The Top 7 Tag 2019

The lovely Vicky from Miss Tilly and Me tagged me in the top 7 tag 2019. Thanks Vicky!

The top 7 tag is all about sharing my favourite 7 blog posts from last year, 7 things that we loved from last year and 7 things that we are looking forward to in 2019. Then at the end of the post, I will tag other bloggers who will then write about their ‘top 7’.

My Favourite 7 Blog Posts From Last Year

In January 2018 I published a blog post called ‘Getting used to being self-employed, this post along with another one I published in September 2018 called, ‘A year of self-employment‘ are two of my favourites from 2018. When I took redundancy in 2017 I didn’t know what my future would look like. I then made the decision to start my own business in October 2017, and more than a year later, I’m proud to say that it’s working out well. I have more time for my children, more flexibility and a much better work/life balance.

My third favourite blog post of 2018 is called ‘I’m part of ‘Team Brecon Carreg‘. In February 2018 I received an email to say that my application to join Team Brecon Carreg had been accepted. I never thought that I when I started running in March 2017 that I’d ever be part of a running! Being part of this team allowed me to raise money for the Wales Air Ambulance and take part in a few running events. It was a great experience.

Staying with the running theme, my fourth favourite blog post is called ‘I’m running the London Marathon 2019‘. Out of all of the news I received in 2018, this was the most unexpected! In a spur of the moment decision, I decided to enter the ballot for the London Marathon. At the same time, I also applied for a charity place with WellChild, and the same day that I applied for this charity place, I received an email confirming that I’d been offered a place! I was stunned, and genuinely shocked! I didn’t expect to hear back so soon, but I also felt very happy! I’ve always said that one day I would run a marathon, and there’s no bigger one in the UK than the London Marathon!

Next up is a post called, ‘24 hours in A&E: Why you need to look after your health‘. This post is about my husbands ill health. Thankfully he’s much better now, but 2018 was a pretty scary year in terms of his health, and it made me realise just how important it is to look ourselves. What we feed our body now, and how we treat out bodies and minds now, will impact on us in later life.

My sixth favourite post is all about Disneyland Paris. I couldn’t not include a post about one of my favourite places in the world! This was our second visit and it was amazing. We got to meet Captain America (phwoar!) and Thor. The look on our girls faces when they met them is a moment I will always remember, as it the look on my husbands face too!

Last up is a blog post called ‘Exploring rock pools at Rest Bay, Porthcawl‘. I love this post just because it was a really lovely day out, and I can’t wait to go back again this year.

7 Things That I loved From Last Year

Celebrating my mother-in-laws 90th birthday. We surprised my mother-in-law with a limousine ride and a lovely meal with all of her family in one of her favourite restaurants. The look on her face when she saw the limousine was priceless!

Running the Cardiff half marathon with my step-daughter.

Our children’s 6th birthday party. It snowed really heavily so all of their guests arrived via sledge!

Getting a pet rabbit, Snuggles.

Meeting Gaston at Disneyland Paris.

Spending time with my sister.

Going on a boat on the lake at Roath Park with my husband and children.

7 Things We’re Looking Forward to in 2019

Running the London Marathon in April 2019! I still can’t believe I’m actually going to do this, but I am super excited about it!

Camping! My husband doesn’t seem very keen on this, but I remember going camping when I was young and I loved it! As such I’m keen for my children to experience the joy of getting back to nature, camping underneath the stars and just climbing trees and spending time together!

I’m also excited about spending more time outdoors. I’m planning lots of trips to local parks, walks etc, mostly free, and I think it’ll be great fun!

I’m also looking forward to running Race for Life 5k with my children. They’re keen to take part in it, and I can’t wait to train them and watch their fundraising efforts!

The fifth thing I’m looking forward to this year is seeing my husband have a better year, health wise, than last year, and hopefully this means making the most of the year by doing lots of fun things together as a family.

I’m also looking forward to watching my children continue to amaze me and make me proud. They’re growing into two rather amazing people if I do say so myself!

Lastly, I’m just looking forward to focusing on more on myself, stressing less and just enjoying everything life has to offer.

I tag the following bloggers to take part:

Julie from The Adventures of a Mama Bear

Emma from Happy Family Hub

Nicola from The Merralls Home

Stephanie from Our Cherry Tree