Bearded Backchat with 3 Children and It’s Suzanne 

Bearded Backchat is a chance for me to interview PR people and fellow bloggers.

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This week is Suzanne from 3 Children and It.  If you’re wondering what the “It” refers to, read on!

Who are you?

My name is Suzanne in real life and online. I was never clever enough to consider an anonymous persona, although sometimes I wish I had.

What is your “day job”?

I have many ‘hats’. Primarily I look after my children and yes, even though the youngest is 11 and the eldest is 15, they still need me. Probably more so than ever.

Two days per week I work during school hours at our own company, which provides commercial cleaning across the south of England and 1 day per week – again, during school hours – I volunteer as Comms Manager at our church. I told you I have many hats!

What is your blog called and where can we find it?

My blog is called ‘3 Children and It’ and you can follow me on Twitter @3childrenandit, Facebook – 3 Children and It and on Instagram as suzanne3childrenandit. Original huh?  

Edit:  The blog is at http://3childrenandit.com/, which Suzanne forgot to mention!  - Danny

What’s your blog about?

In a nutshell, I document the ups and downs of family life in all of its ugly glory. I pride myself on being totally honest about what life is really like with a growing family….and a dog (“It” is the dog by the way).

Why did you start blogging?

I have always enjoyed writing and was keen to start writing professionally. Someone suggested that a blog is a good way of getting a very accessible portfolio together. That was 4 years ago!

Why do you still blog?

I love the community in blogging. I like that you can write something and get immediate feedback. I like the fact that I am writing on a subject I am passionate about – my children - and I find it incredibly therapeutic as well.

There really is nothing like having a good old rant on the blog to work out your frustrations.

How has blogging changed since you started?

I would say that there are just so many more blogs out there. I have also noticed it becoming more competitive in the last year or so and a shift in style that many people have emulated.

Would you count your blog as a job or something fun to do in your spare time?

My blog is not a job for me, it Is a hobby.

That’s not to say that I don’t make the odd £100 here or there but on the whole, I write because I enjoy it.

Last year I had a period when I stopped enjoying it and it became a chore. That’s when I took a break for a bit. I think that’s important every now and again.

Actually, this happens to me at least once a year, every year!

Where do you get the inspiration to write a blog post?

The inspiration will either come from a funny event in our family life, a discussion around the dinner table, or something I have read in an article or on social media - usually parenting related. These are the best kind of blog posts for me - the ones I feel the NEED to get down on paper. These are usually my most viewed posts as well.

If you could recommend three other blogs to read, what three would you recommend and why?

Mum of Three World  – Sarah started blogging just before me and has children of a similar age. There are no frills or fancy photographs, it is just a well-written honest account of what family life is like.

We are THAT family  – I came across this blog only a few months ago and I love it for its raw honesty and emotional insight. It is written by Kristen, an American Christian, who weaves her faith into her words in a way that is not overt or patronising but just part of her family’s everyday life. I can relate to many of the topics she writes about.

You might need to be a woman for this one but I LOVE ‘Does my bum look 40 in this?’ - Kat writes so well and has written a blog post on every single fashion item out there. She has similar taste to me and is of a similar age *ahem*. There are many fashion blogs out there but not many that can make me laugh out loud like this one.

What is the single best thing that has come about as a result of your blog?

Hands down, my answer to that is the people and community aspect. I’ve met some fabulous people through blogging. People I would never have met otherwise.

What would be your perfect blog post?

Eek, I’ve no idea! Probably blogging about an exotic holiday somewhere in the Caribbean…or Mauritius….now I’m dreaming of sea, sand and sunnier climes.

What can you recommend to other bloggers to increase the traffic to their sites?

Honestly? Constantly delivering well-written blog posts and sharing them on social media….but not too much that it annoys people. It’s as simple as that for me.

I think that traffic comes with time and although I’m probably not one of the most read blogs out there, I see the same people coming back year on year. I would prefer to build a consistent following, over having one blog post go crazy.

Everyone has that one company that they have always wanted to work with but have never quite been able to. Who is yours?

So this year, I’ve decided that I would like to work with a few more brands. I have never really ‘put myself out there’ as it were, but I fancy having a go at a few fashion or home posts.

I’ve just sent an email to Joules for example. Who knows? If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

What is your own personal favourite post on your site?

This post was particularly popular last year – Falling Off the Pedestal.

It got picked up and shared by Netmums and Mumsnet. Why? Because I think most parents could relate to it – the day your children no longer think the sun shines out of your backside! I love writing posts that I think parents will empathise with; we’re all in this together, right?

Lastly, if you were to interview another blogger, what question would you ask that I haven’t asked here?… 

Have you ever considered giving up blogging and why?

… And what is your answer to that question?

Err….no! I actually don’t think I could do it. It’s become such a big part of my life over the last 4years and I think it would be a huge wrench to stop.

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Thanks, Suzanne!  You can read more at Suzanne’s blog.

You can also follow Suzanne on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

You can see all of the Bearded Backchat interview series by clicking here!

by DannyUK

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