Good morning, I hope you are well today and life is rosy but if you are not feeling full of the joys then I trust this month’s positively inspirational round-up can help to brighten your day and lead you to some interesting reads that will inspire and encourage you.
Having written this round-up (along with the fabulous Mama Syder) for about three years now I have come to realise that what inspires one person is completely different to what inspires another and that is why I like to try and change what I share each time I write a post. A couple of weeks back I asked the question on Facebook “what kind of thing inspires you in blogging/ on blogs?” And here are some of the responses I got.
Keeping it Real
Emma at Crazy with twins jumped in and said “I find it inspiring when someone fights through a difficult period in their life, whilst blogging honestly and remaining positive in order to help others going through similar.” Rachel in Real Life has blogged through homelessness and chronic illness. Life as a widower is using his grief to help others and Headspace Perspective is another good example.”
Sara at Walking with Angels agrees and said “I love honest posts where people write how they are really feeling. Blogs that show life is wonderful all the time leave me looking at my life wondering if I am the only one struggling”. No Sara, I think we can safely say you are amongst friends.
Alice who blogs at Life as Alice said “Blunt, gritty, honesty” and when I probed her further, she elaborated to say “Watching someone who came to you for advice about their baby’s diagnosis, and who you told to start a blog to help ‘get it out there’, blossom in a society and community that you knew would make their life amazing. Sometimes the blogging world really does make my whole body smile. This weekend I watched Nikki Fraser at her first BritMums Live walking around with a smile on her face and looking like she’d been at it for ages. This is a girl who has dealt with something I struggled to deal with, with awesome grace and style! I find that more inspiring than anything right now.”
Then it was super to see Nikki respond to what Alice had said and she came back with “Awwww thank you darling, this has brought serious tears to my tears (but in a good way). Thanks and I must say you inspired me into blogging and helped me when I had a million and one questions at the beginning”. I think this is such a great example of why the parenting blogging community rock, we receive support and help and then we pass it on.
Being positive and using beautiful photography
Becky at the Mummy Adventure kept it simple with “beautiful photographs and people that see the positive in life” and the blogs she wanted to recommend that do this are The Goblin Child for photography and Downs Side Up for seeing the positive in everything. I have to agree and I highly recommend this recent post from Hayley’s daughter Mia about what it is like being a big sister to Natty, who has Down’s syndrome.
Crafty Inspiration
Fiona added a new perspective, with “Seeing a great idea I can use here at Coombe Mill. My Fairy Garden and Mud Kitchen ideas came from reading about others visiting places like National Trust properties. Emma at Bubba Blue and Me also agreed and said she is inspired to try new crafts, activities or places to visit from blogs she has read.
Losing weight
Emma at the Mini Mes and Me commented “Being on a mission to lose weight myself I enjoy seeing the progress of others and their before and after pictures really inspire me. I also find some great lower calorie recipe ideas from blogs. Life According to Mrs Shilts, Mrs Bishops Bakes and Banter and also Super Busy Mum with her weekly weight loss linky are ones in particular I like.”
A World perspective
I also thought about this question myself and the blog posts that inspire me are either ones where the writer has allowed you to see them being vulnerable and shared something really precious or upsetting to them, like this amazing read from Clemantine Wamariya who I met when I was in America last year. It is not a short nor easy read but it is so worthwhile to hear the story of this beautiful woman who ran away from the Rwandan massacre with her sister when she was aged just 6. Then the last post I want to point you to has been published by Penny at PS Little Legacies, where she is sharing the story of 15 year old Pauline from Kenya who was a victim of FGM (female genital mutilation) aged just 10. This practise is just heart breaking and it takes so much courage for young girls to speak out.
Thanks for reading, I’ll be back again in September and you’ll have a post from Emma next month. If you have a positive read that you want to point me to for my next round-up please leave a comment or tweet me on @michelletwinmum.
Have a blessed month, Mich x
About Michelle Pannell
Mummy from the Heart is the fourth baby of Michelle, a 46 year old (manic) mother living in East Sussex. Having moved to the countryside and ‘retired’, Michelle can now be found eating too much cake and taking long walks. She lives life on the bright side and looks for the joy in every situation, even the excess pounds those cakes keep adding! Michelle’s blog is a very honest place where she shares tales of imperfect parenting, being a Christian digital activist and anything else that takes her fancy.
Hayley - Downs Side Up
Wednesday 8th of July 2015
What a lovely idea for a crowd-sourced post. So very many blogs inspire me, as you say from those that are beautiful and make me pick up my wooden spoon or camera to have a go at a new recipe or photography angle, whilst others are actually changing the world in a real and tangible way or offering advice to and support to others daily. Thank you so much for the inclusion too. You yourself are one of my gurus. H x
Michelle Twin Mum
Wednesday 8th of July 2015
Lol Guru indeed, I think we will settle for a mutual appreciation society. Mich x