Awards | But I Smile Anyway...

Premio Dardos Award… 😊

28 May 2015 35 Comments

by Ritu in Awards Tags: Award, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Premio Dardos, Thankful

I’m sorry… It’s me again, waving another shiny award (x2!) in your face!!!

This time I’ve been blessed with the Premio Dardos Award from Nimi of Simple Moments Of Life. Thank you so much Nimi! 😋 Please check out her blog folks, its a lovely mix of reminiscences and stories!

Well, let me not end there… I opened my email to the surprise of ANOTHER Premoi Dardos Award Nomination this morning too! From my great blog pal Erica Kind! Thank you so much Erica, it has touched my heart to receive this from you. If you haven’t already ( and if you haven’t, then WHY NOT!!??), please check out Erica’s blog, it’s great, from thought provoking quotes, to songs of the day, to thoughts, and poetry too…its just a joyous blog to read!

The Premio Dardos Award exists to acknowledge the values that every blogger shows in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.

Awarded 27/5/15

Here are the rules for this award!

1) Accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person that has granted the award and a link to his or her blog.

2) Include the image of the “Premios Dardos” in the post.

3) Pass the award to other blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgement.

And my nominees are…

Diary Of a Mad Black Woman
Be Like Water
Idiot Writing
Stereotypically Able
Orange Marmalade Press

Please don’t feel obliged to accept the award, but if you do, let me know!

Awarded 28/5/15

The Sunshine Award!

20 May 2015 38 Comments

by Ritu in Awards Tags: Award, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Sunshine Award, Thankful

Wow! Another day, another award…!

This time the lovely Erica has nominated me for a new award, and I am so happy to say I haven’t had this one before!!!

Let’s get started and here come the rules:

Thank the person who nominated you. (Thank you lovely xxx)
Answer the questions from the person who nominated you.
Nominate a few other bloggers.
Notify the bloggers on their blog.

The questions for me to answer:

What makes your heart shine?
My family makes my heart glow, not just shine! They are what keep me going throughout life too!

What do you do, if there are clouds in front of your inner sun?
I try and blow the clouds away… or I look for that silver lining.. three’s always a silver lining… I firmly believe that!

What would a perfect day for you look like?
It would be a warm day, with no breeze, I would wake up from a full night’s sleep… honestly! And then have a leisurely breakfast. Time spent with the children, with no pressure of homework, and quality time with my Hubby Dearest too! Food would be brought to me, not needing my help with preparing! There would be no housework to do either! I wouldn’t mind being home, but not having any demands on my time would be amazing!

What is your favorite quote?
I don’t know who sais it but “It’s better to die on your feet than to live on your knees…”
It really meant something to me, about living life to the fullest, and not taking the safest options all the time, because you really don’t know what tomorrow might hold…

What was your greatest insight?
My greatest insight… I think once I became a mother, it made me realise just how much, and what my mum did for us children. What she gave up for us, to be there for us as a full time supportive mum.

Now my nominees are…

Whether they accept or not, these are people who’s I especially love to read… They make me smile whenever I see one of their posts, they are rays of sunshine in my blog life!

I would have nominated Erika but she nominated me!!!!

10 Years a Single Mom
Rob at The V-Pub
Cats At The Bar
Fourth Generation Farm Girl
Edwina’s Episodes
Encouraging Life

I have nominated you as I love your blogs! Please don’t feel obliged to accept, but let me know if you do, I love to read your responses!

And My Questions For my Nominees

What is the main ‘sunshine’ in your life?
Where is the sunniest place you have been?
What would your ideal Sunday be?
Who would you like to share a cocktail with on a sunny day at the beach?
Have you ever had sunburn???

This award is so sweet, and so special, it deserves a song!

Thank you again lovely Erika!!!!!

Very Inspiring Blogger Award, Oh Wow!!!

18 May 2015 40 Comments

by Ritu in Awards Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Thankful, Very Inspiring Blogger

I know I’ve been granted this honour before, but another wonderful blogger, Amaya, from the blog An El Paso Woman, has nominated my blog this time, and I must thank her greatly for this honour! Go check her blog out please, it’s a great read!!!

The rules of “Very Inspiring Blogger” award are listed below.

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. List the rules and display the award.
3. Share 7 facts about yourself.
4. Nominate other amazing blogs and comment on their blogs to let them know you nominated them.

7 (more!) Facts About Me!
1) I really hate sports!!! Playing them, watching them… Eeesh!!! My worst nightmare! Made worse by the fact that my pops was a keen hockey player, and high jump athlete, my brother played Cricket, and hockey at county level, for Warwickshire, my mum used to play lacrosse, my hubby played tennis for Kent, and my son is good at football, badminton and basketball!!! Me, I’m good at reading!!!!
2) I have FAR too many clothes!!! But I can’t get rid of any… Its too much of a wrench…. A problem faced by many women, I know!!
3) Other than children’s books, I have very rarely read books twice… The Virginia Andrews books being an exception.
4) I start my days with a cup of green tea, as I’m told its good for you! though i like the flavoured ones not the pure one… amd my Pops says its not as good… well, at least iy’s a little bit good!
5) I am definitely a morning person…. my alarm beeps, im up, aster one snooze, maybe, amd i
I’m raring to go! but by the evening, I am shattered, amd I become ratty, and though i seem ok to others, Hubby Dearest can vouch for the fact that I am a total grump! But the problem? He is the polar opposite of me!
6) I once did a 24 hour sponsored famine, it was something my school did, with the older kids, once a year, for a children’s charity. How I managed, I dont know, and I totally rate those who fast for Ramadan, every year….. I actually tried to fast alongside my best friend, in University one year, but I was abysmal!!!
7) I love cuddly toys. I have bags and bags of them! If I was allowed them on my bed,
I’d spend half an hour arranging them every morning, and another half an hour at night, but there would be no room for Hubby Dearest, so they have been relegated to bags, and my kids are carrying on the cuddly toy torch instead!!!

And as for my nominations..

Must Be This Tall To Ride
Window With A View
Domesticated Momster
My Friday Blog
Lady Lee Manila

And as I always say, please don’t feel obliged to accept, but if you do, be sure to let me know! I love to read your answers!

Leibser #4!!!!

17 May 2015 36 Comments

by Ritu in Awards Tags: Awards, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Leibster Award, Thankful

Oh Me oh my! I am Leibster Award accepting AGAIN!

The lovely Vasantha nominated me again, on Friday but due to the craziness of my interview, and subsequent good news, I hadn’t had a chance to actually accept! But accept, I do, as always!

Awarded 15/5/15

Rules for the award as usual :

Thank the nominating blogger.
Display the award in a blog entry.
Answer questions from the nominating blogger.
Nominate your blogger friends for the award.
List the award guidelines so your nominees will know what to do.
Give your nominees questions to answer.

My questions from Vasantha are:

Who has the biggest influence on you? My parents are by far the biggest influence on my life!
What do you like and dislike about blogging? I love to write, and know that there are people out there enjoying what I have produced, and to read others amazing posts too! My dislike is that I never have enough time!!!
What do you think of India? I have visited several parts, including Delhi, The Punjab, and Mumbai, and I have enjoyed it there, but I still my old England!
What would you dislike in my blog? Absolutely nothing as it is personal to you! ❤
What is your best kept secret? Now, if I told you, it would be very well kept, would it! ;P
One line advice for new bloggers. Be yourself, and don’t be afraid!

My nominees are…

A Cat For A Smile
Skipah’s Realm
Flimsy Soul
All Things Chronic
Buffalo Tom Peabody

~And My questions for you ….

In what way has your blogging changed since you started?
Which blogger do you admire the most?
What has been your most embarrassing moment to date?
Can you dance?
Which song sticks in your head, whenever you hear it, for hours?
Is there a place you would like to visit that you haven’t been to already?

Please don’t feel obliged to accept, but do let me know if you do so I can check your answers out!

Versatile Mommy Blogger Award!

10 May 2015 16 Comments

by Ritu in Awards Tags: Awards, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Mother, Mothers Day, mum, Thankful, Versatile Mommy Blogger

A little twist on the regular Versatile Blogger award by Silver Lining Mama on this special day!

As its Mother’s Day, she requested her readers to nominate favourite mum related blogs in the comments section for this adapted version of the award!

So the rules, as usual, which I will adapt…

THE AWARD RULES

Thank the person who gave you this award, and the person who nominated you in that post, and include a link to their blog.
Proudly display the adapted award image on your post and blog!
Next, ~~select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly~~ ask your readers to nominate a favourite mommy blog in the comments!
Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Mommy Blogger Award — you might include a link to this site.
Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself as a mother.

So firstly, thank you so much, Silver Linings Mama, for this adapted award! 😊

And secondly, but just as importantly, thank you to Ann from Grubbs’n’Critters for nominating me via the comments section!

Both these wonderful ladies have amazing blogs, mommy related, and otherwise!!! Please be sure to check em out!

7 Mommy-Related Facts About Me

I am a proud mummy to 2 human munchkins, one fur baby, and feel like a mummy to many kids I have taught, and sometimes to Hubby Dearest too!
It was a long, tough journey to become a mum, if you would like, read about it here.
I have the most amazing role models! Check them out here!
I love my kids to bits! But, like many mums out there, there are days I could throttle them! But I don’t, obviously!! I wish I could say that I sit serenely, and let the chaos pass, but sadly no, I end up becoming a banshee!
My house is a tip, but my kids are happy, and that’s all that matters to me!
I cherish the moments when my children, growing up so fast, revert to baby, and want a cuddle, on my lap!
These kids have been my inspiration for so many posts, and they’ve been my reason for being on many occasions. I feel blessed to have them!

And to start the nominations off…

I would like to nominate Trish of 10 Years A Single Mom as she is a great blogger, a great mum, and has been going it alone for the last few years!

I’ll notify anyone nominated in the comments, so please do nominate!!!

A poem to finish the acceptance off…

A mother’s love is never ending

Full of nurture, care and tending

A love so pure and innocent

It warms the heart for whom it’s meant

We’d give our lives for those little souls

That made our incomplete selves into wholes

Blessed I am, to be a mother

To experience this love, like no other.

Ritu 2015

And finally, wishing all those celebrating today, a Happy Mothers Day! Embrace your position!
We all need a mother, we all came from one, some ‘mums’ are not those from which we were born, some mothers journey fell short of the finish line, but they are still mums too, they still dreamt of that future baby, before God took it early…
Thinking of all those mothers too, who need an extra hug today…
and Mother’s Day wishes winging their way upwards to those mothers waiting in the clouds, taken from us, to mother those angels above.