10 awesome blog posts I read this month – August

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Every week, I read blogs that make me laugh, blogs that make me cry, blogs which challenge my thinking, blogs which support me as a parent, and blogs which inspire me.

Seeing as you’re reading Cardiff Mummy Says, I figure you like blogs too. I’m continuing my monthly series, charting 10 of my favourite blog posts I’ve read over the past month. A little bit of reading inspiration for the summer holidays.

Here’s my selection for August 2016, not in any particular order. Clicking on each of the titles will take you directly to that post. You can catch up with my selections for previous months here.

Do let me know if you relate to any of these in the comments section below, on the Cardiff Mummy Says Facebook page or by tweeting me on @cardiffmummy 

 

1. I Will Carry You by Big Trouble in Little Nappies

I thought this post from Yvette of Big Trouble in Little Nappies was beautiful. It feels so relevant to me right now, as after six and a half years, I know days of carrying my babies are numbered as my toddler gets bigger and more independent. As Yvette says, “I am now conscious of the limited time I have to carry you. I’m aware that someday you won’t want me to pick you up, and I won’t be able to soothe your sadness with a kiss. How will it feel when I can’t be the one to make things alright – when carrying you is not enough?”

 

2. The A-Z of parenting a toddler by Brummy Mummy of Two

Emma of Brummy Mummy of Two always makes me laugh, and this humorous guide to parenting a toddler will resonate with a lot of parents, I’m sure. She writes, “A is for anger. Never ending anger. Being angry about important things like not wanting to wear a coat when it’s snowing. To little things like your Mum being a b*tch for buying you a Marvel outfit.” And so it continues…

 

 

3. 4 things that upset me when I first became a mum that I am #nofucks about now by Queens of Constance

A global parent blogger superstar, I love Constance Hall for her gritty honesty. In this post, perfect for mothers at any stage of their journey, she recounts things that used to upset her.  She writes, “Unasked for advice. I used to see it as a personal attack, highlighting my inadequacies.” She would defend her choices and decisions. These days, “I just stare back and finally say “Thank you, thank you so much.”

 

 

4. Emotional Abuse by Mother Under Measure

I found it heartbreaking reading Mother Under Measure’s account of the emotional abuse she suffered from her now ex-boyfriend. She recounts one incident where her son was poorly and he refused to let her seek help. “I was trapped in the room with him telling me I was crazy, he put his finger to my head telling me it was all me, I was a nutter. He swore at me, he made me cry. My baby boy lay on the bed feeling poorly and I couldn’t look after him.” She somehow found the strength to leave him. She says she’s finally realised her self-worth and wants to help raise awareness for others in a similar position that they don’t have to accept such behaviour.

 

5. Sometimes I Look at You by Little Hearts Big Love

“Sometimes I look at you and I don’t see you,” says Louise of Little Hearts Big Love. “I see the dishes left on the kitchen counter instead of being put in the dishwasher. I see the DIY jobs that you keep telling me you’ll do ‘at some point’. I see the piles of laundry, the messy house, the unfinished jobs.” I’m sure a lot of us can relate to feeling like this towards our partners when the strain of parenting leaves you too knackered for romance, and snapping at each other in frustration. Her words to her husband are beautiful, and a lovely reminder to look beyond the immediate stresses to what made you fall in love in the first place..

 

6. The Actual Reason Why Children are 800 Times Worse When Their Mothers Are In The Room by Kate Surfs

Okay, so this post is a year old, but I read it for the first time earlier this month after a friend shared it on Facebook and loved it. I’ve long-maintained that my kids save their worst behaviour for me, so I loved this post. “Take it as a good sign,” she says. “You’ve created a space safe enough for your child to have permission to be natural.”

 

 

7. What Makes A Mother Reject Her Child? by The Comeback Mum

Alcoholism, depression, a former career as a pole dancer… Cash Carraway has turned her life around, but writes honestly about her past and her blog is incredible. Here, she recounts people’s reactions when she told them she was pregnant.

No one said congratulations. But they did ask “Are you keeping it?”

Because everyone assumed I would reject my baby.

-I’m pregnant!

-Are you keeping it?

The echoes to my pregnancy announcement. Imagine that. Imagine hearing that every time you shared your news.”

 

8. Positive Body Image Promises to my Daughter by Mum Amie

 

There’s so much pressure on today’s teenagers, girls especially, to look a certain way. More than when I was young. Here, Aimee of Mum Amie makes some beautiful promises to her young daughter about how she will help her foster a positive body image as she grows up. “You will never hear me say “I’m so fat,”, she writes, “I may feel it… but the words will never pass my lips in front of you.”

 

9. Eating disorders in pregnancy by This Mama Life

This brave post by Sarah of This Mama Life details her history of eating disorders, and how things are resurfacing during her second pregnancy. She writes, “My brain is buzzing with horrendous thoughts about the way I look, how I have no self-control for eating a bag of crisps, so I’m a bad mum, a bad wife, a disgusting person. It is absolutely crazy how it spirals out of control.” Her post is hard-hitting and raw in its honesty, but as she says “I’m not here to be judged. I judge myself enough so I don’t need others to.” She hopes talking about it will help others going through similar. I’m sure it will.

 

10. Walking Wales by Siriol Griffiths

Not one particular post, but the whole blog as Siriol charts her adventures walking the circumference of Wales to raise awareness of and funds for Pancreatic Cancer. The South Wales mum of one has already been walking for three months, with around another month to go. I’ve loved reading her accounts of the different places she has visited as well as her honesty about how tough some days can be. We managed to meet up in Aberaeron last week – she was passing through while we were on holiday there. Please do have a read and offer her some encouragement, I know she really appreciates it.

 

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