Blog Swap :: Discipline, D-Cups and doing it for the kids

Today's guest post is from Helen Neale of Kiddycharts fame who blogs at Stickers, Stars and Smiles.

2013 was a good year.

It was the year that I finally got my KiddyCharts blog off the ground, that Chatterbox made it into Junior school, and that Stuntboy found a passion for reading so he would actually sit still for five minutes.

But...it wasn't all good. It was also the year that:

1. My boobs went on strike. Not literally of course. But oddly I thought they would stay the same size after pregnancy and breast-feeding. They don't...and they are pretty good at telling you they aren't happy with how you have been treating them for the last six years
   
2. Social media took over my life, so much so that I have had too many late nights, and learnt that over-sharing really can be a wee bit scary, and
   
3. Success proved to be a pain in the arse. Being successful at what you do isn't necessarily all that it is cracked up to be. Particularly if you find that the blog you started to fit in with your life as a parent is starting to take over that life....
   

Do you know what this all means?

It means that 2014 has to be a year when I find the discipline that I have been hiding at the bottom of the wardrobe along with the bloody annoying toy that I can't switch off...

All of these problems are under my control. No excuses, it is all my fault.

I solved the boob problem with a trip to John Lewis. The boobs are now disciplined. I was wearing a bra four sizes too small. That can't be good for your boobage now can it?

Social media is a different matter entirely. John Lewis' excellent bra fitting service is not going to help with that.

We are in week two of January.

Yet, I have already spent one evening this year faffing on Facebook until after 1am. It was all for charity you know, but Teamhonk can't be blamed for the lack of organisation that mean I was sorting things out at that time of day. Me again.

Applying discipline to social media use is not easy. I need to wise up to the fact that I am not going to see my kids grow up on Facebook. If I spend too long on there in 2014; I will miss parts of their life I won't get back. I gave up work so I could be there for them; not be on social media "absent lost in my iPhone" when I am with them....

Finally, 2014 will be the year that I reign in my blog.

I know that sounds counter-productive but I can't keep up with commenting, posting, writing, parenting, tweeting, FBing, Gplusing, and everything-else-ing without part of my life falling apart.

I want to craft with my kids. I want my hobbies back; to do Origami again. I need to be able to read again. I didn't read one book in 2013. Not one. Appalling. All because every spare minute I was on social media or writing and blogging. I set the blog up for the kids, so I could be with them when I wanted.

What has happened is that it has taken on a life of its own, and I want to get it back under MY control.

I am not going to have 2014 pass me by because I have my nose in FB or in my blog ALL THE TIME.

Discipline. One little word. But one hell of a big challenge.

Are you going to be more disciplined in 2014 too? What does it mean for you? Are you the same with social media and blogging? I would love to know.

Helen Neale is a mum to two and owns kiddycharts.com; a parenting tools and advice blog where she ruminates on having kids, as well as offering printable personalised charts for free (From mid January 2014). Her personal blog stickersstarsandsmiles.com is a little more disorganised (mind the toys on the floor), and takes a tongue in cheek look at life with little people. Occasionally, she is serious when the mood takes her too. Pop along and see her on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and G+ if you can. She won't be on there as much this year though ;-)

Blog Swap :: Life, Ninja Killer Cat and Everything Else

Today's Blog Swap comes from the very awesome Claire at Life, Ninja Killer Cat and Everything Else.  She is blogging about a Frugal start to the year.

Frugality it's not a ugly word.

Frugality doesn't mean boring.

Luxury can be born out of frugality

The period after Christmas can, dare I say it, leave somewhat of a lull , it can leave you staring in the ether . The children can be climbing the walls and you are not sure , but you think the mince pies are duplicating themselves because surely you should have run out by now?

We love going away as a family but it can be expensive , so what we do is sell things that we no longer need or want in order to go away . This time we sold a games console of J's for £149 to fund this latest trip to Bath ( don't worry he does get the profits mostly from what he sells !)

Bath is a luxurious city that are many types of accommodation on offer but we plumped for a Premier Travel Inn . If you look ahead you can get even better deals but with an impromptu visit you don't always get that, for our stay it was £104 including breakfast . It cost us about £32 to get into the Roman Baths and it was fantastic somewhere I definitely want to go back to perhaps this time at a luxury hotel ; that's going  to require some serious selling and planning . It's worth selling your items and putting the money aside for occasional treats like this , it helps with the monotony of life.

So what occasional luxury do you want to start planning for ?

Blog Swap :: You're Not From Round Here

January is Blog Swap month on Mellow Mummy with the theme "New Beginnings".  This is a guest post by Siân from 'You're not from round here' as part of the January Blog Swap. Siân writes about life as a parent, wife and full-time student, along with recipes, tips and 'how to' tutorials.

I am very good at new beginnings. Well, the planning, the diving head first into something new and exciting. I am not so good at fully thinking things through, the actual implications, the impact it will have on our family. Before we had children, big life decisions were simpler. They only impacted on the two of us. We moved from London to Yorkshire without much thought. It was exciting, and I still love it up here, so definitely a good decision. It helped that I was born up here and that we have family here, but it was a pretty major move. We also got married a month after we moved up here, so it was pretty full on, but worth it.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, our second child, we realised that if I were to go back to work, my salary wouldn't cover the cost of childcare. I was studying for a degree with the Open University, having gained certificates and a diploma already, but it was hard. Working full time, being a parent and also being pregnant meant I was struggling to put in the required effort. It was suggested that I apply to university, to see if I could study there. I left school at 16 and really hadn't ever considered going to university, it just wasn't something I thought I would ever do, but it was a chance, and it was also the last year to apply for university before fees went up. I applied to Oxford, Durham, York, Lancaster and Manchester, receiving unconditional offers from York and Lancaster. So that was it, I was off to university, another new beginning.

I started when my daughter turned seven months old. I was desperately sad to be leaving her with the childminder, because I felt it was too soon. Her brother was there though, and she barely even noticed I had left. Fast forward two years, and in six months time, I will be facing another new beginning. This time I don't yet know what it is! I will admit to being slightly unsure about an unplanned new beginning. Initially I thought I would simply get a graduate job and start work. In my second year I realised this would be near impossible to navigate around school pick ups when we live in a small town. So the future is uncertain. We have ideas which may become reality. They would mean moving again, and running a B&B in the Yorkshire Dales. This will probably be the option we choose. It would involve as little money as we have survived on while I am at university, but we would be together as a family and get to spend far more time with the children, and have a garden.

My blog is also going to have to undergo a change. I will no longer be a student, my tag line will have to change. I'm a bit unsure about what to do with it yet, but I have more important things to worry about first and foremost! If you have new beginnings that you are facing, whether through choice or not, I have found that the only way to deal with them is through embracing them, hitting them head on and running with it! The future is undecided for us. What is certain is that we will be facing our new beginnings together.

Blog Swap :: Mummy hood and mayhem

January is Blog Swap month on Mellow Mummy with the theme "New Beginnings".  My very first guest poster is Nicola from Mummy hood and mayhem who is a blogging newbie that I'm really proud to be hosting here on Mellow Mummy.  This is her take on New Beginnings.

New beginnings usually means a lot of positive and rewarding things in January. It’s where we all make New year’s resolution about ‘eating healthy’ ‘going to the gym more’ ‘not getting stressed in work’ and all the usual things that we start out with tons of motivation on.

My new beginning for this January is something completely different and quite alien to me.

This January I have had to take the opposite approach to life. To actually understand that when everyone else is off to the gym and doing the health kick that I need to take it easy a little more, to not be hard on my body, to stop pushing myself. You’d be forgiven for thinking that I am a pensioner now, but in fact I am 31. I’ve also just been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.

I’m not going to bore people with the details. It basically just means life can be pretty poor on some days. Sort of like your most stressful day at work followed by rubbish at home, it’s just that my days can be more like this and making the bed can feel like running a marathon.

So my new beginning is about learning to adapt to my new body. To carry on with my dancing that I absolutely love (Belly and Burlesque), but to know my boundaries. I’m not going to let whatever this is embrace me and hold me, I’m going to rule it. It will fit with my routine.