In The Hotseat 4

 

 

I recently asked my readers if there where any questions they would like to ask me. The response was really good. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond!

 

Q1 submitted by @moderatemum

What is your passion?

Previous to starting blogging, I really don't think I would have had an answer to this question. Now I would have to say writing.

 

Q2 submitted by @moderatemum

Any regrets?

Yes and no. There's things I would do differently, and I guess to some extent I have some regrets. Having said if I had done things differently, my life today would likely be different and I'm happy with my life today.

 

Q3 submitted by @runjumpscrap

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

This is a tricky one as I have been given lots of good advice along the way, and also lots of terrible advice! I think the one that sticks out is to be myself, and if other people don't like it they don't have to look!

 

Q4 submitted by @kirstyralph11

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of you life, what would it be and why?

I should probably pick something really healthy here, but I promised myself I would be honest. Truthfully probably something rubbish like pizza, because with different toppings and things you can make it a bit different everyday, and I love cheese so it's a winner! Also, on lazy days, I can order take out lol.

 

Q5 submitted by @bekb65

Where is your favourite place and why is it?

I would have to say Benidorm. I know it's cheesy and not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. What's not to love? There's sun, sea, beautiful beaches, shops, bars, and plenty of culture if you look away from the main tourist areas. I just feel so at home there, and it's one of the few places abroad that I feel 100% safe wandering around on my own if other people don't want to leave the pool side.

Q6 submitted by @moderatemum
What kind of writing do you want to do?
On my blog I like to explore all kinds of writing from fiction, to my opinion on various things and sometimes even something factual. With regards to books I am working on, they are all fiction at the moment, but you never know when that might change!

 

 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted questions.

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)

Pro-Life VS Pro-Choice: Where I Stand

The person who requested I share my opinion on this has asked not to be named.
I realise this can be a touchy subject for some people so before I start I would just like to say that this post isn't going to be judgemental. Which ever side of the fence you stand on, no one has a right to judge you. This is my opinion and only that and its not meant to make anyone feel bad about their choices and beliefs.

 

For a long time, pretty much since I was old enough to understand the issue up until about 3 years ago, I identified strongly as pro-life.

The way I looked at it, is the baby had a right to life, whether or not the mother wanted a baby.

In the cases of a pregnancy resulting from a rape, I could understand why the woman in question would feel she didn't want the baby, but I still figured that is hardly the baby's fault. 

My only real exception to this was in the case where medical complications meant the mother would die or the baby had no chance of going full term, for example an ectopic pregnancy.

 

About 3 years ago, I joined a pro-life group on Facebook.

I read through some of the discussion going on. The majority of the debate centred around the religious idea that abortion is akin to murder vs the scientific point that until the baby is viable outside the womb, it is not actually a baby, it's just a ball of cells.

Neither of these arguments swayed me. I am not religious so that was never going to work on me, and although I understand the scientific point and agree that it is a fact, that doesn't change the way I feel. I think of the foetus as a baby from the point of conception. I know I'm wrong, but that's just how I feel about it.

 

So, what changed my mind?

Well, as I read through these points, I found myself getting annoyed.

Who the hell where all these people that thought they had any right to tell another woman what she can and can't do with her body?

Who where they to tell another woman she had to have this life growing inside her, when, for whatever reason, she didn't want it in there?

What gave them the right to judge another person's decision about such a big, life changing event?

 

And that's when it hit me - I wasn't pro-life, I never had been, I just didn't fully understand that by defining myself this way, I wasn't referring to my feelings on myself, I was referring to my feelings on everyone!

 I always felt that for me personally, abortion wasn't an option - but that didn't mean that I thought every woman should be made to have a baby she didn't want.

And it hit me I was pro-choice.

I believe every woman has the right to choose for herself what does or doesn't happen in her body and no one has the right to make that decision for her or to judge her.

 

I welcome comments and debate so please do feel free to state your opinions in the comments. As a blogger, I put myself out there knowing my thoughts and feelings will be judged, but please remember that other people haven't made that choice, so please be respectful of other people in your comments, and keep them civil. Thank you :)

 

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)

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In The Hotseat 3

 

I recently asked my readers if there where any questions they would like to ask me. The response was really good. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond!
Don't worry if your question isn't here, there will be a fair few of these posts running this month, and every question will be included at some point.

 

Q1 submitted by @Wally_V_World

What is the most difficult part of your day?

Stupid as it sounds, it would have to be getting ready - I absolutely hate it! I have never understood these women who think getting ready for a night out is all part of the fun!

 

Q2 submitted by @moderatemum

Describe your personal style

My everyday style is very laid back and comfortable. Leggings or jeans and a top with boots or flats. For a night out, I tend to wear black dresses mostly - my wardrobe is full of them! With heels of course :)

 

Q3 submitted by @moderatemum

Why did you start blogging?

I originally started blogging as a way to practice my writing start with the aim to write a book. I planned on doing it for a couple of weeks until I got into writing. I totally fell in love with blogging though and obviously decided to continue. If you want to know a little more, here is a post I wrote about it a while back: http://myrandommusings.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/why-i-started-blogging.html I couldn't imagine not doing it now! 

 

Q4 submitted by @AwkwardParent

If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?

I would be a dog that was a pet to a loving family. They are spoilt rotten and have the life of riley!

 

Q5 submitted by @MudpieFridays

If you won the lottery what would you spend it on?

I would give some to family and friends. I would invest some and give some to charity. Then I would travel. I have so many places I would like to visit and I could think of no better way to spend my winnings than to travel the world!

 

Q6 submitted by @KerryAnnFerreira

What would you like to achieve through blogging?

Ultimately, I would love to be able to leave my job and blog/write full time. Generally speaking though, I enjoy blogging and my main goals are to increase my readership and just keep doing what I love!

 

 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted questions. Stay tuned for more instalments over the month!

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)

Ambition: Why It's A Good Thing

As part of my Over To You theme, I was asked to talk a little about ambition by @moderatemum. 
Ambition is a weird one.
For a lot of people it is seen as a negative trait, conjuring up images of ruthlessness, and cut throat business people in amazing designer suits taking people down. Just me then? Ok, that's what I used to picture when the word ambition was thrown into conversation.
Over the years, my views have changed. I think ambition is a positive thing. It's how we go about achieving it that defines whether or not it's a bad thing.
I often say you should follow your ambitions at what ever cost. When I say this, I don't mean ploughing down anyone who gets in your way. I mean persevere, put the work in, don't take rejections to heart and never give up.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why I'm not the CEO of some mega company - and I'm ok with that.
My ambition has always been to write and publish a novel.
Does that mean I should claw my way to this goal by tearing down other writers? Of course not. I think it's important that we support and help each other, and celebrate each other's successes, even if it does sting a little.
It means I should write a story I love and keep persevering through all the rejections.
I think ambition is important as it gives us purpose and something to aim for. I don't think there's anything wrong with striving to be the best in your chosen field, as long as you do it with integrity and on you own merit, rather than sabotaging anyone else.

What does the word ambition mean to you?

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)

In The Hotseat 2

I recently asked my readers if there where any questions they would like to ask me. The response was really good. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond!
Don't worry if your question isn't here, there will be a fair few of these posts running this month, and every question will be included at some point. It's not too late to get involved - if you would like to submit a question for one of the upcoming posts, leave it in the comments here, email me it randommusings29@gmail.com or tweet me @randommusings29.

 

Q1 submitted by @bekswhoknits

If you could read only one book for the rest of your life what would it be?

That's a tough one! There are so many books I can re-read over and over again to choose just one is like torture. Ok, I think I would have to say Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel. This is one of those books that each time I read it, I notice something new that I missed before. It's also one of the first books I remember getting totally emotionally invested in.

 

Q2 submitted by @G13Julie

What do you look for in a review request?

The product has to be something I find appealing, and something that fits with my blog. Also, something I think my readers would be interested in reading about. It also goes a long way if the person making the request knows either my first name or at the very least the blog's name, and has had a look here to see if their product would be a good fit for me and my readers.

 

Q3 submitted by @Daysinbed

What's the worst job you've ever had?

I think it would have to be the year I spent doing business to business sales. It involved a lot of cold calling where I basically walked into someone's business without an appointment and tried to sell to them. I got quite good results but I absolutely hated it!

 

Q4 submitted by @Fash_Studios

Who is your style icon?

I honestly don't think I have one! I'm a jeans and trainers kind of girl, and for nights out, little black dress and heels I can't walk in! I love Jennifer Lawrence's style but I'm nowhere near glam enough to pull it off :)

 

Q5 submitted by @MudpieFridays

If you could travel anywhere and do anything, what would you choose?

I would start off by spending Christmas and New Year's in New York, just soaking up the Christmas spirit and all the amazing decorations, and see New year in in Times Square. I would then travel to Marrakech and wander the streets, getting lost in the Medinas and experiencing a totally different way of life, then to finish off I would spend a good few days looking around the Louvre.

 

Q6 submitted by @dementedjan

What's your favourite part of running your own blog and why?

I love having this little space to share my thoughts and ideas with people. It still makes me so happy to think that people out there read what I write, and take the time to comment. I love the amazing new people I have met through blogging and the sense of community and friendship that goes along side it. I know this sounds kind of corny, but I feel like through blogging I have found a side to me I never knew existed.

 

 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted questions. Stay tuned for more instalments over the month!

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)

 

 

Why I Blog Anonymously

I was recently asked why I blog anonymously by @moderatemum as part of the Over To You theme.

When I originally started my blog, the plan was to blog for a week or two, just to get me into the swing of writing. I didn't tell anyone about the blog and I didn't promote it or anything.
Somewhere in those two weeks, I fell in love with blogging and decided I was going to keep doing it.
Needless to say, at that point, I had very few readers. My blog was like world's best kept secret! A few blog posts I read about blogging for beginners recommended Twitter as a good place to start for promoting a blog.
I went off and joined and it just made sense to have my Twitter name be my blog name so I was recognisable. From a marketing point of view, it makes sense to keep to the same name across all the social networks to build a brand, so as I branched out into others (Pinterest, Bloglovin, Instagram, Klout to name a few) I continued using my blog name, rather than my real name.
I didn't tell anyone in the early stages because I wanted to make sure I was definitely going to stick to it, and if I'm honest, to make sure it wasn't a complete flop.
It seems pointless now to start adding my real name to all the social networks and confuse matters for people who know me as Random Musings, although I do use my first name in comments and stuff so I think a lot of people now know me as Debbie from Random Musings.
There are still very few IRL friends who know I blog. It feels weird telling people now because it's been a secret for so long they would want to know why I didn't tell them sooner.
It seems a bit stupid now in hindsight, but that's pretty much why. I don't have anything to hide or anything, honestly :)
Plus I think sometimes friends feel pressured into reading your posts, even if it's not really their thing, and I don't want people to feel like that.
I hope that clears it up a little :)

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment, even if it's just to tell me this sounds a little crazy :)

In The Hotseat 1

 

 

I recently asked my readers if there where any questions they would like to ask me. The response was really good. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond!
Don't worry if your question isn't here, there will be a fair few of these posts running this month, and every question will be included at some point. It's not too late to get involved - if you would like to submit a question for one of the upcoming posts, leave it in the comments here, email me it randommusings29@gmail.com or tweet me @randommusings29.

Q1 submitted by @Deardads1979
Where is your favourite place to blog?
I often get ideas for blog posts when I'm out and about, which I jot down on paper or make a note of on my phone. Actually writing the posts is something I've always done at home so far. I don't have an office at home so I usually end up sitting on my bed with my laptop on my knee. Everyone says not to do this as your mind won't switch off when it's time to go to sleep - maybe that's why I'm generally still up on my laptop at gone 4am!

Q2 submitted by @MissB_LLP
If you were told you only had one year to live, what would you do to live it to the full?
I would travel. I would re-visit some of my favourite places, and go to all the places I have always wanted to visit. I would also wander off the beaten track and go to places I have never really considered. I would come home with a month left to spend some quality time with family and friends.

Q3 submitted by @IntElfService
Do you believe in Santa?
Of course! Those presents I got at Christmas have to have come from somewhere right!

Q4 submitted by @Fash_Studios
What is your favourite memory?
Oh, this is a tough one, there are so many good memories! If I had to choose, there was this one summer myself and a group of friends went through a phase of going camping on a weekend. Every weekend was filled with fun and laughter (and a fair bit of booze!) and when I think back it was a really good year. Listing some of the crazy things we did would be a week's worth of posts in itself!

Q5 submitted by @MudPieFridays
What's your favourite time of the year and why?
I love sun and all things summer, but I still think I would have to choose Christmas as my all time favourite time of the year. I love the general good atmosphere, the Christmas songs, celebrating with family and friends, buying gifts, the decorations and lights, and generally just everything about it really.

Q6 submitted by @KerryAnnFerreira
How do you keep yourself motivated in the blogosphere?
I've only been blogging since April, and I genuinely enjoy it which I think helps a lot. I have a schedule of what posts will be going out when, which keeps me on track with writing posts. I've also started doing a monthly theme, which will stop me getting bored of just writing about one thing all the time.

Thanks again to everyone who submitted questions. Stay tuned for more instalments over the month!

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)

Book Review: Elizabeth Is Missing By Emma Healey

As part of this month's Over To You theme, I will be writing about whatever people ask me to. Today's post is a book review, as requested by the lovely Susan from The Mommy Life. Check out her blog here: http://www.abigaildaybyday.blogspot.ca/

 

Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey

 

 

 

 

The blurb from the back cover

 

Maud is forgetful. She makes a cup of tea and doesn't remember to drink it. She goes to the shops and forgets why she went. Sometimes, her home is unrecognisable - or her daughter Helen seems a total stranger.

But there's one thing Maud is sure of: her friend Elizabeth is missing. The note in her pocket tells her so. And no matter who tells her to stop going on about it, to leave it alone, to shut up, Maud will get to the bottom of it.

Because somewhere in Maud's damaged mind lies the answer to an unsolved, 70 year old mystery. One everyone has forgotten about. Everyone, except Maud ....

 

 

My thoughts on the book

 

This is a truly genius book. The story is told from the point of view of Maud, a dementia sufferer. It is both heart breaking and fascinating to see the world through her eyes. We experience with her, her confusion, her sense of determination, her frustration at being patronised and her incredible sense of humour. This is a very well written book, and I am looking forward to seeing more from Emma Healey in the coming months. She is definitely one to watch for.

 

Conclusion and Rating

 

Very well written, and from such an interesting perspective, this book will stay with you long after you have closed it. 4/5

 

Have you read this book? What do you think?

 

Follow me on Twitter @randommusings29 and feel free to comment :)



July Theme Reveal - Over To You

I am so excited to introduce July's theme which is Over To You! Ultimately, a big part of blogging is having your own little space to share whatever you want to with the world. I get that, but I thought it would be nice to do a month where I share my little space with you all in a more real sense of the word.
So Over To You was born. This month it is your chance to have a real say in what goes on here, and it's not too late to get involved.
I will be writing posts about anything you want! Let me know in the comments or email me randommusings29@gmail.com if there is a particular topic you would like to see me write about.
I will also be running an "In The Hotseat" series throughout the month, where I answer questions from my readers. Again if you want to know anything, just ask either in the comments or by email.
I'm throwing the doors wide open here - ask me anything, and/or request any topic!
I will also be running some guest posts written by you, about absolutely anything you want to cover! More details on that and how to submit your posts are here: http://myrandommusings.blogspot.co.uk/p/guest-posters.html
I'm really looking forward to a month of fully interactive blogging. Don't be shy, get involved :)

There will be a lot going so to make sure you don't miss anything, follow me by email or on Bloglovin, links to follow me are just to the right of this post!

Or follow me on:
Twitter @randommusings29 
Pinterest www.pinterest.com/randommusings29
What do you think? Are you excited about what's to come?