A big welcome to our 14th week of #SharingtheBlogLove and our weekly Blogger Showcase! It’s really starting to feel like we’re in the swing of things now - I’m more on top of commenting on your posts and getting things ready for the weekly posts in a more comfortable amount of time.

If you’re new to #SharingtheBlogLove, these are mine and Laura’s favourite posts from last week’s linky. We love that each week we can choose a few favourites for you all to read, comment and show a bit of extra love!

 

This Mum Business

Let’s Talk Playing Out was a really thought provoking read from Jodie. I remember as a child we would spend our entire summer holidays ‘playing out’ in the street on our bikes with our neighbours. We didn’t have parents watching us, and we had a whale of a time exploring. There was just the one incident where my neighbour ate some deadly nightshade and we both ended up in hospital, but that’s by the by! I realised with a touch of sadness that there is no way that my son will have that opportunity. We live on a busy road (as opposed to the quite cul-de-sac I grew up on), but I don’t think I’d be allowing him to play outside on his own even if our road was less busy. It’s a different time now. What is it that’s changed about our society? Would you let your children play out?

 

Five Little Doves

I think so often when children start school we forget about the impact on the younger children. The ones who’ve had their entire lives with a companion beside them, and who no doubt feel quite lost when their best friend is suddenly gone for most of the day. I loved Laura’s post, And then there were two, which describes how quickly the dynamic between her youngest children changes as the oldest of the three heads of to school. I loved hearing how quickly the two youngest formed a strong alliance in causing as much mischief as possible! I guess that’s the beauty of family dynamics - as children grow up they’re constantly shifting, sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes in huge ways, but we all adapt. As always, Laura has some lovely photos of her gorgeous kids up to all sorts of naughty (and cute!) things.

 

Bubbablue and Me

I often find that Max can be reluctant to take part in an activity if it’s a new situation, or if there are lots of other people around, so I found Emma’s post, Joining the Tennis Club and a Clingy Child, a reassuring and inspiring read. Even when you know your child is like this, I still find often I’m taken by surprise, and need to remind myself that I often need to give Max a bit of encouragement (and sometimes more forceful encouragement). But then once he’s made the decision to get involved he ends up having a great time, and that was the case with N and Emma. I loved Emma’s trepidation the following week, only to be surprised when N was off and joining in straight away!

 

Mudpie Fridays

I have a blogging confession to make: I have never run a giveaway! I rarely do sponsored posts or reviews, but the thought of running a giveaway alongside them has always struck me as complicated and intimidating. I loved this straightforward guide on How to Promote a Blog Giveaway from Claire, which takes you through everything step by step - how to set it up on your blog, how to promote it to get the most entries. It’s a post that makes me think I might consider doing this in the future!

 

Did you catch any of these last week? If not, please head over and give them a read and a comment!