Show-you-were-there-round-up

‘Show you were there’ round up

by with 5 Comments PhotographyShow you were there

I took a little break from my regular round ups last week, as I was away for the weekend for BML17.  So this week I’ve picked out five photos that I really loved from my little #ShowYouWereThere community, instead of my usual four.

And without further ado, here they are!

First up is this smiley photo from Hannah over at HannahTasker.com.

I love her daughter’s expression in this photo, it’s just so cheeky!  If anyone has any advice or reassuring words for Hannah though, to ease her worries about her daughter’s eating, then please do pop over to instagram and leave her a comment, I’m sure it would be appreciated!

 

My second choice for this week is from Katy at Hot Pink Wellingtons.  In the caption Katy said that she almost didn’t post the photo, but I’m so happy that she did because it’s gorgeous, such a joyful moment captured.

 

My next pick is from Esther at Inside Out and About.  I just love all the happy faces in this photo, and that unbelievably cute hat!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZnZ764B824/?tagged=showyouwerethere

 

The fourth photo I’ve chosen for this week is from Wendy at Naptime Natter.  I’m really with Wendy on the beach being my happy place, there’s something wonderful about sea air that just soothes me.

 

My bonus photo for this week’s round up is from Lucy at Mrs H’s Favourite Things.

I just think this is a beautiful photo of Lucy, her new cut and colour really suits her don’t you think!  I’m also more than a little bit jealous of her teeny number of grey hairs, as I’ve been dealing with mine since I was 18!

 

Thank you so much to everyone who is using #ShowYouWereThere, I love seeing your photos popping up over on instagram, they always bring a huge smile to my face!

 

If you’d like to join in with my little community and possibly be featured in my next round up (with a nice link back to your blog!) then just share a photo of yourself over on instagram using #ShowYouWereThere.  It’s all about getting more parents in more photos.  And if you’d like to take part in my guest post series ‘The photo I’m thankful for‘ then take a look at this post or email me at thisgloriouslife@gmail.com for more information.

 

living arrows

Living Arrows 2017 – 40/52

by with 2 Comments PersonalPhotography

Last Friday I took Rhys and Nerys to school, then almost immediately hopped on a coach to London.

I had a bit of a whirlwind weekend.  I spent Friday evening with my parents in Kent, chatting over an absolutely delicious lamb tagine.  Then it was relatively early to bed so I could be up early Saturday morning to head into London for BritMums Live.

I was incredibly nervous about going.  It was the first time I’d been to a blogging conference, and I really wasn’t sure what to expect.  I’ve heard some mixed reviews from other people who have been to BML in previous years, and don’t feel that’s it’s as amazing as it used to be.  But I’m still so pleased that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and went.

The sessions that I went to were, for the most part, really useful and inspiring and I’ve come away full of ideas to move my blog forward.  I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me!

What I really enjoyed about the day though was chatting to other bloggers.  I’m so proud of myself for taking a deep breath and going over to talk to people that I’ve not met in person before.  Everyone was so lovely and friendly, and it was fab to see the real people behind the little profile photos I’m so used to seeing on my phone!

After a long day in London, I then had another long day on the Sunday travelling back to Swansea.

I got home just after 8, and was planning on heading upstairs to give the children a kiss goodnight as soon as I got in.  But it turns out they had been allowed back downstairs after their bath, so they could see me properly when I got home.

So I was greeted by this little one giving me a big smile, and then telling me how much she had missed me while I was away.

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She had a lovely weekend with Steve, and I don’t think she really asked after me much at all while I was away.  But I have to admit it was quite nice to hear her say that she had missed me when I came home.

Rhys on the other hand, was more excited to talk about what he had been doing on Minecraft while I was away!

I think so often we worry and feel guilty about leaving our children to go and do something for ourselves, but honestly, my two had a wonderful weekend.  And I think it’s so good for their relationship with their daddy to have some time with just him, which doesn’t happen that often.

And it does me a world of good to take that bit of time for myself now and then.

 

Living Arrows
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Living Arrows 2017 – 39/52

by with 10 Comments PersonalPhotographyUncategorized

Around this time every year two events happen.

The Swansea bay 10k takes place, and all the students arrive for the new year at the university.

And for some unknown reason, these two events always take place on the same weekend.  So all the students are trying to get to their accommodation when various roads around Swansea are closed for the 10k.  There must be some logic behind it, but it just always amuses me that the two things happen on the same weekend, as if the organisers just want to make arrivals weekend a bit more of a challenge for all the students!

The 10k this year was held on this Sunday just gone.  And for the 3rd year in a row Rhys and his Nana ran in the children’s 1k race before the main event started.

It’s something that Rhys seems to really enjoy, and this year he even ran ahead for the last little bit, sprinting towards the finish line on his own.  I think that was what we were all most proud of, seeing him feel brave enough to go for it on his own.

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He was so proud of himself at the end of the race, and was really excited when we told him that he had finished it a lot quicker than he did last year.  Next year we think he might be ready to run the whole thing by himself, and Nerys has said all day that she wants to do it too next time.

So watch this space for two excited children with medals this time next year!

 

Living Arrows
#ShowYouWereThere round up

‘Show you were there’ round up

by with No Comment Show you were thereUncategorized

Time for another round up!

In case you’re new to my little Instagram community, #ShowYouWereThere is all about getting more parents in more photos.  So any photos that feature you, or your partner, in some way, shape or form then just tag them with #ShowYouWereThere when you share them on Instagram to join in, and potentially be featured in one of these little round ups!

Now, on to my four favourite photos that were shared in the last week.

First up is this sweet photo from Amy over at The Smallest of Things.

It is funny isn’t it, how we sometimes feel like these huge milestones like a first birthday should mean everything changes, but really, our babies are still the same, they still need us just the same!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZPAA9pBT3v/?tagged=showyouwerethere

 

My second pick for this week is this brilliantly happy shot from Emma at Emmaology.

Don’t those happy faces just make you want to smile right back at them!

 

My next choice is from Jo at Pickle and Poppet.  I just really love the moment that’s been captured in this photo; cooking together is such a lovely activity for parents and children!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZLKiRnhFKE/?tagged=showyouwerethere

 

My fourth and final pick for this week is from Sian at Hue Me Happy.  I just love the cheeky look on her daughter’s face in this photo!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZLF-9ZH9Vn/?tagged=showyouwerethere

 

Thank you so much to everyone who is using #ShowYouWereThere, I love seeing your photos popping up over on instagram, they always bring a huge smile to my face!

 

If you’d like to join in with my little community and possibly be featured in my next round up (with a nice link back to your blog!) then just share a photo of yourself over on instagram using #ShowYouWereThere.  It’s all about getting more parents in more photos.  And if you’d like to take part in my guest post series ‘The photo I’m thankful for‘ then take a look at this post or email me at thisgloriouslife@gmail.com for more information.

 

doing-it-for-the-gram

Doing it for the gram: How to take the perfect pic

by with No Comment Photography

Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites these days, used by all kinds of people, including bloggers and influencers. The great thing about Instagram is that it’s almost a ‘picture blog’. You make your feed look great with attractive images, filtered well, and you add great captions to get a following.

How do you go about taking the perfect picture for the gram though? Read on to find out:

 

Light And Colour

Light and colour are two very important things you need to think about when taking an instagram picture. Taking pictures in natural light is always better, as your pictures will look brighter, more crisp, and more clear. However, you should also pay attention to the colours in your image too. Many people like to create an Instagram that only uses one or two colours, for instance. Black and white is popular, but so is white with the occasional pop of colour. Some people like to create Instagram accounts that use all of the colours of the rainbow, but they make sure their feed still looks organised. Take a look at some you like to figure out your colour scheme.

 

Taking Selfies

If you’re taking a selfie for Instagram, then you need to make sure you look your best. Whether you’re showing off your makeup, the fact that you’re wearing no makeup, a new hairstyle, or something else doesn’t matter. The same rules apply! The infographic below can help you to take an awesome selfie in no time at all. Remember, it’s all about those angles!

 


credit to My Trendy Phone Shop

 

Disclaimer – this is a collaborative post

living arrows

Living Arrows 2017 – 38/52

by with 12 Comments PersonalPhotography

Last week was the first full week back in school, so it was a bit of a quiet one for us.

The children both seemed pretty tired all week, and are actually now sounding like they’re coming down with colds.  So we’ve not really been out and about much, and have just been enjoying some down time at home after school each day.

All of which means there haven’t been that many photo opportunities this week.  Sometimes though, little moments of magic happen in those simple everyday moments, and I’m so glad that I’ve had my camera nearby to just snap away.

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This was taken one evening after the children had been in the bath.

They were messing around on our bed, laughing hysterically as they clambered over their Daddy and then tried to escape his tickles.  And the light was just perfect for a few quick photos.  I just love the way you can almost hear Rhys laughing when you look at the photo, and Steve and Nerys in the background just perfectly captures that moment of post-bath mayhem.

These are the moments that I hope my children remember when they’re older.

These everyday moments, part of the daily routine, nothing special.

But beautifully special all the same.

 

Living Arrows
#ShowYouWereThere round up

‘Show you were there’ round up (week twenty nine)

by with No Comment Show you were thereUncategorized

Here we are again!  Another Sunday and another round up of my little Instagram community #ShowYouWereThere.

Every week I go through all the wonderful photos that have been shared over on Instagram and choose my four favourites to feature here on the blog.

Most of the time I pick the photos that jump out or speak to me the most, with no real theme or anything behind my choices.  This week though, I seem to have managed to chose photos that do sort of fit a theme.

This week’s picks all seem to celebrate different elements of being a parent, photos that are a bit different from my usual picks but that are wonderful all the same because they show something of who the people behind them are.

So here they are!

First up is this brilliantly fun photo from Jax at Jax and Joseph.  People often say that one of the great things about being a parent is getting to see the world through a child’s eyes again, and surely that then extends to being able to play around like a child again too!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BY_XeH7AoU_/?tagged=showyouwerethere

 

My next pick is this lovely photo of Louise from Mummy Miller.  Not only is it a fab photo of Louise (anyone else in love with her pinafore dress?!) but I love that it was taken to celebrate a child-free day out with her mum.

As much as we all adore our children, we all need some time to just be with other grown-ups sometimes, don’t we!

 

My third choice this week is this photo from Louise at Fizzy Peaches.  I love how this photo really shows a lot about what is going on in Louise’s world right now, without actually showing her at all.

 

Last but not least this week is this exciting photo from Jaymee at The Mum Diaries.  I can only imagine how amazing it must feel to pick up a magazine and see your words in print, well done Jaymee!

 

Thank you so much to everyone who is using #ShowYouWereThere, I love seeing your photos popping up over on instagram, they always bring a huge smile to my face!

 

If you’d like to join in with my little community and possibly be featured in my next round up (with a nice link back to your blog!) then just share a photo of yourself over on instagram using #ShowYouWereThere.  It’s all about getting more parents in more photos.  And if you’d like to take part in my guest post series ‘The photo I’m thankful for‘ then take a look at this post or email me at thisgloriouslife@gmail.com for more information.