Post Comment Love and Blogger Showcase 5-7 May 2017

May 5, 2017

Hello there and welcome to another PoCoLo and yet another Friday. I'm pretty certain they're coming around much quicker at the moment, although perhaps it's all these short weeks. I seem to be having many more short weeks as earlier in the year I carefully planned some time off to make sure of that, but it's still taken me by surprise.

If you were here last week, thank you, it was great to see you; if you're new here then you're most welcome, I'm pretty sure that this week I can predict more great posts from our friendly PoCoLo community. This week I'm hosting on my own, but let's get on with things.

Last week you'll remember it was a Le PoCoLo from me, I spent the day in France shopping and eating and had a great time. It was only yesterday that I went back to work, so it's been a bit full on here. There's been plenty of gardening, some more shopping - more on that soon, a visit to Grand Designs and an early celebratory meal at a posh restaurant.

And that's where this week's photo is from, after a lovely meal we headed out for a wander around the gardens, which were stunning.

Blogger Showcase Mama B from Our Alternative Life

1. Who are you?

I am BloggingMama101. A happy, home educating Mum of two, both of whom have a diagnosis of autism, hypermobility & sensory processing disorder. Married 17 years to registered deaf hubby.

2. How did you discover blogs/blogging?

I started writing my blog - Our Alternative Life - in response to our total change in lifestyle. I didn't expect our lives to pan out the way they have but it's a glorious journey and I wanted to share that with others - particularly those who may be feeling daunted by life throwing them similar curve balls.

3. Why did you start blogging?

I started in January 2016 - about 6 months after we left the formal education sector, and 3 months after my son's diagnosis. I also now have a book review blog too - Read All About It 101, and it'd be great to see you at either of my blogs.

4. What do you find most challenging?

I know not everyone will agree with my all my opinions all of the time, but my blog is my outlet, my place to be me. So I strive to keep it as real and true as I possibly can, without causing unnecessary offence to anyone.

5. What is your favourite topic to write about?

My favourite topic is my kids! Whether it's autism related, or Home Ed related. I've just started to do book reviews though, and my first product review is in the pipeline so I'm excited about diversifying. I did my degree in English Literature so I feel like I'm going back to my roots. My greatest passion stalwarts be Autism Awareness and Acceptance, closely followed by the awesomeness that is Home Education.

6. Are you blogging for fun or do you have goals?

I blog for me. Being a Special Needs parent means I have had to resign an enormous amount of my sense of self, in order to parent and advocate for my children. Blogging gives me back something of me, a piece of my own identity again.

7. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

My goal this year was to get 1.5k followers on Twitter (done - in under 2 months) and to increase my blog audience (currently 9.6k views - and I'm keen to get to 10k). My goal now is to increase the actual number of followers on my blog so I can start interacting more with my readers.

8. Have you ever attended a blogging conference?

I've never attended a blogging conference.

9. What are your 3 best posts?

My 3 best posts are undoubtedly What I Think About School, Busting 8 Home Education Myths and then a tough call between Friend or Fiend (How Autism presents differently in girls) and A New Dawn (which addresses the anti-climatic feelings experienced post-diagnosis).

10. Describe yourself in three words

Passionate, Honest, Caffeinated.

11. Are you a tea and biscuits or coffee and cake person?

Both, simultaneously.

12. What's your idea of a perfect night out?

A night out would be perfect.

13. Your perfect night in?

Wine, friends, friends with wine, friendly wine, whiney friends.

14. What would your best friend/OH/mum or kids say is your best quality?

My best friend would say I am the funniest person alive.

My kids would say my hugs.

I probably couldn't repeat what my OH would say & it's best for everyone if we don't ask my Mum.

Thanks Mama B, anyone that opts for all options in question eleven has to be onto a good thing, I'm sure. Please do grab your "I was featured" badge.

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Le Post Comment Love 28-30 April 2017

April 28, 2017

Hello there and welcome to another #PoCoLo where you can link any post you've shared in the last week. That makes for lots of good reads for everyone, so if you're new here welcome and if you were here last week, welcome back - it's great to have you here.

I've had a fun week this week, lots of things going on as usual and cramming work into three days so I can enjoy an extra-long weekend with some time off this week and next too. There's been new stuff: I received and cooked my first ever Gousto box and I'll share more here over the weekend and some new storage for our spare bedroom, old stuff: we've been taking more things to the charity shop and finally found somewhere to recycle small electrical items after a bit of a wild goose chase. I mean it's easy to see why so much stuff gets dumped if it's that hard to get rid of things isn't it?

There's been more gardening, I finally got to potter in my greenhouse and we're making real headway adding edges to our circles, which is just as well really as the date for our 110th party is looming, and I'm hoping we'll be spending the day celebrating in the garden especially after all the work we've put in.

I've been in my element there too, with lots of planning and even some doing going on. We're in France today - hence Le Post Comment Love - so if you tweet me today my retweets might be a little slower than normal. We've lots planned for our time off, but I'm also hoping that before I go back to work next Thursday, there'll have been some crafting too.

My picture this week is another from Greenwich Park, and looking at it now, it looks as if it should have been taken on a warm sunny day. Now doesn't that just go to show how pictures can lie? The sun probably was out, but this week has been far from warm. There was thunder and hail one afternoon, and as I'm typing this the heating is on. Let's hope the weather remembers it's the end of April soon and sorts itself out!

Blogger Showcase: Natalie from UpYourVlog

Natalie's UpYourVlog blog covers beauty, fashion and fitness, and was something she started to appease her parents and explain to them what she got up to! And a perfect night out would be cocktails, and more cocktails - or prosecco - and lots of dancing. You'll have to pop over to Morgan's blog to find out more though, and be sure to check out Natalie's best posts. I'll tell you now one of them's about fly fishing, which Natalie says "I know, fly fishing. But it was such a great experience!"

Connect with Natalie here

Instagram - Twitter - Facebook - Google+ - Pinterest - YouTube

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Post Comment Love and Blogger Showcase 21-23 April 2017

April 21, 2017

Hello and welcome to another Friday and another #PoCoLo - if you were here last week, thank you and if you're new here welcome. Both Morgan and I hope you find plenty of good reads in our friendly Post Comment Love community.

It's been a funny week hasn't it, I think short weeks always are. We had a good, but chilly Easter, and the weather has been tricking me this week since we've been home too. Tuesday morning it looked nice out and so I left home without a cardy, I almost came home again to find one but decided against it and later wished I hadn't. Although the skies were blue, so was the temperature.

It has warmed up a little as the week's gone on, but generally let's just say it's been brrrrrr! The wind has been showing its hand in other ways too, just look at the blossom on my walking commute. There's much more on the ground now, although I kind of like the idea of pink flower beds, don't you?

Blogger Showcase: Pam from Pam's Bake and Baby blog

1. Who are you?

My name's Pam and I'm a 32 year old mum of two - Fraser 3yrs and Hannah 1yr. I'm wife to a mountain biker-surveyor-whisky-drinker, Ross. We've been together 15 years, married for eight and I've worked in the rail industry for over 10 years.

2. How did you discover blogs/blogging?

I have been reading baking blogs for about 5 years since I really got into cake making. It opened up a whole new world for me, moving onto parenting and lifestyle blogs as well.

3. Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging - at Pam's Bake and Baby - because friends badgered me to. Since having kids I have been posting funny anecdotes and pictures on Facebook and everybody told me I should be blogging. Having taken fiction writing courses and writing only fiction since I was younger I wasn't sure how I would get on, but I'm really enjoying it.

4. What do you find most challenging?

Writing content I think will engage people. Sometimes I try too hard to write what I think others will want rather than what I enjoy.

5. What is your favourite topic to write about?

Definitely mishaps with the kids. I love the humour and the camaraderie from fellow mums.

6. Are you blogging for fun or do you have goals?

I've only been blogging for 5 months so at the moment it's just for fun but I'm keen to see what I can do with it.

7. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

It has to be the feedback and support from other mums, bakers and bloggers.

8. Have you ever attended a blogging conference?

I haven't yet attended any conferences.

9. What are your 3 best posts?

My 3 best posts are

10. Describe yourself in three words...

I'm a continually harassed individual that sets herself constant goals and puts herself under more pressure than she needs to. I work full-time, shift work in the rail industry and juggle this with a husband who works away a lot, two kids and a growing list of cake making requests.

...Oops!

11. Are you a tea and biscuits or coffee and cake person?

Tea and biscuits all the way. Have been known to finish a whole pack of chocolate hobnobs and hide the wrapper like a guilty child!

12. What's your idea of a perfect night out?

That would be a very luxurious meal with good wine, then cocktails, followed by a night in a hotel so I didnt have to get up with the kids.

13. Your perfect night in?

A takeaway slob night with a good box set and no housework!

14. What would your best friend/OH/mum or kids say is your best quality?

My mum would say I work too hard and don't take enough time for myself. My husband would hopefully say I'm a fun person to be around and make our home a place he can't wait to come back to.

Thanks Pam, it's lovely to read more about you and your blog and thank you for letting us know you enjoy our PoCoLo linky, please do grab your "I was featured" badge.

Connect with Pam here:

Twitter - Instagram - Facebook - Pinterest

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