Young and Younger

When I discovered I was expecting twins it came as rather a shock (understatement of the year). I couldn’t find much information out there on twins that seemed relevant me, so I want to share my experience - the highs and lows - and offer as many tips as I can along the way. As a new mum, I think blogging’s a great way of preserving the memories of my babies’ early years, because if it was left to my brain alone, I’d remember nothing!Before having her twins Fonz and Ez, now nearly twelve months, Heather spent her spare time renovating and decorating the house she lives in with her husband of almost four years. Now she spends her spare time trying to make her house look less like a bomb has hit it, and more like the lovely family home she always wanted it to be. After maternity leave she gave up her much-loved job as the Interiors Editor on a glossy mag to start a freelance career writing for various homes magazines, and is striving for that eternally elusive work life balance.

1.What’s your blog about?
My blog started out as a diary to keep friends and family up-to-date with what was happening with the babies. Since then it’s become somewhere to celebrate being a mum, to moan about being a mum, to ask advice, to offer advice and to have fun. It focuses on my life as a mother of twins.

2. When and why did you start writing your blog?
I started writing Young & Younger shortly after the twins were born in Autumn 2009, as my in-laws live hundreds of miles away and I wanted them to feel in touch with us and the babies.

3. How long do you spend blogging and what do you enjoy?
When I first started the blog I used to post at least once a day, but now that I’m back at work and struggling to manage being a working mum, I aim to post once a week. I love having a place to write for myself, but it’s also really uplifting to get comments from other people, and to share experiences. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some fellow bloggers now, and they’re a great support network to me.

4. What have been your blogging highs and low, triumphs or disasters?
The high is definitely discovering the parent blogging community, and forming friendships with people online – something I never ever thought I’d do. Cybermummy (the UK’s first parent blogging conference) in July 2010 was a real highlight, where I got to meet lots of the people behind the blogs I love to read.

5. Is blogging a job or a hobby? What would be the ideal outcome?
For me it’s a hobby, though if it leads to paid work writing about parenting or twins, I wouldn’t say no! If it opens up new avenues, that would be exciting, but it’s not the reason I blog. I blog because I enjoy it, and because for me, it’s become a precious record of my experience as a new mum.

6. How easy is it to set up a blog – and have you any tips for newbies?
I didn’t even know what I blog was before I started writing Young & Younger. I’d never really read a blog – I just logged onto www.blogger.com and followed the simple instructions – had my own blog set up within a few minutes. My sister-in-law forwarded me some information about British Mummy Bloggers – a community of parent bloggers (www.britishmummybloggers.com) and through the advice I picked up there, I slowly began to understand the true nature of blogging, and how it’s all about interacting and supporting each other online.