Meet this month’s Feature Blogger – Nicole from Planning With Kids!

What is your blog’s URL and how did you choose it?

www.planningwithkids.com Phil (my other half) actually came up with it.  We wanted one that was simple and would give the reader an idea about what the blog was about, which is of course planning and kids!

When did you first start blogging and what made you first hit the keyboard?

Planning With Kids started in January 2008.  A couple of years before that, I had developed an excel spreadsheet based menu planner for myself [insert nerd reference here] and had many friends say that they would love something like this to use.  So I set about trying to create a version that could go online and have multiple users.  As part of my research into online menu planners, I stumbled on this thing called the blogosphere and thought that this could be a way for me not only to share my menu planner, but my learnings on parenthood as well.

What is the thing you most enjoy about blogging?

There are two key things that I enjoy about blogging most:
(1).  The communication loop. I love reading the comments, tweets or emails from people who have read my blog.  I share what I know with readers and they do the same, giving me tips, websites and short cuts that help me out with the daily issues of family life.  I think that there is a great sense of camaraderie amongst the parenting bloggers.  Whether it is on struggling with a cat-napping baby or working out how to let go of the reigns slightly, to allow my older children to become more independent, there is someone out there going through this stage too.

(2).  A new skill set.  I had been out of the paid workforce for over seven years when I started blogging.  When I started Planning With Kids, I knew nothing of hosting, wordpress, html code, twitter, etc.  I now host my own wordpress blog (and a couple of others for local non profit organisations), can write some simple code and love tweeting.  Entering the blogoshere has helped me develop a complete new skill set without having to leave the house.

What is the coolest thing your blog has helped you to do?

For me personally it would be going to Singapore for the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards!  Phil, the baby and I had such a fabulous time.  The opportunity to meet with bloggers who have been at this blogging gig much longer than I have and who have audiences massively bigger than mine was not only a heap of fun, but beneficial to my development as a blogger.
The other main thing Planning With Kids has helped me do is to help others.  It has been such a satisfying experience to receive emails (especially from new mums) and have them tell me how by reading a post of mine, they have been able to change a situation or find a solution to a problem.  It gives me such a buzz to know that by sharing what I have learnt along my journey as a parent, I have helped another family.

Nicole and The Little Guy at Raffles Singapore.

What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out their very first blog?

I think starting up a blog is a bit like a marathon.  It is so exciting at first and the buzz you get from the feedback spurs you on, but it is easy to go too hard too soon and end up burnt out. (There are so many blogs that I have read which stop before they reach their first year.)  Pace yourself and make sure you enjoy it.  Once you start feeling stressed about getting a post up and writing posts on anything just to get something up, then it is time to remember why you started the blog in the first place.

Tell us about your pets, friends, hobbies, star sign, shoe size… whatever!

I talk a lot and I talk fast.  I grew up with three sisters, who all like to talk as well, so to get something in you had to be quick!  I tend to write like I talk as well.  So on most occasions when I proof-read my posts, I have to cut out lots of the waffle.

I have known my best friend since I was kinder age. We went to the same primary and secondary schools.  Our dads were mates and we lived in the same street. We left the country together to head to uni in Melbourne. She is really like my fourth sister and she understands me even when I talk a million miles an hour.  She was also my drinking buddy (and still is sometimes if we can find a time when one of us isn’t pregnant or breastfeeding!)  Some times we reminisce about what we did growing up in the country and get just a little bit scared about what our kids might do.

I love, love, love music and always listen to something when I am blogging.  I have just recently become addicted to blip.fm (you can find me @ http://blip.fm/planningqueen) and this has been the cause of me going over my internet usage allowance for the last two months.  My taste is quite eclectic ranging from indie pop, country and a bit of trashy techno.
Another passion is politics, which I am not as involved in as I used to be (blogging has taken up much of that time), but I am a massive Election Day nerd.  I will work on an election booth all day and then top it up with some scrutineering at the end.  (In case you were wondering I am on the leftie/pinko side of the spectrum!)

What do you love about Nuffnang?

I love how it has helped foster a sense of community amongst bloggers through their events and campaigns.  Seeing how big blogging is in Asia, made me realize the absolute potential of being involved with Nuffnang here in Australia.  I also like that they don’t take it all too seriously.  They are professional where they need to be, but they know how to have a laugh and some serious fun.

You can visit Nicole and check out her brilliant parenting and planning tips over at Planning With Kids.