2013 – The Year That Was

I’ve been busy thinking of all the new ideas I have for the blog for 2014, and hadn’t really planned to do a look back post. Having gotten a little excited about the annual report on my blogs statistics that I received by e-mail yesterday, and seeing all the lovely look-back posts on other blogs today, I decided to add mine to the mix. Irish Parenting Bloggers are doing a link up of round-up posts today.

The top five blog posts (by views) on dairy free kids were:

1. Dairy Free Chocolate Brownies
2. Advent Calendars 2013
3.  Mike Wazowski from Monster’s Inc Birthday Cake
4. Dairy Free Fairy Cakes
5. Ho ho ho! An Organix Goodies Selection Box to give away!

My favourite ones were a little different though:

Making Lunchboxes Healthy – I liked this as it was something I was doing every day for the first time, making lunches for my eldest boy. I’ve been making them for years for myself but it’s amazing how much more thought I put in for my little boy. I have more ideas for posts on health issues with kids coming soon, watch this space.

The Product Watch series – I wonder if I’m on CCTV in all the local supermarkets taking weird photos with my phone of various products. I look at new products or new to me products instinctively now when I go to a shop, and I’m click-happy with the camera phone.

Starting Big School – It was lovely to write about a big life event that happened in our house this year.

Dairy Free en Bretagne – Lovely reminders of our holidays but hopefully helpful for people planning to travel with concerns about food and free from products available etc.

Advent Calendars 2013 – It’s no secret I love Christmas, this post started off a spate of Christmassy posts I did this year.

In 2013 I feel the blog has changed and evolved from its beginning as mostly a recipe site. I can see from the search terms that lead to my site that people are finding answers to questions I used to look for on the web and couldn’t find when I was in a situation with small children with newly diagnosed intolerance. I have helped some people find specific products they are looking for. I have written a few parenting posts and children’s health posts. I had my first competition on the blog in November and took part in my first blog-march on breast-feeding in October. I have learnt lots and ‘met’ some great supportive people in the Irish Parenting Bloggers group.

For 2014 I hope the blog will evolve even more. Coming up I will be interviewing some nutrition experts, writing more about other exclusion diets, making the recipes more user-friendly for different diets and writing some more parenting posts. I will also be writing some posts on my other love in life, technology and some ways it crosses paths with parenting and health.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2014!

Here are some of the other Irish Parenting Blogger’s 2013 round-ups:

Awfully Chipper – Round ’em up

Mini & Mum – So long 2013 we hardly knew ya

My Thoughts on a Page – My most viewed posts of 2013

Mind the Baby– 2013, what a year!

Mama.ie – 2013: what a year!

Science Wows – A Year of Blogging

Bumbles of Rice reviews 2013

At The Clothesline -2013 in 100 words (ish)

Office Mum – Obligatory year-end round-up

Mama Courage Blog – 2014 – Here we go

Learner Mama – Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014