Saturday 18 February 2012

Happy Anniversary - Two Years of Not Even A Bag of Sugar

I cannot believe it's been two years since my first tentative post here at Not Even A Bag of Sugar. When I first started blogging I had no idea what I was doing. Unbelievably I didn't even know there was any such thing as a "mummy blogger" and much less a supportive, loving, slightly mental community of mum bloggers, from all walks of life.I had not idea there were rules, and that I was breaking loads of them!

About the name: Reading back through my posts I realised I'd never explained about the name of the blog. When Joseph was first born lots of people said to me "oh he's not even a bag of sugar, is he?" It really upset me. I felt like Joseph was being dismissed just because he was small. I hated that term. I decided that as it was said so often, I may as well "own" it. So it became the title of my blog. And now, I adore it. Lots of people still say "oh he wasn't even a bag of sugar" and it's a great lead in to say "well that's my blog title, here have a card, go and read!"

Any regrets? I am really proud of where my blog is at now, and I sort of wish I had known what to do earlier in terms of improving the ability of Google to pick up my posts, and reaching out to other mum bloggers. I do sometimes wish I had reached out to charity earlier, however, I am quite pleased that I let the blog grow quietly over time, just starting with family and friends.

What has been the highlight of the last two years? In blogging terms, there have been many, but I think really the turning point for me was Cybermummy. I realised that I could do a lot more with my blog, and that I could improve my skills. I also realised I had something valid to say, and that I was on the right track with what I was doing.

What has been the low point? I think there have been two. After a couple of months I lost my way, and nearly gave up. I should have used Twitter to find more support and get help. The other was a damn steep learning curve as to how to handle negative comments which occured on a post that actually gets the most views on a weekly basis! I have left them there because it's a reminder of how green I was!

What do you think Joseph will think of it when he is older? I do hope Joseph is proud of me, and proud of himself, and can read posts with fondness. I do expect some "oh mum how could you" moments!

What advice would you give a new blogger, particularly a parent of a premature baby? For the first few months, just write. Tell your story with integrity, in your own words. Don't write for an audience per se, just write, get it out there. You can, although I haven't, remove or rewrite posts later. Don't worry about matrices, lists, stats etc, for the first 8 months I didn't even know stats existed! 

What about a blogger who has lost heart? Be honest with yourself. Do you enjoy blogging? If you don't, maybe walk away, or try something new like a picture a day, or writing fiction. Dont feel constrained. Reach out and find some mentors. There's loads of support and help out there, look for it.

Where do you see the future of Not Even A Bag of Sugar? I'm not sure, I'd like to think I'd be blogging still in one year's time, beyond that, I am not sure. I'd like to look at my skills and learn more, maybe some more HTML and improve my photography. I'd also like to support more new premmie bloggers, as I think there are some wonderful ones out there already, and some waiting in the wings. I do think blogging is so powerful, to help one to make sense of things, to get and give support, and to just share stories, and get things out there into the public domain.

What has surprised you the most about blogging? The one thing that never ceases to amaze me is that you never ever know who has been reading your blog. I was stunned to see a quote from me in the Guardian after Cybermummy, and I've had approaches from various sources which have surprised me.

What would you like to say to your readers? Thank you so much for all your support, comments, votes, hugs, words of advice, both on blogging matters an with Joseph, and most importantly my struggles over accepting that we will always be a family of three. I have been overwhelmed at the love and care I have been shown.

There are some really special people I have met through blogging, and I've made some lifelong friends.

I am so happy that I have become a "mummy blogger", and look forward to seeing where things go in the coming year.


3 comments:

  1. Wow congratulations on a big 2 years and a WONDERFUL blog. xxxxxx

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  2. Congratulations, hun. Keep up the good work x

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  3. Happy birthday not even a bag of sugar!! :-)

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