CHANGE

With each new month comes a feeling of change, of refreshment and of clarity. Especially at this time of year, when spring is just around the corner. The first two days of February have bought with them the most beautiful weather. Crisp cold days with the brightest blue skies and a warm low sun shining through our windows. There is sign of new life in the garden and the excitement of new adventures to look forward to in spring and summer. I have to admit, whilst in the lead up to Christmas I adore the cold weather, the need to wrap up warm and the desire for snugly days and nights on the sofa, when the new year arrives I crave a change in seasons. For being in the garden and at the park all day and late into the evening; for bare legs under flowing skirts; for trips to the shop without the inevitable layering of jumpers and scarves, coats and blankets; for fresh fruit and vegetables straight from the garden and for colourful blooms on the table. 

With the little teasers over the last few days of what spring has in store I've felt a burst of energy and have been ticking off jobs round the house that have littered my to-do list for months. We've made some changes in Josephine's room (more of which to come next week) and I've made some changes to this space too. 

I've decluttered, simplified and, you may have noticed, decided to remove the adverts that have sat here for the last three months. And I'd like to tell you why. When I was approached by a number of companies asking about advertising here on the blog, I have to admit - the temptation of a little extra money and a few freebies was one that was hard to ignore. But very soon after I'd launched advertising on my blog, I felt uncomfortable about what this now meant. About how I now felt obligated to blog to ensure I was keeping up to the number of posts I'd commtited to in my media pack; about what seemed like, at one point, sponsored post after sponsored post. This space was always meant to be a diary for Ben and I about our first years as a married couple, as parents, and all the adventures we'd have. Suddenly having adverts here changed that. So I've decided to take them down. 

Don't get me wrong - I loved supporting small businesses with products we love, so from time to time you'll still see the odd shout out to such companies. Because, as the owner of a small company myself, I know how invaluable such support can be. But these will be without obligation and purely for the love of a product, person or business. 

Sometimes I think I can forget about the real reasons I blog. I can get caught up in stats and the number of comments under each post. But right now I'm reminded that this space is our space. To record the small and mundane and the big and beautiful. And while I adore being part of this awesome online community, it doesn't matter if one or one hundred people comment. These words and pictures mean something to us and that's all that's important. That said, we truly love to hear from you and I still feel a pang of excitement with every comment that pops into my inbox, so thank you all so much for visiting and for taking the time to say hello :)

Pictures by Tori. Oh, and Ben would want me to point you in the direction of the little footnote I've added to this post...

LOVELY SPONSORS

Hello! After a week of constant headaches and sinus pain, today I feel like I'm properly back in the land of the living. Plus Phiney has slept through the last three nights, after more than 2 weeks of getting up at least once. After 2 months of undisturbed sleep, getting up in the night again has been tough and I'm hoping we've now turned a corner and are back to getting lots of lovely sleep. That's until the next tooth decides to break through of course...

Anyway, with being ill and launching all the new Happy Circus goodies, I realised I haven't told you more about our lovely sponsors. If you're still stuck for some Christmas presents ideas, look no further...

Firstly, the ever wonderful All About Heidi. You know how much we love these gorgeous shoes in our house; you can see Phiney wearing them here, here and here. And whenever she wears them, people come ask where they're from. They're beautifully made and come in the most fantastic range of colours. It broke my heart a little when Phiney grew out of hers, but we'll be back come the spring to buy another pair...or two. So if you have a little one in your life who's feet deserve only the loveliest of shoes, head to All About Heidi.

Next up is Little Green Shed. You all know Lou, right? She's one sweet lady with a sweet shop selling very awesome prints and other pieces for your house. Her blog is always a funny, honest and pretty-to-look at read and her designs are a must-have for every stylish home. Right now I'm wanting this print...it's on my Christmas list, for sure. Plus she just got more of her brilliant teapots back in stock, which are sure to make the ideal present this year.

Finally is the brilliant Tori Hancock Photography. You can read about how much we love Tori and her beautiful pictures here, and see more of her amazing work here and here. If you're looking for a very special gift to give this Christmas, or perhaps want to give your family something wonderful in 2013, a session with this lady will be a present you'll cherish forever. Tori is a very lovely person. She is happy and easy going and fun and takes truly wonderful pictures. I can't say enough good things about her and her talent, so go and check out her work.

Thank you to these lovely sponsors for all your support this month, and I'll be back later in the week with more about the ever-so-stylish Joules. There are still a few spaces left for advertising in December, so please drop me an email for our media pack. Our rates are nice and low and we'll be offering a little Christmas discount too if you're interested.

EXCITING TIMES: november fun

Happy November everyone! I can't believe we're here already - this year has flown by like no other.

This month is going to be a crazy one round here. As well as all the new stuff hitting Happy Circus soon, there will be some changes on this space too. The main one being the inclusion of some very lovely Sponsors.

Over the last few months I've been contacted by a few companies about advertising and, as I'm now officially without a paid job, it seemed like a good time to take up their offer. We're really excited to be supporting companies that we love and trust, and to have them support this little blog. As you can see we already have some lovely people taking space and there are still some spaces left for November. Our rates are nice and low, plus with Christmas just around the corner it's time to start promoting your business - so if you'd like to join them just drop me an email and I'll send you our Media Pack. 

Still not sure? A recent giveaway supplier emailed me a couple of months ago to let me know that she had had considerably more visits to her website from our blog in two weeks than she had from advertising with one of the biggest American baby blogs out there for a month. Since then we've grown in the number of followers and last week had the highest number of visitors to the site in one day. We may only be small, but it appears we have pulling power. So come and join the party!