SFTW: Happy birthday Everyday30!

Happy Sunday everyone! I’m in Amsterdam enjoying a fairly impromptu weekend away (Juan came here for work and Oscar and I joined him on Friday). It’s the first time I’ve ever visited and, at 33, I think I’ve definitely missed the boat that sails on the city’s hedonistic side. Instead, we’ve been cycling around, visiting museums and taking it easy – all very civilised really. Today we’re off to visit Anne Frank’s house. I’ve been wanting to go there for years, but I’m just praying that Oscar will behave himself while we’re there… We’re flying home later today.

The big news this week is that Everyday30.com is now one year old! We’re celebrating reaching the 12-month mark with flowers – of course. A couple of weeks ago, Appleyard London sent me a bunch of their gorgeous seasonal blooms – they came in a very chic box and were arranged so expertly that they maintained their shape even after I’d unwrapped them and stuck them in a vase; they also lasted for ages. If you need to send flowers to someone special, I’d recommend them – plus, you can use the code BLOG33 for a 33% discount on all bouquets (excluding the ‘Flowers by Post’ range). Don’t mention it.

I’ve been looking back at the posts we’ve written for the blog this year, and I thought I’d share some of my personal favourites with you.

From Rachel’s archives, I particularly enjoyed reading why she doesn’t want to get married and her potty-training tips (don’t get me started right now…). Rose’s post on what happened when she stopped washing her hair fascinated me as I just cannot imagine ever doing that voluntarily; I also discovered some great box-set obsessions thanks to this round-up. As for me, the post that’s prompted the most comments so far tackled my thoughts on sharing money with your partner. The two that I had most fun writing were probably when I recalled my 90s style faux pas (there were a lot of them) and, weirdly enough, when I shared insider tips on how to work a room. As for my most random post so far, that prize has to go to this one on trolleys – I don’t know why I felt the need to air those thoughts! Still, I love the pics. How about you – which of our posts have you most enjoyed so far?

In other news…

My mother-in-law came to visit Oscar all last week, and she was subjected to a fair amount of squealing and whining from the little darling. Because I fell ill on Thursday, I’m inclined to think his tantrums were a result of his body battling some bug or other that he has now passed along; nevertheless, it wasn’t an ideal situation, with Oscar more clingy than usual and Juan and I having to show superhuman patience dealing with the strops while also trying to accept behavioural advice graciously. So when I saw Rambling Redhead’s post recommending wines to match different types of crappy toddler behaviour, I had to laugh… and pour myself a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Another piece that tickled my funny bone was a list of 27 food stories that nobody ever needs to write again – numbers 10, 13, 14 and 18 are especially priceless. But – oops! I was going to write number five myself for this blog. Need to think of something more original, pronto…

Lastly, I dashed round the shops on Wednesday evening, after work but before meeting a friend for dinner, feeling all in a tizz because a few days before I’d opened my wardrobe and realised I didn’t have any jumpers light enough but warm enough for this time of year. It turns out that the friend I was meeting had done the exact same thing – as had another friend I spoke to the following day. Why does this happen at all – surely we must have at least some suitable clothes left over from last year? And furthermore, why does this feeling take hold of us all at the very same time?

What have you thought of the blog this year? What sort of posts would you like to see more of in the coming months? Please let us know by leaving a comment!

P.S. On the blog this week, Rachel gave us the lowdown on iCandy’s new Raspberry buggy, aimed at city dwellers, while Rose lifted the lid on simple eyeshadow techniques.