BLOG ON XMAS 2017 - MY FIRST BLOGGING CONFERENCE

On Sunday the 24th of September, I finally attended my first ever Blogging Conference. I was super nervous, and I felt so ill for a few days before the actual day. Anxiety is a bugger. My first conference was supposed to be BritMums last year in July, but I wasn't able to attend because I was heavily pregnant with Freddie and if I'm honest, I don't think I would have attended in the end - pregnant or not. I did think for a minute that I wasn't going to attend BlogOn because my nerves were getting too much, but I'm so glad I just went.

My partner took me to my nearest town by 7.30am to meet the lovely Rebecca from Becster. I've never met her before, and she is the loveliest person I've met. She made me feel comfortable right away, and we had a good chat and laugh on our travel up to the conference. When we finally arrived at Hotel Football, which was right next to the Manchester stadium (not that I'm a football fan - but it was cool), we tried to find somewhere to park. Road works were going on, and we ended up going round in circles, but it was funny, and we eventually found somewhere to park. 

We headed towards the hotel, and we saw Nige (DIY Daddy), Leanne (A Slice of Wales), and then Lucy (Hello Beautiful Bear) joined us at the entrance. We got our badges and went for breakfast. There was a huge queue in one room, so Lucy and I decided to head down to the bottom floor to get breakfast there. It was in the room where the brands were, and we were stopped by one brand - Starkidz, and we took a photo. They offer birthday parties and look great. We finally had breakfast then headed to one of the rooms upstairs for the welcome talk. The sessions started not long after, and the first two sessions I attended was the Photographing with Kids with Sara-Jayne (Keep Up With The Jones Family) and Instagram by Harriet (Toby and Roo). I learnt a lot in both sessions, and they were both amazing. 

After the two sessions, Rebecca and I went for lunch, and I met the lovely Anca (Anca's Lifestyle). I then spent the rest of my time with her and went to the same sessions. Originally I planned to go to other sessions, but because I enjoyed the photography session with Sara-Jayne, I decided to make this year to learn more about photography. I went to the Festive Photo Styling with Mel Knibb (Le Coin De Mel) and Photo Styling with Lucy (Captured By Lucy), and although they were both amazing, I realised photo props just weren't for me. Although I learnt a few bits, they're not sessions I would attend again, but they are amazing sessions if you like props and flatlay photography. I regret not attending the Blog Life Balance and Camera Shy sessions, I think I would have learnt a lot with them.

The brands were lovely, and it was great to see all the toys, and I was mostly amazed at the new Luvabelle doll. At first, I thought it was kinda creepy, but they're actually quite cute. I'm sure my girls would absolutely love her. Another favourite was the Snopake stationery brand which I loved. They had a fountain pen that didn't leak or smudge - I received two goody bags of pens from them, and I've got a favourite pen. I rarely talk about stationery on my blog, but I am a huge fan. 

We were also able to vote for the best toys from different categories, and at the end of the day there was a raffle (the raffle money went to charity, and we all raised over £2000), and the prizes were one of the toys - which were amazing. I won a raffle and chose the Fisher-Price Think & Learn Teach 'n Tag Movi - I had my eye on it as I was voting, so I was super happy when I was able to choose it as my prize. I haven't opened it yet as I'm going to keep it for a Christmas present for Freddie, but it looks amazing. 

The day took me as a surprise as I was nervous I was going to be by myself and more nervous that I wasn't going to 'fit in' anywhere or with anyone. I felt the total opposite - I felt so comfortable there. In the morning as I was heading towards the breakfast area, the lovely Franca (A Moment With Franca)  stopped me and said hello. What she said to me really picked my confidence for the whole day. It was so lovely to finally meet her. I also met some of the lovely girls from my favourite Facebook Group #BlogBumpClub - Alex (Lamb and Bear), Hannah (Budding Smiles), Jade (Raising The Rings), Sarah (Run Jump Scrap) and I'm sure there were more, but my mind has gone blank. I will add on if I remember. Sorry if I missed you.

There were a few other bloggers who stopped me to say hello or said hello as they passed, but I am so bad with recognising faces so I honestly can't remember. I saw other bloggers who I wanted to say hello to but was too nervous too. But one thing I would like to say is a massive thank you to Alex from Lamb and Bear (who also sells baby/toddler leggings here) who came up to me when I was by myself at one point. 

At the end of the day when I arrived home, although it was an amazing day - one of the best days this year - I wasn't so sure if it was for me. But after reading everyone's posts about the day, thinking more and more about the day, I am actually looking forward to going again next year in May. I hope to be a lot more confident next year. 

Thank you, Laura and her team for organising such an amazing day. 

The goody bag was amazing - but I will do another post about that, however, here's a sneek-peek-photo!

Linking up with: Bloggers Best, #coolmumclub, Brilliant blog Posts, Blogging Good Time