Shortlisted #LWIBloggies2016

Today I had a happy surprise when I found out my blog made the shortlist in the Irish blog awards in the Diaspora category. It's always nice getting some positive feedback! There are lots of great blogs linked on the site worth checking out and you can vote for your favourites here.

I started this blog six years ago when I decided to move to Germany. It was quite an adjustment for me at the beginning dealing with culture shock and life as an expat, learning German and making friends but I really like living here now. The south of Germany is a great base for travelling and I love all the various festivals and traditions. And now since we have recently bought a house, I guess it looks like I'm here to stay!

Irish blog Awards - the voting begins

This year I've made the shortlist in the Irish blog awards in the Irish disapora category. That's the only category that's open to me actually as for everything else you have to be resident in Ireland. I was excited when I found out that I've made it one step further than last year!

I'm delighted to have just gotten this far but if you have a moment and would like to vote for me, click here. The vote is open until September the 21st.

If you've just come to my blog for the first time from the Irish Blog Awards website, then welcome! Relax, pour yourself a cuppa and stay for awhile.

Some Irish blog recommendations

Through the Irish blogging awards this year I have been introduced to lots of new blogs and I have been really enjoying reading all the entries in the best blog category. They cover a wide range of subjects from the more serious themes such as post natal depression and living with MS, to the more funny and light subjects such as thoughts on pregnancy and dating.

There are lots of really good ones and it's hard for me to pick just one to vote for, but the following are the ones that stuck out for me in particular, for one reason or another and are worth reading if you have a few spare hours on your hands!

There are a lot of posts from Irish Mum bloggers;

• An unexpected home birth story: The Clothes Line
• Very honest post about what it's like to have post natal depression: Beating myself in to a Dress
• A touching pregnant Mum's post to her unborn child, whose first child is special needs: Minis and Mum
• An unplanned pregnancy aged 21: Where is my Mind gone
• Going back to work after maternity leave: Bumbles of rice
• All the strange things that come with being pregnant: A little Londoner

Some of the more serious topics;

• What it's like to live with bipolar: All the buzz
• From the victim of sexual abuse: Glitter Mama wishes
• On living with multiple sclerosis: Multiple Stupidness
• On just feeling down sometimes: Theresa Rock
• On the loss of her grandmother: The Sequin Cinderella
• About the day everything changed: Hospi Tales

Irish relevant subjects;

• The job bridge scheme, what's wrong with it and how it can be improved: Under the Job Bridge
• Thoughts on being an Irish emigrant these days compared on what it used to be like: The Reluctant Emigrant
• A satirical piece on the Irish Catholic church's treatment of unmarried mothers and their children: Waterford Whispers News

On various other topics;

• On why body shaming is damaging and not ok: Irish Fashaholic
• The objectification of women in the media these days: Zee Railed
• A reminder of why you shouldn't judge people when you don't know their story: My Thoughts on a Page
• An interesting and humorous in depth review of Disney's The Lion King: The Unshaved Mouse
• The strange appeal of bad boys: Dolly Rach

There's still time to Vote for your favourite blog post.

Blog Awards Ireland

I'm delighted to have made it onto the longlist for the diaspora category (Irish bloggers living abroad) in this year's Irish blog awards. Blogging is a very time-consuming but thoroughly enjoyable hobby! In fact I often get ideas for new topics and start writing them and have tons of partially written drafts but don't get around to actually finishing, editing and publishing them. But I am trying to make the effort to blog more often and give an insight into my expat life.

I also love reading and following other people's blogs (there are so many great ones out there!) in all sorts of various categories (travel, interior design, style, beauty, parent, cooking, technology and just personal everyday life ones). Feedly and bloglovin are both great ways of keeping up with blogs you like. You just find one you like the look of and add it to your account and then any new posts will show up in your news feed.