I am very surprised and equally pleased to announce that I have been nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award. In fact, I’ve had a nomination from each of these fabulous bloggers:

• The Mumatron Blog – Helen is in the process of developing a database that rates places on their baby facilities (changing areas, high chairs, etc). She also has a fab blog and has been a regular at the linky I co-host – #BlogCrush
• Old House In The Shires – This lovely blog is essentially about family life in a rural location, but it has an amazingly eclectic range of posts – ones that have made me laugh, made me think, and even some rhymes
• A Mindful Geek – Brittany writes very honestly about mental health issues, and her own experiences. A Mindful Geek is just a couple of months old, but is written with real clarity and personality.

I’d like to thank each of you for reading my little blog, and for nominating me for the Blogger Recognition Award. It really means a lot.

Blogger Recognition Award: Rules

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
2. Write a post to show your award.
3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
5. Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
6. Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How my blog started:

I published my first post on 25^th April 2016.

As a 21^st century mum with no family living nearby, I naturally turned to the internet with my parenting worries and concerns. I felt comforted reading blog posts from other mums (and dads) who had similar stories to tell, and gleaned advice from real parents with tips that had been tried and tested.

It suddenly dawned on me one day – “Maybe I could do that! Maybe if I write about my day to day life as a mum, I could reassure other people too.”

And so Lucy At Home was born.

I’ve now published over 100 posts and, what started as a mini hobby project, has now become my passion. I love blogging. I love sharing ideas and broadening my mind. I love being creative and crafting my posts. And nothing beats a little message from someone saying how much your post has resonated with them.

Blogging has given me a new-found confidence; people actually care what I think. I thought I was starting this blog to help other people, but actually I’m the one who’s benefited!

Two pieces of blogging advice:

1. Be patient

Blogging is a long game and you need to pace yourself. I proudly hit publish on my first post and expected the views to come flooding in.

They didn’t.

You actually have to do a lot of promotional work. You need to build relationships and grow your following organically. It takes time and there aren’t any quick fixes.

But keep plugging away; consistency is key.

2. Be kind

This leads on from the first point – blogging is a team game in many ways. The blogging community is a wonderful thing to be a part of. Bloggers help each other and boost each other’s confidence.

If you comment on other bloggers’ posts, they will comment on yours. If you share other bloggers’ posts, they will share yours.

You won’t get far if you’re only looking out for yourself. By building and maintaining friendships, you develop a network that is mutually beneficial.

It pays to be a nice person!

My nominations:

I’ve got to know some fabulous bloggers through the little linky, #BlogCrush, that I co-host. I’d like to nominate some of my wonderful #BlogCrush buddies for the Blogger Recognition Award.

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