Things That Improve the Day

Through a process of trial and error over the last couple of years, I have realised that there are in fact, a series of activities that once undertaken, will improve the way that the day goes immeasurably. At the moment the undertaking of these few tasks seems to make an incredible difference. Weird really, perhaps I could employ hired help for 10 minutes, as that this all takes to complete these tasks. I am a bit silly and lazy after all:

• Empty the dishwasher. I have begun to gauge the day on whether I can complete this task or not. If I can, things will go well, work surfaces will remain clear and I will be able to cook something other than fish fingers and chips.
• Empty the bin. If I can do this, we don't have a mountain of recycling to wade through. Making entry into the kitchen actually possible.
• Put a load of washing on. If this is done, I wont be spending all night waiting for it to finish.

So there you have it, domestic advice from the Being a Mummy household. You know you wanted it.

Things That Improve the Day

Wordless Wednesday; Its hard being the smallest

Wishes are granted, just a bit more forcefully than you would like ...

Wordless Wednesday; Its hard being the smallest

Going Bonkers with Conkers

This post is a little bit late. But hey, so what, I'm a mum. That means I am officially late with everything. Conker season it sort of, still is. Well, anyhow, do you remember when you were a kid and you collected the shiniest biggest conkers with a view to playing the game where you attached them to a piece of sting and tried to break your opponents conker by smashing it with your one? That's not quite how it was, is it? I mean, admit it, you did in fact aim at least half of the time for your opponents body. Or was that just me?

Actually, it was quite a rare occurrence for me to be able to join in at Conkers because I didn't have the equipment needed to actually create a sort of conker bead to thread onto my string. My rock solid shiny conkers (no, this is not in this instance an alternative description of my breast feeding boobs, I really do mean Conkers, as in the seeds of a tree) and my little seven year old hands just did not combine to enable me to generate the force for a large screwdriver to create a hole. Why did I write this? I dunno, I think I digress yet again. I was going to tell you about my attempts at toddler art.

I have been going around collecting object de nature, so that when it is a rainy day we can sit inside and do sticking, create collages and painting. We have had lots of success, leaves are good for sticking and painting and printing. However, conkers are without a shadow of a doubt the best natural toy going. And they repel spiders apparently. Apart from playing mini games of bowls with them, we have been dropping them into paint, fishing them out and rolling them about on pieces of paper like you might do with marbles. With fantastic effect, except I forgot to photograph any of this so you will have to imagine. I have also found that as an adult you can saw them in half and then let the kids do a little bit of stamping and printing. We have printed robots, trees and people. We have talked about seeds and trees and nature and textures and colours and softness and hardness. But best of all, this has taken a long time and provided some valuable mother and toddler bonding time. If you can find some conkers, just go bonkers with them, there are no limitations. Apparently.

Going Bonkers with Conkers

When Dealing with Mother in Laws

• Place a bottle of Cif cleaner prominently in the kitchen
• Pretend you use fabric softener in every wash
• A quick hoover won't go amiss
• Turn the hand towels around- she might not notice that paint stain and ground in Weetabix
• Plump a few cushions
• Make sure her little darlings clothes are all ironed
• Pretend you worship the ground her little boy walks on
• Nod and smile generally

Hope that she doesn't read your blog...

When Dealing with Mother in Laws

Working Mummy; Week 2

Week one didn't go too well. Mummy felt depressed and stressed, housework piled up. There were two overtired children. Week Two and I am trying my hardest to keep an open mind about it all. The depression about the situation will pass, things can't be that bad. They can't REALLY expect that much of me can they?

This is how the day went

8.00; I'm still feeding the kids, well, trying and trying to get them to eat their breakfast.
8: 10; Might as well give up, I'm already running fifteen minutes late.
8:20; Get to the childminders both children, screaming and screaming. There is a toddler clinging to my leg for dear life. Weirdly, I think the following; "I wonder what her neighbours make of all this every morning"
8:30; Get into work, decide to make a cup of tea. OMG the sink, the worktops are filthy, the teaspoon cup holder has a layer of mould in the bottom of it. It suddenly sinks in that its probably unlikely that anyone has actually cleaned this area since I went off on maternity leave. Perhaps that explains my slight nagging tummy ache. I set about cleaning.
8:45; To work in the galleries, photographing objects.
8:50; Some scumbag has filled up the CF card on my work camera and not taken the pictures off.
9:00; Still looking for appropriate leads for my camera
9:30; Still looking for appropriate leads for MY WORK CAMERA
9:45; IT help desk call me and tell me they will call back about an issue
10:00; Team meeting
10:02; IT help desk call back
10:07; Back to my Team meeting. OFGS someone has actually gone and sat on my chair, can they not read my NAME that has been TIPPEXED on it for such occasions. Petty but necessary
11:00; Finally finish Team meeting. At which I was forced to STAND UP
11:01; Have to go to other museum for yet another meeting
11:15; Start another meeting
11:30; Childminder phones PANIC, baby Fifi is covered in rash. Phone the doctors, rush and take her straight there
11:50; Fifi has Scarletina. She can't mix with other babies
12:00; Drag Fifi into work and work in the galleries

Repeat above scenario at least once more swopping a few names/ children/ adults.
5:10; Appear home, bedraggled and somewhat exhausted
6:00; Go to the supermarket to obtain food

blah, blah, blah, blah

So, in summary if anyone knows how I can:
A) Fit a few extra hours into the day
B) Go to work and avoid meetings, colleagues and all else in order to enable me to actually do some work
C) Keep a child healthy and free from germs and disease
D) Not suffer from stress or depression because of all this

I will be very happy....

Working Mummy; Week 2

My Little Girl and Me

There is definitely something special about the relationship between mothers and daughters. Quite simply, we just understand each other.

My Little Girl and Me

Fashion and Me; The Pitfalls of Mummy Fashion

Reading Metropolitan Mum's blog recently about her little girl and fashion made me think. Alright, so I've never been on trend and I have to agree with Metropolitan Mum's theory, my children are far more trendy than me. However, I think this morning things came to a head. I thought I would try to smarten myself up a bit, in order to make myself feel a bit better. I got a nice pencil skirt out the of the cupboard and was going to team it with a casual but smartish (Fat Face) top. I had the following conversation;

Toddler Boy; " No! Like Nana"
Me; "What you mean this skirt?" OMG I'm turning entirely into my mother
Toddler Boy; "Like Nana wear, you wear this" Points to crumpled up pair of dirty baby sick encrusted jeans lying in a heap on the floor.
Me; "Mummy wear this"
Toddler Boy; " Noooooooo, this mummy!!!"
Me; "OK, then, do mummy's only wear jeans then?"
Toddler Boy; "Yes, mummy wears this, mmm, mmm ROBOT mmm"

My children clearly don't recognise or feel comfortable unless I am dressed like a bag lady. Perhaps this is a good thing? Any new mummy's out there I would urge you not to make this fashion mistake, rotate your wardrobe and bin those jeans.

Fashion and Me; The Pitfalls of Mummy Fashion