The Best Tools For The Job

As well as running my beauty blog and all my social media channels, which I do on my own without any help at all, I also work full time in quite a stressful and incredibly busy job, this sometimes includes working evenings and weekends throughout the year.

Photo by on Unsplash

Running an office with 6 members of staff is quite full on and to be able to do all of the above, I spend a lot of my working week online, be it writing emails, sorting websites, delivering campaigns, doing my own social media, writing a blog post, uploading and editing photographs, I need to ensure I have all the right tools available to me and the most important one is having the best Fibre Broadband I can have.  I need to ensure that my provider gives me the fastest upload and download speeds available within my area and I also want to ensure that each staff member has everything they need to do their job, if all 6 of us are online at the same time, I don’t want it to affect the broadband speed with constant buffering.

So, having just had my office completely renovated from top to bottom, I now find myself in a brand new part of the building that had never before been used.  There was no telephone lines, no media ports and not even a single plug socket that had been used.  This meant that having ended my previous telephone and broadband contract after 15 years, I was able to look for a better deal. So, one single look using my work postcode as to which company offered the best deal took less than 5 minutes to complete and now instead of having less than a 20mb speed, which was quite shocking, we now have 59mb and the difference is incredible, a report takes less than 2 minutes to upload onto our online portal now whereas it could be anything up to 15 minutes before we switched over.  Meetings on Skype no longer buffer and constantly state we have connection issues.

The majority of my work is now done online, I have business skype meetings, phone conferences and whilst I am in the office, especially if I am working late then I have the ability to have music on in the background and in the office we are all hooked up to Spotify and each takes it in turns to play our choice of music, I usually always have the news on in the background, some days I need background noise to be more productive than I would usually be, other days it might be the cricket or my newest love for crime podcasts, there is nothing quite like swearing at an excel spreadsheet whilst listening to a serial killer programme, it removes the temptation to just throw the monitor out of the window!

For blogging, I often write posts during my lunchtime, whilst on a break or before an evening meeting and that often means I need to do a bit of research, fact-checking and photo editing and uploading all from my office.  If you have a slow broadband connection, it can take forever to load some sites due to their fancy graphics and constant pop-up adverts (annoying). The one thing I've noticed a huge change with having better broadband is just how quickly I can do all of the above.

I fully accept that having the internet is a luxury and having superfast fibre-optic broadband more so, especially when some areas of the country struggle to get a signal on their mobile phone never mind WiFi, but it is a luxury that I need to do my job and to blog. 

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Blog promotion part 2 - The Importance of Comments!

Last Sunday I blogged about promoting your blog, with specific reference to the importance of Twitter, if you didn't see it, you can HERE.

Today I am going to focus on comments, something a few people have emailed and tweeted to me about wondering if it would form part of my mini series, so that is what I want to mention today.  To me comments have two functions - blog promotion and social interaction and naturally the two work hand in hand.

I spend a lot of my time commenting on blogs, I always have done. If I read something I want the author of that post to know that someone out there has read what they have written and that, that said person was me - why? Because for me, comments are one of the main points of blogging, what is the point of writing a post for it to get ignored, not be interacted with and left unnoticed?

There is nothing more soul destroying than spending an hour or two writing a blog post for no-one to leave a comment. You can see from your post that 34 people have visited but the comments still stand at 0, it is a horrible feeling and you start re-reading your post imagining something is wrong with it. 
It is as annoying as sending a text message, you know it has been read but that person hasn't replied to you. In reality there probably is nothing wrong with it and for many different reasons a comment wasn't left.

We comment on things in so many different ways to communicate, often without realising we are doing it to converse, add an opinion, make a point, share our thinking and to learn from one another. We also comment on many different platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Emails, Texts, Whats'app all of which we use daily and if a question is poised or a comment made, we would reply, possibly without too much thought process, it is just the right thing to do.

For me blog comments are another way of interacting with people, much like Twitter, someone tweets you, you reply and it should be the same on blogs if you read someones post, let them know you have bothered to read it and make a comment about the subject in question, you might just make their day.

So how does commenting encourage blog promotion? well when I do leave a comment on a blog I usually include a link to my blog. Why? well it is all in the name of self-promotion. The link tells the blogger  A) Who I am, B) The name of my blog and C) it makes it easier said blog owner whom ive just commented on, to click on my link and head to my blog and D) anyone else commenting might like what I have written and also be curious to find out who I am and also click on my link - thus increasing my traffic!

How else can you get comments? Well this is a quick summary to some of the things ive been told to do, advised to do, shown how to do and do.

1.  Ask questions - Either at the end of your post or somewhere within your post ask something you would like your reader to answer.  so for example I wrote a post on my birthday meal at Burger and Lobster and at the end asked "Have you ever been to Burger and Lobster or have you ever had Lobster" in the hope it will engage with my readers and prompt them to reply and leave a comment.

2. Social media interaction - Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are great ways of getting your blog noticed.  Giving people an insight into who you are, what you like and showing cute pictures of your cats in funny poses always attract someones attention. 

3. Regularly tweeting - I mentioned this in my last post but I think it is important.  Twitter chats, tweeting your new post with a link, hashtags, commenting on someone elses tweet and so on.  

4. Facebook groups - This is one thing I am new to.  There are some blogging Facebook groups, a subject which will be covered in another pot, which allow you to leave your link in exchange for comments.  Groups like UKBloggers for example, simply leave your link and comment on at least two of the links above yours.  I do this daily, not only does it give me some interaction with some people I might not ordinarily come across, but it brings me some traffic too, remember blog promoting.  I tend to comment on more than just the two links above mine, I always scour through the list and see if any other links interest me enough to click.

5. Linkys - If you see them mentioned on Twitter or Facebook some will be worth joining.  For example, one of my favourite is run by Hayley from Sparklesandstretchmarks has started one called #Sundaybest and it allows you to add the link of your most favourite post from the previous week for other people who join in to read.  The idea being that you look through all the links and read the ones you like the sound of.

6. Answering comments - The main post has been about the importance of leaving comments but there is another side - answering them! I hold my hands up and admit that this is not one of my strong points, but I am getting better at it.  If someone is kind enough to leave you a comment, make sure you reply to it, they might come back to check and see if you have done so

7. Make it easy to leave comments - I do believe you should make it as easy a you possibly can for someone to leave a comment on your blog.  One thing that really annoys me is Capitcha, I am sorry if you have it on your blog but it winds me right up and the chances of me leaving a comment are slim because I have to spent 3 days figuring out what the blurry letters are by squinting at the screen, only to get the red pen of doom to tell me it is wrong and to try again with even more blurred lettering.  It is annoying!  If you want someone to comment on your blog and you want to use some kind of device, then look around at those blogs who get lots of comments and see what they use to get them.

So that is what comments received and comments given mean to me and why I think they are important. Don't forget to leave them!

So what do you think? Do you do all of this? 

Is there anything you think I have forgotten?

Follow my blog

  

Things I wish I had known before I started blogging

The recent fall out and gossiping over a certain site got me thinking about all the things I wished I had known about before I started blogging.  My blog is by no means perfect and from my first initial post, to the ones I post today, I do feel like I have learnt a lot, but I obviously don't know everything there is know.  

Blogging for me is a constant learning curve and I pick things up from new bloggers just as much as those who have been doing it a lot longer than I have and I suspect many people do the same thing.  That said, I do see things on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and so one which make me think  "If only I knew that when I started out as a mere newbie blogger", one of the main tasks being how difficult it can be to grow instagram followers and that it isn't something which will happen overnight, it is a never-ending process, as people follow, people will unfollow, it isn't personal. 

So, with that I thought I would list some of those valuable insights, tricks of the trade, secrets or whatever you want to call them in my first year of blogging and I would be really interested to hear your thoughts and comments too.

It is okay to miss posting daily!

When I started blogging I would be constantly writing one after another to ensure that I had at least 7 posts a week or one for everyday if you will. 

Sometimes I would really have to burn the midnight oil to juggle being a wife, work full time, spend time with the Hubby and friends, not to mention all the chores that need doing at home or in the office.  In the first few months I put a lot of pressure on myself to be consistent and whilst it is good to have a schedule that everyone comes to know, there are times when life just gets in the way and you have to learn to deal with that because it is inevitable that there will be days that you simply do not have the time to post.  

If this happens, what should you do?  Well never feel you have to apologise, we are all human and non of us are perfect, life is too short to worry about it and it isn't as though you have just abandoned your blog, people will understand. Don't stress about it, write your next post at the next available opportunity and continue with life as normal, it is unlikely people will click that unfollow button because they haven't heard from you in one whole day.

It's not about the 'free' stuff!

I have for the last ten or so years always had a platform online where I share my views on the products I use and those profiles are still open and online on sites such as Ciao and DooYoo. For me blogging was the next step up because I felt life had become quite sterile on both sites, though I am still fairly active on one of the sites.  I didn't start blogging to get those free things, infact I never knew PR companies sent things out to bloggers until I was contacted.

Anyway, as PR Samples is one of those topics which pops up on twitter every now and again with moans, whinging and gripes that so and so gets lots of samples whilst others don't, some don't declare it properly, others do and so on. I hold my hands up and say that frankly this doesn't interest me one iota, I couldn't care less who gets what, it is their view I am interested in and whether or not I need it in my life.   Take the last lot of Benefit products which got sent out, now I had flagged Big Easy as a product I thought I would love after reading about it online, turns out after reading 5 or so reviews from bloggers I like, that I don't think it is for my skin tone and I therefore haven't bought it, but do I think less of Benefit because they didn't send the product to me? Not at all.  Would I stop using Benefit products because I didn't get sent something? Not at all.  

Relationships with PR's

For me this is really really important because I have been lucky enough to receive some absolutely brilliant products and I am always grateful for those opportunities and I do take my time to properly use those products and blog about them. I have also met some fabulous PR representatives who take have made a real effort to form a relationship, naturally there have been some awful ones which I am sure is par for the course.

However, despite those relationships, I am not one of those people and nor will I ever be, someone who gets a product and writes about it three days later claiming it is the next wonder product. Sorry that isn't me, how can I tell you if a shampoo is amazing after using it twice? I can't it is that simple, it takes a good few weeks for your hair to get used to using the shampoo and over that time there will be certain changes which take effect and I will want to write about them and include them in my review.

All of this takes time and a lot of effort, so whether or not a product is really 'free' is for you to decide, but reviewing things for brands does throw up a lot of questions:

• What do you do if you don't like the product that you've been sent?
• What do you do if your skin had a bad reaction to a product?
• What if the shade you were sent doesn't suit your skin tone at all?

It is quite simple - Be honest and have some integrity. I never want to offend a PR company/person, a brand or even another blogger but there are always going to be some products that are not right for you and it is far better to be honest about it than to simply state everything is fabulous when it isn't. I personally couldn't do it and when I have been sent a product I didn't like, I have always told the PR exactly why, sent them my review and we have taken it from there, you won't get your head bitten off and they won't think you are ungrateful, total opposite infact.

Constant improvement is a good thing!

When I first started blogging, I was offered a product to view and I eagerly replied saying yes please I would love too, only to be told that on reflection my viewing figures were not high enough and my Google Analytics figures were not good enough either, the same thing happened with a well known advertising company, they approached me first, I filled in their questionnaire form thing and again I was told "Sorry you don't actually meet our requirements".  To be told that crushed me, why offer something then take it away and why not do some proper research first? and for a few weeks I did debate whether or not my blog was any good and was I wasting my time if I wasn't good enough.

Having chatted with a few friends, they gave me some tips and pointers and my backside was well and truly kicked into looking at my blog properly.  Since then I have always compared my blogs to others, instead of finding it quite daunting and depressing, I find it quite helpful.  I always have these questions in my mind when doing so:

• Why is it that some blogs have lots of followers and others don't? 
• What is it they do that I don't do? 
• What can I do to improve?

From there I have learnt some valuable lessons about fonts, photo sizes, labels, alt-tagging photos, blog post titles and buzz words to name but a few. I am sure I still have a lot more to learn and I have no doubt that there are many things I can do to improve my blog, but for me they are all things I am learning about at my own pace.

You don't have to have a million followers to be a good blogger!

There is a lot of pressure out on bloggers to increase their readership, it is a simple fact and the point above demonstrates why in one example. But readership and followers are two very different things for me.

I do love it when people follow my blog,  I get quite excited when I am alerted to a new follower and I always go and check out who they are, have a quick read and follow them back (if I can find out how) if I like their blog.  I never do follow for a follow, I think that would demean the whole point of blogging and be a little unfair because I value each and every follower that I have and I do spend time reading their blogs.

Readership on the other-hand is more important.  If you have spent hours writing a post and no-one reads or comments on it, it can be quite deflating. I have been there and done it, it still happens from time to time, but I use it as a learning curve to see what people like to read and what they don't like to read on my blog.

Google Analytics
Yes the dreaded GA.  When I set my blog up, for the first 6 months or so I had no idea what GA was or how I could install it and I always got confused when people asked for my figures, I assumed they were the ones you saw when you logged into your blog, clicked page-views and had a nice little set of figures. No, apparently not.  

Instead of spending hours reading about it, I came across a really fantastic help guide by fellow blogger Georgina or Makeup-Pixi3 as you might know her and it was so well written and easy to understand that within half an hour I had it set up, correctly and it is still working right now.

Why do you need it? Well if you want to work with PR Agencies it is helpful because they will more than likely want those 'figures' such as unique page views and followers and for yourself, I really like looking at how each post performs, which ones get more reads and which ones barely get noticed.  It has also helped me find the perfect time for posting to get the most exposure on certain days and see where my traffic is coming from.

People can be cruel

Going back to my first point really.  Sadly there are in life nasty vile trolls who take it upon themselves to have a dig, say nasty things, put you down, poke fun and so on.  There is nothing you can do about these people, they are trolls who thrive on negativity and as a blogger you need to develop a thick skin pretty quickly because no matter how hard you try or how much effort you might put into something, there is always someone who has an 'issue' with it. 

However, please don't let that discourage you and stop you from blogging, everyone is entitled to their opinion and for every negative comment you get I am sure there are ten times the positive and supportive comments and if you don't everyone to see the comment, you are the one in the driving seat - delete it.  I have had one or two comments from people and a few facebook messages which said my blog was "Boring, dull, useless and that my posts were truly awful" and yes it did upset me at the time and it did make me question whether or not I should continue.  That was however one persons view and I took a look at their blog and didn't particularly like what I saw either, only I chose to not tell them and instead move on.

Network and make friends with other Bloggers!  

Blogging is not a competition, there us plenty of room for all of us, even though at times it feels as though it is and there isn't. Bloggers make great friends, infact since I started blogging I have been lucky to meet quite a lot of you at various events and have made some amazing friends and it is such a valuable friendship to have. Why? because they understand where you are coming from, it is likely you have similar interests, they read your blog, they can give constructive criticism, they want to see you do well and if you are falling out of love with your blog and are wondering whether you should continue, they are the ones who can tell you to get over it and get on with it.

It is also nice to share things with your blogger friends.  If I get invited to an event that I think someone else would love, I tend to ask if I can bring a friend and if the answer is yes, I ask that blogger if they would like to come with me. 

If you do get to go to events, talk to other bloggers, don't stand there in a corner on your own, be bold, be brave and go say hello.  Not everything you read about bloggers in true and I am yet to meet a nasty horrible one!  Same can be said for Twitter chats, they are invaluable.  You don't have to do them every week, but I would advise you to do as many as you can to get yourself and your blog known.

Source

Photographs.
Yes one of the issues I have with my own blog is how awful my photos look alongside other bloggers. I feel the photos I take are as important as the words I am typing, so with that in mind, I am constantly striving to improve them and be more creative to make them stand out, look professional and be better than I ever imagined they could be.

I have been spending some time learning how to use apps like Picmonkey to see how hard/easy it is to play around with some of the photos I have taken to make them look better.

Social Media is Important!

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Digg, G+, Stumbleupon and so on, you name it they are important to your blog and driving traffic and this is one area that I am still learning about.  There is now so many social media sites that I have come across of late, I have them written down in one of my notebooks to look at and learn about.  

When I first started blogging, all I ever used was twitter and instagram, two things I had for 'Real Life' that I adapted to blog life.  In reality, I wish I had been more clued up on how to use them all in the beginning because things might have been so different to how they are now, that said, I am getting there slowly. 

How do I contact you?

Bloggers are nice people, PR people are lovely, brands have some lovely staff and non-bloggers are also on the whole lovely.  However, more often than not I come across a new blog that I like reading and I can never find a way of contacting them.  Make it clear on your blog how I do this, where I can find you and possibly most importantly how you want to be contacted.  

On my blog I have a contact page which lists numerous ways in which you can find me - email, twitter, facebook being the main ones and I have symbols for each of these displayed clearly on my blog page constantly under my photo. If you want to hear from people, make sure they can find you easily.

Those are the things I wish I had known before blogging, not that it would have put me off, but it would have made my life much easier.

I would love to know if there is there anything you wish you'd have known before you started blogging?

Blog V Working Full time - how I stay organised!

I often get asked by fellow bloggers how I manage to run my blog, post most days and work full time.  As a blogger you all know how much hard work it is, it isn't simply a case of going to Boots, buying three items and writing about them, for me it is a case of getting the product, writing some initial thoughts no matter how trivial they might be, using the product for a few weeks and then having taken photos, I write some more notes before constructing my final masterpiece and yes I work full time, I am a wife and mummy to three cats, not to mention a tank full of fish, so how do I do it?  

For me the key is not just to be organised, it is being really really organised and these are my tips.

1. Notebooks 

I always have a notebook with me, whether it is on my bedside table, in my handbag or on my desk, I always ensure one is close to hand. I am a huge fan of stationary anyway and love pretty notebooks, so this also helps with that addiction.  

However, having something and somewhere to write down those thoughts, ideas, notes and pieces of information you might need or find useful at a later stage is something I find super handy.  I also find having a notebook handy when I go to events, product launches and meeting other bloggers, you absorb so much information that you sometimes just need to write things down, either there and then or on the way home when things bounce in and out of your head.

For me having a notebook or five is one way of keeping myself organised as well as a Filofax that I use for invitations and event notifications.

2. The to-do lists

I hold my hands up and admit that I am a list writer, I always have a to-do list whether it is in my filofax, on a post-it note, a document at work on my computer or in one of my many notebooks, I have a list and I use it.  My to-do lists aren't in any particular order, like my notes they are things that pop into my head and I add them onto my list and as I work my way through that ever-growing list.  I also have a list of products that I am reviewing whether I have bought them or they have come from a pr company, it serves as a timetable land a reminder all in one.  As I work my way through those lists I feel a sense of achievement as it gets smaller and more things are crossed out.

Like notebooks, for me lists are another way of staying organised, it is is rare I forget to do something, though I am not perfect and writing lists is something that really works for me.

3. Blog post writing

Do you have those days when you just want to sit there and write posts, one after another? Make the most of them and do it, where you can. I often find that if I am in the mood to write, then I can create numerous blog posts with minimal effort and it is less of a strain throughout the week.  

At any one time I have between 10-20 draft posts, admittedly not all of them are complete, but at the top of those draft posts I will have a to-do list to finalise the post before it goes live, such as taking photos, sorting my labels out, adding my links in and so on.  In doing thing this way, I find running my blog much simpler and easy to do, even of that draft post only consists of a few lines, paragraphs or even thoughts to help me write it.

4. Photos

I have admitted in many posts that this is perhaps on of my main weaknesses but I am taking steps to improve.  However, if there is a glimpse of that yellow ball in the sky known as the sun and you have time to take photos, take as many as you can at once and upload them to your computer so that you have a natch of photos you can use when the time comes to writing that post.  I often take quite a lot of photos that I haven't got round to blogging about yet and that serves as a reminder to get on with it.

5. Scheduling your posts and your tweets

I know some people have a real issue with this, but I don't.  If you have a really busy week, try and schedule one or two posts during that week to keep things moving and relieve some of that pressure. I often schedule one or two posts a week and set reminders in my diary to tweet about them and add them to a few of the Facebook Groups that I am a member of.  

The same can be said of tweets, you can use applications such a Hootsuite to schedule some of your tweets to give yourself a bit of breathing space.

6. Organised Inbox

Like most bloggers, I get a lot of emails flying into my inbox and I don't always have the time to sit and read them as soon as they arrive.  

I use Gmail for my emails and I have a lot of folders set up to drop emails into once I have read them, even if I haven't replied yet.  So some of my folders are for PR Contacts, I have one for each brand I have worked with or am working with and within this folder are any updates to products, I also have information on product launches I am going to or have been too because they might contain some information I need when it comes to writing a post and so on.  

The other thing I also do is that if I am going to be away for a day or so, I have an 'Out of office' message set up to let those who are emailing me know why they have not got a response.  I tend to reply to emails within 24 hours because I think it is polite to do so, but if for any reason I am unable to do that, I would like the sender of the email to know.

7. Task-setting

If you look at your to-do lists you might panic that there is just soooo much to do, my lists are massive as I have already said and for me that has the reverse affect, it makes me feel much calmer. However, when it comes to blogging, I decide what I am going to do each day, so for example this week:

• Monday - Finish Heaven Eye Make-up post add photos and post Five Amongst Friends post
• Tuesday - Post GlamGlow Youth Mud post and finish labels

Then once I have done those small tasks, I might decide that because the weather has been really nice that I will take photos of some of the products I have waiting to be reviewed, then I have them ready for the posts and don't have to rush about doing them later in the week.

Anything is achievable if it's cut down into a smaller size. Rather than feeling like you have to write tetake photos, reply to emails and schedule your social media content all at once, cut down each task into smaller section and move onto the next when it's complete. 

8. Blogging Space

Finding somewhere to sit and write is really important.  For me whether I am writing a penpal letter or a blog post, it has to be done somewhere I am comfortable, can access all the things I need easily - plug sockets, USB, Camera, Phone and so on.  

Sometimes that place is in the lounge in front of the TV (which isn't always on), sometimes it is sat in bed and other times I can be on my iPad on the tube writing a post.  I know others think having an office and/or desk is the place to blog from, but for me it is more about comfort than anything else.

9. Saying No

It is really lovely when you have an inbox full of offers from companies and PR people offering you things to review, it is such an honour to be asked. But, don't always feel you have to say yes.  If the product you are being offered doesn't fit within the theme of your blog or it is something you would never use and don't like the sound of, never feel duty bound to say yes, simply reply to the email and honestly tell them. Don't be afraid they will never contact you again, you are more likely to be respected for your honesty.

10. Product Directory/List

Whilst I am yet to have a brand directory live on my blog, it is a working progress, I do have one notebook dedicated to the products that I receive from companies and PR people.  

Within that book I write down what it is, who it has come from, the date I got it, whether or not I have taken photographs of it.  Then when the post goes live I put a tick next to it. This helps me remember what I have and haven't written about, posted and/or photographed and I find it less stressful to remember every minute detail.

Naturally it is not easy working full time, running a job, being a wife and blogging but it can be managed and most importantly it can be enjoyable and less of a chore.

Do you have any other top tips on how to keep yourself super organised?

Five Among Friends

Welcome to a new feature, Five Among Friends, where myself & some of my closest blogging friends will be linking up for a a series of Q & A's once every month.

We'd love to see your answers to the questions too - Just post your Q & A on your blog and then put your link in the Linky below and we'll be sure to check them out! Don't forget to check out other peoples answers too!

This week's theme is Getting To Know You.....

This week's questions were written by Hayley at 
Sparkles & Stretchmarks....

The Questions

1) Describe yourself in 5 words

Sarcastic, friendly, Honest, Loving, girly

2) Why did you decide to start blogging?

Like many, I love to write and have always loved giving my opinions though started a blog was never something I thought I would do.  A chat with Hayley from Sparkles and Stretchmarks and some gentle encouragement gave me what I needed to start blogging.

3) How did you choose the name of your blog and why?

I have always been obsessed with beauty products whether it is something from Lush, a face cream, body cream, scrub or make-up I have always wanted to try everything and have always had wishlists of products to try. Now I am not much of a Princess but the word Queen came to me randomly and when I searched to see if it was in use, it wasn't and Beautyqueenuk was born.

4) Tell us something about yourself that you think might surprise us!

Like Hayley, I don't have a lot self confidence and really hate seeing photos of myself and hate being in front of the camera, so you will very rarely see photos of me because I am really self-critical.

5) What is your favourite and least favourite thing about blogging?

I have two favourite things.  The first is the comments that I get on my blog.  There is nothing better than knowing someone out there is reading your blog and thinks enough of you to leave a comment, it really makes my day when I go and have a look at the comments people have left.  as I love them so much, I do always leave comments on the blogs I read.  Comments have also led me to interact with other bloggers and some of them I have been lucky enough to meet and spend time with.

I also love the opportunity blogging gives to working with brands and being lucky enough to try new products that I otherwise might not have discovered.

My least favourite thing is the bitching.  A room full of girls is always going to cause havoc with all those hormones flying around, but some of the things I have seen and read truly saddens me.  In an ideal world, I would love for everyone to get along and support one another.

Don't forget to check out the other girls answers too....

Alex - Bump To Baby

Emily - London Mummy Of Two

Hayley - Sparkles & Stretchmarks

Jessica - Our Baby Blog

Kerry - Lived With Love

Lauren - Mrs Hippo & Me

Louise - Confessions Of A Secret Shopper

Rachel - BeautyQueen UK