Friday I'm in love...#BEDM

with Blogtacular.
It's been a week since I travelled down to London for the first Blogtacular conference, and it's taken me a week to sort the ideas that evolved from being there.  I'd never been to a professional bloggers conference before, mostly because I'd heard such disappointing reports from others and it's a big cost to feel let down, however I didn't need to worry here. Every part of this conference had the enjoyment of it's attendees at heart. From the hand printed by Zeena (filled with amazing products) goodie bags, strong cohesive branding throughout, unbelievable venue to the talented and honest speakers; the event was well thought out in every way.

Now this is where I started to get shaky, I'd come here totally alone only having spoke to some of the attendees through twitter. It's strange that for business I do lots of networking and can come across confident but in this crowd and because my blog is more personal I found it really hard to put myself forward. I did make some great new friends, everyone here was on the same page(you didn't have to explain why you were photographing a book) and after a while I think I opened up a little more and relaxed.

The keynote speaker to open the event was Joy Cho from OhJoy fame, as a designer, blogger, author and the most followed person on Pinterest, she spoke of her life and the choices made to bring her to where she is now. I must admit at this point I was totally overwhelmed with the things Joy had achieved so far, it made me think what's holding me back? The main point that came from her story was she knew what she wanted and tried, tried and tried until she got there, it didn't matter what obstacles were in her way. It's also amazing to meet people in real life when you've followed them online, with Joy she really is as beautiful as her blog photographs portray. 

The next day was an early start and on the Saturday the event was filled with sponsor stands,comprising of B&Q promoting their new paint range(with meringues no less), Betty & Walter who gave the bloggers all a treat in their goody bags, The Hambledon (who I'll need more jam off in the future), Thompson Holidays and a selection of book publishers. As well as the staff from Mollie Makes who were speakers and had a photographer present. I found these stalls a great talking point for bloggers during breaks, and the people staffing them were really proud of their products and company. There was no hard sell to buy, they really did just add to the fun element of the day. 

The main day was a slam dunk of brilliant speakers, the ones I saw were:
Will Taylor - Bright Bazaar Book launch
Ann Ditmeyer - Discussing value.
Tilly Warnes & Vicky Orchard - From blog to book.
Yvonne Eijkenduijn - Yvestown
Alison Sandler, Annabel Beeforth, Courtney Adamo & Joy Cho - Blogging business panel.
Cathy James - Social Media with Intention.
Caroline Rowland, Heather Young, Kate Carter & Lara Watson - Secrets of the Editors.
Natalie Lue - Closing keynote speaker.

These speakers inspired me so much in different ways, giving insider knowledge of working with magazines and publishers, how they grew their blogs into businesses, they all had such passion and dedication but the one that really touched me was Natalie Lue.  Her quote of Do not "should" yourself, is now pinned to my note board. She discussed the creative nature of blogging, and how her business began but also the point of not making comparisons, admitting her feelings of inadequacy hearing Joy Cho speak and telling herself off for it. Proving that it doesn't matter how big you get in the business we all have our worries. This is what I admired most in all the speakers I saw, their ability to show their worries, passions, open their hearts out to the attendees and then in the end leave them filled with enthusiasm that they could achieve the same level of blog/business success too.  Thank you Blogtacular, I can't wait to catch up with you amazing people next year.

Thank you to MollieMakes.co.uk for the lovely photographs  If you're feeling glum that you couldn't attend Blogtacular then fear not, the talks and panels were recorded and can be purchased through a Virtual Conference ticket, and when released will be promoted online with a virtual party, so you get the social media interaction too.  I'll certainly be buying one to catch up on the sessions I couldn't attend, and be inspired all over again.

Weekends and Mornings. #BEDM

Saturday morning feel a bit strange in our house, recently I changed my hours at Monsoon to concentrate on my own businesses and this change means I no longer work on weekends. Now as someone who's worked in retail since I was 15; weekends off were something to be dreamed about, booked off in advanced, for a reason and to be used wisely. Hence now I feel at a loose end given a Saturday morning of non rushing with the children, cartoons in the background and still wearing slippers at 9am. Don't get me wrong I still use the weekends wisely, they are now the time to clean, wash school uniforms, tidy a week of mess and organise. 

However nothing gets done on an empty stomach, and as part of my new healthy life program I need to force myself to eat a correct breakfast. It's hard to change things that you've got into a routine doing, normally breakfast would be toast smothered in butter and jam, with super sweet coffee gulped at breakneck speed while trying to dress children and feed the cat. I've started the Curves Complete diet but am struggling with breakfast, it requires a high measure of protein and after a week of shakes(with spinach) and eggs today I gave up and went for Granola, yogurt and fruit.  I still have my morning coffee(made in a little stovetop maker) but no sugar. Cutting sugar out my tea and coffee has been a huge thing to change for me, but after 3 weeks it's starting to taste wrong any other way.  Over breakfast coffee is the best time to write your lists for the day, it's especially nice when you've got lovely stationery to do it in.

Today though I could see the boredom in the children's eyes from first thing, they normally have enough to occupy them for Saturdays, homework, cartoon watching, clarinet playing, den making, cake eating...but not today. So we headed into the town centre for a peek at the Pirelli Car Rally that was on, thinking the views of cool cars would entertain them.

You may have heard of Pirelli as a big tyre manufacturer, they have a huge factory in Carlisle so the name is very well known locally. They hold the Pirelli PB Foundation Rally every year to raise funds on behalf of Richard Burns a driver that died of a brain tumour in 2001, and it takes place across Cumbria.

I actually don't know anything about Rally Cars, I like watching it on telly and think it would be awesome to be in one. The children were confused about where you'd put the car seats in. It was a great atmosphere, and the drivers were mingling with all the visitors while waiting for the race to start, it seemed like a very pleasing sport to be a fan of.

With all the cars off in a puff of exhaust, we had tea and toasted sandwiches in town, bought some activity magazines and heading home to spend the afternoon colouring, puzzling and crafting the day away.
Our morning was quickly over in small measures of joy and new things to see, but every morning seems that way with children, and you never truly seem to have a routine.

My 5 Blasts From the Past #BEMN

Today's Blog Every Day in May is to pimp out 5 of your past posts. This is a great idea for all the people newly clicking on this little site through #BEDM to have a nosey through. Here goes: Number One - A small hello, but maybe the start of something big. Number Two - Elderflower Trail Number Three - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne  Number Four - Blurry Wanderings and A World Waking Up Number Five - How to Crochet a Bow  I hope you enjoy these and feel free to leave a little comment on them.