Good Golly Miss Molly

My latest magazine pitch I've sent off is about breastfeeding ('oh god here she goes the hippy twat' I can hear you all muttering). I can't seem to get away from this mothering malarkey. It's now deeply imbedded in my womanly veins and I seem to have a lot to say on the matter so why not write about the subject? After all, it's a topic that most of the world is fascinated by at some point in their lives. I suppose I wish that I could multi-task better; be a supermum by day making brownies and reciting Charlie and Lola off by heart, and by night be a hotshot food writer, book reviewer or music critic, instead of just writing about childrearing. I guess the outside world will reach me gradually, as it's started to.
It's only in the last year that I feel I can see again. My world for over three years was focussed intently on one little person. There I was, head down, getting stuck in and trying my best to do everything right. I think I've done well in my job as full time mum; Sadie seems to have turned out happy and healthy so far. And now I lift my head up and there's a whole world out there, still spinning around with zillions of wonderful, exciting, colourful, interesting people to meet, places to see and things to do.
Having kids, and then coming out of the first few years of it still smiling, is like being given a second chance at life. Whereas in the early days every ounce of free time was like gold dust, now those spare moments are in adundance (Miss Spector's over at her best friends' for dinner right now) and I intend to enjoy myself.
Now I find I can actually finish reading a book in a week, I have time to listen to music or commentary on the radio, I actually finish reading the Sunday paper, I can take my time cooking a magnificent meal for two, I can write and I can take a deep breath and enjoy my time instead of hurriedly cramming in things to do when free and actually getting nothing productive done at all.
Andy and I are making the most of this liberating period to have a little holiday in the October half term. Sadie is off to my mums for 4 days and we're going to Yorkshire to explore the moors, visit the Turkish baths, and, more importantly, have a few rather overdue lie-ins. We can't wait.
Incidentally, despite all this lust for me-time, I spent an hour today cuddling, feeding and burping (yes she did puke all over me) five month old cutie-pie, ginger top Molly, my friend Tamzin's second sproglet, and, as much as my life is back, I still felt a huge pang in my womb for another little life-zapper. Isn't nature a powerful thing?


Soundtrack: Definition of Sound-Wear your love like heaven