Last year, I put together a little post which quickly became a blogger tag. Everyone who took part listed their top 7 things they loved about the last year, their blog or were looking forward to for 2019.

I thought I would do something similar this year. But instead, list 20 things I love about my blog, including posts, experiences, and anything that has happened to me because I started blogging. If you have seen on my social media, I have been in two minds about whether or not to keep blogging for 2020. I wanted to remind myself of all the things I love about my blog and the experiences it has given me. Because, if I am honest, I have gotten so much out of blogging over the past nearly 6 years. I can’t really imagine not having it in my life. Despite my reluctance to be active on social media!

To keep it easy to follow I am going to split the 20 into two parts. 10 experiences and memories the blog has given me. And my top 10 favourite posts of all time.

If anyone is joining in with this on their blogs I would love it if you would add the following in your post;

• Mention you are joining in with the One Frazzled Mum 20 for 2020 tag and link back to this post.
• Thank the person who tagged you to take part if it wasn’t me.
• Tag other bloggers who you think would like to take part.

Without further ado, here are my 20 for 2020!

My Top 10 Favourite Blog Posts of All Time!

• To The Newly Single Mum
• The Secrets of Saltlake
• I have Fibromyalgia
• Blogging, Writing, Fiction and Me
• The Best Things About Being A Single Parent
• The Impact of Social Media and What We Write Online
• I Want to Lose Weight But…..
• Saving Kiranthia
• What You Need to See When You Visit Liverpool
• My Social Anxiety and Me

10 Things my Blog Has Given Me

Friends.

I have made so many lovely friends over the past 6 years. Some who are still blogging and some who aren’t. I’m not a very social person so being able to expand my friendship circle at nearly 40 is a big shock to me. Who knows, one day I might even get to meet everyone in person!

Blackpool

I couldn’t not mention Blackpool, could I! One of my first blogging visits anywhere was to Madame Tussauds in Blackpool. I have no idea to this day why the PR company wanted to work with me but I am so thankful they did and still do.

I have visited Blackpool so many times over the past few years and I love it every time go. Without the blog, I would never have dragged myself further up North to visit this eclectic seaside town as an adult!

Fiction

Never in a million years did I think I would delve back into the world of creative writing as an adult. I have come a long way since my first posts but I still love writing fiction today. I may never publish my book and I am OK with that. I know it is something I need to actively work towards but for now, publishing short series on my blog in my fiction category is what I am happy doing.

Freelance Writing.

Today I find myself writing about anything and everything thanks to connections I have made via the blog. I am able to make a living from writing that fits in around my part-time job, Olivia and my Fibromyalgia.

Haydock Races

Oh my! Where to start with this one. In 2019 I was asked to head over the water and attend Haydock Racecourse for a family fun day. It fell on my nieces 6th birthday. Her birthday is the last in our family birthday season and I was so lucky I was able to take everyone with me.

My blog is a sore subject at times with various people having different opinions on what I do. But this one day, I got to introduce my whole family together to what I do and give my niece the best birthday day out ever! We had a great day out and I know I won’t forget that experience for many years. Neither will the kids, who all want to have their birthdays at racecourses from now on!

My Car.

It’s been a couple of years now since I was offered the opportunity to try out Matched Betting. It is popular due to the fact that you can make money from gambling without the risk of gambling. You simply match your bet to cover the outcomes so you don’t lose anything.

To cut a long story short, after signing up to a new site as part of my Matched Betting journey I was given a free casino bonus for slot games. I spun my way to a total of £1,200 and finally managed to buy myself a new car just in time for Olivia starting secondary school. It had been 4 long years with no car and without my blog and Matched Betting, chances are I would still be without a car to this day.

Holidays.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3bs-ufHpxs/

Whilst I haven’t been lucky enough to be gifted a break to cover on the blog, I have had some amazing opportunities which have paid really well and allowed me to pay for family holidays with and without Olivia. This year my blog earnings will be contributing to a holiday to Disneyland Paris with 2 of my sisters and 2 of my nieces. When you put it into context like this, my blog is instrumental in helping provide so many things for Olivia that I simply might not have been able to without it!

Confidence.

This is still a work in progress and my anxiety is still off the charts most days. But never did I imagine that one day, I would be able to finally say I work from home and bring in a steady reliable income from sitting at a desk in my office in the corner of my bedroom. I have been pushed out of my comfort zone so many times and dealt with so many things I could never have imagined I would.

I have written about many different products, places, events and been invited to collaborate with so many different brands. It would be hard not to take something away from that. Every time I get good feedback I am honestly thrilled and shocked all at the time.

Without the blog, I don’t think I would be the person I am today.

New Skills

I don’t profess to be excellent or even proficient at all things relating to blogging. But I have picked up so many skills over the past years I still struggle to even comprehend how things have changed for me since my first post.

One of my biggest achievements is my photography. It’s not perfect, nor is at the same level as a lot of other bloggers. But, compared to where I started it is insane how much better I have become. I still might not be able to type properly or efficiently, but I can now proudly say I can throw out 1,000 words in less than an hour. It takes me just as long to edit sometimes but I am taking that as a win!

A Career.

I know I covered freelance writing above, but after leaving school with no idea what to do I fell into the world of retail. I never left. I tried many different roles in many different places. But it never felt like it was what I was meant to do. Not really, no matter how much I talked myself into thinking it was.

That was until I wrote this story during my time working as a training supervisor in a national high street store. There’s Something I Need to Tell You kicked off my passion for writing and restarted my blogging career again. I had all but stopped it to pursue a career I thought I wanted.

It gave me the confidence to realise I didn’t want to do what I was doing. So I left abruptly and started a new role in another retail chain that allowed me the time to focus on my blog and writing. That was a little over 4 years ago and I have never once stopped and thought I made the wrong decision. It’s not been easy but today I have a part-time job in a small greengrocer’s which I love, I am a Virtual Assistant with three clients, I write around 10-15k words a week for various clients and I run my blog. I am busier than I was when I worked nearly 50 hours a week but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

And there we go! My 20 for 2020. I hope you enjoyed reading it and I would love it if you would take part and share your 20 for 2020 with me too. You don’t need to be tagged to join in.

I am tagging the following bloggers to join in with this tag;

Maria from Suburban Mum

Rachel from Coffee Cake Kids

Ali from Ali’s Upside Down World

Jo from Coming from Carson’s Mummy

Rebecca from Living with Peas

Sarah from SarahLou Writes

Carina from Mum’s the Nerd

Kelly from Our Transitional Life

Lynne from New Mummy Blog

Sophie from Mamma Mei

Vicki from Blossom Education