Daily Archives: August 6, 2013

Blogging: they’re not “freebies”

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Social media

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“You are so jammy,” a non-blogging friend of mine joked the other week. “You get so much stuff through your blog.”

I laughed with her – she was jesting after all – and then promptly put her straight.

The thing is, I know that many people who don’t blog (journalists, family members and mates included) see it that way. They read blogs and roll their eyes when they see the blogger is reviewing something they have been given by a brand.

And I’m not just talking about “Mummy Blogs” here – beauty bloggers do reviews, as do travel bloggers, wedding bloggers, pet bloggers (I may have just made that last one up, but pet bloggers do sound pretty cool).

Anyway, back to my point. It’s not a straightforward case of bloggers being given freebies. Not in my personal experience anyway.  Continue reading »

The panic: why shopping and children don’t mix

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Family, Motherhood

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As I rifled through the racks of dresses on sale, hastily searching for my size, I was aware of a commotion across the store.

Looking up, I experienced the same feeling of dread suffered by any parent who has attempted to do a spot of shopping with a child in tow. It started in my stomach and rose, leaving a metallic taste of bile in my mouth.

Grabbing the last bargain dress in my size, I ran across the shop, heart sinking at the size of the queue ahead of me. The voices behind the men’s T’shirt section were getting louder. There may even have been a shriek.

The cashier was in no rush. Despite my best attempts at willing her to go faster, she languidly passed her scanner over each bar-code in a daze. There were five people ahead of me. The voices had moved from the men’s T’shirt section to the pants. They were turning to shouts.  Continue reading »