Blogging...

My blog has been a place of reflection and memory keeping over the past five years. It is a wonderful record of our doings and my feelings as we have grown from a couple living high in an apartment right in the center of the city to becoming parents, owning our own home way out in the suburbs.

My voice here has grown, I feel less self conscious as I type. My words are for me and my family, the nature of blogging lets in friends and people from around the world visit too. It has been wonderful to connect with others, particularly since becoming a full time mum who stays at home. Popping in for a quick read of others blogs over a steaming hot cup of coffee has been meditative on the days when I feel a little frazzled.

Here and on Instagram I have been able to peep into the lives of people who share similar values and seek out the simple life. Who want to do better by people and wish to tread softly on our earth. I have found makers and doers. Mummies and artists. Everyday I am inspired by these people and in turn hope that others are by me.

I am tickled pink to have been mentioned by Emma from Thrifty Green Baby  when she was interviewed on by Balanced Beauty Bristol. A wonderful surprise and honour. Emma has a great blog on parenting, she writes with such humour and honesty. You will find great advice on parenting with the environment in mind too.

Social media can be such a positive influence (of course it can go the other way too!). Over the past few years I have been trying to be mindful of how I shop for our family's clothes. We are wearing more ethical and secondhand clothes. My wardrobe in particular has shrunk significantly after reading The life changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo. I only have pieces that I really love
(or need). When I do shop for clothes I think about what I have, if I really need (or just want) the item and consider how it was made.

On Instagram I came across The Seamstress NZ, after admiring her clothes I now have two beautiful pieces in my wardrobe. A little reminder that my blog has introduced me to a world that feels a little less hectic and a bit smaller.

I felt this too when I won a competition run by NZ Green Buttons. A beautiful book now rests on our shelf; thumbed through by me after long days and awaiting to be read by Mae when she is a little older.

The blogs I love to read are often fellow Kiwis; in fact the very first blog I ever read was Melissa's from Tiny Happy. I had stumbled across an magazine article and checked out the link. I remember how magical it was to read the diaries and musings of someone far away. From here I searched out other bloggers who liked create and tell stories, blogs like Soulemama.

I convinced my mum to check out these blogs too and she fell in love. She often said that she found great comfort in knowing that there were hundreds of others out there who loved nature just as she did. Who loved to keep a beautiful home and busy hands. People that weren't swept up in the tides of commercialism and keeping up with the Jones's.

When she became ill and endured many rounds of chemo/operations/radiation it kept her connected to crafting; the days when she was too ill to count stitches or set up the sewing machine she was able to scroll through her favourite blogs. On the brighter days she blogged about her life at Daisies, doilies and donkeys. These words and images are so treasured by us now that she has gone.

So I will continue to blog here, to share my days and creations. I do hope to connect with the folk who pop in to read. To discover new blogs and cherish the old ones. Over the next weeks I'll step away to enjoy the summer and festive season. Wishing you all Happy Holidays wherever you may be.