Rosie Scribble

2011 - The year that was

It was the year one seven-year-old girl predicted the end of the world, but later admitted she'd got her dates wrong. Apparently it’s next year. Just as well we lived 2011 to the full then.

There have been some noticeable highlights in another blogging year that has proved even more unpredictable and varied than the last. According to IJ these include watching me lug a massive box of Scalextric half way across London, touching dinosaur vomit at the Guinness World Records HQ and our day out at London Zoo courtesy of Vosene.

Not forgetting a visit to Alexandra Palace where Jumbo Toys introduced us to their new ipieces range for the ipad, and IJ took to the ice for the first time.

Life, blogging and keeping your chin up

I have decided this week that there are some definite benefits to the online rant. You can really express how you feel and at times you can gain some much needed support. But always wary of causing offence, I’ve flared up offline instead. But sometimes I’d like to let my online friends in a little more.

It isn’t always possible. And in a very public space, where Google stores everything and anyone can read anything, it probably isn’t always wise.

So all I’ll say is that I’ve decided to call a halt to the job hunt I’ve been embarking on for the last couple of months. After travelling long distances for jobs that simply didn’t exist, I’ve decided to enjoy some more time working from home and the flexibility that gives me in terms of childcare. And also because it means I can eat biscuits and drink as much coffee as I like when I like.

And there’s also Twitter.

Guest post: Little Mummy on earning an income online in 2011

Today I'm delighted to be handing over the floor to Erica who blogs at Little Mummy. For anyone interested in earning an income online, Erica is proof that it is possible, and together with her business partner Antonia Chitty, there's an opportunity for you to do the same in 2011. Over to Erica:

I've been online doing this and that for nearly five years now.  Over that time I've blogged, stumbled, tweeted, facebooked and ebayed.

I've followed the journey of many internet entrepreneurs from before I even started blogging.  I always hoped it was possible to earn an income online but I wasn't convinced until I started doing it myself.  In 2009 I replaced my part-time income with online income and I've continued to grow that in 2010.  I don't have enough space here to write the full story, but I wrote about it here if you're interested - My Mumpreneur Journey.

Now I know what works I think there are tons of opportunities to earn a moderate income online and stay at home mums are in an amazing place to really capitalise on online opportunities.  They don't have to risk leaving a job, they don't usually have to earn to pay the mortgage and they can work randomly around the clock in the early days to get things moving.

If you've built a successful mummy blog then you're in a position now to leverage those skills for profit and I'm not talking about making money from your mummy blog.  If you're interested in making a moderate income in 2011 then perhaps it's time to consider taking your skills and applying them to a profitable niche.

Creating a blog on a niche topic, building an email list and affiliate marketing, selling your own products or selling advertising is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to make an income online today, and you probably already have most of the skills required already.

On January 17th I'm launching a membership site with my partner Antonia Chitty (author of The Mumpreneur Guide), the course is for people ready to start making their own income in 2011.

If you're ready to start making an income online, working (hard!) around your children's childcare needs then you can sign up for our free taster e-course here - Mum to Mumpreneur in a Month.

Thanks for reading and I hope that whatever your goals are for 2011 that you achieve them and more!

Erica blogs at Little Mummy.com. I have reviewed her Mum Blogger ebook here!

Facing up to reality

Over the past couple of weeks things have been changing in our little household as the reality of our future as a single parent family starts to hit home. The main issue is that we plan to relocate in the near future, but the fact that we have only have my income severely restricts any mortgage I will be able to secure and, consequently, where in the country we can live.

That would not be a problem if I did not have my heart set on moving back to the South where I have spent most of my adult life.

I have been considering our options for a while and planning where we can move to when the time is right. I need better access to the job market and somewhere where I feel at home. Of course there are are the usual requirements of good schools and a nice environment to bring up a child.

All these factors will have to be weighed up as part of the decision-making process, but it a process I have to make on my own. Already this has resulted in many sleepless nights.

I had wanted to move back South. I like it there and it is home to many of our good friends. I wasn't looking for anything grand, nothing even remotely extravagant but certainly with transport links to London.

But the reality is that I have been living in a dream world. Such a move simply isn't possible. The North-South property divide is just too great. Returning to the South and living within reach of the type of work that interests me most, is beyond our reach.

And I feel a little grief stricken.

I simply wanted to return to the place I felt at home. We shall just have to make home somewhere else. But adjusting to that fact will take a little time.

Photo credit:onda