Now My Name Is Mummy

If I had a pound for everyone who gifted me with this nugget of  ‘advice’ when I was pregnant, I probably would’ve had change left over even after we cleaned out the Nursery Department in John Lewis. However, sleep isn’t the only thing children change, here are a few more things that will never be the same again:

1. Social occasions. No longer are social occasions a time to indulge in food, mindless chatter and one too many glasses of prosecco. They’re now spent grabbing mouthfuls of food in between chasing around a toddler who just wants to leg it over to the old ladies at the next table because he’s clearly spent too much time in M&S cafe and knows that they’ll shower him with attention (you know, because he gets none of that from me. None at all. Pfftttt.) And all I can manage is a sip of prosecco because we’ve developed a co-sleeping habit and I’m terrified that if I drink too much I’ll fall into a deep sleep and not wake up if he rolls out of bed, falls on the floor, gets up and walks out of the room and tumbles down the stairs. Which leads me to….
2. When we talk about sleep, it’s not just a reduction in hours. I don’t think I ever fall into a blissfully deep sleep anymore, I just lay with my eyes closed, like a TV on standby ready to jump back into action. Well, roll and stumble back into action with my eyes half closed until I’ve woken myself up with a coffee.
3. That Friday feeling. Everyday is a workday. Or everyday is a weekend. However you want to look at it. But losing the Friday feeling also means losing the Sunday night feeling and I don’t miss that one little bit.
4. How much milk we get through. There’s three of us and we get through about 15 pints a week. Craziness.
5. Shopping. It’s hard to reach to the back of the rail for your size while simultaneously trying to keep your child from teetering off the edge of meltdown mountain, keeping one hand on the pushchair so they’re not abducted while your back is turned and apologising to the poor woman you’ve unintentionally trapped in the corner with your pushchair. However, as much as I used to love clothes shopping, there’s now a million other things I’d rather do that Henry loves too that will make for much better memories.
6. The use of both arms. There is very little I can’t do with one hand. Make coffee, hoover, hang the washing out… I’ve even made a one-handed spaghetti bolognese and it wasn’t half bad.

So ‘things that will never be the same again’ might be a little bit dramatic for a title. Before long I know that Henry will be independent and I’ll regain the time to shop, use both hands and eat a meal at my own pace. I’ll pine for our first few years together, filled with milestones, playdates, lazy mornings, and long walks. Things are different, but different in the best way.

Friday. The fifth day of the week. To me, that was the fifth day of endless whinging, tugging at my pyjama top with such force that my boob popped out, body-stiffening-head-thrown-back-tantrum-having and food throwing. I am of course talking about my toddler, who this week has been IMPOSSIBLE to please.

His objections have included, but are not limited to;

• Reaching the third verse – or my third verse of, ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ (does anyone sing that song in the same order?!). Anyway, apparently touching your nose is NOT something you do if you’re happy and you know it. It’s something you do if you’re utterly grumpy and want to cry hysterically.
• Throwing himself on the floor in Ernest Jones because I wouldn’t let him run out of the shop. For once I was thankful I wasn’t in there to pick myself a 2 carat diamond because I don’t imagine that selecting expensive finger-ware would have the same effect to the soundtrack of screaming.
• Because when we went for a walk, he didn’t want to walk. I picked him up, he didn’t want to be carried. I put him down, he didn’t want to walk. I picked him up, and he didn’t want to be carried. So I put him in the car and he wasn’t all that happy about that either.

I’m all about picking your battles in parenting because I feel if I oppose everything that’s mildly irritating I’d never be able to follow through with everything and so how is he to know when no really means no? In other words, I want my child to take me seriously. Which evidently he doesn’t as when I tell him not to do something, even in my most stern tone (must work on that) he laughs in my face and goes right back to doing said thing anyway and the whole cycle is repeated. What does one do in that situation?!  Answers on a postcard.

I really am confused in this area. My pre-parent self – who I know think was a total kn*b – always wondered how people were so lacks in the discipline department that they ended up on Supernanny. Now I fear that it all started with their thirteen-month-old laughing at them when they were told not to climb on the fireplace. What actually do I do?!

Thankfully after a testing week where ‘FFS’ was said in my head, or under my breath (and I NEVER drop the F-bomb) countless times, he’s been a dream this weekend. His usual happy, funny self AND he seemed to understand that he’s not allowed to walk in the street without holding my hand. Definite progress.  And so hopefully last week was a phase? TELL ME IT WAS A PHASE?! I’m sure the experienced parents among you are also going to tell me that there will soon be a similar phase and so I don’t mind if you lie to me, or alternatively share a funny story? Lets make light of toddler-logic together.

I love to say that I’m the kind of gal who can rustle up a culinary delight with just a few ingredients, rather than reaching for the takeaway menu or visiting the Colonel when the fridge is looking a bit sparse. But I’m not. I love to cook healthy food from scratch but for the most part I’m a recipe planner. I also love nothing more than a good cookbook. My happy place is flicking through my faves with a cup of tea, comfortable in the knowledge that I’ve become quite easy to please.

So I thought I’d share with you my favourites, all of which are packed with healthy recipes the whole family can enjoy. I can tell I love a book when all the pages are stuck together…steady… I mean with food splashes.

Everyday Superfood – Jamie Oliver

So I had to resist the temptation to call this post ‘I love Jamie Oliver’ and a list of all his recipe books as I have ALOT. I just don’t think I’ve ever been let down by a Jamie recipe. Anyway, there are some real treats in this book. It’s healthy food that doesn’t taste healthy and the fish tacos are incredible, as is the kedgeree and the butternut squash lasagne. It’s easy to follow, nothing takes forever to make and Henry started eating recipes from here as soon as he started eating solids.

Ready Steady Glow – Madeleine Shaw

Oh-em-gee I just love Madeleine. I discovered her beautiful blog when I was trying to eat foods that would help my skin in preparation for my wedding and so I was quick to pre-order her first book – Get the Glow when it came out in 2015. She followed it up with Ready Steady Glow last year and while both are incredible I think the healthier chocolate chip cookies tip the scales in second book favour. She’s gorgeous, she oozes positivity and she’s recently announced she’s pregnant so I’m excited to follow her baby journey as well as her foodie journey. I’ve also met her and she’s just as lovely in real life – I just had to get that in there.

Superfood for Superchildren – Tim Noakes, Jonno Proudfoot and Bridget Surtees

This is my favourite book for lunch ideas that aren’t sandwiches. I’ve made cheese muffins, cauliflower tots and dips which have gone down a storm with both me and Henry. There’s not a focus on carbs in this book and while it’s an interesting read I’m not into excluding food groups altogether so I like to litter some recipes from here into our weekly menu to try and make sure we’re eating a diet as varied as possible. There’s sections on first foods, foods for teenagers, packed lunch ideas and breakfasts but we’ve eaten from every chapter regardless of what it’s aimed at.

Superfood Family Classics – Jamie Oliver

After eating out of Everyday Superfood every week for about six months I just had to add this to my collection after my friend Hannah made us the fish pie. It’s my most used at the moment and my go to when I’m planning what we’ll eat. The section on pasta and risotto has some corkers and there’s even a healthy take on doughnuts for breakfast which I can’t wait to try.

Deliciously Ella – Ella Woodward

So I know this isn’t really aimed at families, but I’ve been a Deliciously Ella fan for a while and there’s a few really good recipes in here that we all really enjoy. We have a few meat free days a week to keep costs down and Ella is vegan so it’s a good book to get some recipes from. The bean chilli is my favourite. It’s quick to make, delicious, healthy and has minimal fresh ingredients so a good one to throw together when the ‘big shop’ day is looming. As all of her recipes are free from refined sugars, I often whip up a batch of something sweet to nibble on which I’m happy for Henry to eat too.

I’ve included Jamie’s Fifteen Minute Meals in the picture as I love the recipes but have a little bit of an issue with that they don’t take fifteen minutes for me to make them – I need to work on my chopping skills!

I hope you enjoyed my list. I have a bit of a cook book addiction so I’d love to hear any recommendations.