Blogging, Books and Beyond

It has been far too long since I last posted here at Love, Mum. I’m currently tucked into a corner of our local library seeking quiet inspiration. I’ve been browsing through past blog posts and marveling at how life has changed since I first started this blog five years ago. My three daughters were all under four years old back then. I’m still not quite sure how I got through those first few years with my sanity (somewhat) intact.

Typical of motherhood, just when you think you might be getting the hang of it, everything changes. Five years ago, life was all about play-based learning and wiping bottoms. More recently, our days and weeks seem to pass in a blur of extra-curricular activities, schoolwork, play dates and the requisite domesticity – an annoying acquaintance that one never seems to shake.

By way of explanation for my months of silence, I will cite the busyness of life and six months of taxing home renovations. Regaining mental equilibrium post-covid lockdowns also took more emotional energy than I anticipated. Sadly, all this resulted in the subsequent neglect of my creative aspirations.

However, I am excited to share more from this next season. These days we are not so much into craft activities as we are into books. It was a truly life-changing time when my eldest learned to read on her own. Being an “academic” child, she was notoriously difficult to engage in play as she was always looking for mental stimulation. Since learning to read, she has found comfort in getting lost in the worlds she is able to inhabit in her imagination.

Now that two out of three children can read and the third is well on her way, I find myself mildly obsessed with the world of children’s literature. As an avid childhood reader and a graduate of literary studies, I feel I have found my happy place within the kid-lit community. I spend my evenings scrolling children’s booklists, subscribe to numerous bookish podcasts and love engaging with children’s literature groups. Having seen the impact and benefit of reading on the learning capacity of children, I am increasingly passionate about engaging children in the world of storytelling.

I suspect many of my posts going forward will be about our literary adventures. No doubt there will also be snippets of family life, faith, cooking, running a household and raising three children who are very different from one another.

If there is anything you would like to see more of on the blog, please do leave a comment below.