Wednesday 7 March 2012

'musodad announces split'

(Pretend you're all in a Press Conference-type situation)

Hi everyone

Can you all hear me okay at the back? Great.

Today, with regret, I'm announcing the split of 'musodad'.

It's been on the cards for a while - in January I announced I was taking a break from Blogging due to differences in my work / life balance and then later that month my Blog got contaminated by a bad pop song (on purpose) to make the break official.  However, I just couldn't stop thinking about Blogging and what my comeback post would be. Now, after that 2 Blog Post comeback, it's time to hang up my laptop once and for all.

I LOVE Blogging. I love the community feel, I love the banter and I just love writing stuff.

It's been loads of fun over the last 6 months but now I need to get my priorities straight. My homelife and work have suffered over this time and it has reached a point where this can no longer happen. The only solution is to take a permanent break from it (sorry for sounding over dramatic but I'm gutted to be giving up something that I love doing).

I could again say that I'm just going to take another break but I know the same thing will happen and I'll just be itching to write again. I really need to draw a line under it for good and concentrate on other stuff.

Thank you for reading, bigging up my blog, for all your comments, kind words, help, support, for tagging me in memes, for sending me CDs to review, which I never actually got round to reviewing (I promise I'll send them back. For the record, 'The Land of Sometimes' and 'Music for Baby (Jazz Nursery Rhymes)' are brilliant!) and for following me on here and on Twitter over the last 6 months. Thank you for making me laugh, making me cry (in a nice way), for making me realise there are some great friends out there waiting to be discovered (I've only met two Bloggers in person - @mammasaurusblog and @romanianmum - and they are absolutely fantastic people. I'd love to meet more of you in the future) - you are all bloody brilliant.

You never know, when things are back to normal, I might become the Blogger equivalent of a 'session musician' - a 'Session Blogger' perhaps - dipping in and out to help Bloggers when they need it. Guest posting here and there if you'll have me. I might even be like Doctor Who and re-generate into someone completely different like...erm Ralph Jones from Bognor (if your name IS Ralph Jones from Bognor, please don't sue me, it's just an example). Who knows what the future holds?

There is one regular feature which I was looking forward to continuing - '5 Bands I've been listening to this month' - the Music/Dad Blogger @Daley_84 is doing something similar on his excellent Blog Comfort in Sound so please pop over and start reading his monthly update instead. Also, @belfast_dad does a brilliant regular Tuesday Track feature on his Blog - so make sure you check that out too.

Before I go I want to leave you with a little song. It was the song my parents named me after and I feel it is a fitting finale. It is dedicated to all of you. I am Simon Smith, you are my 'amazing dancing bears'. It is also appropriate that my dad would look like Randy Newman if he had bigger hair.

Right, I'm off to speak to BT about getting some Take That-style phone lines set up just in case anyone takes the news of the split badly.

See you in 'The Next Life' (or more than likely on Twitter tonight - yep, I'll still be on there every now and then).

Remember "Once a Blogger, Always a Blogger".

Thank you and goodnight.

*Turns off lights, leaves building*

Sunday 4 March 2012

#silentsunday featuring @mammasaurusblog


Right, I know this blog post is meant to be 'silent' but there's something I need to admit - I've broken the Silent Sunday rules.  You can read them here :


I confess (although you can probably tell as I'm in it) I did not take this picture, my wife did. Also, I have said the words 'featuring @mammasaurusblog' in the title, I'm not meant to do this.

If I am going to prove that Parent Bloggers are Rock Stars, however, we need to starting breaking some rules. It's what Rock 'n' Roll (or 'Blog 'n' Roll') is all about.

Also, I wanted to give a shout out to the person who originally started Silent Sunday - her blog is here and is a crackin' read :


Finally to join in with this week's Silent Sunday link up, now hosted at Love All Blogs, go here :


Right, in true Rock Star (or Blog Star) style I'm off to throw my laptop out of my bedroom window!

Actually, on second thoughts, I might throw it out my daughter's Wendy House window instead to mimimise the damage. Must also remember to put a pillow down, on the ground outside the window, first.

Actually, I'm going to scrap that idea altogether as it's a bit rubbish.