Newbie Tuesday roundup: Toddlers, leaving babies, and social media

At ten o clock tonight, I am going to bed. Oh yes I am. I’m going to head upstairs, like I do every night, brush my teeth, remove my make-up properly, and under threat of expulsion from my book club, read a few chapters, before I drift off gently to sleep around 11. Oh but wait, I just need to finish a blog post, return some kind comments, check my emails, and schedule some tweets before I go. I’ll skip the make-up remover just this once, hop into bed – better just check if my Facebook post has any replies yet – then grab my book. Hang on, I’ll just check Twitter – oooh look that’s a controversial thing to say! I might just send a response… Aaaand it’s gone midnight. Again. I know you all know what I’m talking about because you’re there with me, under the sheets desperately trying to avoid your smartphone, but chatting away to me in the early hours. And so is Blue With a Touch of Pink, describing the twin joy and anxiety of beginning a life on social media. See you tonight around midnight, ok? 😉

Are your family grateful enough for your efforts? Do they appreciate your adoration of the washing machine, your bed-making consistency (or not), and your lovingly prepared food? Do they heck, the ungrateful guzzlers! Complicated Gorgeousness is congratulating herself on a meal that everyone in the family enjoyed this month, because she gave up on Annabel Karmel in favour of the ready-made stuff after discovering that a purée-coloured carpet is no thanks for hours at the blender!

Perhaps the antidote to all this domestic slavery is going back to work? Betty and the Bumps tells us how it feels to go back to work when your children are still young, and has some good observations and tips on making it work for you, if that’s what you choose, or need to do. Or maybe you should just hang it all and have another baby? BloggerMumma is primarily a pregnancy blog – so far, although with the birth of Archie, who knows what’s in store? Pregnancy cravings is a great post about what women might crave, and why, as well as how your food tastes change after your baby is born. I remember the strongest cravings for chips whilst pregnant with my daughter. Although, thinking about it, they’ve never gone away… 😉

So you’ve made it through pregnancy and got your baby through the first 9 months of his life. Could you leave him for a week to go on holiday? Let me say first that I’m not being judgemental on this one in any way. I think as long as a child is happy and cared for, no-one has the right to judge another parent (not even the nurse at minor injuries who things you go in too often *scowls at personal experience*). And I know only too well the lure of a ski holiday. But I couldn’t do it. Blooming Boo planned a wonderful holiday for just her and her partner, knowing that her son would be safe and well looked after. What do you think?

Now, onto another BIG subject: toddlers. Aren’t toddlers the cutest thing? They have to be – it’s what keeps us from wondering why we bothered during the terrible twos. Two Boys One Mum shares her (toddler-generated) tips for walking – it’s kind of cute! And Brummmymummyof2 reminded me with this post about being the mother of toddlers, just how glad I am to once again have a handbag that contains only lipstick and a purse!

I’ve only just discovered Heart Mammi, a blog started to catalogue the journey of a family through a heart condition which affects their 6 month old daughter, and to bring information to other families who might be going through something similar. This post about an outpatients appointment explains her progress, and something of the anguish a parent faces every time their child undergoes tests in a hospital. I know there are lots of parents who will identify. And isn’t Martha the cutest baby ever?!

I’m 2 weeks into a photography course at the moment, determined that I should be able to use more than one of the 14,359 settings that my new camera has, so it was the image that drew me into this post by Wild and Grizzly. But her description of wanting/not wanting another child kept me reading to the end. If you’ve ever suffered the pang, but not wanted to rock the boat with another baby you’ll identify with this, and it’s so beautifully written.

And if you, like me, have enjoyed some of the photography in these blog posts, you might want to check out Michelle’s Positively Inspirational roundup – some of the best blog photography around is in there. Feast your eyes, learn some tricks, and enjoy making the  best of your lovely new blogs!

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.

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