The Mad blog Awards 2013! Ten things I Ioved!

The Mad blog Awards 2013 were brilliant. So brilliant that I could write and write about them until I bored you silly. But I won’t. Instead of wittering on I’ll simply tell you Ten things I loved.

Number 1. Frocks, socks, Docs and more.

I’d decided to wear my fifties favourite – a black dress with an underskirt that makes me feel awesome. However – two days before the MADs I realised one too many cakes meant it was a little tight.

So I ordered a last minute frock which I loved.

I teamed it with frilly socks and patent Docs and voila – award outfit sorted.

I’m glad I’d dressed up, and had taken time to forties pin-curl my hair, because everyone else looked amaze balls. I mean really amaze balls!

Helen from Actually Mummy looked like she was ready for red-carpet action in her stunning frock my glam duo award of the night has to go to My Two Mums who looked simply gorgeous together.

Number 2. Dinner-dinner-Batman

The food was fabulous. I’m not a foody blogger so won’t use technical terms or describe in detail each mouthful but let’s just say, Mmmmm. Nice dinner Batman.

Number 3. Bubbles and wine – mighty fine!

I can’t remember the last time I was that giddy. The bubbles and wine were mighty fine and meant my dancing grooves excelled (no they didn’t) I talked and chatted well (no I didn’t) I didn’t fall over (yes I did.)

I danced with an Italian chef with a huge moustache. Only he wasn’t a chef. Or Italian. Did he even exist? Was it the free wine?

Number 4. Fabulous, amazing bloggers!

Jokes aside, it was fabulous to be around so many talented, powerful, amazing bloggers. I’ve been blogging since 2000 but only really joined the whole blogging community over the past couple of years – and what an almighty brilliant crowd they are. I felt the love in that room on Friday night.

 

It was an honour to be in the ‘outstanding contribution’ category even though felt out of place being up there. I’m not saying what I do isn’t worthy, just that well, I do it because I love to do it. I like helping. I like raising awareness. I like raising money for charity. It’s not outstanding. I’m not outstanding, not like those amazing women in my group, but I am so incredibly humbled and thankful to whoever nominated me. For being chosen as a finalist. It was an honour to attend the awards and to be a finalist. Thank you a million times over.

 

The amazing, strong, powerful women that stood beside me, inspire me every day. I was totally proud to stand next to them on stage. I now know why Sally wanted photos and I wish I’d sent more of what I actually do. (I expect many who don’t really know me were thinking ‘who is she?!’) They were for this brilliant, emotional video.

 

The video made me cry. And then I don’t think I really stopped crying.

 

I didn’t really explain my crying to many so apologies if I looked like a silly banana but it has been a pretty tough year.

 

It was emotional standing on stage with so many fabulous, inspirational women.

 

It was emotional watching people win their categories.

 

I’m so happy that Jennie won our category. She’s truly inspirational and brave. Truly deserving of the award.

 

O.K, moving on – happy thoughts.

 

Number 5: Meeting new lovelies!

I met so many bloggers I’d not met before. I chatted with so many I’d met before but never really properly chatted with. It was great to make new friends and chat properly with old friends.

Number 6. My lovely award

Even though I didn’t win my category, I was given a lovely glass award to keep as a reminder of a special night. I thought that was a really nice touch. Thank you Sally.

7. Dance moves and blogger grooves!

I loved the wine fuelled dance moves. There were some 90′s shapes, some 80′s grooves and some, well, some just erm… Moves.

I’m hoping my boogie moves weren’t captured on film. I’d had a few Sherberts.

8. Sunflowers

They are my favourite flowers. To wake up with an almighty hangover and be faced by a bunch of happy sunflowers was lovely.

I have no idea how they got there. But awesome sunflowers nonetheless.

9. Dr Ranj – my quiff wins!

Dr Ranj said my quiff was totally awesome. That made me very happy. I love Dr Ranj. My littlies love Dr Ranj.

My littlies think it’s awesome that Dr ranj thinks mummy’s quiff is awesome.

Ranjtastic.

10. Blogging

I love blogging.

I love this celebration of blogging.

I loved reading new blogs that I didn’t know about until friday night.

I love that a whole community came together and cheered and cried and had an amazing time.

I love that a whole community came together and supported eachother and said ‘hey – you are good at what you do – yea you!’ Be it photos, cooking, crafting, writing, travelling or general aceness.

 

A huge congratulations to all finalists and all winners. You are amazing! Here’s the list of finalists and winners. (Do go check out their blogs!)

 

BEST PREGNANCY BLOG

Finalists:

• Mum to Baby Insomniac
• Mummy Daddy and Me Makes Three
• Susan K Mann
• The Mummy Adventure
• Working Berlin Mum

Winner: Mummy, Daddy and Me Makes Three

 

BEST BABY BLOG

Finalists:

• Crazy with Twins
• Dear Beautiful
• Little Tin Bird
• My Two Mums
• Mutterings of a Fool

Winner: Crazy with Twins

 

BEST NEW BLOG

Finalists:

• Best Dad I Can Be
• Feeding my Intolerant Child
• Just a Normal Mummy
• The Future’s Rosie
• The Radford Family

Winner: The Future’s Rosie

 

BEST THRIFTY BLOG

Finalists:

• Baby Budgeting
• Fly Lula
• Frugal Family
• Frugal Queen
• Mortgage Free in Three

Winner: Baby Budgeting

 

BEST FAMILY TRAVEL BLOG

Finalists:

• All the Camping Gear
• Jetlag and Mayhem
• Mums do Travel
• Mums Gone To
• The Family Adventure Project

Winner: The Family Adventure Project

 

BEST FAMILY LIFE BLOG

Finalists:

• Adventures of an Unfit Mother
• Fly Lula
• Mummy Daddy and Me Makes Three
• Soft Thistle
• The Radford Family

Winner: Adventures of an Unfit Mother

 

BEST CRAFT BLOG

Finalists:

• Capture by Lucy
• Me and My Shadow
• My Little Three and Me
• Rainy Day Mum
• The Imagination Tree

Winner: The Imagination Tree

 

BEST FOOD BLOG

Finalists:

• A Mummy Too
• Cakes, Photos, Life
• Frugal Queen
• Gourmet Mum
• The Curry Guy

Winner: Frugal Queen

 

MOST INNOVATIVE BLOG

Finalists:

• Daddacool
• Geek Mummy
• Mammasaurus
• Science Sparks
• Vevivos

Winner: Mammasarus

 

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION

Finalists:

• Alexander Residence
• Childcare is Fun
• Dorky Mum
• Downs Side Up
• Edspire
• Kate on Thin Ice
• Mummy from the Heart
• Not Even A
• Patch of Puddles
• Thinly Spread

Winner: Edspire

 

BEST FASHION BLOG

Finalists:

• Fashion Detective
• Maggie Stone
• Side Street Style
• Style Me Sunday
• Transatlantic Blonde

Winner: Style Me Sunday

 

BEST FAMILY FUN BLOG

Finalists:

• Coombe Mill
• Family Four Fun
• Gammon and Chips
• Grenglish
• The Boy and Me

Winner: Coombe Mill

 

BEST SCHOOLDAYS BLOG

Finalists:

• Actually Mummy
• But Why Mummy Why?
• Mum of Three World
• Raisie Bay
• Thinly Spread

Winner: But Why Mummy Why?

 

MOST ENTERTAINING BLOG

Finalists:

• Goodbye Pert Breasts
• Mama Bear with Me
• Mothering Frights
• The Kraken Wakes
• The Only Way is Melbourne

Winner: Goodbye, Pert Breasts

 

BEST PHOTOGRAPHY

Finalists:

• Capture by Lucy
• Little Ruby Loves
• Mummy Daddy and Me Makes Three
• Shutterflies
• The Boy and Me

Winner: Capture by Lucy

 

BEST WRITER

Finalists:

• Best Dad I Can Be
• Gammon and Chips
• Mammywoo
• Take Her Home Now
• Trying my Patients

Winner: Mammywoo

 

BLOG OF THE YEAR

Finalists:

• Frugal Queen
• Imagination Tree
• Mammywoo
• The Future’s Rosie
• You Can Take Her Home Now

Winner: Mammywoo

 

So then my lovelies. I’m going to keep working very hard so that perhaps, just perhaps, I might get to do it all again next year!

 

I’ll of course always keep the parenting advice service going (which by the way received 48 emails asking for parenting advice during the awards!) I’ll keep running marathons, jumping out of planes and using my blog to talk about, raise money for and raise awareness of charities and causes.

 

Finally I want to say a great big thank you to Sally, The Sponsors, The Tots100 and to all the bloggers that helped make the MAD Blog awards an awesome night.