Reflecting on the A to Z Challenge 2013

I did it. I somehow managed to complete the A to Z blogging challenge. I only started this blog in January so this was my first year taking part and I am so glad that I did. Don't get me wrong, it was tough, really tough, but I have discovered so many great blogs to follow as well as gaining a few followers of my own.

Things that went well:

• I managed to make it through the whole month without missing a single post (although a couple did come later in the day instead of early morning as normal).
• I gained some great followers.
• I found some brilliant blogs that I am now following.
• Before this challenge the comments on my blog were few and far between and it was beginning to feel a little lonely over here, so getting comments and feedback on every post was a huge confidence boost for me.

Things that didn't:

• April was a busy month, I went on holiday for a week, my husband was called back to sea early (he's in the merchant navy) leaving me to plan and host a party for 30 screaming 4yr olds all alone, I was ill for a whole week and my 4yr old was ill for the following week. Although the holiday was planned and all my posts for that week prepared in advance, everything else was unexpected and I was constantly playing catch-up.
• Catching up on the comments that were left while I was on holiday has taken longer than I expected (see point below, and if I haven't got to your's yet, I promise I will soon).
• I returned from holiday to discover my laptop had died and have been unable to revive it. Luckily I still have my old laptop but it is slower than slow so each time I try to open someone's blog it takes about ten minutes to load and frequently crashes while leaving comments (I will hopefully be getting a new one next month).
• I didn't manage to visit as many other blogs as I would have liked during April (see point above), but I am continuing the make my way through the list.

Would I do it again?

Definitely. It may have been hard work, but it was worth every minute. I will hopefully be a little more prepared next year though!

How about you? Did you take part in the challenge? How did it go for you? Will you be taking part next year? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you.