted it, with Mr G even resisting the unbearable urge to paint over the clock face.

Time.  I have never mourned its passing, because the journey with children always brings something new and exciting.  But, I confess I might have wished it would hurry along a little, only that end bit, just before Miss L started school, it was tough on all three of us. So I love this clock, this marker of time, seeing it forces me to stop and take stock, before the whistle goes and we steam off to the next adventure.

The theme of The Gallery is the Letter T.  This is Day 2 of #NaBloPoMo, a blog post a month in November.