Being A MAD Blog Award Pregnancy Finalist

I think it would be fair to say that over the last 4 years of my online blogging career I have been incredibly lucky to have met some amazing people, discovered new and exciting brands and companies and also for me and my family to have been on some amazing adventures. 

However to get those opportunities and build the relationships in the first place required a humongous amount of time, patience and work. Regardless of some thinking that being a blogger is easy and its something for nothing its actually far harder than any of my previous job roles. 

Money is tighter and if you worked out the working week in terms of hours my hourly rate of pay some months is below the national minimum wage, however after pure unadulterated hard work, sweat and tears my job role allows me to stay at home with the kids and it allows me to work flexibly round the needs of my family… so every day I am thankful for that.

Over recent years I had come to a really happy place both at home and at work and no longer did it bother  me where I sat on the blogging chart. So when the MAD Blog Awards voting nominations opened I tweeted out the obligatory ‘would love you to vote’ and wrote ‘that’ status update on Facebook but I can honestly say this year out of the last 4 this was the one I was too busy with a brand new baby to really think about. 

Needless to say when it was announced that I had been selected as a finalist in the MAD Blog Awards in the pregnancy category I cried. 

During my pregnancy I slow blogged, I took my foot of the gas and fell back in love my blog for what it is and what it has given me and with so many amazing bloggers that covered their pregnancies I honestly hand on heart was gobsmacked that I got through and felt so very humble to be there.

Last weekend I along with all the over finalists attended the amazing Award Ceremony at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington in London to rejoice in how much we had achieved by being there and also to find out who won overall in each category. 

However before the MAD Blog Awards I got to meet up with so many of my lovely blogging chums and got to have my hair and make up done by the professionals, all before donning a dress (yep that’s right I wore a dress) 

Having a very small baby this year I have hardly attended any events in comparison to other years and I have missed my blogging compadres! 

So much so the wine flowed so very freely, as did the conversations and by the end of the night so did the dancing too… *cringe* yes to go with the dress I was also very drunk and even danced in front of a camera* 

Thanks Kirsty from My Two Mums for firstly being a super friend and putting up with my drunken antics, particularly my dancing and my constant stream of waffle… but also for capturing it on video! 

Although I didn’t win my category I did have the most amazing time and I for one feel so very honoured and privileged to have reached the final few people when over 250,000 votes were cast and I got to celebrate my final pregnancy being a finalist in the awards in the pregnancy category. 

I may have come home with the most horrific hangover I have ever had, bar the one I got after drinking a litre of Tequila in 1998 but I also returned home knowing how lucky I am to have some amazing friends and an amazing family. 

A massive thank you goes out to the wonderful Afra from Mad Mum Of 7 for her constant friendship, Becky from A Beautiful Space who inspires me everyday and the amazing Colette from We’re Going On An Adventure who continues to support me even when I am hopeless! 

The biggest thanks however has to go to each and every one of you that took the time to vote at the beginning of this year, when my life was so chaotic and busy, you guys had my back and for that I can’t thank you enough.