Post Comment Love 6th - 8th January

Happy New Year! It's 2017 and it's time for the first Post Comment Love of the year. Welcome one and all to our fab little linky, Steph and I have been hosting Post Comment Love for a whole year now and it's been a great ride. We appreciate every link up, from bloggers who have linked from the start when Steph and I took over from Vicky, to new bloggers who have stopped by in the last month or so. You are what makes this linky worth hosting.

I've read some fabulous posts, been inspired by other bloggers and made some wonderful new friends and I truly believe that if it wasn't for Post Comment Love none of those things would've happened. 

So, Thank you!


How was your Christmas break? 

I took a complete break, no posting to social sites (apart from scheduled stuff), no blog posts, no computer use at all. It was brilliant! I love Christmas for that, it's such a great time to think about the year, what has passed and what is to come in the new year. It's also a good time to be with family and hosting Christmas Lunch went better than I could've hoped. I was completely rushed off my feet from about 7.30am and I didn't sit down until the Lunch was served at 2pm but it was the best day. Our whole family sat around the table, ate a great meal (even if I do say so myself!) and chatted. 

My cheesecake (which I made from scratch) went down a treat, everyone loved it, and I have to say I was relieved. I'd been practising for weeks in the run up to Christmas and I hadn't had one go right until the one I was meant to be serving on the day. I was rather nervous about serving it but it turns out that I do know what I'm doing! Who knew?!

Christmas day went by in a flash but spending the afternoon in the company of family is what it's all about.


  • Christmas is the day that holds all time together

Alexander Smith

The break did me the world of good, I wasn't consumed with thoughts of blog posts or worries about where my next ideas are coming from. I was able to take a step back and remember why I do this, I re-evaluated, I chatted to friends, and best of all I let go. It's so easy to let blogging take up your whole life and become obsessed with stats so the break came as welcome relief.

But of course I'm not giving up blogging (perish the thought!), I love it more than ever. It may take me a little time to find my stride but this year I'm determined to be more organised and consistent. As the new year begins I'm spending lots of time planning. 

The new year has officially started and I'm happy to be back into a routine. The boys are back at school, LP went back on Wednesday and BP on Thursday. It doesn't take long to get back into the regular routine does it? After struggling to get out of bed on Wednesday I found it much easier on Thursday and got straight back into my morning nagging routine. 

I'm happy to be back to normal, although a little sad to see the boys back at school, and am looking forward to a year of new possibilities.

What wonderful things did you do during the festive period?



Blogger Showcase Tessa from Grumpy Mum Reviews




Who are you?


I'm Grumpy Mum, or Tessa as I'm less formally know. A slightly dotty mum of one and step-mum of two, currently on maternity leave and trying to make a go of this blogging thing. I’ve had a rather colorful set of hobbies in the past including corset making, medieval re-enactment, long bow archery and aerial trapeze! But I’m now content being rather dull and staying home with Baby.



How did you discover blogs/blogging?


When I was younger I read a lot of corset making blogs as at the time there were no patterns available so it was the only way to learn. Later, I had my own blog when I started dieting but it was short lived.



Why did you start blogging?


I actually started by writing reviews on Amazon to begin with, then all of a sudden, manufacturers started replying to my reviews. I realised that maybe my reviews were of interest to them as I tried to give a balanced view and suggest improvements. It was at this point that I decided that I would set up a blog to write reviews of products and it all went from there.



What do you find most challenging?


At the moment the thing I’m finding most challenging is getting my head around all the non-writing skills I need to blog successfully. Photography is one of these. My skills with a camera have never been great, in fact, I don’t even own one! One of the things I’m looking forward to in the near future is getting my hands on a good camera and learning to take really good photos.



What’s your favorite topic to write about?


I’m not called Grumpy Mum for nothing. I love to have a good rant and set the world to right! However I also enjoy writing about the good stuff, products that are amazing and service that is faultless. I wish there was more of the latter to wright about!



Are you blogging for fun or do you have goals?


When I started this blogging lark it was just a little bit of fun to keep me sane while I looked after Grumpy Baby, however I quickly fell in love with my gorgeous baby girl and blogging and I’m now hoping to make it pay a moderate wage so that I can become a stay at home mum for the next couple of years.



What’s your favorite thing about blogging?


There are two things that stand out for me. The first is the enjoyment I get out of the writing again. I really enjoy putting my thoughts down on “paper” as it clears my head. The second is how lovely bloggers are. I really had no idea how friendly and supportive the blogging community could be and it makes such a lovely change to the environment I’m used to.



Have you ever attended a blogging conference?


Not yet, maybe next year!



What are your 3 best posts?


That’s a tough one, I think it would be wrong not to mention my Costa Coffee – In Hot Water posts… Just because they caused such a stir http://bit.ly/2iaRQ5v

I also love my GroBag review, it was the first review I wrote for my blog and it was the one which made me realise how much I enjoyed blogging http://bit.ly/2hVowjT

My final pick must be my Hyping Up Hive article. I’m choosing this one as miss-selling is a serious issue and by bringing this particular case to the attention of British Gas hopefully I’ve gone some way towards making them re-train their engineers. No one deserves to have a trusted representative come into their home and lie to them. http://bit.ly/grumpymum006



Describe yourself in 3 words?


Dotty

Particular (The word we use for picky!)

Persistent



Are you a tea and biscuit or coffee and cake person?


Definitely tea but can I have the cake and the biscuit? (This is why there will be a lot of dieting posts on my blog in the new year)



What’s your idea of a perfect night out?


Heading down to my local ale pub for a drink and a natter followed by a curry (I’m easily pleased).



Your perfect night in?


A good movie and a takeaway.



What would your best friend/OH/mum or kids say is your best quality?


My best quality is probably the same one that gets me into a lot of trouble. I’m sure everyone would say that I have a very strong character and say what I think, even if that isn’t what people want to hear.



You can find Tessa on:


Blog: www.grumpymum.co.uk

Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/grumpymumreviews

Twitter: https://twitter.com/The_Grumpy_Mum

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/1/collection/kyJ4qB

Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/grumpymumreview/



Thank you Tessa for your wonderful answers, feel free to grab our 'featured' badge.


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Each week you'll be able to link up from either of our sites and between us Stephanie and I will comment on every post linked.

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