Comments (5) Cynical Jane is one of the Disney 7 out here with me at the moment, she blogs under the guise of Diary of a Desperate Exmoor Woman. She’s claimed the title cynical Jane as she professes to hate theme parks, I have World Exclusive footage that will rock some of her fans to the core. Please enjoy this 30 second clip, Jane will appear in the last 10 seconds. Brace yourself people….
It’s Day two, 5.43 am and I’m wide awake. I’ve ditched the ‘making a good impression’ clothes in favour of my usual hoody and trainers. I guess this is a good time to mention that the Hilton was a bit lacking, their rooms aren’t as modern as the online photos would suggest and the food was overpriced and below par. As compensation (for Disney) I helped myself to the lovely Crabtree & Evelyn products. Thanks Hilton
We arrived at the correct terminal after just about going the wrong way (totally my fault) and met up with the other three bloggers, Are we nearly there yet mummy?, Family Affairs and Dulwich Divorcee.
We do the self-check in bit, not too keen on that, scared I’m gonna do something wrong, but must have done something right, I’ve been upgraded! Hot towels and proper cutlery here I come.
We’ve also been given access to the V lounge which is priced at £17 for adults and £10 for children. I was expecting it to be really busy but it was actually very peaceful. Let’s get to the nitty gritty though, is it worth your hard earned cash?
What You Get For Your Money
Hot filled rolls (served for you)
Innocent smoothies
Tea & Coffee
Pastries & Muffins
Fresh Fruit
Soft Drinks
My Personal Opinion
I don’t have loads of money so I expect value, in my opinion the V lounge delivers that value. The whole area was very clean, including the toilets. Staff were polite and helpful. The equipment was all in good working order. The food was fresh, tasty and plentiful.
I tried to book the V lounge for my own trip to Disneyworld in June but there isn’t a lounge in Manchester, and I think that’s the best feedback I can give you, I was prepared to cough up the £45 to use it again. I’m actually a little disappointed, come on Virgin another lounge in Manchester please.
I’ve been tagged by WAHM-BAM!, here goes;
1. What are your current obsessions?
Definitely blogging at the moment as I’m on a bloggers trip, I might not have mentioned it 
2. Which item of clothes do you wear most often?
Hoodies and trainers
3. What’s for dinner tonight?
I’m not sure but I know we’re going to Tony’s Town Square which is in Magic Kingdom, I think it’s Italian.
4. What’s the last thing you bought?
A present for my husband, I can’t say what in case he’s reading, but it’s very cool.
5. What are you currently listing to?
CNN, American news is soooo OTT.
6. What TV shows are you watching at the moment?
The Apprentice, Great British Menu, Grand Designs
7. What are you reading now?
Just a Family Affair by Veronica Henry and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.
8. Use four words to describe yourself?
I hate these type of questions…ummm…ok, here goes.
Happy, lucky, fulfilled, developing
9. What is your guilty pleasure?
In many ways this trip is a guilty pleasure, I’m having an amazing time yet there is still that element of mummy guilt. They all seem to be coping fine though, which is good, isn’t it?
10. Who or what makes you laugh until you’re weak?
My husband, stawberry daquiris, ridiculous situations, Linda and the disney staff outfits.
11. First spring thing?
Asparagus
12. Where are you planning on travelling next?
Haha, back to Walt Disneyworld, Florida in June, with my family this time.
13. What was the best thing you ate or drank recently?
The last two meals have been equally good, on the first night I had striploin steak with rainbow carrots, potatoes and a lovely sauce (photos coming). Last night I had pork tenderloin with spaetzl, red onion chutney and cider jus. Both meals were out of this world, some of the best I’ve had.
14. When did you last get tipsy?
Last night, the disney bloggers were all hysterical on no sleep and the surreal situation, we laughed for three hours solid Good times.
15. What is your favourite film?
Dirty Dancing
16. Share a piece of wisdom.
I believe in fate so…
The signs are there you just have to be open to seeing and hearing them.
17. What’s your favourite song?
I have a special song for my daughter which is Tiny Dancer by Elton John. It’s really cute as she knows this is her song and she recognises it.
18. Where’s the best place you’ve ever been?
The most beautiful place is without a doubt Santorini, the most fun is obviously Disney.
Here’s how it works;
I tag you. You answer the questions, replace one question with a question of your choice and then tag 8 people. Simple! Here’s the 8 people I tag.
Jo Beaufoix
Bringing Up Charlie
Sticky Fingers
3 Kids, No Job
Family Affairs
Thames Valley Mums
Violet Posy
You’ve got your hands full
I transferred from the north terminal to the Hilton (which was surprisingly well sign posted) via the monorail. I checked in before settling in the lounge with my wifi and a drink. It wasn’t long before a lady was smiling at me and I recognised her as Linda from You’ve Got Your Hands Full. Another half hour or so and another lady began to look our way (for longer than is normal) turns out I’m still recognisable from my three year old photo (I’ll update it when I manage to take a good photo, Erin will be 16 by then and this blog will cease to be) this time it was English Mum.
The three of us sat for a while chatting about the trip and blogging before deciding to grab a bit of dinner. Jane from Diary of a Desperate Exmoor Woman joined us and a few hours of good conversation ensued. Having met and thoroughly enjoyed the company of three of my fellow travellers my mind is at ease that I’ll not be the loner with no friends
I’m disappointed to find that there is no wifi at gate 18 so I settle down to read (and people watch).
Thoughts on air staff;
I’m flying British Airways today, I used to fly BA domestically when I was a kid and I remember the scones and finger sandwiches (yum). My ticket today says I get a snack or brunch, call me sad but I’ve been excited about this since this morning
British Airways vs Budget Airliner
Here are the main differences I noticed, you can decide if it’s worth the extra;
No finger sandwiches or scone though 
I managed a weak cup of coffee (no tia maria, grrr) and a biscuity thing which wasn’t for me. Oh, and the clientele are a bit different, mostly business people and a few yummy mummys.
I’m so jetlagged, wide awake and it’s four in the morning here. Though you might be interested to know I’ve been quoted in the Edinburgh Evening News regarding Twitter, it’s just a short bit at the end but it’s a start eh!
I’m tweeting this crazy blogging adventure, here’s my twitter link if you’d like to follow.
Saying goodbye was just as expected, horrible. I choked back the tears and made my farewell a quick one. Weather is rubbish in Edinburgh so won’t be missing that. Completely forgot about the liquids thing at security, ended up having to remove the two bottles of Baileys (miniature, than you very much) I’d packed for this evening into a seperate clear package, baggage lady just smirked. I was able to keep my two accompanying toblerones safely stowed away. Didn’t really want to get involved with shopping today so grabbed a toothbrush and book – ‘Just a Family Affair’ by Veronica Henry and headed to my departure gate.
I’ve been tagged by my new friend English Mum, she’s one of the other lucky bloggers going to Walt Disneyworld (we’ve been asked to use it’s full title, a small price to pay, yeah?)
The meme involves 80 mum bloggers around the world, this is how it should work;
Here’s how it’s going to work:… I’m going to link to a couple of other mom bloggers here in Canada, and to a couple of mom bloggers from other countries around the world, and they’ll write their posts, sharing 5 things that they love (or maybe what they don’t so much love – this playground doesn’t force conformity) about being a mom, and then they’ll tag a few more bloggers from their own country and from other countries, and so on. And you’re more than welcome to join: just write a post of your own (5 things that you love about being a mom) and find someone to link to and tag – someone from your own country, if you like, but definitely someone from another country (Google is a good resource if you don’t know any; google any country name and ‘mom’ in their blog search function) (be sure to let them know that you’ve tagged them!) – and link back here and leave a comment and we’ll add you to the ‘itinerary,’ ….
and here’s the person that started it all.
and now for my five things I love about being a mum….
1. Going into her room when she’s asleep, tucking her in and giving her a kiss. I get a warm feeling knowing that she’s snug and happy, I often think about the mum’s, through no fault of their own, who cannot provide a warm dry place to sleep and a full belly, it makes me feel so lucky.
2. Three year old conversations can be so interesting (if a little repetitive).
3. I love the hugs, wherever and whenever, they are free and plentiful but my favourite is the cooch I get in bed in the morning.
4. I enjoy showing her how to do craft activities and how to make pasties, and then she tells me I’m doing it wrong and puts me right!
5. I love being a mum, but being a family is the ultimate. Enjoying new experiences, seeing my husband as a father, starting our own traditions…it’s at the centre of everything I do.
I tag Mother at Large in Edinburgh, Scribbit in Alaska, and Linda at You’ve Got Your Hands Full for the mother of multiples perspective.
I’ve been asked that quite a bit over the last few days. Along with;
Do you need a travel companion?
Can I come in your suitcase?
Do they need any extras?
and the most popular line…
“I’m going to start blogging”
So how do you land an all expenses paid trip to Walt Disneyworld Orlando?
Well first you need to have a blog and secondly (for this trip anyway) you needed to belong to Think Parents.
And that’s it.
What are you waiting for?
I’ve been following Michelle’s blog Scribbit since I started my own blog. When I saw that she had released her first ebook Blogging in Pink, I couldn’t help myself but do a quick review.
Now you should understand that Michelle’s writing is always engaging, enlightening and full of wisdom. I know, it’s sick for someone to be given all the blogging talent. So after that ‘bigging up’, as you can imagine I had very high expectations.
Blogging Platforms
Blogging in Pink is an ebook written for would-be, beginner, or intermediate bloggers. I’ve had various cyber conversations with Michelle and she’s very modest and definitely wouldn’t consider herself an expert (although she did go pro earlier this year!), that being said you don’t build a blog with a four figure subscribership without being pretty good. So if you have less than 500 subscribers there are lessons you can learn from Michelle.
The book begins with a basic overview of the blogging platforms available. The information on Typepad may be particularly useful to those wishing to start a blog seriously, but who’s tech skills are basic (or non-existant).
Etiquette
Many a beginner blogger has become so enthused in their early days that they end up getting involved in some heated conversation and perhaps leave comments that in hindsight they wouldn’t have. I’ve done it, and I’ve had it done to me. It’s not nice but it’s almost a rite of passage. Michelle highlights this ‘newbie’ trait and offers some of that wisdom I spoke about earlier.
Commenting
Before you’ve even started a blog, or even considered blogging you will probably become a reader or subscriber of a blog. You might lurk for a while before leaving your first comment, Michelle’s provides a few pointers to consider before going around leaving witty and sarcastic comments everywhere.
Privacy and Safety
Many non-bloggers worry about the information being divulged on a blog, some of my own family expressed some mild concerns in the early days. Michelle describes her own thoughts on the matter which come pretty close to my own. Well worth a read if you’re concerned, if only to establish where you stand on how much personal info is too much.
Chapter 6
I just loved chapter six. For so long I’ve felt like a bit of an oddity with my blog. I was one of the earlier British Parent Bloggers (we are much larger group now!), I remember when I could name about six fellow British Parent Bloggers, there are now 186 members in the above group, and who knows how many more. Michelle does well to succinctly describe why mum blogging could (will?) be huge, as she puts it “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” now doesn’t that make you feel powerful, and it’s true, mums wield a lot more power than we think, we manage the household finances, influence the next generation and are constantly sharing, gossiping and chatting about our experiences. It just so happens that Mums have moved on too, and are very much a part of the technological age, the gossiping, sharing and chatting is just happening online now, that’s all blogging really is. To those who are still sceptical, I would never have considered two years ago the opportunities that have come my way recently. An all-expenses paid trip to Disneyworld was a pipe dream two years ago, in fact, scratch that, it wasn’t even on the scale. I fly out a week today. Mum blogging has big potential, Michelle has helped to remind me of that.
The Ten Commandments
All I can say is I wish I’d had the chance to read these before I started blogging!
Organization
Blogging in Pink presents many tips and ideas on how to get, and stay organised. Everyone approaches their blogs differently. Me? I go from one end of the spectrum to the other, at times I have been highly organized with a posting schedule, to the other end where I write what and when I like. I feel it’s important to recognise ‘where you are’ with your blogging, there will be times when you’re highly motivated and enthused, like I am now, and everything will come so easily and you may want to be really organised. Other times your motivation may be low and other parts of your life get in the way (perhaps in a good way) at these times I think it’s important just to continue blogging on any level until you move through this period, you know, rather than giving up completely and regretting it. I may be way off here, but that’s how I work, and I know that I’m less committed than Michelle, and with the utmost respect most people are. Spending four to five hours a day on blogging (and I’ve been there) takes enormous commitment, organisation is therefore essential.
RSS, Subscriber Buttons, Feed Readers
All the above are covered in various spots throughout the ebook. I’d highly recommend you educate yourself on the above if you’re new to blogging. There’s nothing more disappointing than finding an excellent blog that makes it nigh on impossible to subscribe, it’s a bigger crime than no contact information as far as I’m concerned.
Basic HTML
I’m rubbish with HTML so I’ll be using Blogging in Pink as a reference point for some of my basic HTML needs in the future.
Search Engine Optimization
Advanced SEO is beyond most of us mums, but there are still basic things we should be doing. That sooo includes me (note to self: must work on SEO)
Blogging in Pink, is it worth the money?
Well at the excellent price of FREE (or $0.88 on Amazon)I definitely think it’s worth it. The ebook is an amlgamation of some of the blogging posts on Scribbit along with some new information. Some regular readers, like myself will recognise this and may feel a little deja vu, however, I like the fact that I can use this as a reference now rather than searching through archives. The ebook would be most beneficial to new mum (or mom) bloggers whether they read Scribbit or not. I’m looking forward to what Michelle comes out with next, there’s rumours of another book. Michelle, do you care to comment on that?
Finally, my favourite quote;
“the most successful blogs are the ones that are able to generate the most conversation”
I'm a 27 year old mum to 4 year old Erin. We live just outside Edinburgh in a small village. I've been blogging for four years and write about anything and everything that takes my fancy.
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