Links I’m Loving Lately…

When I started this blog a few months ago I had to wade through all the usual hang-ups that aspiring writers are afflicted with – the nagging fear that I don’t actually have anything interesting to say; that almost four years of being a stay-at-home mum had turned my brain to mush; that writing about my life and experiences as though they were noteworthy or interesting would make me look like a total megalomaniac; that putting myself out there would be an embarrassing failure… But I wanted to start writing again so with a bit of effort (and a stern talking-to from myself), I pushed aside these feelings and dived in head first – and it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Since pressing “Publish” on my first post, the biggest surprise this blog has given me (and its loveliest gift) has been the engagement and sense of community I’ve experienced with readers and other bloggers. I started it as a personal experiment – encouraged by a friend and properly convinced when I read a sweet article on how blogging makes you a better person  (on The Champagne Supernova – now one of my favourite blogs), but it has become a part of my life I wouldn’t want to be without and I think it may have saved my sanity a bit this year.

So today I want to share some love from around the web. Here are a few links from some of the blogs I’ve been reading and enjoying lately.

The recent post entitled Brave on the blog Four Fine Lives is the most moving thing I’ve read in a long time and I just can’t stop thinking about it. Meg Apperson is a hero mama. Every one of her posts has me in tears and her courage, faith and strength lift me up. She is brave, she is strong, and she is an inspiration – and so are her beautiful little ones.

Although it probably passed unnoticed to everyone but us mamas, we’ve recently had World Breastfeeding Week. I just loved this article, Lessons in Breastfeeding by Momma Junebug. Everything about what she says just makes perfect sense and I wish I’d read it as a new mum, sobbing through the pain of every feed, a few years ago. I’ve only discovered her blog recently and it’s been like making a brand new friend to meet up with for coffee and a gossip – her voice is fresh and sweet and it’s a lovely read.

I love Belinda Mountain’s blog, Making Mountains. Her incredibly moving posts about grief have brought me to tears more than once, but her recent post, Away, shows that, in her words, “it’s okay to blog about how you spent your weekend, or what you ate for dinner”. Whatever she is blogging about, the way she writes it elevates it to a thing of beauty and she takes her readers along for the ride with her which is always something I appreciate. Her blog is quality writing, and – for me – always a little piece of home.

I really enjoyed Mama’s Doody’s recent piece about being an extravert. As an introvert myself I’ve always really envied extraverts and never thought of them finding some situations difficult from their perspective, so I found it an interesting and provocative read. It’s made me determined to try to smile more and be more open, even when I’m feeling shy.

With the school holidays now safely in our rear view mirror, this post by Life, Love and Dirty Dishes made me smile.

As a massive fan of pretty things and general loveliness, seldom does a week go by when I don’t check into these websites for my fix of gorgeous:

Style Me Pretty Living 

Spearmint Baby

The Pretty Blog

The Inspired Room 

If you’re a blogger or there’s a blog you read that you think I’d love, please let me know! I’m always on the lookout for new friends in the blogosphere.

[The image in this post is from The Fashionista’s Diary. My work space does not look like this. I wish it did!]