blogging

September – the month that…

October 8, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

… vanished without a trace!

Somehow we’re in October. Worse than that, we’re already a week into October and I only just got round to swapping my calendar over from September this morning!

The last month (and a week) has been utterly crazy in so many ways. It was a month in which I celebrated our first wedding anniversary and Master C’s 7th birthday. Both seem somewhat unbelievable as time is going so fast.

It’s also been a month in which I’ve twice been over to Copenhagen with Bonn whilst he’s been working out there. The first time was mainly so that I didn’t have to spend our first wedding anniversary at home on my own, whilst the second trip was with the aim of gaining enough material to allow me to write several travel posts on both Denmark and Sweden. I certainly gathered everything I needed and visited loads of different places that I want to write about, I just need to find the time to actually do so now we’re back.

In addition to Copenhagen and Malmo I’ve also been up to Liverpool and the Wirral and enjoyed checking out charity shops at various other places around the country. We’ve been on the lookout for vintage board games in particular, but also other toy and game bits that we can use for a bit of a new business venture into the world of re-selling and reducing landfill. More on that over on Penny Plays when I get round to writing about it!

There’s also loads that I haven’t managed to get done in the last month – possibly because we’ve been away so much. The house hasn’t got much further forward over the last month, but at least I can now say that the downstairs loo is finished. Or at least it will be when the very final picture is returned to the wall. Once that is done I can finally take some photos and share the transformation with you.

The other thing that is hanging over me are the Clothkits kits that I bought when Tube Stop Baby was just six months old and that I planned to make for her first birthday which is the middle of November. I’ve now got just a month left and really need to pull my finger out and start working on them. I’ve managed to squeeze in a couple of craft book reviews, but finding time to actually craft is another matter entirely.

I’ve also been putting a lot of effort into my online blogging and social media work over the last month. Not as much as I would have liked to, but as much as I have been able to manage whilst still reserving a few hours every night for sleep. On the travel front I’ve started off my writing on Copenhagen and Malmo with details of how we managed to pop over to Sweden for dinner during our first Copenhagen stay earlier in the year. I’ve also teamed up with Three to write about how I make the most of their App when I’m travelling so that I can always work on the move and stay in touch with my kids.

Over on Penny Plays I’ve been desperately trying to catalogue and play all the vintage board games that came our way during the summer car boot season. Once we’ve played the games we’re looking to either keep them if they are ones that we can see us going back to again, or otherwise selling them over on our new ebay store. It’s early days yet, but we’re hoping this is a way to keep our board game stocks to a reasonable level so they don’t completely take over the house (and garage!). On the blog itself I’ve been writing about everything from a pre-electronics teach yourself chess game, through to Ghettopoly – a version of Monopoly set in a US ghetto. Somewhere in the middle I also wrote about a vintage Spears Game in which you are supposed to name things that begin with a certain letter of the alphabet – Tell Me. It’s certainly been varied.

In addition to all this I’ve also been trying to put some work into the Vintage Board Games Facebook group that we set up earlier in the year. It’s slow work, but with Facebook you need to really put the effort in to get the results out. I just need a bit more time for the effort part!

And lastly, but not at all least. Over on Penny Reads I’ve relaunched Ladybird Tuesday! This is probably one of the achievements I’m most proud of this last month or so. I’ve really missed my regular delves into my vintage Ladybird book collection and after losing various physical possessions during my divorce and subsequent house moves they are one thing that I am so glad to still have in my possession. There’s a huge body of work ahead of me to try and move all the original posts over from Being Mrs C, but I’m sure it will give me something to keep me out of trouble whilst the winter weather keeps us at home. The posts I’ve included this month vary from an original Uncle Mac book that I received for my birthday, through to a Learn to write workbook from the 1980s and the recent Climate Change book that was partly written by Prince Charles. Also in there was the Ladybird book about Denmark. It seemed somewhat appropriate seeing as I’ve spent so much time there lately.

What is nice though at the end of a busy month is sitting down like this and looking at everything that I have managed to achieve and not focussing on the things I failed to do. I’ve been pushing myself a lot lately with daily to do lists and sharing them on Instagram stories with the #KatyKicker hashtag to help make me accountable a bit for how much I get done in a day. It doesn’t always work, but what I have loved is reading Katy’s own monthly aims on her blog. One of the reasons I started blogging in the first place was as a way of making myself actually do things. Time to get back to using my blog like that and set myself some (achievable aims) for the month ahead.

Back to school…

September 2, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

September. How the heck did that happen? I’m pretty sure that it was only last week that I was bringing the kids and their PE kits home from school and asking them what they wanted to do in the summer holidays. Where on earth has the summer gone?

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only parent who has grand plans to be organised for September and yet when it rolls around you suddenly find yourself wondering just how you have failed to get done everything on your to do list. There are reports that need writing, name tapes that need sewing, skirts that need altering and a whole house full of mess that needs sorting out. This summer has been a bit of a whirlwind, even if the eldest two kids haven’t been with me for all of it.

The time we have had together has been fantastic. We managed a day trip up to Edinburgh, a long weekend in Norfolk and various days out. It’s also been lovely to watch the bond grow between Little Miss C and her baby sister. The two of them are so fond of each other and it’s given LMC a real confidence boost to have a little sister looking at her so adoringly.

Both kids seem to have shot up in height over the summer too and LMC just looks older in general – especially with her new haircut that she was very excited to go and have last week. I’m still struggling somewhat with the whole idea of her going into Year 5 on Wednesday. Master C starts his final year at his Infant school too. I’m sure he only just started there.

It also seems strange to be starting a new school year again with a little one who will be at home with me during the school day. Tube Stop Baby is now approaching 10 months old and is more adorable by the day. First words are coming already and there is nothing cuter than hearing her say “teddy” over and over again to her favourite cuddly toy. She’s also on the verge of walking. She is already cruising around the furniture and climbing everything she can. It’s not going to be long before my level of baby proofing the house needs to go up another level. She is the calmest baby I know and happily seems to go along with everything we had planned for her older brother and sister this summer. Quite how she’s going to cope with the school run and all the term-time running around I’m not sure.

So all this just leaves me and my plans for the new school year. Last year at this time I was busy planning a wedding and a new baby. This year everything’s a tad more settled and I’m starting to look more to the future.

This academic year is the one that I need to get organised in. I don’t just mean to make sure all three children are in the right place at the right time with homework done and all of them fed, but being more organised for the future. The house is a bomb site and whilst sorting out the usual end of summer carnage I’m determined to get it all into shape once and for all. I’m still waiting for the downstairs loo to be finished (surely it can’t be far off now?!?) and then I need to start on other parts of the house. There’s peeling wallpaper and 80s carpets everywhere and I’m dreaming of making the bathroom and kitchen more modern and rooms that are more than just functional.

This is also the year that I need to get my work in order. I rebranded my online presence nearly two years ago now, but with moving house and a new baby I still don’t feel that I’ve really made the impact online that I wanted to and I’m no where near back to where I was before. That’s therefore got to be my focus next year – partly so that I can actually afford to do the work on the house that is needed. I’ve grand plans for all the blogs I run and lots of exciting plans that I’m looking forward to putting into effect. Time is going to be my biggest challenge – hence the determination to be more organised with the little time I have. Striking that balance between work, rest and play is a hard one. I’ve failed to get it right in the past, but this time around I need to make it work. Any tips from working mums as to how to do so very gratefully received!

So – as the kids head back to school, what are your plans for the academic year ahead?

Taking that mojo and moving forwards

May 15, 2018 by Penny Leave a Comment

Coming home from Blog On can be a bit of a strange feeling. Coming away from a blogging conference like that you feel bursting full of ideas. Your head is completely full of blog posts that you want to write. Whilst your notebook is full of lists for things that you want and need to do on your blog. Time though never seems to be on your side!

For me Blog On this year was a bit of a re-launch too. I’ve been to about five of these so far, but that was always with my Being Mrs C hat on. Following my divorce I’m not Mrs C anymore, so I really needed a new blog name and it seems time to have a bit of a fresh start. Hence Penny Blogs (and various other Penny … sites) were born.

It was also the first blogging conference where I’ve taken someone along with me. After travelling to Salford with me last September, Bonn popped his blogging conference cherry and came along as a proper delegate this time. I’m delighted to say that he too came alway bursting with ideas and all motivated. We’ve some blog ideas and plans that we’re both really excited about, but we just need a few more hours in the day to make them all happen as quickly as we’d like.

Drumroll please…

There’s also another reason that is going to be eating up our time later in the year. We’re expecting a baby in November! We’re thrilled, but it does mean that I’ve been spending my evenings fast asleep on the sofa rather than digging into the depths of WordPress. First trimester over though I’m hoping that I’m going to get a bit more energy and be able to get back to my to do list properly.

I’m making a real effort not to let work take over every waking moment though and making time for walks in the countryside and even Aquanatal classes too. Crafting is also very much back on the agenda. Both on my own crocheting, sewing and trying to finished the huge UFO pile that I seem to have moved house with, and also with the kids. When we were squashed in the flat we didn’t really have space to do much, so I’m making the most of being able to spread out now.

I’m having one of those days today when I’m feeling on top of the world. Totally invincible. I’m therefore trying to put that motivation to good use by cracking on with all the jobs that I’ve been stalling on. Blog admin is never anyone’s favourite thing to do, but it’s necessary.

Posts, posts and more blog posts

I’ve a million and one planned travel posts in my head for over on Penny Travels (so far I’ve only managed to get the one up following an amazing 24 hours in Guernsey). There’s a half written up trip to the Isle of Wight that I also want to share. Later this month we’re headed to Cork (B for work) and also Rotterdam (to attend Traverse 18 – so do say hello if you’re going). Being late to book flights we’re literally taking the slow boat to Rotterdam, rather than flying. But I’m actually as excited about the journey as the destination.

In addition to the travel, Blog On also gave me loads of new and renewed contracts with toy brands which are going to be fantastic over on Penny Plays. I’ve also had loads of success in charity shops lately with some vintage games. Now B has finally put our dining table together post move (the delay not his fault I should add!) we hope to get playing and reviewing those too.

Not everything in life goes to plan though. I’ve a series of meetings dotted throughout today, so planned to spend the time in-between working in coffee shops. That plan normally works fine. Apart from the fact that I’ve managed to head out without a fully charged laptop and without a power cable for it! I blame pregnancy brain…