Blogging Should Never Make Anyone Cry

Had an attack of the PMT stabbies yesterday, so I apologise if I was harsh about the changing face of Mummy Blogging in this country. However, in my defence, I'm watching a truly nasty bit of judgemental bitchiness unfolding at the moment, and have seen similar incidents over and over in recent months. Three of my favourite blogs have been deleted by their owners in recent weeks, and I'm reading (and relating to) post after post from women who are feeling invisible and overlooked, doubting themselves and their writing, and having to justify having an opinion that isn't politically correct or you know, honest. I'm also reading posts ridiculing these women.

Seriously, blogging should never make anyone cry.

All this has made me think about this blog, and after going around in circles and ranting to Hubs and Mum at length I've decided...

 Not to change anything.

 Yeah. And Lo There Was A Miracle.

It'll get more book orientated around here, as publication dates draw near (thus far I've got 'maybe December'!!) But the usual tragic tales of burnt cakes, cliff-hanger descriptions of gardening, and eye-rollings about pretty much everything will continue.

 So as you were dear reader. As you were.

Yesterday I was also having an attack of the Told-You-Sos with regards to the Very Famous Author who, at the start of my publishing journey, generously informed me that E-publishing is a total waste of time, and that I was doomed to failure, and should just give up and stop wasting my time with a dream that'd never seriously become a reality.

I have an info-graphic for you my dear...

 
Brought to you by: OnlineUniversities.com

And this, my friend, is just the beginning.
Told you.
Heh :)

Six Frickin Years

15th May 2006. The day I started blogging.

This week I enter my seventh year of blogging.  I also enter my ninth year of marriage. Clearly it is a week of milestones.

Bits of me have changed a lot over the last six years.  Like my bottom, it got very big, then small, then less big, then small again.

Other parts have stayed the same.  Take this morning for example... having poured a cup of warm tea over my laptop and my lap I make a swift exit from the shopping centre, a box of cupcakes clutched in my hand.  Who do I meet, with my damp crotch and high fat treats? My weightwatchers leader.  Sigh.

I cannot fully describe how blogging has changed over the years.  I'm proud that I was there, in the beginning, before the term Mummy Blogger had even been thought of.  Back then it was my own little idiosyncrasy.  Now its a cut throat world of narkiness and PR agencies.  Don't get me wrong, there is an abundance of awesome lady bloggers out there.  But its got commercial and competitive, and that can sometimes leave a sour taste.

When I started there were no programs telling you your blog statistics. No function for comments. Google didn't own blogspot. You couldn't post photographs easily. Facebook and Twitter were just beginning. Chat loops were the go, Yahoo groups was the place to be, and Myspace.  Everyone was on Myspace. No iPods, iPads, iPhones or Macbooks...

And I was being told by established author after established author that e-publishing was a waste of time.

A total waste of time.

Luckily I've got a really really stubborn streak.

So I wanted to say thank you to you, my readers.  For six years of visiting my blog.  I have no idea how many people have drifted by in the last 2190 days.  Thousands without doubt.  I appreciate the time you've taken to read my musings, ranting, moanings.  The commenters who made me laugh. The give away winners. Everyone.  Thank you.

Hooters have an equal opportunity program, right?? right??

Dear Kidspot,

Thank you for the complimentary t-shirt.  This made the unfettered joy of being in the top 50 bloggers (vote for meee) complete.

I'm going to wear it for my job application at Hooters.  They have an equal opportunity program for 40 year olds who've breastfed two kids, right? right?

Best wishes
Caitlyn Nicholas

Cake Friday

First, apologies for no update yesterday.  Blogger died. Big time.

So, Cake Friday. As you will recall I was fired from making my mother's birthday cake last week by my sister.  Well, this is the paltry offering she came up with instead...

Why yes, that is solid chocolate on top

It was served with a raspberry coulis and cream

The sponge I had in mind would've been Just As Good.  It would've.

sigh.

On an entirely different subject, I wanted to note here that I will not be entering into the Kidspot Top 50 Win a Ford Territory For A Year competition.  Why? Because I already have the X-Trail and the Mitsubishi and really don't need another car for a year.  And there are bloggers out there who really DO need a car.

I met the Ford Territory in question at the Top 50 launch last Monday.  Its lovely.  It really looks like a great car - and I'm going to be breathtakingly excited for the blogger who gets to have it.  So go to it, all 49 of you.  May the best blogger win.

Big Announcement... and Its not that I'm mother of year (WTF???)

Yeah, so.  They announced Mother of the Year, and apparently I'm not it.

I'm wondering which thing they found out about...

• Weaning at the first sight of a tooth
• Larger screamie's 3rd and 4th words being fuck and it (1st being No and 2nd being Dad)
• Locking screamies outside when behaving vilely IN THE RAIN
• Threatening screamies with dis-ownership after they locked ME outside IN THE RAIN
• Driving past face-down screaming screamie in car line, pretending its not my child
• Being unable to attach right name to correct screamie, dog or cat
• Feeding chicken nuggets that had fallen on the floor
• Sending screamie to school with temperature and going to hairdressers
• Not realising own screamie is ill
• Using clothing to wipe dirty mouths (theirs or mine - clothing that is)
• Forgetting sunscreen
• Forgetting hats
• Forgetting drink bottles 
• Abandoning poo covered underpants in various locations
• Singing a selection of eighties hits instead of lullabies
• Falling asleep during story time

Well, I may not be mother of the year this year, but at least my two screamies know I love them.  Well they would, if I knew where they were. 

Anyhoo, big announcement I've been rabbiting on about for the last week...

My blog has been selected to be in the Kidspot Top 50. 

Click on the pic to see my entry and vote

It is rather huge in the bloggy world and I am rather massively chuffed about it.  

If you would like to vote for me, well that'd be very much appreciated.  You can vote for whoever else you want as well, whenever you want, but you can only vote for me once (if that makes sense - it records your IP address).

Programming during the voting time will be very much as usual; Mummy fails, gardening, cooking and cake bakery, writerlyness, ranting, raving etc... but there will be an extra special blog post on 21 May - and if ever you have had the urge to comment, that would be the day to do it.

So there it is. 

Vote for meeeeee.

Autumn Harvest and also Lindt Chocolate.

First up, comments;  I've installed disqus so that I can reply to comments and let the commenter know that how much appreciate and love her/him taking the time to let me know what they think.  This is the only way I can do this in blogspot - unlike other blogging platforms, they don't have a comment reply function. So it was either disqus or moving the blog.  Let me know if its causing any dramas, and if you don't want to use it, do feel free to email me at caitlyn.nicholas@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading about the comments.  Now I shall make the tedium worth it.  You see over at Singular Insanity, Dorothy has got this amazing Lindt chocolate give away going on.  Click here to enter.  I'm talking $250 of Lindt Chocolate AND $250 Myer gift voucher - and no, I'm not getting any extra entries for mentioning it here - I just think its a great competition, and Dorothy is one cool chick.

Frills in the Hills is doing a similar giveaway - enter there for a second chance :)

$250 of Lindt chocolate, yes that's it in the hamper... I can hear Jan my weightwatchers leader howling "Nooooooooooo," at the very thought.  Entries close Thursday 5th May.

So, we were over at Mumndads building site house last week, and I went for a forage in the much neglected veggie garden.  Came back with four pumpkins, a crumble's worth of rhubarb and another 2kgs of strawberry guavas.

Excellent haul

I see pumpkin soup in my future, and more strawberry guava jelly, I wonder if it will set this time :)

Best Aussie Blogs Nominee :)

Vote for me, and your other favourite blogs, HERE.

I'm on the first page

Thanks all :)

Oh and I got my twitter button working, FINALLY (ahem, blush, blush)