#MyHeartyLife | 16 – Blog musings, Goodbye Linky & Thanks for the Sun!

Hello and welcome to my weekly celebration of life – #MyHeartyLife. This is the post I write each week where I look for the good, the successes and the beauty of the previous week. It is a time where I can appreciate the small moments of joy and success, and show you that however good or bad my week has been, I can seek out the Hearty in my Life! It’s the main reason I originally called my blog what it is and I hope it will help you also to reflect on the goodness you have had in your own life!

Blog Musings and Goodbye Linky!

If you are a blogger and have come to link up with me, then apologies to you – It is no more! I do want to thank you though for your support over these few months, but after much pondering and reflection on my blog and what I want from it, I have decided to rein it in and just continue to write these “MyHeartyLife” posts for myself/my readers as a weekly window into the good and blessed points of life as opposed to doing it because I run a linky. I will still be using the # on Instagram when I share relevant pics, and will check that regularly to connect with you. I will also most likely be posting this weekly little nugget over the weekend now instead of on a Friday, as I have decided that I want it placed as a nice round off to our week. Naturally this means it will replace my weekly “Ordinary Moments” posts, which I surprisingly feel okay about. You see, whilst I have enjoyed writing those over the years, I now feel I want to move on from them. I have missed several this year and it’s really down to the fact that I am simply not feeling it anymore, and consequently they don’t seem to be flowing from me how they once did. Because of that, I sometimes feel under pressure from myself to get one out just because it’s that time of the week again and what I have always done for the last 3 years. I don’t like that feeling because I don’t ever want my blog to be a chore. It is my passion, and so I feel that by this not being a linky anymore, and turning it into my only weekly roundup of moments, it is sufficient. It covers the ordinary and extraordinary moments of life, as well as the joy, the gratitude, the appreciation and reflections about my/our life, or generally things within our family that are lovely and we want to high 5!

I am happy that by making these changes it will then leave space for me to write about all of the other things I really want to be sharing on my blog too.

I want to let you know that this was a hard decision (really hard) because it feels in a way like I am giving up, or that I failed at a goal I was so keen to do. But instead I think I want to shift that thinking to see it more as me evolving and recognising the places I can change and improve, and then being confident to make those changes to my blog and the content I share. I feel good about mixing things up a little now in order to feel in control, less stressed about something I love and treasure, and taking the steps I want to, to make my blog more of me. Plus of course there is that major factor being that the interest just wasn’t there from other bloggers, which you very much need when running a linky (perhaps the linky scene is already saturated? or perhaps taking a nosedive?) and I guess that’s fine… I tried my best and I can tick it off and pat myself on the back for giving it a go!

What these last few months have accomplished though, and what I am most proud of is the fact that it has created for me a pattern of focusing on, and looking for goodness daily/weekly. It has taken me back to my roots of knowing that however my week has been I can seek out the hearty moments and I can feel grateful for the small things. I am reminded I can look for the little achievements along the way and I can then, as a result, be grateful for life and feel more content in my life and in my role as a stay at home mum. I love that I am seeing success in places where I felt like I was failing, and that how I measure success is changing so much too. I feel more positive than I did a few months ago, and better about myself even when my days are hard and trying. I feel like generally I am being more mindful day to day, and taking more time to notice moments and scenes of beauty (which was my intention all along), and even if these are very brief, it is what I want to share to remember the good and hopefully help others do the same in their own lives.

And so whilst it has been a lesson learned in the blogging world, and I have picked up some techy skills, it has mostly helped me personally to be grateful for my life and the people in it, as well as the things I am blessed to have around me. I look forward to easing the pressure of running and promoting a linky going forward, and changing what I post. I have so many things I want to be writing about at this stage of life; more about my own loves and passions, and then certainly continuing with our family life and our adventures, and so much more on loss too which I feel is so important!

I am excited again for my blog, and for the opportunity each weekend (as opposed to rushed on a Thursday night) to be grateful and appreciative of what I have done, seen and experienced in that previous week. And SO, without further ado, here is the evolved and yet very much the same version of #MyHeartyLife ( just minus the linky and soon to be on a weekend) – Thank you so much for reading my ramblings until here and Enjoy my blogs from here on out!

This week…

This week has been absolutely glorious hasn’t it?And how mint that here in April we are experiencing a good old “Heat wave”! As a result I have had my sandals on most of the week (love), my legs out in shorts yesterday, and shades on daily – It has been wonderful and made me feel like a winner (and rather cool)!

I find that when the sun is shining, not only does the world and people seem so much brighter and less stressed, but when it’s warm, I find that life, parenting and choosing what to wear, all feel so much simpler! I love that this week we have felt the sand on our toes, have had lots of long walks, and filled our bellies with ice creams (In April!). I love that it has meant that I have been able to sit in the garden, with my eyes closed and only hear the birds and feel at peace. Yes people, I have loved this week so much with all of its fabulous weather, and I only wish it was here to stay, because I am certainly in a state of Joy and excitement when I wake up and see blue skies and sunshine every morning!

Grateful for …

Incase you can’t tell I have been super grateful this week for the weather! I am grateful to have been on the beach, seen my friend’s and sisters, and for the natural change in my mood because of the Sun! I am thankful for the warmth of the Sun on my skin and for all of the things it has enabled us to enjoy; from tasty ice creams and beach walks, to late nights playing out, and care free days. I am thankful to not need a coat when I go out, and I am thankful for nature in full bloom!

I am also grateful for the effort we’ve all made in getting to school on time… its been really good (except for Yesterday), and on Monday Megan even received an award for her efforts!

Succeeded at …

This week I succeeded at taking Alice swimming. I have been saying for ages that I need to fit a weekly trip to the leisure centre into our routine, but have always made excuses, and we have never kept to it. I used to always take Ethan and Megan (we went every week), and now Alice is bigger, I have felt for a while it would do her good, and it would be a good day out for us every week to look forward to (possibly with a few cousins too).

After we went last Friday with some family, I was reminded just how much she loves water and splashing around, and so on Tuesday I finally did it… we got the train to the pool with slides and a splash zone, and spent almost an hour having fun in the water together.  It was lovely and felt so great!  She jumps in now, and laughs hysterically as she flies down the slides and bobs back up out of the water. She goes round and round on those little slides and generally just has a brilliant time. By the time we’re done it is lunch time, and after her little pack up, she naps in her pram whilst I find somewhere to sit and work (or possibly wander the charity shops).

I love it when hard things become enjoyable, it has felt a huge accomplishment, and I am loving this stage we are in.

Found beauty in …

I’ve been to the coast twice this week and that has been the source of many beautiful scenes! Being at the coast/on the beach is certainly my happy place, and it is always so much more beautiful in the sunshine too. As I sat with the sun on my skin I had to close my eyes, breath in the salty fresh air and appreciate that moment of beauty! It felt like I was on holiday, and the peace and calmness of that moment, overlooking the calm sea and bay was indeed so very beautiful and soul enriching.

I love looking out to sea and relaxing, wandering the promenade, and generally seeing the beautiful sights of life by the sea!

Oh, and I loved seeing little Alice scoffing her first chocolate ice cream – that was just gorgeous!