A big welcome to our 19th week of #SharingtheBlogLove and our weekly Blogger Showcase!

If you’re new to #SharingtheBlogLove, these are mine and Laura’s favourite posts from last week’s linky. I loved reading all your posts last week - it was our best week for total linkup numbers, with a great variety of posts to choose from.

A Life in Practice

I think pregnancy can be such an anxious time for many people, and so often when complications occur, it’s not the clinical NHS advice that helps the most, but real life experiences of people who’ve gone through the same thing. I thought Claire’s interview with her cousin, A Pre-eclampsia Miracle Story, was a great read for anyone diagnosed with pre-eclampsia or facing premature birth. It’s a detailed account of everything, but with lots of emotion, and an absolutely inspiring outcome.

Top Five Mum

I think that two year olds get a bad rap a lot of the time. ‘The Terrible Twos’ phrase has a lot to answer for! I’ve absolutely loved my first 6 months of having a two year old - there’s so much curiosity and joy in this age and I think that two really does feel like a huge milestone. I loved Ruth’s post on Why Two is the Biggest Birthday Milestone, and her experience of having two under two. I take my hat off to anyone who goes down the small age gap route - I’d have loved it in theory, but in practice there’s just no way I could have done it! But I grew up close in age to my sister and the benefits are enormous as they get older.

3 Little Ladies and Me

The return to work is such a daunting prospect after maternity leave, but so often we’re led to believe that if we take a proper break to look after our children when they’re small, we’ll never find our way back into the workplace. I loved Taryn’s post, Balancing Motherhood, which proves that sometimes the right thing comes along and you just have to go for it. But no matter how great the opportunity is, there are always going to be concerns about how to juggle everything and find the right balance. Do go and have a read!

Winnettes

I’ve never really thought about whether I’m a strict parent or not, but Kirsty’s post, Am I a Strict Mother?, got me thinking. I do have certain expectations of what behaviour is appropriate for my two year old - no biting, no hitting, no pushing as a minimum. I’d like him to share nicely with others and have good manners appropriate to his age. There are certain behaviours that although I’m not happy about, I know he’s not quite ready to tackle (sharing is one of those), so I’m more likely to try and gently persuade him rather than tell him off, and as time goes by I can see that he’s improving in those areas. Do you think of yourself as a strict mum? Or do you think your kids do?

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