#BehindTheLinky 1 – Guest Post by Mum Muddling Through?

Behind The Linky, Guest Posts
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Hello and welcome to the very first #BehindTheLinky guest post!

This is my new guest post series talking to our favourite linky hosts…. Really I want to get Behind The Linky finding out more about the linkys and their host’s blogs.

I’m so excited to introduce my first guest poster…. The fabulously cool mum everyone wants to link up with, Sarah, from Mum Muddling Through! I really have loved Sarah’s blog from the start, she’s a brilliant writer, so ‘real’, and we both started blogging at pretty much the same time. Although Sarah has two daughters amount other things we both have wee girls who are pretty much the same age too, 14 months-ish! Anyway, over to Sarah to tell you a bit more about #coolmumclub and also about her blog, so please check both out and follow her on her social media accounts too…

So, it’s now over to Mum Muddling Through:

New Mummy Blog Guest Series Behind The Linky Mum Muddling Through

Hello. I’m Sarah, aka Mum Muddling Through, host of #coolmumclub Thursday linky. The blog, the link up, and my life is not sponsored by Ray-Ban (in case you were wondering), but it probably should be. Here is my entry for the wonderful Lynne’s guest series, over at New Mummy Blog.

Links/addresses:?

Your blog name: Mum Muddling Through
Your blog address: http://www.mummuddlingthrough.com
And on Twitter,?Pinterest & Instagram?
What about Facebook??Nope – checkout why here!!?

 

Some linky questions…

1. Linky name: #CoolMumClub
2. Linky run time: Thursdays 06.00am – Friday 11.59
3. What sort of posts can link up? Any parenting posts. The funnier and entertaining the better!
4. Where do you share the posts which link up to your linky? Twitter, and on a pinterest board of best bits.
5. Host/cohost? Myself, joined by Talya aka Motherhood the Real Deal (@motherhoodreal)

It’s also nice to know more about the host’s blog…

1. When did you start your blog and why?
June 2016 because I was looking for a new hobby, I’d been made redundant and was mostly at home with two young kids.

2. What’s your favourite thing about blogging?
Exorcising my over active mind!

3. What were your top 3 most popular posts since you started blogging?
The thing is, running a popular linky (like joining one) skews your stats on this – Popular posts #1, #2 & #3 are the last 3 weeks linkys – and for actual posts, it’s whatever I had linked that day. So…I’m going to pick the ones I felt received the best attention off their own merit instead 🙂

#1 – Do princesses wear glasses?

#2 – 9 types of sleep deprivation?

#3 – Having a second baby – The fear vs the reality?

4. Which other bloggers do you most identify with? (Name up to 3)
Such a hard question…I love Min from single mum speaks – we are the same age and I totally ‘get’ her posts – different family set up, totally, but same attitude at heart. She reminds me of one of my best friends in the real world. Then, there is Nat, from Mum in Brum – my red wine / chilli loving twin. And finally (so hard!), probably This Mums life – a mum of two, like me, who has a fabulous way of making me smile. (I’m Obviously excluding from the selection my blogging BFF Talya).

?And of course a bit more about you:?

1. Do you have any non-blogging hobbies??
Running, erm…hate this question as I never know what to say! Maybe read this post…http://mummuddlingthrough.com/uncategorized/being-memorable-2/ explains it best…

2. Favourite take away??
Chinese (I love a good curry, but definitely in a curry house, so I don’t have to deal with the washing up)

3. Favourite home made meal?
Green Thai curry

4. Favourite TV series?
Breaking Bad / Game of Thrones (How can I choose!)

5. Favourite outing with little ones?
Someone else’s house, preferably for tea (for them) and wine (for me).

6. Top tip for new mums?
Just do your best, and don’t strive for perfection…you’ll only end up feeling a failure!

 

Now, let’s really get Behind the Linky:

From under my veil of anonymity, I sometimes wonder if you’d all be terribly disappointed if you were to meet me? #CoolMumClub HQ chief…no pressure eh?!

The linky idea came to me much in the same way as the ‘starting a blog’ idea…an itch that needed to be scratched. A eureka moment that needed to be executed. An idea worm in my head that needed to come to life. You may or may have not read my post ‘Can Mum be Cool?’ (http://mummuddlingthrough.com/coolmumclub/can-mum-be-cool/)…well that’s where it all began. And, so it seems, a few of you ‘get it’ and hence became the buzzing community that is #coolmumclub.

In all honesty, it was probably a bit of a premature birth – my blog itself was only a few months old and I had only just cracked joining in with Linkies, let alone running them. But, in true Sarah fashion, I was already looking for the next fix, wondering if I could create something similar of my own. I had some headache teething problems – I hated the fact that the InLinkz was an external link because I wasn’t self hosted (no prizes for what I did next), and I could not get the badge code to work which drove me insane.

The badge was a recreation of the original featured image for ‘Can Mum Be Cool?’ in a more condensed form. Those are my actual shades (somehow survived half a decade of festivals prior to parenthood and everyday summer wear then on). That’s my kitchen worktop, and my kids real stuff. It still seems funny having it appear at the end of blog posts I read online.

Mummuddlingthrough

 

The vibe at the linky is definitely laid back. I can assure you that you will never read the words ‘I’ve noticed some of you have not been using the badge / leaving comments’. I’ve come to realise the parenting blogger gang are a pretty nice bunch, and highly unlikely to take the piss. Plus who am I kidding that I have time to police that kind of thing?

So, nowadays, Thursdays are my linky day. Usually comprised of frantically sending tweet reminders (twitter spam) first thing (all manually) over porridge before we all get dressed. A nursery dash, a bit of naptime-reading if I’m lucky. Then, more reading, commenting and sharing when the kids are in bed. My blog daytime hours are restricted big time by a 45 minute naptime (as advised by health visitor to aid night sleeps), a three year old, and a 15 month old who goes crazy if she see’s the laptop / ipad. So I’ll be sneakily retweeting and favouriting your tweets from my iPhone throughout my somewhat ‘normal’ day. Plus there are always ‘things going on’ which the linky has to fit in with; a coffee morning date, an ill child, a play date afternoon, a midweek night out with the girls, a birthday, a weekend away to prepare for. The day the blog comes before real life is the day it’s all gone horribly wrong, so I never decline invitations on a Linky-day basis. It usually all comes together…with a bit of jiggery pokery.

I originally decided to go it alone, and even declined some rather wonderful co-host offers. Mainly, due to the fear of getting it all wrong and letting someone else down. But, in time, I started to see that it could be beneficial to share the load – in terms of work and moral support, so the offer from Talya ‘Motherhood the real deal’ came at the perfect time. Talya brought a new energy to the linky, a wider audience, and someone to share the highs and lows with (plus 50% of the reading when the links were growing each week – we split it 50:50). We make a great team and I have never looked back from that decision. I still feel a bit in awe that I can call such a phenomenal blogger my partner in crime.

Soon after then, I started my guest post series #coolmumclub: Meet the Members which complements the Linky perfectly. Sure, I give up one of my linked spots over to you, but it’s a pretty awesome thing sitting back each week and seeing another blog get a massive boost from all of the new reader comments. (We are always looking for new guests!). One thing I need to get better at is replying to all the comments, but I am only human (trying to care for two other humans) and sometimes I get a bit behind!

I remember a fellow blogger, Domestic Momster, wishing me good luck and giving some advice that running a linky is great fun but really hard work – I now appreciate exactly what she meant! It brings an element of commitment to the blog that wasn’t there before, but the hard work pays off in your stats and audience growth. Plus of course, all the amazing blog posts come to you!

The biggest reward of hosting #coolmumclub is definitely getting feedback from the readers & linkers saying they feel part of something special; a community. I have to pinch myself sometimes that I created that, from nothing. I have got to know some wonderful bloggers; Mums and Dads. It makes me feel incredibly proud, and if I ever have those weeks that I wonder what the hell I am doing, it spurs me to carry on. It’s kinda…well, cool.

Thanks Lynne for the opportunity to feature on your guest series. See you Thursday?!

#coolmumclub…stay cool 😉

Guest Post Mum Muddling Through on New Mummy Blog Mug Picture

I’ll definitely see you Thursday, Sarah! Hope you’ll all be joining #coolmumclub too??

Lynne x

 

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27 Comments

  • Reply
    Robyn
    February 13, 2016 at 11:06 pm

    Great read! #coolmumclub is one of my favourite (and most worthwhile) linkys and MMT is one of the first blogs I started following when I decided to turn my life over to blogging 😉 I’ve huge respect for anyone who who hosts a linky, the amount of work involved must be massive. Looking forward to reading more of these 🙂

  • Reply
    Agent Spitback
    February 13, 2016 at 11:53 pm

    Lovely to know a bit more about MMT and #coolmumclub. I have been a big fan of her blog and her linky since the first day I dipped my toe in the blogging/tweeting deep pool. I slapped myself with excitement that I was indeed cool enough to be part of a wonderful community. Sarah is absolutely right – the linky is all about community! And #coolmumclub is THAT!

    Thanks Lynne for hosting this series – a great idea!
    Agent Spitback recently posted…Chap 31 The Price of Cake, Wine, A Good Mother, and the other stuffMy Profile

  • Reply
    Emma
    February 14, 2016 at 9:20 am

    Great post. I love #coolmumclub so loved reading about one of the hosts MMT. 🙂 #sundaystars
    Emma recently posted…A Bedroom Moodboard/Wish ListMy Profile

  • Reply
    Emma Jones
    February 14, 2016 at 9:29 am

    Grear post & a linking I def want to get involved in. Didn’t post this week as had nothing prepared boo! #kcacols lifeinthemumslane

  • Reply
    Single Mum Speaks
    February 14, 2016 at 11:18 am

    Ooh, thanks for mentioning me MMT! Haha, I always think of you as my blogger bestie too. This was a really interesting post as well. It has crossed my mind to run a linky, but at the moment I can’t work out if the rise in stats would be worth the extra work involved, as it must be so time-consuming. Also, there seem to be a lot of new linkys popping up at the moment, so I don’t know if me adding one would be one too many. And what would be my linky theme? Single parenting has already been done and also excludes quite a lot of people, funny posts and rants have already been done, so that doesn’t leave much that’s a good fit with my blog-unless I do a general one, but they seem like the most work, haha! Great interview and see you both soon MMT and NMB for your respective linkys. x
    Single Mum Speaks recently posted…Surviving Valentine’s Day as a Single ParentMy Profile

  • Reply
    MMT
    February 14, 2016 at 11:34 am

    Thanks so much for featuring me Lynne, especially as the debut guest! A very kind and warm introduction, Thanks so much *blushes*.

    I look forward to reading some more guest posts.

    ooh – don’t forget, no #coolmumclub this Thursday for the half term break…see you the week after – really would love to see this post linked there (how could you not?!) so see you then xxx
    MMT recently posted…#coolmumclub: Meet the Members…Rockin Random MomMy Profile

  • Reply
    Jessica Powell (Babi a Fi)
    February 14, 2016 at 1:38 pm

    Loving this series already! I really enjoy linkies, and I love how laid back #coolmumclub is – and there are always loads of great posts too 🙂 #KCACOLS
    Jessica Powell (Babi a Fi) recently posted…Life This Week #22My Profile

  • Reply
    justsayingmum
    February 14, 2016 at 4:57 pm

    oh lovely to read this and how #coolmumclub started – am a huuuuuge fan! Fab post to read – great new series #sundaystars

  • Reply
    Mum in Brum
    February 15, 2016 at 10:05 am

    Aw thanks for the shout out lovely! #coolmumclub is most definitely the coolest linky of the week. I do like the laid back vibe – we all try our best to be good ‘linky uppers’, but sometimes life does get in the way and we can forget – we don’t need the blog police telling us off! I also love it as Sarah and Talya’s posts are always such a good read. I sometimes begrudge having to comment on a host’s post when I can’t actually relate to it, but never feel that way with #coolmumclub – both such great writers and very funny.

    Love this for a series Lynne, what a fab idea. I honestly don’t know how the hosts find the time – I can only just about keep my blog running! Sarah does an amazing job considering she has two tots. xx
    Mum in Brum recently posted…Are you getting enough sleep? (Win a luxury duvet!)My Profile

  • Reply
    wendy
    February 15, 2016 at 8:17 pm

    What a great idea for a guest post series, I love this. I am a big fan of #coolmumclub, I try and link up every week. It is such a fun linky. Was lovely finding out more about Sarah and her wonderful blog xx #kcacols
    wendy recently posted…Leo update – 2 years 6 monthsMy Profile

  • Reply
    Laura @ Dot Makes 4
    February 16, 2016 at 10:53 am

    What a great post! I’ve heard of #coolmumclub but I’ve not linked up before. It’s great to find out more about the people behind linkys 🙂

    Laura xx
    #KCACOLS
    Laura @ Dot Makes 4 recently posted…Weight Loss- UpdateMy Profile

    • Reply
      newmummy
      February 16, 2016 at 5:21 pm

      Thank you! It is a great linky, I’m sure you’d love it x

  • Reply
    Nicola
    February 17, 2016 at 8:42 am

    Ah #coolmumclub is my favourite linky, so it’s great to see some of the ‘behind the scenes’! Thanks for sharing, I found your post via #bestandworst 🙂
    Nicola recently posted…Does the M25 Know?!My Profile

  • Reply
    helen gandy
    February 17, 2016 at 3:50 pm

    Lovely idea for a series of posts, give me or Sarah a shout if you fancy interviewing us! We’d be happy to take part (I’m sure Sarah wouldn’t mind me saying that). I love finding our more about people. Thanks for linking up! #bestandworst
    helen gandy recently posted…Best and Worst Linky #38My Profile

  • Reply
    Mrs H
    February 19, 2016 at 9:50 pm

    This is such a fabulous idea for a guest post. It is always great to hear about the person behind the blog. Sarah sounds lovely and the #CoolMumClub is a linky that I really need to join in with. Let me know if you ever want to interview anyone behind the Sunday Stars linky. Thanks so much for linking up with us. Hugs Lucy xxxx

  • Reply
    Mrsmumnz
    February 20, 2016 at 1:46 am

    I must make an effort to catch your Linky next week. I think I’ve joined it once before (I think).
    I love your ambition to do the next thing. Part of me has that but then something holds me back from actually taking the step. #KCACOLS
    Mrsmumnz recently posted…Am I Pregnant Yet?My Profile

  • Reply
    Mudpie Fridays
    February 21, 2016 at 4:07 pm

    This linky is on my list to join when I get a spare five minutes. My plan is to look at the linkies I am joining at the moment and reassess, but #coolmumclub is so on my radar! Great idea for a series, very different to anything else I have seen. Thank you for joining us at #BloggerClubUK hope to see you again next week x
    Mudpie Fridays recently posted…Project 52 – Week 7My Profile

  • Reply
    absolutely prabulous
    February 24, 2016 at 8:16 am

    look at you. Go girl. Fab read. #BestAndWorst x

  • Reply
    Maria
    February 24, 2016 at 4:58 pm

    What a great idea for a series – its always nice to find out reasons and why linkys start!

    Thank you for linking up to #KCACOLS and I hope to see you back again on sunday
    Maria recently posted…We are Potty TrainingMy Profile

  • Reply
    laura dove
    February 25, 2016 at 11:15 am

    Great post! #coolmumclub is also one of my favourites and I try and make sure I link up each week!
    laura dove recently posted…For Eva, on your fourth birthdayMy Profile

  • Reply
    Fi - Beauty Baby and Me
    February 25, 2016 at 2:45 pm

    Love this! Adore both you girls and your blogs! xx

  • Reply
    Talya
    February 25, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    Ahhhh my blog partner in crime and BFF! FIST BUMP!!! Thanks for linking this up to #coolmumclub lovely x
    Talya recently posted…Tyre safety: 10 things you need to know about tyresMy Profile

  • Reply
    MMT
    February 25, 2016 at 9:13 pm

    Okay this is kinda weird, reading this whilst doing what I’m describing in the post! Ha ha, surreal thing blogging!

    Thanks for linking up with the gang at #coolmumclub

    • Reply
      newmummy
      February 27, 2016 at 11:56 pm

      Haha true!! Thanks for taking part! X

  • Reply
    Mess and Merlot
    February 26, 2016 at 2:19 pm

    Really good to hear more about you and how the linky came about. I’m quite new to blogging and linkys but I really like the idea that I can discover like minded bloggers and posts in one place and also share my posts aswell. Thanks for hosting #coolmumclub everyweek, you’ve done a really great job especially considering how early on you started it up!! x

  • Reply
    March Bucket List - New Mummy Blog
    March 7, 2016 at 8:41 am

    […] #BehindTheLinky 1 – Guest Post by Mum Muddling Through  […]

  • Reply
    Yvonne
    April 3, 2016 at 7:09 am

    This is a great idea for a guest series! Its so interesting to find out more about these lovely Linky hosts 🙂 #WeekendBlogShare
    Yvonne recently posted…B = BloggingMy Profile

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