Me & Mine: March 2016

March has been a pretty steady month, which is good for us as we all seem to get upset when things aren't routine for us, particularly Jack. We enjoyed daddy's birthday and Mother's Day together at the start of the month, did a bit of geocaching with friends and Holly showed off her Easter bonnet at school. Now the Easter holidays are here and our family holiday to Spain just around the corner, which we are all more than ready for.

Your Youtube #64

Hello and welcome back to Your Youtube, and Happy Easter! I'm so excited for the arrival of this holiday as in a week we are going to Spain for a holiday, and I cannot wait! In the meantime we've got a lovely weekend planned with the children so I should have lots of video fodder!

For this week's video of the week I've gone with my lovely co-host Sian, who has put together a beautiful letter to her daughter and created a video where she reads the letter. Sian has done this a few times now and I think she writes with such tenderness and it really shows in her video.

Over to the linky - please share no more than two videos and comment on at least two in return. Don't forget to join us in the Your Youtube Facebook group where we have a lovely little community for support and advice and where we also host the weekly chat.

Filming Videos On Your IPhone

Ever since I decided to give YouTube a try over a year ago I have absolutely fallen in love with making videos. Whilst I'm still not quite up to speed with uploading regularly, I am always filming little clips of the children or the days out we take. After taking part in Xanthe Berkley's Make Film course I discovered how to make my films just that little bit better by thinking about content and different angles and filming styles.

Whilst I do like making films on fancy equipment - after much waiting I finally ordered myself a Canon G7X and, oh my, how I love it. However for the most part I use my iPhone for filming as it's so handy to just get it out of my pocket and press record. Today I thought I'd would share a few tips I've picked up for filming on your mobile to help you create great videos without spending a lot of money on expensive camera.

Our Happy Moments

Often it can be so easy to focus on the difficult days and struggles of being a parent, and forget to cherish to small and positive moments. Lately I've found myself feeling low even when the day has been good as my busy mind tends to find the difficult part of the day and focus on it, completely forgetting those happy moments. I've decided to try and capture them on my Instagram feed and put together a post to remind myself of those moment and that even when I am feeling less than cheery, that good times are still there if I stop and notice them.

Getting Outside With Your Kids

Recently we have been introduced to the fantastic adventure that is geocaching. Whilst many of you may have known about this for years, for us it is a new discovery and one we are absolutely loving.

Reclaiming Myself

Two weeks ago saw me returning to the working world for the first time in six years - before Holly was born, when we emigrated to America. I have been so fortunate to be able to stay at home with my two and be such a huge part of their lives whilst they have been little but I was more than ready to put myself out there again.

Mum Bod

Recently an image has been bandied around on social media of a 'mom bod' - a supposedly realistic body image of today's motherhood. Whilst there is no denying that the mum in question is definitely brave for putting herself out there and should not be criticised for trying to change the outlook of what is the 'ideal' figure, however I have to question those platforms who have shared this idea of what characterises a real mum-tum. Yes this lady has certainly earnt her tiger stripes and saggy tummy, however in my opinion her very svelte figure and clearly-defined abs do not elicit shouts of joy nor encourage me to embrace my own well-rounded and muffin-topped postpartum physique. Quite the opposite.

Me & Mine: February 2016

March is here and supposedly Spring, yet yesterday we saw lots of snow covering the arrival of the happy, yellow daffodils that had just started peeking through. It has been a cold few weeks and I am definitely ready for our holiday in April.

February was a relatively quiet month for us, with half term, valentines, one friends twins' birthday and another's little boy's christening being the main activities. It was, however, a big month in terms of work for me as I head down to London at the start of the month to film with Mumsnet and Lidl, and then began a new job which sees me returning to the office for the first time in six years. To get out of the house, take on a new role and make a contribution to the household finances gives me such a sense of purpose and I am so grateful to my new boss for enabling me to do this whilst still managing my energy levels and be there for my family.