What’s new at Inside Out & About?

Welcome back, after a few days offline! Aside from how ‘Inside Out & About’ looks, nothing too drastic has changed – it’s still minimalist and white, which is the way I like it, but I’m hoping that it will be much easier for people to find what they are looking for. The main change for me is that what I write on here is now my own, rather than belonging to WordPress – something incredibly boring, but something that has always niggled at me. I will still be writing 3-5 times a week, quite simply because it doesn’t suit me to write more and it’s an amount I’m very happy with. I’m also not a person who has their phone with them constantly (apart from days when Win is at nursery), because I thoroughly enjoy regular separation from it, and I feel like it can become a nag if it is always in my pocket or bag.

I’ve been through and recategorised every single post so that the categories really are what they should be. With a few posts there is a bit of cross over, but I’ve tried to be strict about what posts go where. It’s a little bugbear I’ve developed whilst reading blogs, as it frustrates me when the same posts come up again and again when I click on a new category…but I realise that might just be me!

I have created a new category called ‘Thoughts On’ and it’s really where you get to know me. It’s all the posts that carry some opinion, my thought processes – a little insight into my world, I suppose. I would say the ‘parenting style’ Jared and I aim for is ‘considered’, as we really try to think about the reasons why we’re doing, or not doing things a certain way, even if it makes our lives more inconvenient. Some days we muddle through, and other days we’re a little more successful. Here is what you can expect to find in ‘Thoughts On’ :

• Being married
• My pregnancy body
• How can we teach children to value what they have?
• Behaviour and a three year old
• Using my children to learn new things
• Being shy and getting over it
• Quiet time
• Screen time
• Preschool
• Having ten siblings
• Pants and potty training
• Breastfeeding, and what I wish I’d known
• How much sugar does a child need?
• Becoming a stay at home mum
• Being a hippie hypno homebirther

The ‘Life’ category is what we get up to, and the ‘Simple Living’ category includes simple outings or activities, as well as any posts on aromatherapy and homeopathy.

I didn’t realise how big my ‘Make & Create’ section had become. I kept wondering why I was being asked to work on craft projects, but since going through every single post, I’ve realised that it is probably my biggest section! I honestly had no idea, and it seems I have made quite a lot over the last couple of years. ‘Health, Food & Fitness’ will still document my never ending journey towards a healthier lifestyle.

‘Style’ is something I would really like to work on. Styling, interiors and maybe even some maternity fashion. I love noting down the ideas that are in my head.

Finally, I would like to say that ‘Inside Out & About’ has never, and never will be a ‘warts and all’ blog. Parenting is incredibly difficult and challenging, but far more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. I prefer to mention the hard parts, rather than think too deeply about them, and it is usually done in jest. The hard parts are what Jared and I work out together, and I’ve never really felt the need to write about them. I’m quite a laid back, practical person and if you are looking for a ‘warts and all’ blog, you won’t find it here. It’s primarily a family journal and an exchange of ideas.

There are a couple of things I haven’t quite decided on aesthetics wise, but overall I am super happy with my new look and I would say it is very ‘me’. A huge, huge thank you to Sian for being so brilliant and migrating everything over so perfectly! She really is so skilled and talented…and basically a genius.

Any feedback would be very welcome indeed, and as always – thank you so much for reading.

E xx