Two Little Humans And Me – Guest Post for #IBSD14

I’m very excited to be taking part in International Blog Swap Day #IBSD14, and so am bringing you a special guest post from Melissa who blogs over at Two Little Humans and Me…

Tell us about yourself:
I am a mum to two little humans. Miss Mikaylah age 7 and Little Man Chase, age 3. I wasn’t always a mum and a wife! I was once a teenager keeping my dear Mum on her toes while late night curfews were literally down to the last second of my returning home. I dreamt of being a journalist. I dreamt of being of writer. Today, I just dream of eight hours sleep! I love my life and no it isn’t filled with Instagram images of pristine toy rooms and children’s bedrooms. My garden is my sanctuary…the place where I like to sit in the warmth of the sun with a cup of tea and a good book. My little humans make me laugh. They make me cry. My husband Adam is my rock – my one constant. Life brings with it ups and downs. I fall, dust myself off and get back up again. My life isn’t perfect, but it is just the way I love it!

What makes your blog different from other lifestyle/mum blogs?
I like to think my little place in the blogging world is a place for me to reflect and journalise my life with two little humans. It was never meant to be a space where other people would get to know my family. I wanted it to be a place where I could hone my writing skills and if I had to schedule three posts a week, that meant I was forced to write every day. What makes me different? I guess it is the fact that my two little humans give great fodder for writing. It’s all dinosaur tales and woes of the princess who isn’t allowed to watch television for answering back.

How much do you share about your private life with your readers? Is there a line you won’t cross when it comes to sharing about your family?
Privacy is a huge issue for many bloggers… how much do all of us share without crossing the line? Of course I won’t write posts about my bank balance or whether my hubby and I have argued… I will however share how much my dear Adam frustrates me when he leaves dirty socks on the floor! There are many memories I like to keep for myself… memories for me to reflect upon at a later stage… these are kept within me and not shared on the world wide web. My kids are too old now for cutesy photos in the bath – and to be honest, I have always been mindful about what type of photos I share. I never blogged whilst pregnant and during the time my grandmother was in palliative care, I didn’t write about the emotional roller coaster that comes with losing a loved one until much later. I tend to stay away from political topics and don’t weight into arguments if I really have no knowledge.

Many bloggers are inspired by other bloggers… what are your favourite “must read” blogs?
Oh the many blogs I must read each and every day:
Life, Love and Hiccups
Me and My Ready Family
Nanny She Can Do
Woogs World
Keeping up with the Holsby’s

You adore Instagram – what’s the appeal there for you?
Instagram is one of those things that many love and many hate. I am addicted! I have always loved snapping photos of the kids but Instagram makes it just that much easier. Again, I am careful about what posts I put up but most of the time they are general photos of the little humans going about their day to day business! Sometimes you will see tantrums and other days tears. It is about seeing my world through the eye of a lens. I have made some life long friends via Instagram and I now can’t imaging my life without them in it! Maybe I am a self-confessed sticky beak and I like to see what others are doing around the world!

Like me, you’re a self confessed bookworm, can you share with us a few of your favourite authors and books?
How much time do you have? My list of favourite books and authors changes every few months. My all time absolute favourite is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and of course the Harry Potter series… oh and the Twilight Saga… and we might as well add The Hunger Games Trilogy too.

I am a massive fan of chick lit and not just any chick lit – but British chick lit! I love to be taken away to little villages where my reading world doesn’t require a passport! From Jill Mansell to Debbie Macomber… Sophie Kinesella to Jojo Moyes… anything chick lit related! I have just finished reading Skeletons by Jane Fallon – very funny and relatable!

How did your lovely crafting business come about?
My littlest human Chase begins school in three years time. As a teacher, returning to work after being at home with the kids is my only reasonable job prospect is returning to the classroom. Let’s be honest, I am petrified! No scared of going back to work, but scared of the teenagers!! I am always dabbling in crafts and always say to my dear Adam… “what if I made these and sold them?”. He nods and says, “yes dear, whatever makes you happy!”. Suffice to say, I have made a total of $11.95 in the few years I have been crafting and crocheting… I don’t want to tell you how much I spend on crafts – let’s just say it is another addiction!

What inspired you to start blogging?
Inspired… perhaps not. I will be completely honest with you and say I was lonely. Yep…lonely! If I managed to get my thoughts onto paper or a space on the web… maybe someone – just one person would read what I had to say and I wouldn’t be so lonely. The days are long with two little humans and on the odd occasion, having an adult to talk with is nice!

What has blogging brought you?
Blogging has opened a world of online friends and groups. I have an amazing blog support group with five other members – where we chat and ask each other advice and questions. It’s a friendly space with no judgement!

I am officially an Insta-Aunt… a lovely young lady from California started following me on Instagram and has since become an avid reader of my blog and a very dear friend. We email every day and she has just had a baby too! I was in contact with her partner all through her labour and it really felt as though I was there with them all – sharing their joy of a beautiful baby girl! We send gifts and share stories – this is what has to be one of the most wonderful aspects of blogging… finding real friends in the strangest of places!

On the odd occasion I am blessed with product reviews for the kids to trial. Contrary to popular belief, blogging doesn’t necessarily equal fast earned cash – well not for me anyway! I’m still waiting for the elusive email from a publishing house or magazine asking me to write for them! Might be waiting a while!

Share with us 5 of your favourite posts:
My five favourite blogs posts:

Where is He?

A Place to Call Home

Life is Changed, Not Ended

A Mother’s Reflection

Max! Where are you?

What 3 tips would you give to someone thinking of starting a blog?
1.Blog for yourself and don’t try and compete with other bloggers.
2.Blogging isn’t about numbers and statistics of who viewed your page or read your posts… it’s your space to share your world.
3.Keep a Thesaurus handy at all times!

What’s your favourite quote?
You don’t become what you want, you become what you believe – Oprah

What are your favourite activities to do with your children?
As much as I love doing arts and crafts, I am a little but of a control freak when it comes to do art and crafts with the little humans. I like things done a certain way and I do need to let go and let their creative side come through! Miss Mikaylah loves to write stories, so we spend time creating characters and scenes – it is truly amazing where their imagination can take them. We love going to the park and in Melbourne, where we can get four seasons in one day, we don jackets and tee shirts just in case!

What do you like to do to relax?
There is nothing better than reading with a hot cup of tea! This is my time out… my space… my chance to escape.

Thanks so much, Melissa! I had great fun browsing your blog and putting together these questions, and really enjoyed reading your responses. I’ve loved being a part of #IBSW14, as I’ve discovered a mum on the other side of the world that I really like and identify with! I will continue reading 🙂

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