About Me

Hello and welcome to Sparkles & Stretchmarks!

I’m Hayley…the face behind the blog. I’ve always believed that talking is the best therapy and so this is where I blog it all out – my thoughts and feelings on life, the universe and…well….everything!
This blog is intended to be a space to reach out to other people who might be experiencing some of the things that I am….namely mums of young kids and busy women of the modern age! 
I’m a woman who is passionate about certain things….as a plus size person with a lifetime of self-esteem and disordered eating issues behind me, I am an advocate for the body positivity movement and I credit it with saving my life at one of my very lowest points. I blog regularly about body image and the impact of fatphobia within society and the media. You can find this section of my blog HERE.
I’m a mother to 3 children under the age of 8, one of whom identifies as transgender, and so this is another subject that I am passionate about raising awareness of. Life as the mother of a trans child can be terrifying and lonely at times, but it is also such a honour to get to raise such beautiful free spirits. I will soon be launching a section of my blog dedicated to trans rights and how to be a better ally to the trans and LGBTQ+ community which you can find HERE.
I am also a domestic abuse survivor and have suffered in the past with my mental health, so these are two more subjects that I speak about fairly regularly as I feel that it’s important to de-stigmatise both of these.
It’s not all heavy topics on this blog though – as a home-educating parent I also like to share the ups and downs of our home schooling journey, and we are also a family who absolutely love to travel so we regularly share our travel adventures over HERE and on our dedicated Travel Blog.  We are also huge Disney fans, so you can find our Disney adventures and tips HERE too!
As a passionate writer I initially began this blog in March 2013 when I was two months away from giving birth to my first child – I didn’t know any other mummies-to-be at the time and I wanted to reach out…this blog became the perfect way to do that!
Through my little corner of the world wide web I have met some amazing people who have inspired me, taught me many life lessons, and become fantastic friends and for that I will always be so thankful.
8 years on, this blog has achieved some amazing things which I would never have dreamed of back when I started it – I won the Readers Choice Award 2018 in the prestigious Britmums Brilliance In Blogging Awards, I was named Blogger Of The Year 2015 with Purflo, was listed as a Top 10 UK Baby Blogger for 2015 by Tots 100, ranked the #1 Most Visited Parenting Blog in July 2018 and have been a finalist in the prestigious MAD Blog Awards in the Best Pregnancy Blog category. 
I have also made regular appearances on TV shows such as This Morning and The Davina McCall show, and as a guest speaker on various radio programmes including BBC Radio Devon as well as many podcasts.
A Little Bit About My Family…
Jon


My partner Jon is also occasionally mentioned on the blog, and even likes to contribute his Daddy guest posts from time to time! He’s a Geordie who spends his time running a from-home business and enjoying his war-gaming hobby.
Tyne

My oldest son is Tyne (Born March 2013) – a very sociable little boy, with a love of history and the theatre.
Noa

Our middle child is Noa (Born March 2015). 

She is so affectionate, and full to the brim with sass! She loves pop music, clothes, playing with her Disney Princess and Disney Descendents dolls and we’re convinced that she’s going to grow up to be a fashion designer as she is forever putting together weird and wonderful outfits!
Sailor





And our youngest is Sailor (born February 2016)…he is a bundle of smiles and happiness, guaranteed to put even the sternest person into a good mood! He thinks he’s 12 and loves following his older siblings around, copying whatever they do. He is usually to be found dressed in pirate costumes, and is utterly obsessed with Captain Jack Sparrow!

Working With Me
I will occasionally accept products for review consideration and take on sponsored work, please see the Contact Me page for more information on working with me.
Feel free to email me at Hayley@sparklesandstretchmarks.com if you’d like to discuss anything.
Thanks for stopping by!