Highlights of the Week: #18

I sat down at the computer to write this week’s highlights and was pretty stumped for a good few minutes. However, I am going to put this down to the fact that it was 6 am and the giant mug of coffee next to me was still too hot to drink and had not had a chance to kick in and take effect. Soooo, what actually has been happening this week I hear you ask (LOL)? Oh, alright if you insist I will fill you in:

1. Online – I am completely flabbergasted and overwhelmed this week to have hit over 4000 followers on Twitter. It completely blows my mind that I have managed to gather so many followers in just the five months I have been blogging – this was a definite warm fuzzies moment!

2. Offline – I did some baking this week. I know not very in keeping with the supposed health kick new lifestyle I am meant to be on but I really enjoyed being in the kitchen and having a good old bake making some gluten free bread and cookies and some regular old cookies too! Nom Nom

3. Online – Okay so some people may find this a weird one but bare with here. This week the shortlisted finalists were announced for THE MADS and drum roll please…. I didn’t get in. To be honest I was completely heartbroken as it took me straight back to school. Basically I was not “popular” enough to have amassed enough nominations and being made to feel unpopular sucks. However, one of our tribesters the lovely @islandliving365 wrote a really poignant piece about it called ‘I Didn’t Make It Into MADS’ and a lot of us read it and instantly felt better. She said what a lot of us needed to hear. So anyone else disheartened and feeling “unpopular” should head over and check it out!

4. Offline – Although I try to stay digital free and focus on Alyssa when I am with her, sometimes it is difficult because business/work emails need responding to and sometimes my phone is so busy I have to turn it on silent in an attempt to ignore it. That is why, I adore bath-time with my little cherub. With how splashy she has gotten in the last few weeks, I refuse to take anything digital in the bathroom which means it’s half an hour of her and I splashing, playing with bubbles, chewing toys (her not me) and giggling. These times can’t be retrieved when they are older so it is things like this that remind me it is important to put the technology away!! (I snuck the camera in briefly here but that’s it!!)

5. Online – So this weeks most useful “How to” blog post comes from the lovely Amy over@mrandmrstplus3. I love the way Amy writes and the style with which she does it in and her how to posts are no exception. This week I have chosen to feature “20 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog!” If you are like me and are hoping to just keep on and on building your blog then it is important to have the traffic and eventually the stats to match. Amy provides some great tips to help every blogger get the views they are after!

6. Online – I was so excited this week to be featured in The Metro!! This feels like an amazing achievement for me. For those that don’t remember I was in Wren Kitchens new cookbook #LittleKitchens a while back with my post “Eat the Story: Creative Ways to get Kids to Eat & Learn!”The e-book is now live and being picked up by a few newspapers one of which was The Metro!! You can check out the article here.

7. Offline – I had a complete culling of Alyssa’s wardrobe this week and sorted through all and I mean ALL, her clothes and organised all the ones that were too small to get rid of in someway. At least now, I can put everything away as opposed to not having enough room to store all her clothes – the little fashionista that she is!!

8. Online – Due to the culling of Alyssa’s wardrobe this week, my mum and I have had a rather productive time on eBay, listing some hardly worn items and then donating the rest to my brother and his partner who are due a baby girl in August this year. I have also boxed up her baby swing chair, bumbo and playmat that she has now outgrown, ready for her future cousin to use when she arrives not far from now!

9. Offline – Thanks to some practically summer weather this week, we have been able to enjoy ourselves out in the garden. Alyssa has been marveling at what is out there and we have heard lots of squeals of delight coming from the giant bunny cushion on the grass. (I was going to crop this photo down to just Alyssa, until I noticed the small but lovely rainbow above her head and thought I’d leave it as it was.)

10. Online – I was really pleased to be chosen by @mrandmrstplus3 to be a favourite post of the week of hers over on #thelist! I wrote “You Need to Lose Weight! Nope I Need to Buy Shoes!” when a random person decided they felt it was necessary to comment on my weight. It is always nice to receive recognition in whatever form for your work and being chosen to be a favourite/featured post is one of the loveliest ways there is. Thanks Amy!

So there you have it folks… that’s my week in a pretty bigger than average nutshell. How has yours been? Anything exciting news?