Humbled – the MAD Blog awards
Last night I was feeling tired, overwhelmingly tired. I’d gone for a 10 mile run in the morning and then got straight on with my day. I’d spent the day outside watching my son doing sport (more on that tomorrow) and it had hit me. I rarely feel tired, but running 10 miles takes it out of me (most people reading this will not be surprised at that!). I can run eight miles with no effect whatsoever, but 10 tips me over the age. I never rest afterwards, I just get on with whatever life throws at me.
Anyway… I’m often up until nearly midnight, but at only 9.15 last night I knew I couldn’t do anything but go to bed. I was just reading in bed when my phone started going crazy. Tweets coming in thick and fast from lovely people like Sonya Cisco 3childrenandit Actually Mummy and Mummy Glitzer and a Facebook message from Uley Girl They were all saying the same thing – I was a finalist in the MAD Blog awards! Me? Little old me and my little blog? A finalist?
I literally couldn’t believe it. The tweets were coming in at a rate of knots and I couldn’t get my head round it. I was confused and overwhelmed. I hadn’t even looked at the list – I didn’t have time to, what with all the tweets coming in saying such nice things. So Uley Girl and 3Childrenandit started to nag me, in the nicest possible way, to just look at the damn list.
I looked at the list. And there I was in the finalists for best schooldays blog along with, I’ll be honest, some people I’ve never heard of and the awesome, blog royalty that is Actually Mummy
Yes, I’d written a begging post asking for nominations, but I didn’t pimp it much, I didn’t want to get on people’s nerves. I just wanted to be nominated. Never in a million years did I expect to get to the finals. Seeing my name on the list of nominations was thrilling enough. I thought I’d been nominated in four categories, but in the last few days I’d discovered it was five, which was awesome in itself.
The schooldays category was always going to be ‘my’ category because that’s what I write about. I always felt parent blogging is very much about babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers and I started my blog because I wanted to share the fact that bigger kids can be funny too. This became so much more, but at the heart of it is always my bigger kids – the sport, the arguments, the fussy eaters and, yes, the pride.
I’ve never held back about what I write. I’m honest and open about the good and the bad. I don’t generally write about big issues, I just write about my family and everything that affects us. I have my rules I follow – I won’t publish a recognisable photo of my kids, I’m careful about mentioning my wider family except in passing and I won’t swear. I guess I must be doing something right.
After being so tired last night, I couldn’t sleep. I am just too excited, too grateful and too humbled. I can’t believe that people have nominated my blog, that, with all the amazing blogs out there, that they like mine. I am so grateful to everyone who nominated me.
Thank you all very much.
You are a perfect fit for schooldays, your blog is a beautifully written tribute to family life, and I am immensely proud of your achievement! Well done you! Xxx
I wholeheartedly concur with Sonya. I too had a long day yesterday – I was up at 5.30 after only 3 and a half hours sleep and had a long day as I was filming. I am also up against blogging royalty – Mammasaurus – but the fact that I am there is a complete honour. Well done, you so utterly deserve your place. Look forward to seeing you there :)) x
Another concurrence with Sonya here! Congratulations! xx
Congratulations and very well deserved.
Just fabulous! I am so proud of you and I love your blog so am not at all surprised it’s in there :)) x
Very much well deserved
Sonya is right, your blog is entirely schooldays and a perfect fit for that category, where many blogs do a bit of this and that, yours is focused. Knowing who you are and what you write about, is why you’ve succeeded. And the blogs people read are the ones that open up about everything. Good luck, but you’ve won already (what a cliche!). If you win it’s a BLOODY MASSIVE EXCITING bonus. Sorry for swearing 😉
Well done you!!!! Well deserved and a very well written blog that is in the perfect category!!
Massive congratulations. There are some excellent finalists and you thoroughly deserve to be amongst them. Very well done!
Wow that is amazing! Brilliantly well done xxxx
Congrats lovely, you deserve it!! X
Well done you. You’ve earnt it.
Thank you very much, everyone. I really appreciate your comments – and your support! I couldn’t be in the finals without people reading my ramblings every day.
Sonya and Uley Girl – you are right, my blog is focused. I never meant it to change the world, it is a blog about family life, warts and all. The fact that my kids are all of school age is obviously an advantage here! x
So sorry not to see some more of you in the finals.
So pleased for you, I love your blog as the love for your family shines through and you talk real stuff that I can relate too. Right behind you. xx
Thank you very much, I really appreciate that. I love your blog too because it’s so honest. I think if we are honest in our writing, the positives will always outweigh the negatives, but we should write about the negatives too and not gloss over them. x
Well done Sarah, well deserved 🙂 how do the pick the winner? by votes or by judge? let me know if its votes ;)Thanks for linking up with us this weekend…
Well done and much deserved. Good luck with the voting :O)
Thank you both, I really appreciate that. It is votes, Clairejustine, so I may give you a nod when the time comes! 😉 Every little helps!
Delighted to see you here and what a beautifully written post, I was quite blown away by your tales of finding out on twitter. Of Course you should be a finalist and everyone will know you now! I can’t wait to meet you.
Thanks very much, Coombe Mill, I really appreciate that. It’s so exciting. Can’t wait to meet you too! There’s so many people I’m looking forward to meeting, it’s going to be amazing.
Well done – look forward to meeting you at the Awards and absolutely spot on about the swearing in blogs. Maybe we’re getting old…
I have just been checking all the finalists. Wow, congrats!
Thanks very much, both. Mark – can’t wait to meet you. Glad someone agrees on the swearing in blogs – I swear in real life and I actually don’t mind reading swearing, but what about if some people do mind?! It’s safest not to do it! I *may* have voted for you in one of your categories 🙂