Blogger Behind the Blog {Mum in the Mad House}

Here’s this week’s instalment of Blogger Behind the Blog where I interview a blogger all about their reasons for blogging and what it means to them. This week I’m joined by Jen from Mum in the Mad House .

Here’s Jen with more about her blogging life:

Where did your blog name come from? My Mum always called my house “The Mad House” I guess from having two children in 14 months!

When did you start your blog and why? I started blogging after a health scare in June 2009 when Mini was 2 and Maxi was 3 and due to start nursery.  I wanted somewhere to record our day to day life in case I didn’t get better.  Thankfully all these years later I am still here and still blogging.

What did you do before you blogged? I am a qualified accountant but have had quite a few jobs before I became a blogger my final one being a Facilities Manager for a large US software company.

What was your first post? A little bit about us and our plans for the summer as Maxi was starting preschool in September.

What inspires you to blog? It has changed over the years.  Initially, it was a record of what we did as a family, so a diary of sorts and it is wonderful to have all those posts to look back on.  Now it is a career and it enables me to spend quality time with my family.

What post has had the best response, which post are you most proud of and which post did you enjoy writing the most? Oh, this is hard, especially when you have 1600 posts to choose from! The post that got the biggest response was when my Mum died unexpectedly on Christmas Day.  I was amazed by a number of people that were there for me during such a difficult time.  I enjoy writing all of my posts. I find writing cathartic and do not think that I could live a fulfilled life without some sort of daily writing ritual whether that be my blog, private journal or copy for clients.  There isn’t one particular post I am most proud of – blogging has been with me through so many life changes, cancer, sepsis, autism, death, birth, trauma, joy and chronic illness.  I have written about most if not all of these things.  I cherish my blog like it is a third child.  I am not proud of it as such or any post, but I could not be without it.

Have any of your posts not had the response that you expected? Loads of them.  Sometimes I have poured out my heart and not received a single comment and then other times something really mundane has captured peoples attention.

Where do you see your blog in a year’s time? Hopefully, it will still be successful and relevant. The longer I blog the more age ranges it covers and the more read it becomes.

What is your favourite thing about blogging? Blogging has enriched my life so much.  It has brought me, dear friends, employment, experiences that money can not buy and so much more, but the favourite thing is the memories that are available to me at the click of a mouse.

…and your least favourite? Envy, jealousy and judgement.  I have been trolled and had to involve the police in the past.

What’s the best blog post you have ever read? There have been so many – a recent one that comes to mind is this one from Mother’s Always Right. I love reading blog posts and can usually find one that speaks to me in each and every time of my life!

What blog do you love to read and why? It would be so hard to pick just one – but I have read Design Mom since before I started blogging and love her weekly Living with Kids feature.  I find it intriguing how parents across the world live.

Do you do anything differently now to when you started blogging? Use bigger images from day one and not have dates in my links.

Is blogging what you expected it to be? I entered blogging with no expectations.  Back then there were less than 100 UK parent bloggers!

What’s been your favourite blog collaboration to date? I love working with brands and producing creative posts.  I decided to put this question to my boys and they said that the best collaborations are the ones when we get to experience things as a family that ordinarily we wouldn’t have the chance to experience.  For me it was getting my eyes lasered and being able to stop wearing my glasses.

Are there any brands you would love to work with, why? If there is a kitchen company listening – then I would love to redesign my kitchen and talk about having a family kitchen that encourages families and children of all ages to prepare and cook food together.

Have you had any blogging fails so far? Way back when I first started blogging I said some things about my MIL – honest things, but they were really hurtful and someone decided to show her them.  It was an interesting time!

What is your biggest blogging hope, dream or ambition? I want to turn my blog into a family enterprise!

What do you do when you’re not blogging? I sew, read and spend time with my family and friends.

Now that you know all about Jen from Mum in the Mad House, make sure you go and read her blog. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – thanks so much Jen for being involved!