In the bag

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‘Your presence is present enough’ – I’ve seen that on a few invites to weddings, baby showers and the like and always admired those folks. I need the stuff y’see. Our wedding list was a Generation Game-worthy line-up of John Lewis paraphernalia (including 34 England rugby water bottles bestowed by a friend with quite the sense of humour) and my baby shower included a stripper called Dean and 45 ovary-themed cupcakes.

Now Mother’s Day, that’s quite the day, right? One 24-hour period to celebrate the 365 days that year you’ve kept a small human alive. Needless to say, it’s essential to jam pack it with everything you want/ need/ love/ aren’t sure about but will have anyway. Don’t leave a stone left unturned – channel Veronica Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory if the gifting shows any signs of easing up.
To my mind, we should each be reclined on a velveteen chaise longue as our tribe feeds us peeled grapes and recites Keats (the last bit was thrown in for faux-intellect-effect, a copy of Heat would be fine). And that only goes a millimetre towards the real super-human effort it takes to grow a human. So, here’s my list of favourite bits for this mothering Sunday.

 

The stuff
Leading the gifting charge for me is Nor-Folk’s ‘work hard’ mug. Whether running the stock exchange or commanding a troupe of urchins at home, we’re all getting a bead on in this parenting game. So recognising that with a strong brew every five minutes is essential.
Then there’s the ‘No Rest For The With Kid’ nappy clutch (above) from Alphabet Bags. I believe it speaks for itself, but other than the clear messaging, it’s far jazzier getting that out in the baby changing bogs at your local station than anything else I’ve come across.
Onto my nearest and dearest: the off-duty ‘This is my too tired to function’ sweatshirt from Nappy Head. Just wear your heart on your boobs and leave the Hoovering to another day/ week/ year.
For a bit of bling, I love a Carrie Elizabeth necklace with an initial engraved on it – sometimes remembering your name after two hours 34 minutes of sleep is tricky, this gives you a pretty cool nudge in the right direction. And then there’s the Attic star earrings because, quite frankly, every mother I know is a massive star. Well done us. Now give us the stuff.

#MaverickMum
Chuffed to pieces to be writing about my parenting trials and tribulations for Notonthehighstreet.com. Their Mother’s Day campaign is all about the ‘maverick mum’ – she who parents to the beat of her own drum. It’s not about comparisons, it’s just about doing it your way and realising that there’s always room for a bit of fun. Whether you’re a cupcake maker, Instagram stalker, leopard-print lover or just going off the walls, there’s room at the inn (and plenty of cool stuff to buy) for all. Share your own #MaverickMum stories on Instagram.

Anna Whitehouse

Founder of Mother Pukka, Anna Whitehouse likes super hero cape-making classes and dislikes the naming of celebrity couples (TomKat, Brange etc.) She tries (and often fails) to parent the shit out of life.

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Turns out I’m not an afternoon person either.

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