My Experience at Britmums Live 2014

So it’s happened, Britmums Live 2014 has been and gone.

It was a tough day for me, an emotional day really.

You see the last time I saw a blogger in the flesh to speak to face to face I was only a mummy to Baba, there was no Rhianna no Boo, just Baba.

In that time bloggers have celebrated the news of being pregnant with Rhianna Lily with me, they have lived the horror of loosing Rhianna Lily with me, sometimes more than my physical friends I see all the time. They have read about my heart breaking they have cried the tears with me, and they have helped me through many a sleepless night.

They have silently felt my pain, miles and miles between us not knowing what I look like but caring, crying and feeling for me.

They have also felt the shock and joy of Boo arriving, they have been there more than some of my life long friends have, and I have hidden away.

I wont lie, I never felt strong enough to see them face to face, to be able to talk openly about my deepest darkest hours and to be face to face with the people who have read my pain. My deep raw pain.

I wanted to go this year, I was determined to go this year, and I was so pleased docrafts sponsored me, it was a company after my own heart and one I was happy to shout about.

I think also when the day finally came they were the only reason I went there, if I had been paying myself I would have probably wimped out and not gone in the end, but being sponsored I had to go, I had to go for them no matter how scared I was.

I really didn’t need to be, there were loads of lovely bloggers there that have shared so much with me in the last two years, and gave such great hugs. Yes they wanted to hear about me Baba, Rhianna and Boo, and it was a lot easier than I thought. She was accepted at Britmums, probably the only place she has really been accepted and nobody flinched at her name, no one walked off because I mentioned her, she was included accepted and was talked about. Something I have never felt so freely before.

I was aiming to last the day without crying, I lasted until nearly the end of the day but not quite. The keynote speakers had me, listening to another blogger writing about miscarriage, was hard and emotional and so raw, so so raw. I cried a lot more than I have cried for a while, but I was determined that I had to finish listening, finish it for her, for her child as I had demanded people do for Rhianna for the last two years. It was the least I could do. And it was emotional it was hard, but it was ok, because I was surrounded by friends, friends ready with hugs and support and making it all ok.

Off course Britmums Live wasn’t just about meeting friends, it was about the brands and learning. I had a great chat with Heinz and Morrison’s and loved their new ranges and found a juicer like no other with Vitamix and tried food I would never try who would have thought Spinach and Kale would be among a favourite of mine for a juice. Both things that I would never usually eat, but gorgeous in the juice. I had a great chat with Parragon Books and got Baba involved in the 30 day challenge and hope he will be able to get involved in the book club as well. We also got a great new bottle for Boo from Munchkin that seems to be a brilliant idea. All in all I found most of the brands interesting and useful.

Britmums Live is also about the learning and this year I really did get some vital information from the sessions. I went to three sessions, as only going for one day meant that I had to drop a couple to get to speak to brands and have a look at the people that were there. So I chose my sessions very precisely.

I went to the Podcasting session in the morning, I don’t think I could go into vlogging yet but I am interested in podcasting and it was really interesting listening to how to do it and the best equipment to use that is available and how to do vital things like get rid of background noise etc.

I spent the afternoon learning about self publishing, and story telling and I have to say it was a great afternoon. I have had an idea for a book for a long time, and hearing about self publishing, really inspired me, I was a little scared by it all but it really is not as scary or as hard as I first thought.

I came out of the session thinking I can do that and after going to the story telling I was inspired. Everything that was said I took in I wrote hundreds of notes and loved the writing exercises. I really did walk out of the session ready to get cracking with my writing. I will blog about on of the exercises in the next couple of days but I am going to do my writing, I am going to get my dream fulfilled and have a book published. I need something positive to come out of the last few years and this can be it.

I am feeling the desire for it and feeling inspired and I am grateful to Britmums Live for that.

I am so pleased I went, I got to meet people for the first time, see old faces, to talk to brands and to learn new things and walk away inspired. Thanks Britmums, you have helped me in more ways than one this year and thank you docrafts for sending me I loved being sponsored by you.