Brit Mums Live and I. By a first timer.

I had a brilliant time at Brit Mums for lots of reasons, including some surprising reasons. I was by myself 95% of the time – which was a mixture of feeling awkward, daunted, ok and totally fine. Mostly awkward and totally fine. There were so many people and I literally knew no one! It’s very rare that I attend something where I have no form of wing man or wing lady to help me out. It was definitely good for me.

I’ll start with the most obvious reasons:

– My favourite session was the keynote by Benjamin Brooks-Dutton. Blogger over at Life As A Widower. Such a special and inspiring man. I heard every word he said. I also loved the end keynote where a number of bloggers read posts and poems. The poem Ross by All at Sea was remarkable.

– People who say they don’t like freebies are lying – there is no doubt about it. Everybody loves a good freebie and there were so many to be had. I loved receiving the book from Parragon Books and my scarf from Joules.

– I won a competition and the prize was a hamper of Nelsons goodies. As a massive fan of homeopathy I was thrilled! I cannot get enough of their products. I sniff a giveaway coming your way. My beautiful #SpatoneSelfie was a winner (clearly).

– The food was absolutely gorgeous and there was plenty of it! Ridiculous amounts of it in fact. As I was by my lonesome self most of the time, I found comfort in the Morrisons lounge (must look busy, must look busy) watching the demos with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The food just kept on coming.

– A few people thought I was a fashion blogger, which I find highly amusing, but also hugely complimentary. I have thought of adding a style feature to my blog, and this just might be the push I needed. However, it would then mean this blog is full of the most random combination of topics ever. We’ll see.

Day 1 – Hobbs peplum blouse & Zara floral trousers

Day 2 – Vera Moda dungarees & Zara striped tee

– I enjoyed chatting to the Head Nutritionist from Heinz Baby. Such a lovely lady. I was pleased to hear that they have spent the last two years ‘cleaning up’ all Heinz baby food, so they now contain ‘no nasties’. It is rather embarrassing how happy it made me feel inside. Seriously happy. I was thanking her like a crazy person and rambling about all sorts.

– Loved my 10 minute back massage on day 2.

– London has a special place in my heart as it’s where I went to Uni and where Jared and I spent a lot of time when we were dating. We managed to go out for a meal and a walk on the first night. Ru was a superb third wheel – asleep.

– I discovered two new books – Red Ted Art and Inspire which I am now in possession of. Both are divine. Winston and I made the giraffe from Red Ted Art today. Let’s just say, ours is not as aesthetically pleasing as the one in the book!

– Being toddler free for two days was…dare I say it? Pure bliss! We did miss him lots, and you have that constant feeling that something is missing…but it was fabulous. He had a great time. Safe to say, he hadn’t missed us.

The main reason I loved Brit Mums Live is because I came away with a feeling of contentment, contentment with my little corner of the internet. Let me explain. For a while I’ve had the feeling that I need to be more active on social media, that I need my blog to have some vision and drive, that I’m missing out on things, that I don’t connect with enough brands, that I don’t have a big enough or fast growing audience, that I don’t write enough sponsored posts, that I don’t post often enough, that I don’t know how to use a ‘big camera’ properly or organise my blog sufficiently. In short, my competitive side was creeping up on me and I was feeling my blog needed to be something that it’s not, and never will be.

I thought I would come away from Brit Mums Live with more enthusiasm, goals set and ready to roll, but instead the opposite happened. I have realised that I’m happy to connect with social media in a haphazard, non organised way, I’m happy that I’m not making any money, I’m happy that I have a small group of loyal followers, I’m happy that everything I write is relevant to me at that specific time, I’m happy with the number of posts I write and if brands want to connect with me, then bonus.

I’ve realised I am living the blogging life I want to…but sometimes you just have to see what’s out there to realise what you’ve got is perfectly perfect. It’s been a liberating experience.

The only thing I’m not happy with is the way my blog looks, so my one goal is to make it look as gorgeous as it does in my head!

E xx