Mummy blogging?

Jul 13, 2010

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There have been times in the past when I have tried to get this blog searchable on various terms. I’ve gone for home education blog. I’ve tagged posts with Badman, home ed review, and I’ve promoted posts by explaining to ppl about putting particular terms in the link text.

But I’ve never tried to promote this blog as a mummy blog. It’s just not occurred to me. In a recent article in the FT it was claimed that a couple of years ago there were only 200 mummy blogs, and I rolled around laughing. I suspect I can name going on for 100 without even trying that were around then, there are going on for 100 that have passed through the blogring*

None of us are known as mummy bloggers. Except maybe Grit. Come to think of it, all of this might be her fault. I’m sure it was her blog where I first saw the British Mummy Bloggers badge. 😉

I think the problem is in the terminology. I don’t identify myself first and foremost as a mummy. I’m just me. If I list the things I do, mum is right up there, especially at the moment when I’m not working, and I’m at home with two children to home educate and a baby to raise. But I’m also a cleaner, cook, shopper, entertainment machine, cheerleader, nurse, chauffeur, diary coordinator and oh so many different roles that I play throughout the day.

So I don’t identify this blog as a mummy blog. It’s a home education blog. It’s a family blog. It’s part of a community. It’s a place where I rant, vent and share. It’s a repository for those parts of our life together that I want to remember. It’s a journal of our education, a record of our days. And if it can generate some income for us while remaining all of those things, all well and good. If it can’t, no worries. Because it will still be all of those other things to me, and that is its true worth.

*Note for new readers. If I say ‘the blogring’ I’m referring to the yellow box up top there. It has also been running a long time. There’s a lot of good (mummy) blogs on it.

It’s where it is

Home Ed Inspiration, Ideas, and Activities

Click the links below and scroll through my collection of ideas, workshops, excursions, and more to discover practical everyday activities you can do together in and around your home classroom.

Home Education Inspiration

Home Ed: Ideas and Activities

Home Ed: Topics and Discussion

Exploring Neurodivergence in Children

Comments

16 responses to “Mummy blogging?”

Vonnie
13 July 2010
I’ve only recently considered myself a Mummy blogger – it was always about crafting and cooking for me until very recently.
.-= Vonnie´s last blog ..Little Miss Popular =-.
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1. Jax
  13 July 2010
  maybe it’s because the term mummy blogger is only just becoming widely used? Perhaps we were just before the trend! 😉
  Reply
Merry
13 July 2010
I signed up to blog catalog the other day and “mummy blogs” headlines the parenting category. Had never heard the term before!
.-= Merry´s last blog ..Gone in a Flash =-.
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TheMadHouse
13 July 2010
I guess I am a blog tart, as I blog about parenting, cooking, crafting, days out etc, etc I don’t care for being pigeon holed!
.-= TheMadHouse´s last blog ..Chocolate Weetabix – Review =-.
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Joyce
13 July 2010
I’m not sure what it means, exactly. Is it the content that defines it – I think that’s risky, as being a mother (arguably) did not kill every brain cell and programme me to talk about purred turnip for ever. Is it the role that defines it – hm, but like you say, have multiple roles as well, and while mother is the most important to me, I don’t expect (and wouldn’t want), other people to use that as a sole means of defining me. It’s a bit like mumpreneur – another word that irritates the hell out of me 😉
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Jax
13 July 2010
@Merry it’s funny isn’t it? I hadn’t really heard it before Cybermummy and British Mummy Bloggers came along. I think it’s a bit of an invention tbh.
@TheMadHouse square peg, round hole eh? 😉
@Joyce Am still struggling to work it out myself. And I hate mumpreneur!
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Sarah P
13 July 2010
I didnt know it was a new term. When we started active fun kids, i needed to try and find people to link to/convince to guest post and review and naively typed ‘mum blogs’ into google! I had no idea where to begin! It was only after writing a post for help i came across this blog and others that where talking about cybermummy and i saw the ‘british mummy bloggers’ badges so started thinking i was missing out and needed to start reading these blogs!
I have since informed my manager that I am productively making friends and contacts with ‘mummy bloggers’…that will go on a board report!
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1. Jax
  13 July 2010
  @Sarah P It’s a newer term than this blog anyway 😉 You are indeed making contacts and friends, do let me know if I can help further 😀 Must be fun getting paid to do the networking though!
  @Jonathan I am guessing that dads don’t so often end up having to introduce themselves as so and so’s parent – which does happen at ballet/brownies/etc etc Although I always say Jax, with relevant child’s name, trying to get my name across.
  Oh, and it looks like I’ve lost an emoticon! Must go hunting for that.
  @Merry rofl!
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Jonathan
13 July 2010
I am my children’s daddy, and the exporting of daddy/mummy-ness outside of that intimate relationship feels dissonant to me. Which might be at root of my experience that the term “mummy blog” makes me want to :vomit:
I know, I know, not enough chromosomal content to my cells makes for a weak stomach 🙂
.-= Jonathan´s last blog ..Sunday with some friends in =-.
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Merry
13 July 2010
Joyce’s braincells helped her invent purred turnips….
.-= Merry´s last blog ..Gone in a Flash =-.
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Tech
14 July 2010
Mummy Blogging makes me want to vomit too. The corporatisation (is that a word?!) of them makes my toes curl. I much prefer reading political or comical blogs, or the blogs of people I know. I think for me mummy blogging takes me back to the whole mother and toddler group cliques that progressed into playgroup and then school gate cliques that I never felt comfortable with. Even there you had elements of money making going on with the avon/tupperware/virgin/ann summers party things that we forever going on and which I just found utterly revolting. Still, people seem to like them.
.-= Tech´s last blog ..To Blog or not to Blog =-.
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Jonathan
14 July 2010
Nah, I happily introduce myself as my child’s “dad”. If people can’t de-reference pointers then we’re doomed I tell you. (/me mutters darkly about the evils Java has brought to the world)
It’s something about the -dy/-my ending in particular that for me is for personal, intra-familial use only.
I’ve not consciously read any “mummy blog” (ew, I feel unclean now, even handling the term with scare quote gloves on 🙂 ), unless *this blog is one*, so I’m not commenting on or wanting to be disparaging about the phenomenon itself.
That said I could happily extrapolate from what little I’ve picked up on and form an ill informed opinion if you want one 😛
.-= Jonathan´s last blog ..Causing a Stir =-.
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Ruth J
14 July 2010
My blog’s older than either of my children, but I do blog about them. Sometimes. What does that make me?
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Sarah, Maison Cupcak
19 July 2010
I’m definitely a mummy who blogs rather than a mummy blogger! I do talk about my child but he’s not the reason I write it!
Well done on winning my giveaway by the way, just got your address email, thanks.
.-= Sarah, Maison Cupcak´s last blog ..Postcard from Cybermummy 2010 =-.
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kerry
21 July 2010
Great post Jax.
I’m a PR (no wait – come back!) and have been working with mums and dads who blog for a few years now.
I think the term ‘mummy bloggers’ needs to be used very carefully. Some are happy to be identified with this term, others might talk about their kids in passing but would never call themselves ‘mummy/daddy bloggers’.
I think the term can be offputting for some *waves at Tech and Jonathan* but really it’s just a catch-all reference coined by lazy PR’s such as myself who need to explain things in very simple terms to our clients.
Sorry about that! 😉
.-= kerry´s last blog ..there are just some things you shouldnâ€™t eatâ€¦ =-.
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1. Jax
  21 July 2010
  I suppose what amuses me is being told it’s a new phenomenon when I have quite a few friends who’ve been blogging, like me, for over 7 years. And it’s slightly irritating to see ppl coming along to tell us how to do it! 😉
  Thanks for dropping by, do feel free to stay in touch 🙂
  Reply