• mum wins

7 ‘little’ wins for mums of toddlers

May 22, 2016

 

 

Of course, our adorable children are a constant source of smiles (ahem), but since becoming a mum there are little wins, tiny pockets of pleasure, that I never could have predicted. All aboard the happy bus…

 

  1. Finding an episode of Peppa Pig that I haven’t seen

Much like (pre-baby) stumbling over a long-forgotten Sex & The City or an episode of Friends that I had only seen 87 times, instead of the usual 166, the discovery of a Peppa that I haven’t suffered through yet gives me a little rush. Because if I have to see the one where they go to Rebecca Rabbit’s house for the first time (“We must be lost. There’s just this garden of carrots!” clueless Mummy Pig says) again then Netflix are getting a very stern email from me. Oink.

 

  1. A perfectly timed nap

Thank you darling, thank you from the very, very bottom of my weary heart for sleeping when I fancy a sleep/have just bought a new magazine/need to cook/we’re on a road trip and I don’t have the iPad/the finale of Survivor is waiting to be watched. THANK YOU! It makes me love you even more.

Conversely, there is no end to the misery of a wasted nap, namely them dropping off…

a) During a five-minute car journey, leaving you to either drive around aimlessly or sit outside the house on your phone.

b) JUST before leaving the house for a long drive, when some quiet time would have been bliss.

c) Right before bedtime. This is officially a Very Bad Time for a sleep, and will end horribly for all concerned. Truly. After 6pm just keep poking them with the sticks that came with that wooden xylophone.

 

  1. A perfectly timed poo

One of the most important wins of all. Ideally about 15 minutes before we need to leave the house, thankyouverymuch, my little love. Or when daddy is in charge. NOT as we’re getting in the car, swimming, at a mall with terrible baby changing facilities (you know who you are, Mercato…) or have just arrived at the home of someone that we hardly know, who doesn’t have children.

 

  1. When they enjoy a new recipe

After researching, shopping for and creating a new dish to expand the culinary repertoire of ‘nana’, chips, scrambled eggs and pasta, they like it. They actually like it! For a fleeting moment, the acceptance, chewing and swallowing of that food is a mum’s greatest accomplishment.

Equally thrilling is when they decide they actually DO like something again after loving it then suddenly acting as though you tried to feed them road kill (oh broccoli, I still don’t know why she so cruelly cast you aside after such hungry devotion).

 

  1. Being able to understand a word amongst the babble

16-month-old Phoebe can say the odd thing, but it mostly sounds like a tiny alien trying to communicate via beeps, crossed with Will Smith’s rap from Wild Wild West and a bit of ewok, so you can imagine how excited we get when speech actually corresponds with action or object. I was somewhat overcome in Mothercare a few weeks ago when she saw a duck towel and said a perfect “dock”.

 

  1. Packing the perfect nappy bag

Baby brain is real. So real. As a result, there’s almost always something I forget when leaving the house – wipes, nappies, dummy, snacks, my purse – something crucial. But sometimes, rarely, I bring everything and just for a morning feel like I have this mummy thing nailed, smugly brandishing a bag of raisins and offering around spare hand sanitiser. And in a tiny way, the day was a win.

 

  1. When they behave well – in front of someone you want to impress

It might be a pregnant friend who’s starting to realise that she actually has to give birth and this will result in a baby, or a snooty acquaintance who only sees your carefully edited life on Instagram (my feed, however, is tantrums and all), but when your little one is on perfect form when it really matters you want to do a dance, give them a high-five, then write a book on parenting. You win extra points if you’re wearing clothes not smeared with snot or yoghurt. And you get to wear an actual crown if you’re in heels.

What are your (not so) little wins?

Winging It jumper from the always fab Selfish Mother, available here.

6 responses to “7 ‘little’ wins for mums of toddlers”

  1. With my daughter turning 6 in July, I’m beyond most of these little wins, although a perfectly timed poop still does apply 😉 However, at this stage a huge accomplishment is when she AGREES to wear what I earmark for her – be it for a birthday party or dress up day in school. On those lines, I think I could write a book on mastering the art of ‘last minute changes’ 😉

  2. haha omg I love this and found myself nodding through out! The perfectly timed poo has been known to be the reason of my happiness on some days!

  3. Emily Baxter says:

    Love this post. :o)

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