Newbie Round-up: Gove, breastfeeding and February’s best

Well the credit card statements are in. Christmas is a foggy memory in the rear view mirror, and I’m faced with reducing my outgoings. Here’s what some of the best new blogs have to say about the gloomier corner of the year. Dry January has all but halved my grocery bill (I’m kidding!) and I’m saving every coupon in sight. But when I read Hellie’s Corner recently I had to have a rethink. Do I really get the benefit I think I do from all those vouchers and price-matching promises at my local supermarket? Or is it all just one big con?

Now I have a biggie. Is there anything Mums can discuss for longer than the thorny subject of breastfeeding? Apart from possibly the length and severity of their labour, or their daily requirement for wine/gin/cake (delete according to preference). Well I found a feature on My Petit Canard recently that you might like if you have a breastfeeding story to tell. Many of us have posted our birth stories, but now Emily is running a series of guest posts about breastfeeding journies – if you have something you’d like to share, she’s looking for contributors.

I had a little tweet off with a teacher recently. Nothing major, just a disagreement over Michael Gove. I know! Difficult to imagine anyone disagreeing about Gove, but we did. Education, and Gove’s policies are constantly in the news at the moment, and I have heard the words ‘home schooling’ a lot more frequently than I’d like. Californian Mum in London wrote about the proposed changes to the length of the school day, and voiced the fears that many of us have. It scares me. But then, quite frankly, so does the potential alternative. So I was soothed slightly to read this post by new blogger The Appletree, who is considering all the options, and finding the prospect of home schooling less scary than she thought.

I loved reading this post about baby signing from Zena’s Suitcase. I tried myself with GG but she was just so impatient that she considered it quicker to learn to crawl and grab what she wanted for herself! But this little cutie has so got the hang of it – check out the video for an awww moment!

I’ve seen a lot of bloggers outraged recently at the insensitivity of others over the question of when to have another baby. Wallymummy said it in her own inimitable sweary fashion just last week and it is a regular theme on parent blogs. So I was happy to see the opposite end of the debate recently on new blog Slave to My Toddler, where Toddlerslave is asking “When should we have another baby?” It’s the classic debate on what makes a good age gap between children. If you have a view, go share.

I came across Let’s Talk Mommy when she entered my Wot so Funee? linky – she has a host of amusing anecdotes about her littlies that she shares every Friday. But it was this post about going with the flow that struck a chord this month on her blog. I was the ultimate control freak when GG was born, heeding every bit of advice other than “take it easy and go with the flow.” By the time I had The Bug, I was much more laid back. Guess which one of my children is most highly strung? And is it my fault? I love the quote at the top of her post too – very true!

Now, put down your cake. Postpone your lunch. I would caution against even a mild cup of peppermint tea whilst reading this next post. Because only a Dad can describe a toddler sickness bug with true realism. No euphemisms in this post. But read it you should, because Ideas 4 Dads is on the nail, and you will nod in recognition even as you cringe at Puke and Korma Poo Revenge!

Have you come across Heir Raising yet? A blog with a difference, Jo is massively good at drawing cartoons, and her doodles make their way onto her blog alongside her random musings about life. And I say random in a good way – it is very random, but it is highly entertaining. In her latest post she is musing on the label of Gifted and Talented, and competitive parents, but without ever really saying what she thinks about that. You have to read between the lines 😉

And on that note I will leave you to explore the best new blogs of February 2014. If you are a new blogger, please let us know by linking to a post in the linky below, or tweet us on @Britmums and @ActuallyMummy.

About Helen Wills

Helen Wills is a mum of 2 children in primary school and blogs at Actually Mummy on parenting issues, school, travel, and life according to the kids. Since starting her blog in 2011, Helen has won 2 national awards, and puts a lot of her success down to the amazing online community of bloggers at BritMums. As her children grow older, her writing is increasingly influenced by their opinions, and her blog reflects this drive to get the most out of family life. Helen works from home in copywriting and social media. She is on Twitter @actuallymummy.

• Mail
|
• Web
|
• Twitter
|
• Facebook
|
• More Posts(40)