It’s my blogging birthday – 3 today!

HodgePodgeDays is three years old today. I remember sitting with my laptop one quiet evening three years ago. I had a head full of words and I just needed to write to get it all out of me. I set up HodgePodgeDays on WordPress, had no clue how anything worked or what to do or anything, but that was fine, it was about just getting those thoughts and feelings out of my head and if anyone else looked at it, then wow, what a bonus!

A lot has happened in those three years. I’ve physically recovered from my spinal surgeries as much as I ever will, but I’m left with neurological issues and chronic pain. I’ve come a long way from the spiralling mental health problems which came as a result of being laid up for so long. My baby has grown into a boy, a beautiful boy who I fall in love with afresh each morning.

My blog is my job now, I can’t work in a desk bound 9-5 anymore, so this *waves hand around my blog* has to earn me an income, enough to feed and clothe my family, pay some bills and have enough left for the occasional gin. It doesn’t, it doesn’t yet, but I live in hope.

But I wouldn’t be here without you.  Thank you. Thank you for every encouraging comment, every social share, every like. The people who read my blog, who have read my blog from the start, who have seen me stumble my way from there to here, you have been some of the best friends I’ve made. We’ve laughed and cried together. Drank gin, wine, cocktails and warm orange squash together. We’ve applauded our victories and commiserated our failures.

It’s not been the easiest three years of my life, but I’m glad to have my memories here to remind me of how far I’ve come and what I have endured.  I’m equally pleased that I have almost weekly, sometimes daily photos of my son and the things we have done to remind us of our adventures together. 

The last three years have been the best of days and the worst of days, but to me they’ll always be Hodge Podge Days. Thank you xx

blogging birthday

HodgePodgeDays is Two!

Well this is an anniversary which has just crept up on me, my blog, my little corner of the internet is two years old today. I can’t quite believe that I’ve got two years of blogging under my belt;  that’s 550 blog posts, 86,462 blog comments and 4 million (approx) cups of coffee (they haven’t yet invented a number big enough to represent the biscuits eaten).

It almost goes without saying that I’ve made so many excellent friends; blogging is a great community full of incredibly supportive, interesting, wise and funny people. Working as a blogger (and occasional writer for hire for a couple of magazines) I get to go to some wonderful places and experience exciting and interesting things, more often than not carting the boys along for the ride.

Despite being somewhat sceptical at first, they boys have come to embrace the blogging lifestyle, and understand that all the fun we have together also means me working pretty hard too (I really must work a bit harder on that whole work/life balance thing).

In the past 12 months we’ve done so many great things, tried lots of good stuff and cried, laughed and started school (small boy, not me), so I’ve picked my top 16 favourite blog posts from the last 12 months (top 16 is what all the cool kids are doing this year, top 10 is for losers, maybe)…

Those are some of my highlights, it’s been really interesting just looking back and reminding myself of all that we’ve done in the last year and all that I’ve learnt. I love blogging, though sometimes it can be hard to open up, but that’s what I do best. People ask me, as they ask all bloggers, what advice do you give to people wanting to start blogging, it’s simple, write from the heart and you can’t go wrong.

And just because I can…here is a reminder of my current giveaways…

  • Win £20 of Taste of Nature snack bars – ends 8th June 2015
  • Win £20 of gorgeous Urtekram skin and haircare products – ends 24th June 2015

Thanks for sticking with us, it means a lot, we love you!

blog birthday