My wonderful parents took the two older weenies for a sleepover last night, I'm getting a cold and with the whole daughter attempting to run away from home thing my mum thought it would give us a bit of a break. I'm always grateful that my folks are so kind and generous with their time when it comes to their grandkids.
So last night when hubby got home from work we had a pizza and a glass of wine, then one of our friends called over and while darling minded the baba we drank more wine, ate chocolate and talked until our voices were hoarse! It was exactly what I needed after the week I'd had and we had a great night, I hadn't laughed as much in ages (Lucky I've been doing my pelvic floor exercises,huh?) I stayed up until two in the morning.....so late, I felt like a big girl!
My friend is a mummy too (see I do have mummy friends) so obviously we talked about our kids (but not much) and everything else under the sun! One of the subjects was the rise of the "yummy mummy", and all that entails. Today I visited the Mecca of yummy Mummies, Avoca, amidst the beautiful china, amazing wrap tops and the simple wooden toys, I was a total duck out of water. I love the shop, the smells and the beautiful families with their designer babies in designer buggies.
The hubby and I arrived in our old banger and parked in the manicured car park that's nicer than our garden and parked between two huge SUV's , we loaded the bambino into the sling and in we headed with all the young upwardly mobile families, each of which consisted of a fashionably dressed slim highlighted woman and a beautiful baby in a quinny or a phil and teds buggy (I figured out that the ideal designer family only has one baby and that's why those phil and Ted buggy are popular with this set, one baby is hidden under the other so the perfect image is maintained), and then the male partner, also slim, perfectly coiffed hair and slightly homosexual clothes (my husband asked if he was way gay cos he liked the clothes there)! We browsed for a bit, got some yummy fudge, a pressie for my friends new home (the reason for our visit) and of course some lovely bread and cakes!
This experience got me thinking about the modern phenomenon of the yummy mummy, it is more the yummy family unit isn't it? Each part of the family is perfect, children clean and polite, parents are healthy and tanned. My family is nothing like that, kids are always a bit scruffy with the scabs on their knees, my partner and I are a bit pale and pasty and the bags under our eyes aren't designer!
Women fought for a long time for their freedom to live the life they desire. I remember laughing at an old song I remember about housewives putting on their makeup and doing their hair to look perfect before husband comes from work, because he is surrounded by all those attractive secretaries in work and you have to look your best. We fought to break these misconceptions, but it seems as if the new yummy mummy is just the fifties housewife in designer togs she has to cook like Nigella Lawson, keep her house like Kim and Aggie, have parenting skills that would make Supernanny jealous and look like a pneumatic size zero bimbo within weeks of giving birth, so what's changed?
8 comments:
Hi MW! Love the photo of Nora (wasn't that her name?) You're right about the yummies, lots of pressure I suppose. My friends who are at home could probably be earning lots and having a "better" lifesytle and looking like yummies if they worked but they want to be at home cos they love their kids and think it's best and that's all that matters isn't it?
I love Avoca, it's so pretty and girly!! I remember they had a toaster which made toast which said I LOVE YOU on it. Deadly! The place is very expensive though, loads of dosh for a packet of boiled sweets, huh?
I couldn't leave a comment on your other post for some reason but was just gonna say that I reckon cos celebs have people do everything for them they have the time, energy and money to lose weight quickly. I don't think it's will power. It's easier go to a gym everyday when you have someone to mind the kids and cook you a healthy lunch. No need to snack when everything is ready for ya!!
I had fun too :-). The yummy mummy is just another way for The Man to keep us down!! And then they wave pretty things in front of our faces and expect us to just go off and....ooooo, is that a polka dot teapot?!
LOL!
I know the sweets in Avoca but they are really expensive.. Sant brought the kids loads of stuff for christmas and they loved the lok of the candy but it tasted horrible.... As for celebrities I know they have it all, but still how do they manage to resist all that amazing food and drink? I so love everything that I'd have to try it all!
Scruffy Mummies of the world, unite and go have coffee with pride... my issue with Avoca, much as I love it, is that it makes me yearn to spend hundreds of Euro on wildly overpriced things I don't need...
I bought a lovely flowery teapot...Too much money...It leaks!
Yesterday we travelled to a garden centre in Celbridge we hadn't been to in years and it had undergone a major change. It's the Orchard and it is HUGE! Indoor stuff was reasonably priced; outdoor furniture incredibly expensive but a great place for a wander around. They have a pet shop (I secretly wanted to buy a rabbit!) but they had none! How sad am I? They even had a coffee shop I think?
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