A big welcome back to #SharingtheBlogLove! It was another week of great posts to choose from last week and Laura and I loved reading them all.

If you’re new to #SharingtheBlogLove, these are mine and Laura’s favourite posts from last week’s linky. As part of the linky we’d like you to choose one post from each showcase post to head over and leave a comment to show them some extra blog love. It’s always lovely to take a look at our featured posts this week and see how many extra comments they’ve had from you guys!

Cydney Helsdown

I think everyone knows by now how much I love Instagram! I’ve followed Cydney for a while now and I loved the post she linked up last week on her Instagram Goals and Tips, detailing her target to grow her following to 10K by the end of 2017. Her tips are all very straightforward and easy to do and I know from my experience that they really work. If you’re looking to grow your Instagram following this year, do head over and have a read (and a follow of Cydney’s gorgeous feed!)

The Adventures of an Allergy Mummy

There’s nothing like a child over a certain age with a dummy to bring out the judgey looks is there? I loved Chloe’s post, No rush to Ditch the Dummy, where she discusses why she won’t be pushing her son to stop using his dummy. Although there are downsides to using a dummy, if none of those things are causing a problem for your child, why would you force them to stop? I’ve found in most parenting decisions that it’s best to be guided by my child, rather than force him into something he doesn’t want to do.

Shinners and The Brood

I have to admit that I’m dreading the prospect of play dates and they’re looming on our horizon at the moment. It’s the kind of thing that strikes fear into any parent’s heart! The worry about whether your child will behave at someone else’s house, the invitation to an unknown child into your own house, who may or may not wreack havoc on the place. I loved Sinead’s post, If Playdates came with a Warning, and her idea for a letter of recommendation once you’ve had a child round for a playdate (assuming they were a little angel) that can be shown around to other prospective playdaters. Go and have a read and put a smile on your face!

The Newby Tribe

We’re all guilty of having certain ideas in our heads of what kind of parent we’re going to be. Not necessarily in a judgemental way, but I know that I envisioned myself as an arts and crafts mum, arranging activities for my children. Fast forward a few years and I now know that it takes a long time until children have the right level of coordination for those kinds of activities, and, for children like my son, often they just don’t want to get their hands dirty! I loved Cherry’s post, The Dream Versus the Reality, which lays bare some of those parenting ambitions and debunks them in a lovely positive way.

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