Typecast

Before I went away I wrote and scheduled a post about the attitude of members in a recycling group that my husband runs on Facebook.  Fast forward to our return and scrolling through the list of requests I see a number of WANTED : DISNEY AND PLAYBOY ITEMS FOR MY LITTLE GIRLS BEDROOM I know that this subject has been done to death but it is now heading for its second generation.  At some point in the past ten years the lines seem to have been blurred regarding Playboy merchandise and the ethos of the Playboy name.  My daughter happily scrapped through her young tweenage years without the glare of the Playboy logo on jewellery, pencil cases and clothing but it was starting to creep into the younger market.  Now, the logo is everywhere.

I am always on the lookout to reach to new audiences and I am loving the way in which some very popular websites such as Netmums and Mumsnet are embracing the boom in blogging and finding ways to promote blogs and bloggers to their readers. I mention Netmums and Mumsnet specifically because I applied to be part of each of their new blogger networks and have had totally conflicting experiences.  Each have set up what is going to be a valuable source of blogs, information and assistance.

I HAVE RETURNED full of ideas, enthusiasm and a tummy bug * pukes and runs to the loo *.  I have to say a massive thank you to my guest bloggers who looked after this place whilst I was away (there is a link to the photos and some little holiday videos on my Facebook page ).  Didn't they do a grand job?  Just in case you missed any of their posts, here is the full list:

Welcome to a guest post from Kate.  Most of you possibly already know Kate through Twitter or her blog.  What you may not know is that Kate used to work in IT support and has offered the recount of a very funny phone call as a guest post. Kate blogs at " The Five F's " and you can find her on Twitter as  @kateab ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Welcome to a guest post from Kirsty.  Occasionally the lines of Twitter and blog blur and you forget how you connected with someone.  You "bump into them" in odd sorts of ways but this is what I love about social media.  I have also only just realised that Kirsty is a "local" - I'm hoping to meet up for a coffee some time soon.  You will soon see why I chose to use this guest post from Kirsty. Kirsty blogs at " Tantrums and Teardrops " and you can find her on Twitter as @KirstyHigginson ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Welcome to a guest post from Nicki.  We know each other through the Parent Blogging network that has matured over the past 12 months or so.  Nicki writes a blog with no theme other than it being a personal blog with her own opinions, family posts and occasional reviews.  Here she explains why she chooses to sometimes open up her blog to review posts - a contentious subject in our corner of the blogosphere. Nicki blogs at " Curly and Candid " and you can find her on Twitter as  @NickiCawood . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I’ve been blogging for a bit now and I love it. I’ve been lucky enough to have built a good follower base and have moved up in the ratings (and what not) pretty quickly. That’s all brilliant, (clever Nicki!) but it’s been hard slog at times mainly due to my not taking the time to stop and ask myself... what am I worth ? From day one I would post or review anything I was asked to. My catchphrase became “Of course I can”.  I was so...

My husband had one of his bright ideas one evening in June.  He started a local recycle group on Facebook.  Initially, it was because he had four dining chairs that were "free to a good home" but thought it would be community spirited to keep the group going seeing as though we don't have a local Freecycle/Freegle group any more.  Well, that last bit is a lie but it is run by a bunch of tossers who can't even control their own membership and have no idea how to manage email settings... but I digress.

Welcome to a guest post from Melaina.  I read Melaina's blog and we recently met for the first time at BlogCamp Manchester.  Melaina writes a regular series about feminism and I always glossed over those posts, simply because I had a narrow-minded view of feminism.  After actually reading one of her posts and a chat with another blogger I had a bit of a "aahhh, that's it" moment and I got all excited about my epiphany; fired up and wanting to write so much.  Melaina had already written about her "aha moment" and has allowed me to repost it here. Melaina blogs at " Transatlantic Blonde " where she holds a weekly link-up based around feminism.  You can also find her on Twitter as @Melaina25 . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm sure it's not just me but in my twenty years as a parent I have never been able to clear up any of those little mysteries that seem to happen with great regularly. No-one, other than me, ever seems to be able to change a toilet roll Whenever I send someone to the corner shop, there's never any change I buy a roll of sellotape a week but can never find any when I need it Why do I look at my wrist for the time, even though I haven't worn a watch for about 12 months? What’s yours?

Welcome to a guest post from Kyla.  We know each other through the Filofax network that has sprung up on Twitter and through Philofaxy - the blog dedicated to all things Filofax and beyond.  I asked Kyla to feed my Filofax obsession whilst I am away on holiday and she has written this post which I resonate with totally, obviously.  Kyla blogs at " Musings of a Caribbean Princess " and you can find her on Twitter as @CPrincessUK ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This isn't a normal Blognonymous post.  This is one that I felt I needed to write after Cybermummy '11. The concept of Blognonymous isn't anything unusual.  It started with a group of bloggers, having a chit-chat on Twitter one night, talking about how we all blog without constraint, in our own name - and how we enjoyed that freedom.  But it was apparent that there was a number of bloggers who wrote in their own name but also felt that they couldn't say exactly what they wanted on many a personal level.  We wanted to change that so we decided to offer our blogs to anyone  - blogger or not - who needed to release emotions, without consequence, to a wide readership where advice and support could be sought.   It's blogging anonymously (see what we did there?) but on an established platform.

Welcome to a guest post from Tracy.  I'm not sure that any of you will have encountered Tracy before as she tweets on a locked account simply because of the nature of her job - more of that in a minute.  I know Tracy from a forum we both joined many moons ago.  Neither of us post on the forum any more but our friendship continues.  When you read her post, you'll understand why I'm in awe at what she does, so naturally, every day of her working life. Tracy doesn't have a blog but she should - she's such an amazing writer.  Please join her in a discussion in the comment section. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Welcome to a guest post from someone I know from Twitter.  @EhMum makes me laugh so much with her random tweets so I asked her if she'd like to write me a guest post.  This heartfelt and honest post really touched a chord with me as my daughter wanted a boy so much each time she was expecting. Jude prefers to remain semi-anonymous but blogs at " EhMummy " and you can find her on Twitter as @EhMum ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Let me take you through a visual generational introduction to my family.  When I was born it was the first time that there had been five living generations in our family.  My great-great grandmother lived until I was two years old and I'm sure there is a photo of us together somewhere but I don't appear to have a copy.

I've never really got to grips with gardening. The garden has always been a place for the children to play out, somewhere for the dog to have a bit of a run around and we have never been creative, just always keeping on top of tidying up. Then when you move to a house with just a yard - and not even a little patch at the front - you miss your garden dreadfully. On Monday, I came home from work to be told that we had acquired an allotment. This was a bit out of the blue, to say the least. Kev had been helping a friend with his own allotment and heard that a few plots had come up for rent. In a simple case of being in the right place at the right time and having the annual ground rent available, we became the leaseholders of Plot 30.   I was a bit dubious - Kev sometimes has fantastic ideas and goes at them head on, only for the enthusiasm to fizzle out after a short while. This time I think (and hope) it's different. The allotment is somewhere where he can go to escap...

And here we are again.  Another month goes by and another shift in the rankings of the Wikio Parent Blog Rankings.  So, for your delectation, here is the sneak preview of the rankings for the month of July 2011.  You can find all previous previews (try saying that without your teeth in!) by clicking on the " wikio " label on this blog post.

So, to round off my blog posts about Cybermummy '11 I thought you might like to hear about a little adventure I had in the hotel during the night. But first I must set the scene. The lift at the Travelodge, City Road, London is the hottest and most stupidest lift ever made.  No matter what floor you are on when you request the lift it will go from bottom to top (Floor 7) and then all the way back down again, stopping at each floor on the way.  Sometimes you may be lucky and only go up to Floor 5.  But, no matter what time of the day or night it is, the temperature in the lift is bordering on being able to melt titanium.  Our room was on Floor 1. I had ventured out for the evening wearing jeans and my now-famous t-shirt.  Iconic or Ironic - you decide: Picture credit: Tara Cain. The chesticles and the double chin are all mine! We partook in some laughs and drinks and retired to our room at god-only-knows what hour.  The last thing I...