A big welcome to our 21st 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. A big thank you so much to everyone who has joined us, it really is a pleasure to have such a variety of posts to choose from every week!

Five Little Doves

I’m a regular reader of Laura’s blog, and I’ve really felt for her watching Eva settle into school and finding it so tough. I found her post, What to do when your child hates school, such a heartbreaking read. It’s always awful to watch your child going through something that you can’t help with, but when you notice such a big change in their personality too it’s even more stressful. School seems a long way off right now, but someone reminded me the other day that this time next year I’ll be putting Max’s name down which seems crazy. Do you have school age children? Did they settle in smoothly or find it difficult?

Mummy and Monkeys

I thought Eilidh’s post, A sad day to be a woman, really summed up my feelings about the US election result. I appreciate that over here we are somewhat removed from the campaign, but I think so many people felt shocked that a man with such outdated and narrow-minded views could be voted to be President of the most powerful nation on earth. What message does that give to our children? For me, I thought we had moved past these types of views, but the fact that so many people are happy with someone like that as the spokesperson for their country indicates clearly not.

Adventures with J

I’ve talked a lot about my struggles with Max as a newborn - like every new mother, I found it a really hard adjustment to make and constantly criticised myself and compared myself to other mums. I absolutely loved this letter to a friend who has recently become a mum, The Realities of Being a New Mummy, full of compassion and great advice. I think as new mums we question whether we’re doing things right, and inevitably compare our babies to others, but I think once we recognise our babies as individuals it’s easier to give ourselves a break, and to be more in tune with your baby’s needs too. This is a wonderful post that I think every new mum should read.

Reflections from Me

I think it’s fair to say that I’m a stubborn person and definitely capable of holding a grudge. Mackenzie’s post, What to do when we feel hurt, was a really thought provoking read for me. So often we hold onto anger which can be so damaging to our mental health and self esteem. Finding ways to move forward and let go of the anger can be difficult but are so important. I loved the closing statement that you’re not saying the behaviour is ok, but that you deserve better.

Love who you are and always know you deserve happiness.

Such great advice for life!

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