We've been thinking about what it means to be a mum, mother, mama, whatever you call it, motherhood is pretty epic, bloody hard and super special all at the same time. It's not always how you think it will be or how you think you will be but that's the best part about it, each and every day brings something new, scary, happy, exciting, gross, funny or strange. It's a steep learning curve and here are a few thoughts on 'you know you're a mama when....'
- You catch yourself singing along to Cbeebies or even worse realise you're still watching it when the kids have left the house
- You talk about poo, bottoms and farts a lot
- You start wearing Birkenstocks and consider wearing dungarees
- You have a whole drawer in your kitchen dedicated to rice cakes and children's snacks
- You know all the characters names and songs in 'In the Night Garden'
- You are obsessed with getting them covered in suncream, must not burn child, must not burn child. The battle to keep a sunhat on is relentless
- You try to hide the books you hate reading them at the back of the bookshelf and skip pages or paragraphs of long books when you just want them to go to bed now please
- You realise it's ok to use the television as a form of distraction to buy you 20 minutes to 'get stuff done'
- You've experienced lego foot
- You do a load of washing EVERY single day
- You learn to always take extra snacks with you on a play date and make sure they are exactly the same - colour/ flavour - to avoid arguments and snack politics and meltdowns
- You turn into a social media baby spammer
- Rice crispies and Cornflakes come out of your cupboard for breakfast everyday and you always have at least 6 pints of milk in the fridge
- You plan your children's outfits for the week
- You realise you haven't bought new bras for yourself in like 2 years, oops
- You go in to tuck your little one in and stare at them in amazement whilst they sleep
- A lie in means 7am, anything before 6am turns you into evil mummy
- You go to Peppa Pig World
- You start following Motherpukka, Dress Like a Mum and Hurrah 4 Gin
- You buy some Yes Mum daily affirmation cards
- You end up using your childs toothpaste when you realise you've run out (and maybe even toothbrush on occasion)
- You know where every single creaky floorboard is in your house and wish you had carpet
- You buy a zillion storage bags and boxes to try to hide all the crap and often weep at the loss of your floor and minimal look interior
- Know how to rustle up a dinner in 15 minutes
- Instagram is your life line and best friend
- You can't stop stroking your little ones arms and can't get over how smooth their skin is
- You make baby toys out of all the Ella lids you've collected
- Bribery through snacks and treats is a standard part of your daily life
- You realise you're happy to spend £25 on a t-shirt for your 2 year old which may last 6 months if you're lucky but really question spending that much on a top for yourself
- Realise your children have better wardrobes and clothes than you
- You do A LOT of online food shopping, which always includes bars of Green & Blacks chocolate for yourself
- You drink wine most nights
- You know when the nappy offers are on at Boots and stockpile nappies and wipes, you can never have enough right?
- Calpol is your saviour and you have about 10 bottles on the go
- You've scooped a poo out of the bath
- One of the first things you discuss to anyone is sleep - yours and your babies - even to complete strangers
- Coffee is your daily (or twice daily) saviour
- You have a cutlery drawer filled with hundreds of kids plastic cutlery, 50 baby spoons and about 30 calpol sticks in
- You find raisins in every single pocket of every single jacket and coat you own
- Your buggy basically becomes a big bag carrier and continually falls over form the weight you have hanging off it
- Christmas becomes exciting again
- You have to lie when your child asks where the rest of their smarties went...
What about you? How do you know you're a mama?
x