The Sunday Review – Mummy Mitts

Over the last few days, I've had plenty of use for my new Mummy Mitts and they've done their job well. Mummy Mitts (as featured on Dragons Den!) are mittens which attach to the handle bars of your pushchair or pram.

As Mr. B. pointed out to me, motorcyclists have had something similar for years. A pair of mittens which you simply slip your hands into and which, being attached to the handle-bars, you know won't fall out of a pocket, or off the roof of the buggy. I found the Mummy Mitts most useful when shopping... it drives me mad that I NEED a pair of gloves on when pushing the pushchair as otherwise my fingers turn blue and drop off (ok, nearly drop off), but that when I go into a shop, I need to faff about taking the gloves off to open my purse or look at things on the shelf. With the Mummy Mitts I simply slip my hands out, do my thing, then slip them back in again, exactly where I left off.

I found the Mummy Mitts a little less useful at the park where I wanted to keep them on all the time and had to take one hand out in order to undo the velcro around the buggy handle-bars. I think I'd revert to normal gloves in this scenario. I also found that the mittens didn't work so well on the Maclaren compared to the Mothercare Mychoice because of the location of the handles. When the handle-bar is directly in front of you then it is dead easy to slip your hands in and out but on the Maclaren, the handles are actually at an angle and it doesn't feel instinctive to slip your hands into the Mummy Mitts at this angle.

I like the Mitts themselves. They look smart and not too girly. They are made from a wind-proof fabric that keeps my hands really toasty warm and I am pleasantly surprised (as a lady with very long fingers) at how spacious the mittens are. I would say they could do with being a tad tighter around the wrist to help prevent nasty draughts, but that may just be BECAUSE my hands are longer than most.

At £17.99 from www.mummymitts.com they would make a great Christmas gift for a chilly mummy (and there is free P&P until December 10th)! You can also buy matching Bubby Mitts so your little one can look just like you!

Images courtesy of Mummy Mitts

One Week Down...

Image: djcodrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I had intended this blog post to be a summary of what it feels to have been back at work as a new working mum but it has been a bit of a funny week and I'm not sure I can really tell you!

Monday was about as normal a working day as you can get. We had to get up outrageously early (Lara has always been very good at lie ins), had a mad rush to get ourselves clean, fed and presentable... then even more of a rush to get Lara clean, fed and presentable. As my hubbie packed all the bags of baby gubbins into the car, I had a slightly emotional moment – but you know me, I wouldn't possibly get weepy and emotional about these things, would I?

We dropped Lara off with her childminder (No. 1) at 8.30 and then spent an hour in a traffic jam on a journey that should have taken 10 minutes. As I walked back into the office, it was (as many people told me it would be) just like I had never been away. I picked up exactly where I had left off last May... even working on exactly the same project. Thrilling.

On Tuesday (and today), Lara spent the day with one of her doting Aunties because childminder No. 2 was on holiday. Lots of people worry about choosing a childminder over a nursery because there is no-one to cover when the childminder can't provide care; but my two-childminder arrangement, with the backup of lots of willing relatives means that I will hopefully never have a problem. Somehow, sending Lara to spend a day with a relative doesn't really feel like leaving her... it feels very different... as if actually I'm doing them a favour, rather than them helping me out for the day.

If I had needed anything to support my decision to send Lara to a childminder over sending her to a relative for full-time care, then I got it this week! At 7 months old, she was treated to her first ever Macdonalds drive-thru! Special Aunties are for spoiling you with special treats, not for boring, every-day childcare!

On Wednesday I couldn't get to work! Having spent an hour in the car we had to abandon it about quarter of a mile away from home. We trekked back home in the snow – Lara thought it was great fun and giggled all the way! While the other half spent the day working from home of the laptop, I entertained Lara. Even after just two days away from her it seemed like awfully hard work looking after her demands all day!

Thursday saw the start of a new term of swimming lessons. Lara, as always, loved every minute of it – she'll be swimming lengths before I know it! Much of my day was spent either pushing other people's cars out of the snow, or being pushed out of the snow myself.

Today I had to really knuckle down to work. I know that there was nothing I could do about the snow on Wednesday, but I did feel weirdly guilty about not having been able to work, especially as it meant I missed my first deadline this afternoon. In the past, I would have stayed late to get the work complete but my 'back to work resolutions' mean that I simply can't do that any more and I'm hoping that the guys at work understand that.

So really, it hasn't been a particularly representative week. I can tell you now that when I'm at work I don't miss Lara per se – I'm too busy working. There are times when I feel so comfortable doing my work, so relaxed back into the rhythm of things that in fact, it feels like the last 7 months never happened! But then, when I read my twitter feed, receive a blog comment, or receive a MMS with a picture of my sleepy little girl, I remember that I'm not just a programmer now... I'm a mummy. I can officially multi-task!

Wordless Wednesday - Who Needs To Make A Snowman?