30 day blog challenge…update

I don’t like to use the word fail. It implies something negative and shame worthy. But, sometimes you fail. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Sometimes it’s over, and the fat lady hasn’t sung.

On January 16th, I set myself a blog challenge. I challenged myself to write a blog post everyday for the next 30 days. I only made it 19 days in and I stopped. I would love to give a detailed and dramatic explanation of why I didn’t see it through, but the truth is rather more simple. I became lazy. I got complacent. I forgot.

I could give a list of reasons that contributed to my not reaching the full 30 days. I guess I could say I’m a busy mum; I was preparing for several interviews and feeling panicked at the thought of starting work again after being on maternity leave for over a year. Or that I was generally stressed with the day to day battles of teething, weaning and other baby-related dramas. But I know really these are all excuses.

I won’t be true to myself if I start using these everyday things as the reason for not achieving all I want to.

I genuinely believe that when you really want something, it takes hard work, grit, and an infinite amount of determination and self belief. The fact that I didn’t succeed in this challenge has got nothing to do with the things that most of us deal with on an everyday basis. I like to think that the things we want to achieve outside of work and responsibilities, we have to carve time for, even when it feels like the odds are stacked against us.

I’m sure there are plenty of bloggers that have sat down to write a blog post and lo and behold, the baby starts crying and your channelled away from doing the very thing you really want to get on with. The easy option is to give up and think,’it’s just not meant to be.’ The harder option would be to deal with whatever crisis you need to, and somehow reserve the energy to focus and complete the blog post regardless (I really need to take my own advice, here).

So I may not have completed the 30 day challenge I had in mind. But I’ve not given up. It may the end of one challenge but that doesn’t mean I can’t start another. This time, I’ll  blog when I want to but also because I want to. And that means no random blog posts about camel toe. Happy blogging!

 

 

 

What they don’t tell you about motherhood

My last working day was 5 February 2015. Baby K’s due date was 10 March but the cautionary spirit within me wanted to leave plenty of time in case it ‘happened’. Of course, when I was still very pregnant one month after being home, I began to regret my decision and wished for something to do to stop me going crazy. The waiting game is tough. I tried long walks, using the bouncing ball, scrubbing the whole house from kitchen to garden. Baby K was arriving fashionably late and I just had to accept it. I remember feeling a kind of loneliness around this time. I was waiting for one of the most exciting days of my life, and yet I was feeling restless, agitated and alone. It was an oxymoron of a situation.

Since being home, I’ve often been overtaken by a similar bout of emotions. I love that I can fully indulge in those unforgettable moments like Baby K’s first clap and attempts to walk by herself. I feel this immense joy at knowing I’m the first person she reaches out to. That my mere existence can have such an influence on a little persons life is in itself uncomprehendable.

But sometimes it gets lonely. People say a lot of things about motherhood. There’s play dates, nursery runs, mealtimes that get extended into hour long affairs, nappies that are never ending and the continuous rendition of wheels on the bus. But overshadowing all this, there’s an overwhelming feeling of loneliness.

I don’t think I’ve had time to think about it before. So caught up I was in thinking about what meal to prepare for Baby K, worrying whether she’s got the right number of wet nappies, dreading her next day at nursery, that I completely forgot to acknowledge what I’m feeling.

I don’t know if working mums feel the same. I guess there is a stronger sense of social interaction with other like-minded adults; it must take away the sting of everyday parenting challenges.

I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I know there are a lot of people desperate to become parents and for whatever reason can’t. I’m just thinking out loud about the sheer exhaustion you feel knowing that everyday is a battle- a battle to get in the car seat, a battle to complete a full meal without tantrums (and one that doesn’t include banana) and a battle to put Baby K to sleep.

Sometimes my head hurts. Sometimes I just want to hand off all baby responsibilities to someone else. No more force-feeding. No more pleading with a 10 month old to stop crying in the pushchair because we’re nearly home. No more tip toeing around the house when baby is sleeping.

We’ve just moved house and maybe it’s because I don’t know any other mums in the area yet. Sure, there are mums I’ve said hello to at playgroup or the ones I’ve smiled at as we’ve sat round a circle for rhyme time in the library. But that’s hardly interaction, is it? A quick cursory ‘How old is she?’ and ‘She’s cute!’ and that’s the end of the conversation. No agreements to meet for a quick drink. No promises to meet up again the next week. Maybe I’m out of touch with the dating game for making mum friends. Maybe next time, I’ll make the first move and suggest we all meet for coffee before the class? I guess a suggestion for gin and tonic might be too strong (excuse the pun).

Watch this space for an update on whether I brave the courage to ask out one of the mum friends from playgroup!*

PS- I don’t mean for it to sound sexist; they just all happen to be mums at the playgroups I’ve been too.

 

 

 

30 day blog challenge…update

Ok, so I set myself a challenge to post a blog every single day for the next 30 days starting January 16th. So now, I’m just over a week in and I’ve earned a few more followers and very gratefully lots a new likes.

I promised fresh, interesting, engaging content but I have to admit, I’m now having a bit of a writer’s block. It’s not that I don’t have ideas for a post. I’ve got them. A lot of them! But much like Its A Mummy and Baby Life commented, I often end up starting several blog posts at once and then losing sight of the one I want to finish.

Upcoming ideas include exploring the topic of growing up as a British Indian, whether romance and feminism can co-exist, the things have changed most in me as a person since becoming a Yummy Mummy, and finally getting round to completing ’10 facts about me!’ So there’s a snippet of what’s to come, but what for now?

I’d like to dedicate this post to the bloggers I’ve really enjoyed reading content from this week. Here’s to insightful, engaging and uplifting content. Keep blogging bloggers!

This post is heartfelt and inspirational- Go girl! http://lifebeyondmommy.com/2016/01/20/that-time-i-almost-died/

Warm and uplifting- it will leave you drifting (see what I did there?) Rhyming with Wine- I’ll leave the rhyming to you…https://rhymingwithwine.wordpress.com/2016/01/25/the-many-meanings-of-mmmuuhh/

I felt like I lived the full experience of the Family Travel Show after reading about Bella’s experience! I can’t wait to book my ticket for next year. Read all abut it at http://dearmummyblog.com/2016/01/25/the-family-travel-show-2/

If you want to set yourself social media goals but don’t know where to start- this post is for you! http://www.mummyandbabylife.com/blog-and-social-media-goals-2016/

 

 

30 day blog challenge

I’ve set myself a challenge. I’m doing to write a blog post everyday for the next 30 days. Before you decide to unfollow me, rest assured I’m still going to maintain the standards of entertainment and wit that you’ve become so accustomed to from my earlier posts (no sarcasm intended but I’ve got a feeling that assertion is the most sarcastic I’ve been all year).

I’m not sure why I chose 30 days but many promising achievements start with a ’30 day’ challenge. Diets. Good habits. Daily runs (I mean the sport). So I figured I would follow suit.

The thing is, since I started blogging, I intended for it to become so ingrained in my everyday life that it’s something I would do as routinely as brushing my teeth. In reality, life kind of took over and the time for blogging would instead be wasted watching repeat films on Sky Movies (anyone seen The Loft?), making cups of tea or preparing yet another fantastic baby recipe only to have Baby K munch on a dry bit of toast instead. So I’ve decided enough with the procrastination. It’s time to take control.

Like many bloggers, I started with high aspirations. I imagined 500 followers within a week, stats so high I would be seeing triple figures on a daily basis, and instant recognition as the ‘Yummy Mummy.’ I indulged in fantasies about winning a Best Blogger award and being sent all these cool things in the post to test and review. After much deliberation, and disappointment, I’ve come to realise that’s been part of my problem. As a half glass full kind of person, I tell myself all the time that anything is possible. The problem is I jump ahead to thinking about the finishing point before stopping to focus on how to get there. A bit like that saying ‘walk before you run’ sums it up nicely.

So with this discovery, I’ve decided I need to blog because I want to. I enjoy writing. I like writing poems, anecdotes and share some tips from my own experiences. I just need to do it more often. I’m sure we’ve all felt that little stab or pang when we see other bloggers with over 1,000 followers and you just wonder how they did it. Well, one thing is for sure. They didn’t give up. They didn’t resign to disappointment after posting and finding they attracted no views that day. They carried on writing because it’s what they love to do. Most importantly, maybe they watched their stats to see whose following and commenting, but they didn’t obsess over it. It was simply a by-product of their blogging adventure- not the reason for it.

So with these wise words I end my first post. Here’s to another 29. I have to say, I’m quite looking forward to this.

 

Image courtesy of: http://bethedifference.today/30-day-challenge/