This is one of those weird posts where writing it down is actually more beneficial for me than you…but thought it was a good idea to let you know what will change on the blog going forward.
There is no doubt that having a baby will be the biggest thing that will have happened to Chris and I since working on the blog. I have taken a few weeks off the blog before but never a big chunk.
And the truth is I don’t know what will happen…I might have a dreamy situation where I can work between naps, I also might not. And even if I find the whole process easy, I deserve some time off. So, with this in mind, I will not be posting on the blog for 2-3 months – I have scheduled content until mid March and then won’t be back until May/June at least.
Parenting-wise, Chris and I are going to tackle the whole childcare thing together. I count myself as so lucky to have someone who can do this whole shared parental leave with me (despite Chris not actually being allowed to claim anything from the government as a freelancer – it’s still a work in progress and we’re going to muddle through).
We have booked to go to Spain for a bit over the summer (please don’t tell me this is a bad move – I’m still in the throes of dreamy, idyllic parenting right now!) – to my family flat, to unwind and do things at our own pace (plus it’s actually cheaper to live out there and eat out than staying at home in London – flights were £80 return for all three of us).
We will be working together more and I’m really excited to have him as a huge part of my blog going forward – he already takes a lot of my photos and now will have more of a say in The Frugality’s future.
Will there be more baby content? Potentially…but in a lifestyle way – I would like a lot of my baby’s life to be private and give them a choice in the way they are depicted online. However, we’re also aware that it will be a huge part of our life and the baby will be with us on a lot of our blogging adventures. It already feels weird discussing a baby that’s not born yet…
I am not a mummy blogger and never started my blog to be about me, but it has evolved into being more personal in recent years. But honestly, there are tons of blogs and Instagram feeds that are doing that parenting thing so well, I really don’t think I need to compete – so I’ll stick to what I know: fashion and attempting interior renovations, with a bit of ‘being a mum’ thrown in.
I have TONS of ideas for the blog for when I return, a lot of which I am really excited about – more thoughtful, considered content with more of a 360 approach – videos, how-tos etc and I have some really exciting partnerships in the works which will enable me to be much more flexible about how I work on content. I also aim to work on more exclusive discounts via my Newsletters (which have been put on the backburner over recent months).
Good luck on your maternity leave; you absolutely deserve time off!! It will be a huge, but wonderful, change to your lives and you need to time to just ‘be’.
You got this mama! X
Good on you! I think that Spain sounds like an excellent idea- a change of scene is never a bad thing. Good luck xx
Looking back, I can see that tiny babies are, in fact, highly portable, and wish I had done more getting out and about at that time. So I’d say… Spain is a good move! I hope it all goes beautifully for you and your little family.
Spain is a wonderful idea. Myself, himself and our firstborn (who was six months old), headed off on travels all the way down in New Zealand. Easily the best idea we ever had! It will make the maternity leave all the more special. And wow is it easier to travel with a baby than with a toddler! Best of luck with the new person!
Oh wow – that is a long flight – not sure I’d be ready for that! That has definitely out my mind at ease xx
Good luck Alex – it’s certainly an exciting new adventure for you! I work for an NHS Trust and we have recently launched a website for new parents called Health for Under 5s – lots of tips and advice from health visitors covering things like getting breastfeeding established, baby developmental milestones, supporting learning and play etc. It’s a good resource with lots of links to other recommended sites – http://www.healthforunder5s.co.uk. wishing you, Chris and your bump lots of happiness xxx
Oh amazing, thank you – the site looks incredible! x
No please don’t become a mummy blogger… good luck on your new adventure xx
I won’t! x
What a great idea to take some time off and give your family some space. Your blog and audience will still be waiting 🙂 I really wish someone would have told me how hard having a baby is, the intense sleep deprivation and how it changes your life so completely forever. Of course the positives do outweigh it all .. I guess some honesty can be a good thing though 🙂 Just been up all night with my 3 month old and my 3 year old woke up on the wrong side of the bed so to speak as well!! Wishing you the best!
Yes – I know it’ll be hard but trying to only listen to positive stories, as nothing can prepare you really – you just get through it! Really excited now x
Well done for giving yourself breathing room. You deserve it and need it to adjust to being 3! Have fun, enjoy and good luck xxx
So strange that there will be an extra person always around! x
Just wanted to wish you both love , happiness and sleep of course.
As a Costume supervisor I have enjoyed and found your blog useful over the last year. My daughter was 21 last year and being a mother has been the hardest and the best thing that has happened to me.
So enjoy and each difficult stage does not last for ever.
Best wishes
Lorraine
Best of luck on the next venture! I am so looking forward to see more of your house renovations and baby’s room etc. Love your sisters one so I know yours will be just as stylish! Spain is a great idea. We were in France with no1 baby for a few weeks and it was brilliant. You can do what you like on your first so do it!
All the best Alex and Chris and Spain is of course always a good idea :))))
Wishing you and Chris all the very best for the next few weeks and months – you’ll be brilliant parents. I’ll look forward to any posts you feel able to do but your priority must be you and your family, though I must admit to being very excited to hear when your baby arrives! xx
I know I’ll miss your blog posts, but that’s me being entirely selfish. You’re entitled to maternity leave just like any one else! I think Spain is a great idea, flying at that age seems to be relatively problem free (says she who is a great observer of other people’s kids, and doesn’t have any of her own!).
I think your view of respecting your child’s private life is spot on, not that I don’t want to see a picture of your new born, but I like the idea of them being able to choose for themselves. Another blogger I follow has three children, and only one tends to be on social media, because that one wants to be, and the two others don’t, and while I’m not always a fan of letting kids make up their own decisions, this is one I can be on board with.
So enjoy your maternity leave, it may be hard at times, but nothing worth having ever comes easy! And try not to think too much about work!
Best wishes for the future, I think you’re being very sensible in not allowing yourself to get ‘stuck’ on any one plan for the future.
Incidentally the few men I’ve known who’ve actually taken parenting leave all say it’s the best thing they’ve ever done and have been truly grateful for the opportunity.
Going to Spain sounds like an excellent idea, especially while baby is still easily portable.
On a selfish note I’m sad not to see more blog posts especially as I’ve only just discovered you..but on the plus side there’s plenty to look at from your past posts.
Best wishes!
Enjoy your maternity leave Alex and Chris!
I’m so glad you’re taking some time off.
Enjoy every second of maternity leave & motherhood….you will rock it!!!
Good luck Alex, you will be a great mum. Enjoy it and it’s great to hear you’re taking time out for yourself and your little family. Wishing you all the best x
wishing you best of luck with everything, alex! enjoy your maternity leave, these first weeks and months are so precious and you are so right in reserving it for your child. cherish every moment of it.
spain is a brilliant idea, i can confirm from my own experience that travelling with a baby is actually quite easy (it gets much more tricky when they are toddlers…). we made our first trip to the south of france when my daughter was only 8 weeks old and I was very nervous before. but to my surprise it was super easy. in the end we were travelling 6 out of her first 12 months, and it was absolutely wonderful. brigitte xx
You’ve got this absolutely right!! Take the maternity leave as everyone else does and enjoy it.
Going to Spain is an excellent idea and is perfect to do with a wee baby!!
Good luck to you and Chris! X
I found your blog less than a year ago and I must say it is now one of my favourites blog roll stops. Take all the time you need to adjust to such a wonderful (but huge!) life change and enjoy your time with your little one! Cannot wait to see what you come back with xx
Wishing you loads of luck Alex! First thing we did when Myles was born was to get a passport and head on holidays with our little bundle (Spain being 1st port of call at 10 weeks). It’s the perfect time to get away. Rae x
Really exciting & Spain sounds like such a fab idea. Excited to see your content and exciting plans come to fruition 🙂
Mel x mediamarmalade.com
We’re all different and there is no one way to do anything. Your way will be individual to you and I hope will go really well. Good luck with your new life ( it will be a new life ) and I have a strong feeling you will make a great success of it. Make sure you enjoy it too but I don’t need to tell you that. Your baby will be a great age to go away with. Actually I did similar and it is a lovely memory. I think you are so cool keeping your baby’s life quite private. I love the way you do things.
Angy
You will be missed but the insta posts will be all the more enjoyable, and don’t feel one bit guilty at taking your break! It’s so much harder for us self-employed people but when you work in the creative industry the change of scenery is vital to keep burnout at bay. Hasta luego!
My husband and I went to Rio de Janeiro (from Edinburgh) when our son was 3 1/2 months old, and it was absolutely fine! Enjoy your time and Spain and don’t let anyone dissuade you!
Take all the time you need! We’ll still be here. How exciting does “all three of us” sound?! Amazing, all the love and luck in the world xx
All thr best to you and Chris in yhe next few months. Enjoy your time off.
I did quite a lot of travelling with my two kids when they were babies and small.The logistics are difficult but now with teenagers looking back I am so glad we did It . Once they start school it becomes so much more difficult.My kids are real homebirds now and love just hanging out with their friends in the school hols and have no real desire to go anywhere but I cant leave them for weeks either. Best of luck to you both and your new little baby.
Wish you all the best. Take time for you and you “new” family, enjoy and, yes, we’ll wait for you! Spain is a very good idea : people are sooo friendly and consider children as”regalos de Dios” (God’s gifts). As a mother of 2 girls (nicknamed “Attila” and “Genghis Khan” even if they are 20 and 17…), I can affirm you having a child is a big challenge but it’s worth it (and I’m stating the perfectly obvious…).
So, see you soon! 🙂
Alex, best of luck with the new baby and adventure with your family, you seem eminently wise to be doing what you are doing and I’m sure motherhood will be another enjoyable step for you both, take care and enjoy, they are only babies for a short time but I found can in the early days be easily portable and take part in your life.
Your fashion tips and columns are great ! I’m way older than you ( my baby is 18!) but I still get a huge amount from your blog. xx
Aaah thank you so much, feeling real now x
Totally agree on the pros of travelling with a small baby. They sleep a lot and can’t move! Very portable and manageable 🙂 if you are able to breastfeed, easier still as no need for all the bottles etc. Going to Spain sounds a great plan.
That was our thinking….and it’s close so worst case – we come home!
Just wanted to say good luck! I’ve been avidly following your Instagram stories on the house renovation – totally admire all the effort you’re putting into restoring those original features! : ) See you soon! xx
Thank you! Costs a whole lot of money but worth it in the end! x
Good on you for taking this space for you and your family. We will eagerly await your return. Laura
The very best of luck to you both. Having a baby is a very wonderful and scary thing. A real miracle when you think of it properly. I had my son 20 years ago aged 35 and I am so thankful everyday. Best wishes. Gill
Oh how lovely – I was talking to my mum about her experiences last night and made me realise we’d never really talked that much about it, it is such an incredible thing x
Great post Alex, thanks for sharing. Wishing you and Chris all the very best for the coming weeks and months!! So excited for you!! We took Malin to Boston for a holiday when she was 5 months old and we had no problems with the travel or flight from Ireland. Do your own thing, follow your instincts, ask for help when you need it and enjoy the special time!! Judith xx
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Brilliant – love all the positive stories! xx
Wishing you all the best for the weeks and months ahead of you. Love that you are planning to stay fashion focused post baby arrival! ❤️
Loved how you’ve balanced fashion, home renovation and baby content over the last few months. Keeping everything crossed that all goes well on your new adventure! Please let us know how traveling with a baby goes. Hopefully I can use your blog to persuade my other half it’s not such a bad idea to go away after our baby arrives in June.
Yes I will do – I’m excited for some sun and one of the few times we’re going away without much of a plan – feels quite liberating! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy x
All the best for the next few months and the (soon) three of you! You are one of my favourite bloggers and I have kept coming back to your site for years, which really is a rare thing for me now… you are doing a great job and I’m sure you will continue to do so with all the changes coming up!! xx
Thank you so much Anne – the three of us sounds so strange! x
Sounds like a great plan Alex!
Just wanted to wish you all the very best for the next few months!
Going away is a great plan, we went to Japan when our first was 3 months old, best thing we ever did. Newborns are highly portable and definately the easiest time to travel with children in the early years.
All the very best and look after yourself! x
Oh I WISH we were going to Japan!! My favourite place – thinking it might be a good holiday when the child is older – all the electronics and toy stores! x
Do let us know when you have the baby. Maybe you can post a picture. Lots of luck in your labour and afterwards. It’s not all bad.. You will love your baby more than you dreamed possible. It’s that that gets you through. But don’t be shy to ask for help. No one does it alone. Xxxxxx
Oh yes, don’t worry I will keep everyone updated of course 😉 thank you x
Maternity leave spent in Spain sounds fabulous. Have some well earned and much needed time away and come back whenever you are ready. I can wait x
Thank you – feeling real now! x
Sounds like an excellent plan! Sleep deprivation will be the same no matter what country you’re in and I’m sure will be much nicer in a warmer (and cheaper) place, hopefully with helpful hands on deck to give you a break. Younger babies are highly portable and we did back and forth to Ireland several times before 6months (not quite chasing the Sun!!). You can do everything you wish, though the pace may change! Best of luck xx
Yes – my parents and Chris’s parents have booked to come out for a few days whilst we’re there as well so will be nice to have some familiar faces around, too! x
Sounds like a perfect plan. Traveling with a small baby is super easy it’s when they start to walk and talk things change. Enjoy your time as a first time mum. It’s very special. Good luck.
That’s our thinking…! Thank you xxx
So pleased to hear you are planning on a few months off. Good luck with everything in the next few weeks and months, we will all be rooting for you.
Having had three children now, I can definitely say that all being well (of course) a few weeks in Spain over the summer is a brilliant idea, plus while they’re still tiny there’s no weaning or solid food nonsense to worry about.
Yes, and there are so many pharmacies in the town and supermarkets if we need nappies etc….my nephew has been so there is a travel cot and toys there already as well! x
Good luck Alex! I’m totally with you on the positive stories only – I avoided all negative birth stories / TV programmes before having my two and very pleased to say I had two (relatively) easy and even nice births, one at home in our bedroom! Of course it’s not all roses but as you say, you get through it and it’s not like you can do anything to prepare for the not so great stuff – you can’t bank sleep! Spain sounds fab, enjoy. XXX
Great – I’m not worried now, it’s funny when you get to the end you don’t really focus on the tough bits anyway, you just want to meet the baby! x
Good on you. Keep in positive mindset and you’ll be fine no matter what the future holds. Enjoy x
Best of luck Alex! I’m glad you’re taking some time out and Spain sounds awesome but looking forward to seeing your blog evolve with a mini person in tow! X
I think Spain is a great idea especially in your families flat. My first child was so easy and the furthest we went was the Isle of Wight – I really regret not going further afield!! She was the sort of baby who would sleep in the pram whilst you ate in a restaurant. Barely cried. Fingers crossed for you xxx
Oh that would be the dream – fingers crossed! x
Spain is definitely a good idea Alex! We will be going out there for a few months too when the baby is only 4 weeks old (yes everyone thinks we are crazy too) but I just think if you have a sleepless night at least you can just rest under an umbrella in the sun while the baby naps. Good luck!? xx
Exactly! And not day to day London transport stresses and expense! Good luck! x
Enjoy this special time! We took our 11 week old to Spain for 4 days last summer and I was so nervous but it’s absolutely the best time to go. Sleep all the way on the plane, not in a fixed routine yet and the heat makes the sleep more soundly! Good luck
Amazing – exactly what I wanted to hear! x
Start as you mean to go I say and so Spain is a wonderful idea. Baby will be happy with you both around to experience early life together as a three. Really excited for you and wish you all the best. Stay chilled and baby will follow suit! X
Hoping it will mean the baby gets used to travelling early! x
Best of luck. The best holiday we had was with our 5 month old to Portugal, Spain will be wonderful. Mummy blogs are great but sometimes all the honesty about how hard, exhausting etc it can be can overshadow the absolute beauty of it all. It is hard at times but anything worth doing can be hard at times. Keep those positive thoughts, I can’t tell you how much it helps. Xx
Yes thank you – good advice, yes good to stay positive! xx
Enjoy time off! You thoroughly deserve t! What will be will be! Xxx
Good luck on your new path in life! Having a baby is wonderful. Wish you family all the best. I look forward to seeing you with baby later, and the Spain trip 🙂
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Oh my goodness Spain sounds like a great plan! I bet you will have a great time :). When my first child was 6months old, my husband and myself went from Germany to Paris with him. And we did that in December! But let me tell you it was such a memorable time 🙂 My son slept through most of it. He’s older now and of course doesn’t remember, but he’s seen pictures of us holding him in front of the Eiffel Tower at night and he always says “wow I’ve been to Paris! When are we going back?”. We are in the States now & he never fails to tell his friends that he’s been to Paris and almost touched the Eiffel Tower 🙂
So do it and enjoy it! The more great memories, the better. I wish you and your bundle of joy all the happiness possible. Babies are really amazing. They change your life for the best 🙂
How lovely and what beautiful memories! xx
Very best of luck ?. I love your blog and Instagram. Definately take the time your need and Spain will be fantastic. Sunny climates are great with little ones you’re baby will be at a great stage! I’m in the US, very hot summers with a baby, it’s great! Lots of sunshine, just get a uv shade for buggy and an electric ‘clip on’ fan and away you go!! Looking forward to your future posts
Oh yes good call about the fan and UV shade – hadn’t thought of that! xx
Good luck and enjoy this amazing time and IGNORE all advice no matter how well meaning. Your instincts will serve you well and you will make mistakes but that’s how you learn, everyone does it their own way.
xxx
Thank you – and I won’t be on my own, my sister has a 3 month old and my husband will be on-hand! Very excited now x
I’ve followed your blog for years Alex (I used to live literally round the corner from you and recognised the backdrop of glamorous Colliers Wood and the Wandle Park in your earlier shoots!). You are easily my favourite blogger – so stylish, hardworking, authentic, and you just seem so lovely.
I wanted to wish you well for the last bit of pregnancy and for everything that’s to come. I became a mum 5 weeks ago to a beautiful baby boy and am trying to soak up every moment (5 weeks has flown by!). You are right to block out any negative or “real” stories that people want to share with you – stay excited, enjoy the ride and prepare to be blown away! All the very best to you, your husband and the new addition. xx
Thank you so much!! Congratulations to you, were you at St George’s? I miss Colliers Wood and Tooting immensely but there’s something exciting about starting a new life somewhere, too – a new adventure awaits xx
You have a wonderful , wonderful maternity . Enjoy Spain and enjoy the adventure . Three is the magic number ! Love Hannah x
Good luck on your maternity leave; you absolutely deserve time off!!
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