I’m writing this somewhere over central New South Wales. Flying home. My head is a mix of sadness of saying goodbye to bloggie friends, excitement of seeing my fam again and a teensy wincy bit of white wine fuzz.
But you get that. If you go looking for it.
My weekend started on Thursday with my neighbour and ridiculously stunning and smart blogger Veggie Mama cabbing it to the airport together and ended with Mrs Woog and Sarah from A Beach Cottage in the Qantas Club Lounge of Melbourne Airport.
In between, I have learned the following about myself and my fellow mums on the loose:
- On arrival at the hotel, a blogger discovers that it doesn’t matter how important you think you are in your own bloggie lunchbox, someone has to get the view of the dumpster. That may as well be you.
- When you book a hotel room with visions of big beds and baths in your head, it may end up being just that: a vision.
- Melbourne in autumn really is beautiful and sitting bayside at a hip restaurant with the equally hip Pip Lincolne and Bianca Wordley slugging down a vat of pino grigio should be compulsory.
- When you leave a wine party to have an early night, you will not have an early night. You will put on your PJs, order room service and talk like you did when you were 14 and on a sleepover.
- When you purport to be a style blogger, people will make comments about your appearance. Not all comments will be good ones. The not so good ones will be done in a cowardly and anonymous way via a fake Twitter account. Not cool coward. Not cool.
- There are no age limits on getting tattoos – fake or otherwise – thanks to Magneto Bold Too for this tramp stamp and to The Bra Queen for re-arranging the girls to be worthy of said stamp.
- Whenever you combine 100 or so mum bloggers and three dad bloggers with champagne, a photo booth, a chocolate fountain and karaoke, things will get very messy. Very quickly. It’s best to have in place an emergency exit plan (please refer to the above re pjys, room service and girly chats).
- When you purport to be a style blogger, it’s compulsory to overpack and then add in even more options. It’s perfectly acceptable – mandatory even – despite overpacking, to go shopping and buy even more options.
- Shopping in Melbourne requires a marathon-like strategy based around food and coffee. One very good coffee (sprinkled with chocolate), followed by a little browsing, a little buying and a little sit down to a dumpling lunch, followed by a little bit more browsing and buying. You will know you when you’ve run your shopping race when even the Witchery “buy two, get the third item free” deal does not even give you the strength to try on one more pair of shoes.
- When you share a hotel room with Edenland, you do not even blink an eye when she says she has to go and pick up malaria tablets from a doctor at St Kilda because she is heading – not home to Sydney – but to Niger in West Africa for World Vision. In fact you will walk the walk of shopping tiredness in search of two six packs of Bonds undies so she doesn’t have to wash or wear hers inside out while on her trip.
- On a free Saturday night when you have a host of multicultural food and drink options only a short tram or cab fare away, you will find yourself sitting at the bar of your hotel drinking said bar dry of its stocks of 3 Tales sauvignon blanc. You will eat more hot chips in one setting than you have in 12 months and you will be happy because you are doing it with bloggers. Fabulous women from small fishing villages and big cities – fabulous women who you would not otherwise have met if not for this crazy online world.
- Spending the last night sleeping over in Mrs Woog’s hotel room (after it was vacated by the lovely Penny, Veggie Mama and Madam Bipolar who returned early to their families because they are GOOD mothers) with Sarah from A Beach Cottage will give you the opportunity to order yet more room service and hit the rental button on an in-room movie. The rental button will not come with a guarantee that all those watching said movie will stay awake for the duration. Nor will it come with a do-not snore button. Just saying.
- Conference swag bags can present pressing First World problems when trying to re-pack an already over-packed and shopping topped-up suitcase. It comes down to prioritising what makes it in and what gets left for the housekeeping staff: chocolate for the kids; cleaning products for Mr Styling You. Your welcome.
Anyhoo, we’re about to land. I’m feeling not so fresh. Time to practise getting my mum face on. I’ve just remembered it’s school holidays tomorrow. It’s going to be a long week. I think that’s what they call karma.
When I need a reminder at why I am now serving penance, I will look at this photo gallery. Enjoy.
What have you been up to this weekend? And if you were at the Digital Parents Conference, what was the best part for you?
————————————————————————————–
Oh, and PS. You might be interested in taking a look-see at these posts I wrote over on Justb. last week:
10 work/life balance tips for career mums
————————————————————————————————–
I’m attended Digital Parent Conference 2012 thanks to my sponsors Not Your Daughter’s Jeans. You can find stockists around Australia via their Facebook page. If you’d like to WIN a pair all of your own, head over here to find out how.
——————————————————————————————-
Comments 41
Oooh I am a bit jealous, looks like it was a bit similar to boarding school or camps where the cool teachers let you run wild- but you’ve got an adult theme. I am such a home body and am not all that comfortable with leaving my family to go on trips- just yet! but they are getting so much better at handling all sorts of things with out me, so it won’t be long!!!!
Mummaducka, we’d love you to come to one of these in the future. It’s made a huge difference to the way I blog, meeting others who are doing their thing. And I love that I’ve met women from all across Australia that except for blogging I would never have met.
Would love to attend a bloggers convention but I need more followers and a couple of kids apparently. I don’t have any and have no idea what sort of convention I would even fit into.
Nuffnang Blogopolis is on June 30: http://nuffnangblogopolis.com.au/
LOVE this post Nikki. Loved hanging out with you and other Mums On The Loose. Love the photos. It all rocks xx
Mums on the Loose trips should be bi-annual events xx You rock Bianca xx
Wow love your pics and am so glad you had fun ,but you are right about KARMA ,a woman can not go away without doing penance, do not know why this is BUT i have found it so true all my life as a mum ,oh well such is life!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is so true in life Lisa. I much prefer the energy of positive people. They fill up my cup x
SUCH A FAB WEEKEND! Glad you had a good time and make sure you refuel your tank 🙂
Oh yes and it was a delight rearranging your girls haha x
#5 – What a crappy thing for someone to do (the twitter account). Just goes to show they lead a sad and pathetic life.
#3 – Um, pretty sure it is autumn in Melbourne at the moment. ;P
Sounds like a wonderful weekend away.
Very true Karen. And thanks for the seasonal pick-up – wishful thinking that I’d skipped winter wasn’t it?!
Nikki sounds like you just had the most fab weekend -I’m seriously jealous. Great post but so many links that I just had to look at there and then its taken me forever to get to the end but sooo worth it, I have found so many great blogs to add to my reading list. Love #8 and #1 think I have stayed in the same room and experienced the emptying of said dumpster at 4am! And #5 makes me seriously sad I never understand what benefit people get by doing this shit its so toxic. It must mean that you are way more successful than them and so they feel they have to knock you down, even when we try to ignore this stuff it does still hurt a little . #11 the absolute best kind of nights 🙂
Caz, I hope you’ve found some new blog loves! Some amazingly talented women out there – I feel privileged to have met them via the world of blogging. More than makes up for the #5s of this world x
Fab round up nikki and I’m even more exhausted after reading it! Phew what a weekend. Well done on your moderating (champ effort) and for being a friendly face when I was (nervously) on stage.
As far as the anon tweeter- omg! Don’t worry karma works in lovely ways. May they be smite with track suit and puffer vest wearing 😉 x andrea
Thanks Andrea … just got a chuckle from that one!
well what a lovely time was had by all 🙂 school hols … oh yes … brisbane weather demands a trip to the pool 🙂 best le xox
Hoping the beach will be great!
It sounds like a fantastic weekend. Terrible form for someone to make anonymous comments. You shouldn’t have to feel like you have to be “on” all the time, especially when you are around friends. I have to try to get there next year. Rachel x
It was a crazy day, Rachel. The anon. Twitter person also said I ignored her. I wasn’t speaking till after lunch so was pretty much keeping in the zone by myself till then plus had to do business calls in the breaks so not a lot of opportunity for chatting!
Does your hubby still buy into the fact that these blogging conferences are serious business? He he he! Looks like way too much fun, might just have to get myself to the next one.
I don’t think he ever did for one minute 😉 And yes, you must come to the next!
Love the pics and so glad you enjoyed Melbourne. 🙂
I agree – cowardly of that tweeter to make harsh comments about your fashion. If they can’t say anything nice…
Love the pics!
And you obviously went to Koko Black – we have one in my local shopping centre, hard to resist on the grocery run 🙂
Was the Stokehouse kid-friendly? Headed to Melbs soon with the fam…
Oh, that would be hard to resist! Re Stokehouse … if you book outside downstairs where we were I think it would be ok, they can easily get out to the beach (can’t remember ages) so that might be an issue or a bonus. x
I am pretty sure it is going to take me a month to get over this weekend.
Next time I want to be sponsored by some sort of escort service… so they can carry my bags in style of course.
Yes, and a packing fairy please. X
Oh I am beyond jealous, luckily I’ve had trouble commenting on this post because I’ve now had time to control my disappointment at not being at the conference, it all sounds like so much fun.
Now lets get serious…..Were do those gorgeous leopard skin shoes come from?
They’re from Big W – Emerson – $15!
Looks like you had a blast Nikki!!!
And who the hell is saying bad sh*t about your clothes/style??? That is totally not cool, not cool AT ALL!! You rock my fashion world lady & are super helpful, kind & just all kinds of greatness- dont ever forget that- haters gonna hate…. when they have a super sucessful styling blog/business then maybe they can dish out some advice, in a kind, helpful kinda way BUT until then SHUT THE HELL UP you big cowardly meanies !!! xx
Oh Reannon, you’re gorgeous … Cowards be gone, the world does not need you!
looks like such an amazing weekend! I knew it was going to be tough not going and reading all about it!
point 5 well that person must be jealous because you always look stunning! there are some real losers out there!
hope you can rest a little after all that excitement! I love melbourne for shopping and eating and since I’m good at both of those I feel right at home down there!
corrie;)
Hey Corrie, I realise that people have their own tastes but anon. Twitter comments that are nasty to me (and others) – there’s no need for it!
Dude! Geesh. What a great few days you’ve had! You must be KNACKERED! Such great photos, too! See you soon! x
So knackered … But worth it!
Ah the snoring. Probs won’t miss that!!
It is at least rhythmical!
Someone seriously set up a fake twitter account to say some not so nice comments about you?! I think my faith in man kind drops a little every day.
Do people not know what common decency is? Did their mother never tell them that if they didn’t have anything nice to say to not say anything at all!
Glad the rest of your trip over shadowed the douche bag tweeter!
Amy I refuse to let a coward get to me – too many more lovely people in this world xx