The other day, I shared the most popular posts from my blog in 2022. Only one of them was written this year and none of them were my own favourites! So I like to do an annual round-up of my favourite posts from my own blog every year.
My blogging has changed a lot over the years. When I started out, my kids were 10, 7 and 5. My blog was all stories about family life. Now they’re 21, 19 and 16, the stories are very different and they’re not mine to share.
I used to blog six or seven times a week, now it’s generally just one book review, one photo post and one other post. I tend to write about things which affect me, as a middle aged mum of young adults, or things which we have experience of, without going into too many specifics about the kids. So I will still write about ballet exams, but won’t go into precise detail of how it went for my daughter or what grade she got. Although I’m pleased to say I am still allowed to write about my son’s success in long jump!
Two massive things happened to our family this year – my son went to university and we got a puppy. So those themes appeared a lot in 2022. Here, in no particular order, are my own favourite blogposts of 2022…
Hetty came into our lives right at the start of the year, turned them upside and down and changed them for the better. So of course I had to include Introducing Hetty the cockapoo.
The emptying nest – we said goodbye to my son, as he went off to university to study medicine and I initially found it even harder than I expected to.
Before my son went to university, he went interrailing with his friends – a really exciting experience for people of all ages, but ideal for young people on a gap year or about to go to uni –
Interrailing: A post-exam or gap year adventure.I ran my first half marathon in 1995 and, in 2022, I reflected on my very long half marathon journey in
My half marathon history.
A chance sighting of my son’s reception teacher brought back some old memories and anger in
The reception teacher.
My son has been pushing for a 7 metre long jump for the last couple of years and this year he finally achieved it, so of course I had to commemorate the occasion on my blog in
The seven metre long jump.Can clever kids be good at sport? is another slight rant about the primary school days. There always seemed to be a misconception at my kids’ primary school that you couldn’t be intelligent and good at sport, which could obviously be very damaging to clever kids who show sporting potential.
Applying for medicine at university isn’t as straightforward as applying for other courses, so I wrote this useful guide for young people (and their parents) considering applying for medicine at university in the next few years.
A word of advice is a post about breaking points and not taking too much on. People of my age are often juggling ageing parents, or grieving for parents, with the responsibilities of teenage/ grown up kids, while also going through the menopause. It’s a lot to deal with and sometimes it can be too much.
So those are my favourite posts of 2022. Have I missed any good ones? I wonder what 2023 will bring…
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Things change when your children grow up, I started blogging when my 12 year old was born! Even my babies are grown up and most people don’t even realise I already have two grown up children. We do find different things to blog about and I’ve loved the posts on Hetty. I also remember feeling for you when your son went away to uni.
Thank you! It’s crazy how the time moves on. There’s a huge difference between a newborn and a 12 year old, just as there’s a huge difference between a 10 year old and a 21 year old for me. It’s true that we find different things to blog about and having Hetty to write about has given me an unexpected change of direction, which I’m enjoying.
I have of course enjoyed reading your blog over the last year and have loved reading about Hetty. She is such a lovely addition to your family. x
Thank you! You’re definitely one of my most dedicated readers and I really appreciate it. x