Blog On MSI Ice Breaker

In a couple of weeks I will be attending my first bloggers conference, ‘Blog On‘ in Manchester.

I’m feeling fairly nervous about the whole thing given that it’ll be my first time but if I’m totally honest my biggest worry is travelling two hours on my lonesome down the M6 and then having to navigate my way around Manchester without having a small melt down.

Zoe from Mama Geek has put together some ice breaker questions to enable bloggers attending to get to know each other a little better beforehand. I also thought that my readers may enjoy gaining a little insight into the ‘girl behind the blog’.

Share a recent photo of yourself (or a doodle)

This is one of my first attempts at a selfie following my purchase of a selfie stick. I do tend to stick to wearing darker colours and may as well tattoo the eyeliner on as it’s a permanent feature.

Describe yourself in five words or less

1. Kooky
2. Organised
3. Potty Mouth
4. Bubbly
5. Unique

How long have you been blogging, and why did you start?

I began blogging as ‘RachelSwirl’ eight months ago in February 2016. However, I have blogged and vlogged in the past using classic platforms such as Bolt and LiveJournal back in the day.

I first began blogging as a student from University as a way in which to keep in touch with my friends and family without having to use my precious mobile phone credit. I also found blogging was therapeutic, at the time I was in a pretty dark place and needed to vent.

Years later after having children I began vlogging as a way to record and to share those special moments with my family and friends. I still vlog occasionally but felt that it somehow seemed to be frowned upon by society.

Alongside vlogging I also ran a successful parenting website which was self hosted through Wordpress, I guess you could class that as a blog of types but realistically it was more of a review based website for parenting brands. Mums Baby Magazine took up a great deal of my time and following having our Little Princess in 2013 I was unable to keep up with it all and so Mums Baby Magazine was no longer.

Back in early January after an alcohol-fueled New Years bash I made some rather stark decisions to start the new year by sticking my middle finger up to society and by doing what I wanted to do. I no longer wanted to hide behind a brand name, I no longer wanted to write as third person. I wanted to blog from my own point of view, whether it be to write product reviews or simply to document my day as a wife, a parent and most importantly, an individual.

What are you hoping to get out of Blog On?

There are a few things that I would like to be able to achieve from attending Blog On. Firstly, I would like to meet other bloggers in person.

Secondly, I look forward to attending workshops to help me develop my own blog further.

Thirdly and finally I have had the urge to attend blogging conferences for a few years now and I will be finally be able to tick that box from my ‘virtual blogging bucket list’ and be part of a blogging conference rather than just a green-eyed reader.

Name a few of your favourite blogs.

I read so many blogs it’s unreal! I have a huge list of favourite bloggers and don’t want to miss anyone out as I feel it’d be unfair. However, here is a quick short list of some of the blogs that I read:

• Natasha Bailie – The Milk Stand
• Sarah – The Unmumsy Mum
• Tim – Slouching Towards Thatcham
• Donna – What The Redhead Said
• Morgana – CoffeeWorkSleepRepeat

What’s your favourite social media platform(s)… and what’s your username?

Whilst I am part of most well-known social media platforms, I do tend to stick to Facebook more often than not. You can find, like and connect with me at www.facebook.com/Rachelswirl

What’s your favourite bit of tech?

After years and years of eyeing up Macs I finally made the plunge and purchased my first ever Macbook Pro in early 2016. It is my favourite piece of tech and whilst there are times when my Windows background tends to hamper my ability to ‘think Apple’ I absolutely love my Mac!

If you won the lottery, how would you spend your winnings?

There are a few things that I would do if I won the Lottery if I ever played the Lottery that is! Here’s how I’d spend my virtual pennies:

• Pay off the mortgage
• Pay off the extension
• Get a conservatory
• Get a new kitchen
• Go to Florida
• Have Christmas in New York
• Get a new car
• Get a new wardrobe (by which of course I mean wardrobe contents)
• Splurge on my family and help them out financially too.

If you could host a talk show, who would be your first guest?

Tori Amos, I have been a massive fan of Tori since I was seven years old. I have every album, single, interview, Music book and other random memorabilia Tori related. I am lucky to have seen Tori play live over ten times now and still she manages to give me goose bumps and break me into tears each and every time I watch her.

Share a funny (or favourite) memory from your life.

Hmm, there are so many memories to choose from, I’m not sure where to start! Back in 2006 I took Paul to London for a romantic weekend away, I had booked a surprise visit to the London Eye to share champagne and chocolates aboard the capsule whilst we enjoyed the views of London.

In order to kill some time beforehand I took Paul to the National Tate Gallery, whilst he soaked up the art I quickly texted my Mum to let her know that the plan was coming together and Paul and I would soon be heading to the London Eye, he was completely clueless and that’s precisely how I wanted it to be.

Whilst in mid text conversation I spotted what looked like a small metal bench attached to the wall and decided to park myself there whilst I finished texting.

Suddenly there was an almighty bang and a whole lot of screaming, I had absolutely no idea what was going on but it everything went dark. What soon became apparent was that the screaming was the publics response to seeing me flop back against a brick wall, smash my head upon a load of marble and then pass out onto the floor.

Turns out that it wasn’t a seat after all and rather than spending the morning looking at the great artworks featured in the Tate Gallery I spent an hour staring at the walls of the first aid room. As my bag was searched for ID Paul learned of my plan to take him to the London Eye, it was still a surprise I’m sure but certainly not delivered with any romance.

We did manage to go to the London Eye but we weren’t allowed any Champagne due to my head injury, I was also advised not to eat and we were informed that a member of staff would have to be present in our capsule for safety reasons due to my injury, How romantic!

 What is your favourite book (or film if you’re not a big reader)?

Gosh I read so many books that I simply couldn’t identify a favourite, I do like ‘chick-lit’ and so rather than listing my favourite books I would prefer to list a few of my preferred authors:

• Jane Green
• Sophie Kinsella
• Marian Keyes
• Cecilia Ahern
• Fiona Neill
• Helen Fielding

What picture is on your phone/tablet lock screen?

I enjoyed our holiday to Benidorm so much so that it has remained on my lock-screen as a reminder of the good times we shared this summer.

If you had an hour of time all to yourself, how would you spend it?

Apparently blogging so it seems! If it were to be a planned hour then I would run a hot bath, fill the tub with bubbles and relax in the tub.

What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given?

“You’ve got your health, your family and your happiness, nothing else matters.”

Thanks for reading, If you are a Blogger attending ‘Blog On‘ then I look forward to meeting and sharing the day with you. If you are a brand interested in working alongside Blog On or myself then please get in touch. If you are simply a reader then thank you for taking the time to read my blog posts!