vice 1 (vs)
n.
a. An evil, degrading, or immoral practice or habit.
b. A serious moral failing.
c. Wicked or evil conduct or habits; corruption.

I like to sleep in.
I like to eat cheap, crappy, Turkish Delight in secret, so I don’t have to share.
I would like nothing better than an entire day to play around on Pinterest.

What I’d secretly like to do is to eat Turkish Delight while spending the day in bed mucking around on Pinterest…

So I’ve shared mine, now you share yours…
What’s your vice?

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What’s Your Vice? is a post from: picklebums.com

Have you ever come across something in your life and thought ‘that’s crazy/sad/wrong I should do something about that’, but then you never actually end up doing anything?

That’s been me, a lot.

I could say I was busy, or that I was tired, or that my kids take priority right now, and all those things would be true, but none of them actually stops me from doing something, big or small, to help others. I want to change that.

A few weeks ago an idea was floated… an idea to start a group, to create a website, to put on an event and to bring bloggers together to support and work with not for profit groups in our local community. Last Friday night we held our first Community Blogging event and I met many people who were standing up and actually doing something.

I was inspired by Jessica from St Kilda Mums who who collect and organise donations of babies and children’s clothing, toys, books and equipment and work with various organisation to get these items to those in need. Jessica didn’t just say ‘I should do something about that’… she got out there and did it. To date St Kilda Mums have rehomed over 2500 items that otherwise would have gone into landfill and helped countless families in need.

St Kilda Mums would love to see other groups set up in other areas, and they are happy to share all their knowledge and processes with anyone keen to start up a group. You can also donate to St Kilda Mums (after Jan 13th as they are taking a well earned break over Christmas), follow them on their facebook page to keep up to date with their work.

Robyn from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) also spoke, with such passion and integrity it was impossible not to be impressed. Robyn spoke about the human face of asylum speakers, she told us about the work that ASRC does and the community education and involvement. So often all we hear are sensationalised news bites, with negative messages from a vocal minority, it was fabulous to hear such positive stories of asylum seekers and about the community stepping up to help in so many ways.

You can volunteer at ASRC, (for more information visit their volunteer page) and you can also donate food and other goods via the survival network, another branch or ASRC, or find out other ways you can support ASRC here.

It was not just the Not For Profit groups that attended the event who were standing up to do something to help others. The event would not have been possible without sponsors…

I’m a Pecan Fan donated to both community groups, and Mandy and Sarah from Porter Novelli (who represent I’m a Pecan Fan) bought a long a giant nut which was lots of fun!

EcoStore is an inspiring company with their commitment to health and the environment, and they impressed me yet again by attending the event and donating essential items such as laundry detergent, shampoo etc.

Christie from Kids Business organised toys to be donated and also spoke about a new project being unveiled in 2012 involving sponsoring Mums to blog about inspiring and helping other mums. A great community building idea to watch out for next year.

Colourific also donated craft items, Maclean Mums donated toothpaste and Bundaberg supplied the delicious drinks for the event. We were also supported by the Public Records Office Victoria who allowed us to hold the event at The Archives Centre free of charge and thanks to their catering service who supplied the yummy finger food.

And of course there were the bloggers who attended. All of them who made time at a super busy time of year, to stand up and do something. To use their voices, their influence and their twitterings to support others in our community.

They say that as a ‘mum blogger’ I have ‘influence’. I am not so sure how accurate that is, but I am acutely aware that what I write on my blog may influence someone. With so much talk about bloggers ‘selling out’, and about bloggers and brands working together, I find it hard to know if I am always doing the right thing when accepting a sponsored post or working with a company. But today, writing this post, I am not second guessing myself, I am not worrying about selling out or making the wrong choices. I am standing up and doing something… however small that may be… to help someone else, and it feels GOOD!

Many thanks to Nicole who, in true ‘Planning Queen’ style, got us all together and organised. And to Kathy, Shae, Marita and Amanda for all putting in time and effort to get the idea of Community Blogging off the ground.

We hope that this event is only the beginning and in the future there will be many different ways bloggers can get involved and support community groups. If you are interested in being a part of this (and geography is not and issue as we’d love to see events run in other areas too) please pop over to our web site and fill in the ‘get involved’ form.

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Commnuity Blogging Event – Stand up and Do Something! is a post from: picklebums.com

You know how it is when you hear a song for the first time, at a moment in your life, when it just totally makes sense…

That was how it was for me with this song – The Littlest Birds by The Be Good Tanyas

Do you have a song like that?

It’s Wordless Wednesday over at My Little Drummer Boys – check out her storm trooper!

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The Littlest Birds… is a post from: picklebums.com

I went to a blogging event last week, a ‘Bloggers Brunch’ to be more precise. I have been to a couple of similar events this year, where both bloggers and PR or brand reps attend and they always make me go home and think about the whole blogging, ads, brands and money deal.

Lots of people are talking about it, lots of people have talked about it in the past, and I am sure people will talk about it again in the future. It seems to be a recurring hot topic – making money from your blog. More specifically it seems that making money from a ‘mummy blog’ elicits a variety of responses and opinions, good, bad and indifferent. Now I don’t prescribe to the ‘one right way’ philosophy for pretty much anything, especially not blogging, so I’m not going to sit here and tell you what I think you should be doing in regards to monetising (or not) your blog, or how brands should work with blogs… but I am going to blab on a bit about some thoughts that are whirring around me head on this topic and need to a nice comfy place to land.

If you know my blog, you’ll already know that I run private advertising in my side bar, as well us running Nuffnang ads. I also do the odd Nuffnang ‘sponsored post’ which means I get paid to write about a set brand, or item. And I also do the occasional review, or give away, which is usually organised directly between myself and the PR firm working for the brand or company, and I currently don’t charge a fee for those posts but I usually get an item to keep.

When I first shifted my blog from blogger to self hosted wordpress I made the decision to start displaying syndicated ads (from the blogher network at that time). My goal was to make enough money to pay for my hosting costs. I didn’t want my blogging hobby to impact our family budget if I could help it. I made that goal in the first year with a little bit of extra pocket money and I was happy to leave it at that.

Since then my blog has grown and changed and I’ve discovered that I quite enjoy writing and I feel have something of value to share (most of the time!). And it seems blogging in Australia has really taken off, Mummy Blogging especially. Suddenly we are being contacted by Pr companies and brands with this offer or that. The opportunities for bloggers, opportunities for me, have suddenly sky rocketed and I’ve found myself needing to really think about how I work with brands and PR companies and what I am comfortable with.

This has been a very steep learning curve for me. Before I had kids I taught preschool, I was not in the business world, and sometimes I feel like these people speak a totally different language. I am happy to admit that I’ve been overly flattered by the fact that PR people even want to connect with me and in the past this has led me to make some less than fabulous decisions. But I’ve learnt from those mistakes and been able to make better decisions in the future.

Of course, I’m still learning, and attending events such as Kid’s Business Bloggers Brunch is a great way to do that. The event show cased several brands, from the new Mix clothing range and new disposable nappies from the mega multi million dollar Coles, to ecostore with it’s story of small town beginnings and eco friendly commitment.

I was impressed by both companies and what they had to show us, but how would I feel about endorsing those brands on my blog?

I have liked using both the Coles nappies and the ecostore laundry detergent that I was given, but does being given a freebie and liking the product mean I will blog about it? For free? Is that what is expected from these events? Or are they waiting for us to ask to be paid, or to build some deeper partnership?

As I learn to value my blog, my audience and myself more I am learning there is no one right answer for any of those questions.

I am learning that I don’t need to write about anything if I don’t want to. I am learning that I don’t want ‘stuff’ just because it’s free and that I will not blog for a loaf of bread. I am learning that if it feels like a huge effort to find a way to marry my blog to a product then it is not a good match and I should just say no. I am learning that there needs to be more to the company, brand or product, something that resonates with me beyond just ‘free stuff is cool’. I am learning that if blogging is ‘un-fun’ then I’m doing something wrong.

Money is a powerful thing, to be able to earn money is a powerful feeling.

I am lucky to be able to choose to stay at home with my children while they are little, and while I value that role immensely, the possibility to contribute money to the family budget is a very fulfilling thing for me.

Right now I don’t have any goals to make ‘a living’ from my blog. I write my blog because I enjoy it, because it’s fun, and because I learn things while doing it. But being able to make a little money for the extras, and being able to do it while doing something I really enjoy is an opportunity I want to take up, whole heartedly.

What do you think about the way blogs and brands work together?
If you blog, have you made decisions about how your blog will and won’t work with brands?

{ All images are by Mike Licht, NotionsCapitols.com via Flickr }

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Bloggers, Brunches and Brands. is a post from: picklebums.com

Many of you might already know that I’m lucky enough to be Katepickle’s IRL friend. I live “over the hill” and our kids have grown up together. The Twinadoes were 2 and my Tannah was just 6 months old when we met. We’ve since been through lots of stuff together, like kids birthday parties, new babies, sick husbands and interstate moves. And blogging conferences.

The things I know about Kate are-

Now come visit my blog, Yay For Home, and join in with my weekly Things I Know link up!

{Thanks to Bogue Living for the image}

Shae is a home cooking, homebirthing, unschooling stay-at-home Mama to three amazing girls. She writes about all this and more at her blog Yay For Home.

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Things I Know About Kate – Guest Post from Yay For Home! is a post from: picklebums.com

If you are looking for my regular Saturday Lovely Links posts then you are going to disappointed… and possibly a little shocked!

You see today the lovely ladies over at We Heart Life are celebrating. They are celebrating because it is I Heart My Body day today.

The idea is simple.. instead of hating on our bodies and finding all the flaws, today is the day to step up and celebrate our bodies, flubbery bits included! They asked us to post a photo and inspired by some of my gorgeous friends I went the whole hog… so lets, take a deep breath, be brave, and just do it…

It’s so easy to focus on the things we don’t like about ourselves.

I don’t actually mind my body that much these days. I used to hate it when I was younger, it was always too much or not enough. I am not sure if it is because being pregnant did good things to my body (there is a positive to months and months of throwing up), or because now that I’m approaching 40 it is more acceptable to be a little rounder here and there. Perhaps I’ve finally grown up and learnt to accept my body, the good, the bad and the indifferent, but I still found it easy to rattle off a list of 50 things I didn’t like.

It was a lot harder to find things I did like…. but I did it.

I am imperfect (as I’ve been telling you all month!). Not only on the outside but also on the inside…. but it is these quirks, these flubbery bits, it is these imperfections that make me me and I heart them.

Do you Heart your body?

Join in with ‘I Heart My Body’… you don’t have to get your gear off… just post a photo and share the imperfect love!

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I Heart My Body…. mostly. is a post from: picklebums.com

There are always crazy plastic animals in odd places around my house.

I vacuum with the baby on my hip, even thought I know it is bad for my back.

I yell, even though I hate to be yelled at.

My girls’ room is always messy, always. They inherited this from me.

Sometimes I go to bed without flossing.

On a number of occasions washing has been left on the line for more than week.

I have a terrible sweet tooth that I indulge in secret and then often lie about.

I was too shy to say hi to several people at last weeks Problogger Event, even though I really wanted to meet them.

I am flawed.

I am imperfect.

Are You Perfectly Imperfect?

If you have written a post about being perfectly imperfect then add your link to the linky below. It doesn’t matter what you write, or when you wrote it, this is about sharing all the little things, the things that bug us, the things that we wish were a little different, but the things that are wonderful regardless. This is about reminding ourselves just how wonderful our lives are. Celebrate your imperfections!

Feel free to grab the banner or button below if you like.

The linky will be open until next Sunday, November 6th. Please only link up posts that are directly related to being imperfect, no give aways or reviews please. And please take a moment to check out some of the other great imperfect posts and leave a little love and support by way of a comment.

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Share your Imperfections – Perfectly Imperfect Link Up. is a post from: picklebums.com

My fingernails are never clean.

My boobs are too big.

I am boringly practical and I worry too much.

I tuck the flap of my belly into my jeans and try to ignore it.

I have no waist, no bum and shoulders broader than most men.

Sometimes I can only see my flaws. I only think about all the things I don’t do so well, all things I’d like to change, all the things I wish I wasn’t.
I forget to see all the things that are ok. I don’t stop to ponder the things I do well, the things I am proud of and the things that are beautiful.

This is not the self esteem I want my children to inherit. This is not even the attitude I want to have towards myself.
There is more to me than my superficial imperfections.
For every flaw there is a story, a journey, a proud moment, something to love…

My fingernails have dirt under them from the garden and green play dough from playing with my big boy. They are signs of hard work and enjoyment.

My breasts have feed four children, two of them at the same time. Despite flat nipples, prem babies, failure to thrive, bad latches and bouts of thrush they have nourished my babies and I am proud.

I am responsible, reliable and I think things through (over and over and over).

Despite my belly flap I am more comfortable with my body now than I have ever been.

I have skinny legs, long fingers and nice ears.

I am a mother, a friend, a teacher, a daughter, a Turkish delight eater, a sister, a chef, a wife, a blogger, a karaoke singer, a woman.
I am all this and more…
I am not perfect at any of these things, but I am me, perfectly imperfect me, and that’s just fine.

Are you perfectly Imperfect?

Join in and write your own post. I will host a linky on the last Monday in October to add your perfectly imperfect posts to. There are no rules about when or what to post, post a photo, write a short post or a 5 part essay if you like. Grab a banner or button from this post and celebrate your imperfections.

Please share this post with friends and bloggers you know that might like to join in. Let’s celebrate being perfectly imperfect together!

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I am Imperfectly Perfect is a post from: picklebums.com

I have this list, in the back of my head, of things I want to buy. Not important things, not things I really need, just things I’d like to buy, for me.

Mostly these are ‘when we are rich’ things. Some of them you can’t even buy here, or at least I don’t know where to find them. Some of them are things that I’ve just put off, things that have been shunted to the bottom of the list again and again in favour of new school shoes and, you know, food.

Call me selfish, call me wishful, but indulge me while I share some lovely links to things I want to buy…

These aqua shoes… and I don’t even have a thing about shoes!

Fiestaware! (see image above by matthewpiat via flickr)

A KitchenAid, in red.

A circle punch. One inch or maybe two?

This chair, these paints, this outfit (but not the bag and maybe the skirt in red?) and this painting (the top one).

Do you have a wish list? A secret list of things you’d quite like to buy, just for you? Do share!

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Lovely Links – Things I Want to Buy is a post from: picklebums.com

I know that my pelvic floor is not what it used to be.

I know that feeling when you can’t stop laughing over something ridiculously silly is one of the best feelings ever

I know about printable boob hats.

I know that I have a strange craving for brownies.

I know that having a friend who makes me laugh till I pee my pants makes me one of the luckiest people on earth.

What do you know?
Share it with Yay For Home and the Things I Know link up!

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Stuff I Know. is a post from: picklebums.com