threelilprincesses.com

Tag: Guest Post

  • 6 romantic date ideas in NSW

    New South Wales was the destination for part of our honeymoon, so it holds fond memories for us. eHarmony Australia has written a great post for us on six romantic locations for dates in the NSW region. Hopefully it inspires some romance in your life.

    Guest post sponsored by eHarmony Australia

    Dates are the foundation of all good relationships, allowing you to spend quality time together. Planning a thoughtful date is the perfect way to show that you care. They can reflect yours or your partner’s interests, hobbies and ambitions, and you can really get creative with them. So, whether you’ve been married for 20 years or are going on your first eHarmony date, here are six romantic date ideas.

    1. Winery tour

    The central coast is home to New South Wales’ proud wine heritage. Take a weekend, or even a day trip, to take in the world-famous vineyards, views and cuisine of the Hunter Valley. Check the concert schedule too – your date might coincide with one of the signature music events held in the region.

    threelilprincesses_1Photo credit

    2. Southern Highlands retreat

    The Highlands, just an hour and a half south-west of Sydney, is a hub for a romantic country break. With plenty of relaxed wining and dining, boutiques, gardens, drives and galleries, the towns of Bowral, Mittagong, Berrima and Moss Vale are a great date destination for NSW couples.

    3. Cultural date

    New South Wales is a cultural lighthouse of writing, art, music and performance. Try a date in Byron Bay. Check out the local festivals line-up for the music, book and arts festivals (not to mention the galleries, eateries and general creative atmosphere – and the beach!). If you bonded over a mutual love of culture on a dating website, this is a perfect date destination.

    4. Surf’s up!

    For the activity-inclined, try a surfing lesson. The South Coast has plenty of surf schools so learn the basics and have a great time. The endorphins are a great way to kickstart a date. A few spills in the ocean, some laughter and exercise will certainly take away any nerves, and give you a fun experience to look back on.

    5. Country music date

    Country music lovers will always find their way to the home of the genre in New South Wales: Tamworth. Whether it’s during the annual festival or any other time of year, the Golden Guitar is a beacon to fans everywhere.

    threelilprincesses_2Photo credit

    6. Bushwalking date

    Lovers of the outdoors are right at home in New South Wales. Head to the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, to experience breathtaking scenery, Aboriginal heritage and great hiking trails. Top off the day’s walk with dinner at one of the excellent local restaurants or pubs.

    Going on dates is important at any stage of a relationship. Whether you’re just getting to know each other or have spent many years together, it’s a way to reinforce the strength of shared interests, attraction and mutual compatibility.

    What are your favourite date destinations?

  • 5. #BloggingPrompts: Open yourself up to guest posts

    5. #BloggingPrompts: Open yourself up to guest posts

    Blogging guest posts

    One thing I wasn’t so comfortable with in the early days of blogging was opening this space up to other bloggers. Seriously, this is my site – get your own. However, I’ve also learnt over time that it’s a great way to promote and market your blog through others’ networks, assist with gaining content you may otherwise have not thought of yourself and the content is generally high quality (we always put the most effort into content we write for others). Lastly, and probably most importantly, it’s an opportunity to help grow a fellow blogger’s site as well.

    To attract guest posts, you could include a “be my guest” page on your site or just include a few lines about accepting guest posts within another page on your site – your About Me page, Advertise/PR page etc. Alternatively, write a post about wanting to attract guest bloggers, do a Facebook or Twitter shout out or directly email bloggers you have in mind.

    It’s a good idea to give some guidelines on what you’re after. Having a guest post series has worked well on this blog, including the Alphabet Photography Challenge last year. I really should get onto creating another series…

    So, are you willing to open up your space to other writers? Do you already accept guest posts?

    This mini post is part of a regular microblogging series, #BloggingPrompts

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  • Guest Post: Who would ever believe

    Guest Post: Who would ever believe

    New Life On the Road

    It’s almost 18 years ago since you were placed in my arms. Perfect and so small, yet you had your own way of doing things. Even from the moment you came home from hospital. It was almost like you had been here before and you had your own set rules.

    Never did work out what those rules were but let’s look back on what you have managed to achieve in the last (almost) 18 years!

    Woody’s Oldest Son

    You walked at 10 months. Actually you ran… it scared me so much that we decided not to have six children – I guess we almost made it!

    You could climb 6ft wooden fences with your bare feet – and that was scaling them in seconds from the tender age of four.

    Broken bones? Yep… we have lost count! Your first time was falling off a slide in a playground – you insisted on standing instead of sliding down. But guess what – you were built to last. That adventure ended up in a hospital trip, three different doctors’ interviews, many questions and one pink cast. Why so many doctor questions?

    Well, you never said anything for a day (or maybe two!) so we hadn’t taken you in straight away because we didn’t realise it was broken.

    Then there was the time you were running through the house. And you mis-judged the hallway. You sure made a good impression on the wall – literally! You left your statues in that house (with your head imprint on the dining room wall)

    Then there was the time you said “Watch me, Mum” – where you grabbed some rope, swang on it from the trampoline, smack back into the wooden fence. YES. You did that, and you laughed. You went back to do it again even when I said “no more”.

    Can you also remember the time you climbed a paper bark tree? Sure, the climb was easy, reaching for your lost ball. But the slide down was not something that you will surely repeat again? Your stitches in your leg may have healed, but I still remember the day clearly. So does the neighbour who used to live next door to us…. I have never seen a grown man jump a wire fence before!

    What about your football smashing good times? You so loved to get out onto that field, and run towards boys double your size. You might have been small but you sure could play as part of the team.

    I even remember you sneaking out of the house to run away… we found your note and guessed where you were. Out on the field – with one broken arm… nothing was able to stop you!

    Over the years we have watched you grow, and said a little thank-you (maybe more than little) to your guardian angel. She sure is working over-time. Yet you manage to find your way.

    There are no set rules when it came to watching you grow, but gee are we proud of all you have achieved, and we are so delighted that you are about to turn 18!

    We can’t wait to the day you have your own family (just not yet please!). Maybe then you will one day realise how many of your fun crazy filled adventures sure helped your Dad’s hair to fall out, and mine to go grey. But hey, at least we get to say “Yep that’s our son”!
    Lisa Wood brought a motorhome from eBay and then had to tell hubby afterwards. Lisa and David have five boys, four of them are travelling and living together in an old school bus that is being given new life! She blogs about her travel at New Life On the Road and you can connect with her on Facebook.

  • Would you like to be my guest?

    Would you like to be my guest?

    Girls rugged up for winter

    I’m looking to start a series of fun posts from fellow mums and mum bloggers on “Life and Laughter” to run every Friday. There are a few reasons behind starting the series, including giving mums a place to post outside their own blog or Facebook page and hopefully drive a little traffic and Google ranking their way.

    If you’re interested, you can choose any of the “new’’ sub category topics under “Life and Laughter” – “new’’ because I deleted ALL my categories the other day accidentally and so decided to start from scratch. So pick a Life and Laughter sub category topic from the homepage sidebar (apart from The Bloke in The Shed – unless you have manly bits) and inform, educate or entertain us. Note: we’re also adding a “Looking after mum’’ headline if you’re interested in posting on that topic as well.

    There are a few guidelines:

    • Aim to keep your post between 300-700 words.
    • You can be witty, serious, write in list form, use an image only or story format (although, note, short sentences and some images help prevent the “grey slab of text’’ look).
    • Include at least one image, but you’re more than welcome to include more.
    • End with a short bio and a photo of yourself or your blog button. You’re more than welcome to leave a link to your blog and one social media site.
    • I’m happy to hear if you’ve got keywords you’d like me to use.
    • The post can be submitted as text in an email with images attached or html in a Word Doc file, whichever is easiest for you.
    • Please refrain from making the post an ad for your business or brand. We won’t run content we don’t believe fits in with the style of the blog. I know, we’re mean, aren’t we?

    If you’re interested in taking part, email the idea or the post itself to us and we’ll get back to you.

  • Only Hearts Should Be Worn On Sleeves: The Virtual Book Tour

    Only Hearts Should Be Worn On Sleeves: The Virtual Book Tour

    This week I’m going on a virtual book tour for the new ebook. It means I get to go out, meet people, talk about my ebook, have a laugh – and I don’t even have to leave the loungeroom. Or get out of my PJs. Seriously, why sit in a dusty old bookstore?

    If you’re not sure how a virtual book tour works, then I hope you’ll come along for the ride this week. Basically though, mum bloggers are going to host me in their little space of the interwebs. I feel pretty humbled by that thought.

    Some might offer you up a wine and cheese. Others a cup of tea and a Scotch Finger.  If any of them offer you cocktails though, run, or it could get messy.

    Only Hearts Should Be Worn On Sleeves: The Snotty Truth About Motherhood

    The book tour, to promote Only Hearts Should Be Worn On Sleeves: The Snotty Truth About Motherhood, starts TODAY. There’ll be book reviews, Q&As, giveaways, book excerpts, videos and more. Each day I’ll update this post and link directly to the next stop on the virtual book tour.

    Only Hearts Should Be Worn On Sleeves ebook virtual book tour

    Strap yourselves in for the 10-day ride.

    Monday, April 23: Kylie of Kylie Ofiu will review the ebook and offer a giveaway.

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    Tuesday, April 24: Veronica of Sleepless Nights will show a YouTube of me revealing the story behind the ebook and include a giveaway.

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    Wednesday, April 25: Jolene from Jolene’s Mumbo Jumbo has a cheeky post about mum bloggers from Ella’s point of view.

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    Thursday, April 26: Jodie from Parent Wellbeing has an extract from the ebook: Six weeks down, 18 more years to enjoy.

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    Friday, April 27: The Advocate, where the idea for this ebook all began, will run the excerpt: This protuberance is not public property.

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    Saturday, April 28: Kyla from Beyond the Bump will host a YouTube video with a giveaway.

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    Sunday, April 29: I’ll be running a Q&A, with myself, here on Three Li’l Princesses.

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    Monday, April 30: Daisy from Daisy Roo and Two will be hosting a guest post on my top 5 concerns pre baby, many of which were taken direct from the book.

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    Tuesday, May 1: Kate from Kate Says Stuff will be running the excerpt Milk On Top Means A Quieter Night For Mum and giveaway.

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    Wednesday, May 2: Louisa from Louisa Claire will round out the 10-day tour with a review of the ebook.

    Once the tour’s finished, I highly recommend you follow these women. Their stories and messages are inspiring. They’re mums of young children and/or authors themselves. They’ve been through much of what I’ve written about in the book before. And they’re darn fine women.

    Have you been on a virtual book tour before? Or have you done an old fashioned book tour in a real, live bookshop? Who was it for?

  • The Shed: C’mon, Aussie Lleyton, c’mon

    The Shed: C’mon, Aussie Lleyton, c’mon

    tennis ballsBy Julian O’Brien, aka The Bloke in The Shed

    The look in the eyes of the kid was unmistakable. It was steely-eyed determination and grit. The kid with the backwards cap and the focus beyond his years who was looking intensely at the sports journo from a regional newspaper interviewing him was Lleyton Hewitt. The other bloke was me.

    I was interviewing Lletyon after he won the national 14 and under hardcourt championships in Burnie, Tasmania and alongside him was the female winner. She was a much taller, more affable and a more relaxed personality. Her name was Alicia Molik.

    Interestingly, Lleyton’s mum and dad hovered close by. Not much has changed.

    What struck me then has also not changed to this day. Lleyton Hewitt is just one extremely talented and focused individual who has a terrific family support network.

    Get him off court and comfortable, he’d be a terrific bloke to be around. Get him on court or out of his bubble, he’d be an absolute nightmare.

    If you look up “competitor’’ in the dictionary, it would be fitting to see Lleyton’s mugshot there. Sure, Australia has probably produced more decorated tennis players, but the fact remains – on statistics – he is our greatest ever Davis Cup player. Ever. He loves the nation which spawned him. Therefore, we should love him back.

    I saw someone refer to him as “Bogan Lleyton” on Twitter recently. I’m tipping Lleyton might wear that as a badge of honour and I’d encourage him to do so. The tennis player I saw as a kid transferred to the world stage.

    As a pimple-faced kid, I saw him chase down balls no-one human had the right to retrieving. He was a player determined to make the most out of his ability and, regardless of any future results, he has already done just that. That should be respected, whether you love him or hate him.

    Lleyton, whether the end of your career is nigh or far, you are a champion. Thanks for the memories.

    What are your favourite tennis memories? Have you been watching the Open?

    Photo credit.