PATRICK YOU'RE TWO

I can't believe I'm writing this given it only feels like yesterday we eagerly anticipated your arrival, wondering who you'd be and how you'd change the dynamic of our little family of three. Nothing could have prepared us for you though, my fierce, wild boy - the child that ultimately had we had you first, I'm not sure we'd have considered a second. You're testing but you're worth every single challenge you throw our way, and believe me there have been many. I knew during your first year that your personality was shining through and as predicted, over the last twelve months it's grown even more - you've come completely into your own and turned from a baby to a toddler (welp!)

SLOW SUNDAYS

The weeks lately have been hectic, I say weeks but it's probably been more months if I'm being entirely honest. I spoke about it briefly on Instagram, you know the analogy of being a duck seemingly gliding through the water but actually beneath the surface they're furiously pedalling with no signs of slowing down. That's me, I'm the duck. There isn't one specific thing nor are there any huge reasons as to why life is so full on right now, it just is and with Noah about to break up for school break in just over four weeks, I know it's going to get a whole lot busier, so with that in mind I wanted to really flick the brakes on and try and appreciate the art of slow living, even if my version of slow is more like a canter.

ENGAGEMENT OVER FOLLOWERS

As a full time blogger a large portion of my job requires social media activity, I'd probably guess it around half. Whilst the likes of Instagram and Facebook are a bit of fun for most people, it may seem that it's the 'easy' part of the job, but you'd be mistaken for thinking that. Posting a quick photo with a seemingly fitting caption isn't the hard task, though capturing said photos can be, it's building a loyal and engaging following - that's the difficult part. There may be a small amount of social media influences who gained a following quickly and authentically for one reason or another, but the majority have to work hard at it day after day, and it can be a pretty gruelling task, especially today in a era of bots and fake followings.