With our imminent move to Australia, I thought it was the perfect time to overhaul my blog design and think about where I’m going to take the content over the coming months and years. There’s still plenty of work to be done on the site, so please bear with me as I get it all finished off with my designer as not all of the links and boxes work just yet and many of the images need realigning. I picked up the best ever quote at Blogtacular recently (courtesy of the fabulous Isa Seminegea) which gave me the confidence to get it out there as work in progress: Done is better than perfect.
What have I been up to…
I’ve been taking a bit of a blogging break because in between getting my blog redesigned, renovating our entire house ready to sell, planning our big move and writing a new column for a national travel magazine (I’ll tell you more about this exciting news soon!), I’ve barely had a minute to spare. I’m looking forward to getting stuck into blogging again and reading and commenting on other blogs, because I’ve really missed it!
TalesofaTwinMum was created to show the positive, fun and bonkers side of raising twins. Life has moved on… we added another baby to the mix 20 months ago and are now about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime by moving our family of five to the other side of the world. Such a big change in our lives made me realise I needed to change my blog to keep it fresh.
What is TalesofaTwinMum all about…
There will still be plenty to read about family life and having twins, plus the usual reviews and updates on our big move to Oz, but I’ll be throwing in more family travel and family lifestyle pieces too. I wanted to create a space to write about everything to do with having a young family. Whether you’re interested in useful articles or personal pieces, I hope you won’t be disappointed.
The major reason for us moving to Australia is to give us an outdoor lifestyle, so it only seems right that the blog reflects that. I’m really excited to see how our lifestyle is going to evolve, not only with the change in climate but also within the home. Houses are different over there, communities are different and I hope to explore our new way of life on my blog.
Another reason I’ve decided to include lifestyle on my blog is that for the last five years I’ve been surviving in a house full of babies. I found it difficult to think about anything other than feeding, sleeping, nappies and – in the small bit of child-free time I’ve carved out in my week – work. Having completely renovated our house ready to sell over the last few months, I’ve rediscovered my love of interiors. I’ve always been passionate about design, but it was an interest that got lost when I had children. This was because my boys were destroyers – any vase, lamp or breakable thing that was within reach was quickly smashed or had to be packed up into the loft until they were older. I’m pleased to say E isn’t a destroyer, so now the boys have grown up a bit it’s time to let my creative juices flow again and I’m hoping to show a new side of me on the blog.
Keeping it real…and what this blog isn’t
It’s not turning into a glossy photography blog (I wish I was a professional photographer, but alas I’m not), or a blog that sets unrealistic goals for you to aspire to, or a blog that shows how incredibly beautiful my children are (although I kind of think they are). I’m no good with messy play and I’m not that great at craft. My kids have hair with knots in, faces with chocolate on and shoes covered in mud from all the puddle jumping. If we review a train set, you can be sure if I give it a good appraisal it’s because it’s study enough to withstand being hit over someone’s head without being damaged (usually T1 hitting T2 but one day I’m sure he’ll turn and get his own back). I want my blog to feel like a true reflection of me and my family.
I hope you enjoy the evolution of my blog as much as I’m enjoying it! Be sure to let me know what you think of my new look!
xx
Congratulations on your relaunch it’s looking fantastic!!! I’m really excited for you and look forward to keeping up to date with your blog, and of course your big move!! Going to head on over to blogtacular now to take a peek at some ideas for my blog! Xxx
Thanks! There is still a lot to do on it but we’re getting there. I’m looking forward to catching up with your blog too – I haven’t had chance to read any for ages with the house renovations. I’ve felt really cut off from the blogging world! Blogtacular was really fun – you can buy a virtual ticket for it too if you want to see any of the sessions that were recorded. I came away inspired. xx
I LOVE it! The blog looks really really good, really fresh and funky looking. I cannot wait to follow your adventures and the fun you will have.
Thanks Steph. It’s taken a long time to get here and there is still quite a way to go but it feels good to have it out there now and (mostly) working! I’ll be picking your wordpress brains now that I’ve moved over to .org – I’m a little bit scared about it! xx
Wow Karen it looks fantastic!! This post has made is all seem to real! I for one can’t wait to hear about you new life down under….just make sure you include the bad bits too ;))
Thanks – I love it too and I can’t wait for it to be completely finished! I’m sure it won’t be too long before I’m complaining that it’s too hot over there and too sandy or something 🙂 xx
The new design is fab! I love the colours you picked and am really looking forward to reading about your adventures in Oz. Mel
Thanks Mel! I love it too! There’s still work to do and I still need to get my head around all of the wordpress plugins since moving over to self hosted but it feels good to finally be sharing my new look. xx
Great to see you back. I have missed your writing around these parts. Blog looks great. We are currently planning an extension so looking forward to reading your insight into interiors with boisterous kids!
Ah thanks, it’s great to be back – I’ve missed blogging and reading blogs so much! I’m planning a post specifically about entertaining your kids while you decorate/renovate so I’ll tag you when I get on to it. I have so many ideas backed up that it might take a while though! Good luck with the building work! x
Blog looks great. I love your writing and attitude to parenting! Best of luck with the move which I look forward to hearing all about :o)
Thanks for reading! I’m struggling to keep up with replying to comments and visiting other blogs at the moment with our move getting close, so sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy following our journey. xx
I’m afraid I haven’t been here earlier (a bit rubbish, because I love this blog and what it offers, so deep apologies for not popping in sooner!) BUT, wanted to say that it looks spectacular and loved your quote, done is indeed better than perfect! To be honest, perfection is unreachable! ;P
My husband gets a fair bit of work interest from Australia and often thinks we should do it…after 17 moves in one lifetime, I’m only that tad bit sceptical of another..haha! I bet it’s lovely, and you’ll get a lot of fun times outdoors. Looking forward to reading more and living the life down-under, vicariously, through you 😉 x
That’s OK, I only discovered your blog today too but it looks like my kind of place! I’m hoping Australia is our forever move but never say never. I’m looking forward to putting down some roots while the kids start school but I’m sure there will still be lots of opportunities for adventures over there. x
Oh Karen it looks AMAZING! You have done such a good job. I can’t wait to read about your new life and live your adventures through it. I am not jealous at all. 😉 xx
I wish I could take the credit for designing it, but I can’t! Thanks very much though. I’ll try to keep the beach photos during your winter to a minimum 🙂 xx