Making the list: Kidspot Voices of 2015

Some days, the Universe knows just when to send a sign. While I have dreams and thoughts and inspirations about this little blog, between children and routines and a family business and sleep (and did I mention the children?), some days those dreams feel oh so far away.

So the Universe sent me a little sign to encourage me to keep sharing my voice with the world.

I made it to a list.

On 13 June, leading parenting website Kidspot announced the 100 finalists in the ‘Voices of 2015’ program for Australian online creatives and I am very honoured to share that my voice has been included in the top 100, within the Parenting & Style category. While I excitedly shared this announcement all over social media at the time, I thought it high time I shared it here on the blog.

What is Kidspot Voices of 2015? Well, this is how they sum it up on the Kidspot website:

“Voices of 2015 is Kidspot’s celebration of Australian online creativity. Sponsored by Ford, Voices highlights the best online talent, whether they’re publishing on a blog, YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. The program shares Australia’s best writers, photographers and video makers, publishing their work on site and giving them a chance to be in the running for fantastic awards and the usual amazing prizes at our Voices of 2015 Gala Event later in the year.”

Being part of this prestigious list feels pretty amazing in and of itself, but to discover that this humble little Mummalove blog has been chosen from over 3000 nominations, it feels nothing less than surreal. Honestly, I’m still pinching myself. But I am going to accept it graciously and just say a humungous thankyou to whoever nominated me. In response to a lovely friend saying that she hopes I win overall, I responded “Who needs to win? I made it to a list!”

So, you’ll notice that I am now proudly displaying a Kidspot ‘finalist’ badge over there on the right of this page. What else does being a Kidspot Voices of 2015 blog mean? As a Top 100 finalist, some exciting opportunities may present themselves to challenge me as a writer and a blogger over the next six months. If I accept any blogging assignments offered by Kidspot, it may mean that I cover some topics on here that I may not have touched on before (hey, it’s sponsored by Ford… if they’re handing out free cars, I won’t be objecting ;). Rest assured, though, I am also committed to remaining true to my own voice – I’m not going to be sharing things I don’t believe in just because I now appear on a list. I am definitely ready for this blog to step up, though – to rise to the challenge and share my voice more on this platform (and I’m hoping some changes on the homefront will make that happen a little more easily soon).

Thank YOU for being here and reading and sharing in this little heartspace of mine. Thank you for helping me make it to a list and being part of the next evolution of Mummalove.