Posts Tagged "all change"

All Change in 2010

Posted by cafebebemama on Jan 11, 2010 in Blogger Love, Judith's Room, Motherhood | 16 comments

Time for a change

Well, we are two weeks into 2010 and already I’m rearranging!  Friends and family who know me well, know that I can’t stand to look at anything the same for too long.  I frequently change the furniture arrangement in our lounge, particularly for the seasons.  In the Spring and Summer it’s all about the out of doors so the furniture shifts to the back of the lounge by the patio doors.  In the Autumn and Winter it’s all about the HEAT from the only heat source in our lounge, the fireplace.  Every three months or so, I dutifully shuffle everything to different places, reorganise and enjoy the change of view.  Hubby comes home from work and says “Oh no!”  It’s a good thing that no one in our immediate family is visually impaired; I’d be messing with their minds on a regular basis.

I started blogging in June of 2009 and quickly got involved in product reviewing in addition to blogging.  Never satisfied, I finally ended up with Café Bébé as it is today- a self-hosted, WordPress blog about my life as a Mummy and some of the brilliant things we have been fortunate enough to do and receive.  The product reviewing quickly took over as the primary focus for me which is why the main address site (www.cafebebe.co.uk) became Reviews at Café Bébé.  However, recently, I’ve begun to regret that decision.  Joining groups like Judith’s Room and focusing more on my dream of freelance writing has allowed me to see that the most important aspect of Café Bébé is the writing.  My writing has slowed down because I have overstretched myself…I need to focus on what I do best.

I’ve also seen a turn in the way that product reviewing is going in the blogging world.  I want to be seen as a Mummy Blogger and Freelance Writer, not a product reviewer.  I won’t claim to be perfect, by any means, however.  I have used my Just Ask philosophy to get a lot of things that we never would have had access to.  Little Miss’ clothing and belongings have increased dramatically this past year and that’s lovely as we are on a very limited income.  But, I’ve come to realise that if people want me to review their products, they’ll come to me (If I build it, they will come).  I shouldn’t need to be knocking down anyone else’s doors.  I don’t want to give Mummy Blogging a bad name and for me, I’ve never wanted to make a career out of product reviewing; I’ve wanted to make a career out of writing.

So, hopefully, as of Tuesday 12 January (if my host technical support team can sort me out), Café Bébé will become a solo blog with a few pages, multiple categories and will primarily be about the writing.  I have integrated my product reviews into the blog under the PRODUCT REVIEWS category (strangely enough) so they are still there in their original form.  I have a few reviews yet to publish for products that I have received in the last few months and I will continue to review products if I am approached or if something happens to fall in my lap.  I have the joy of continuing to review products at The Great Toy Guide , Living with Kids, and Mummy Reviews in addition to my commissioned reviews for MadeForMums website (as long as all of them continue to have me).  Let me know your thoughts about product reviews?  Do you do them?  Are you regularly approached?  If you don’t do them, why not?  I’ve really enjoyed the fun of receiving products and the challenge of writing about them in a constructive way but I really think it’s time for a fresh start in 2010.

I welcome your comments as well as critiques.  And of course, please let me know if you have any problems accessing anything on Café Bébé.  Thank you for your support and here’s to a brilliant year!

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