About Me!

Hi and welcome to Yummy Mummy? Really?

This blog was in the process of being re-launched back when COVID-19 hit the world, so whilst I said back then "you will see a fair few changes to the look and feel of the site over the next few weeks", I was wrong.  What actually happened was that life took a few unexpected turns, we lost my mother-in-law to cancer, I started a new job, the kids grew even more, and the role of parenting and being a mum, wife, sister, daughter, leader, etc etc got even more complicated!  But no need to fret.  I intend to resolve the neglect of this blog, and come back to catch you up on the last few years.  It will be bigger, better, and still hopefully lots of fun, so please stick around, grab a latte, dunk your chocolate biscuit, and settle down for the ride.

How many personalities?

My name is Louise.  My pen-name, for the sake of writing, is Louise Imelda Shufflebottom.  And yes, you are allowed to chuckle.  Why is that my pen-name?  Because my close friends used to have a tendency to call me Imelda due to my obsession with shoes, much like the more famous Imelda Marcos, though I can't pretend to have anywhere near the 2,700 pairs she allegedly had.  Over 100 though, at the last count pre-COVID.  One of the big changes over the last few years was my descent from heels to trainers (that's sneakers if you're not in the UK.)  You'll have to wait for the blog post on that!

I spend a lot of my time faffing around on spreadsheets as a accountant.  I started back at work full-time in November 2013 after having two gorgeous children now aged sixteen and nineteen respectively.

The girls used to be referred to as Princess Peppa and Little Miss George; basically because they, and my hubby and I, all love Peppa Pig, and because I am constantly amused at how girlie my eldest is, and how deliberately different the younger is; liking dinosaurs and playing more traditionally boys games in an effort to mark out her own personality from her sister.  This continues to apply, even now they are way beyond the Peppa Pig watching age.  Teendom also bought a change in pronouns for the youngest, so I need to apologies to Little George for all the Little Miss references throughout.  I guess just reading this blog it was obvious. 

When they were small I spent most of my time at home wearing the nearest clothes I could find to throw on, crawling around on my knees trying to pick playdoh out of my carpet. Now the children are older, the challenges are different.  See the teen pages for those tales!

When I manage to get a few minutes off the spreadsheets, I try and be a loving wife to my fabulous husband and I 'faff' around with words.

Me and Beauty

I am in a constant battle against a spreading muffin top as I adore chocolate!  I would also prefer to spend all day in my PJ's, and have to make a real effort to get glammed up. 

I didn't start wearing make-up AT ALL until I returned to work after my first maternity leave (quickly calculates on fingers) 18 years ago.  And after a brief spell of effort I lost interest again.  So I am still very much a novice with make-up and have only this year started to define my eyebrows!  They'd done a good job for the last 50 (cough) ish years [wow, I got to 50! How did that happen?], but they were finally needing a little help.

I try and share what I am still learning about beauty here on this blog.

Me and Fashion

I like to think my fashion statement is 'quiet elegance with quirk'.  I don't go for ultra fashionable, much preferring to buy clothes that are good quality and last.  I 'was' a huge Ted Baker fan, but increasingly found that the quality reduced hugely about 10 years ago, and the fit wasn't matching my evolving and aging shape.   I love Hobbs design too, though it's pricey.  Recently I've realised quite how many items I have in my wardrobe, and I now try to buy from charity shops, Vinted, etc, to try and help reduce the scale of clothes waste.  

I lurrrrrrvvvvveeeeee shoes.  Did I say that already? And whilst I've been in trainers for the last 5 years, I'm finally starting to sneak back into heels.  For posts about fashion click here.

Me and Fitness

I'm now 50!  I realise that I am unlikely to meet the pre-requisites required to star in a musical on Broadway; my singing voice isn't that great, I can no longer do the splits and I'm not 20 years old; so I find myself having to do home workouts (I gave up the gym as it was DULL DULL DULL) to actually stay healthy and maintain some kind of fitness.  Still loving the New Jane Fonda workout (wore out the VHS so moved over to DVD), and it still works.  For those that know "there's a calling inside you!" hehe.

I used to be a professional dancer, (yes really.  ask me about it and I won't shut up for hours) but stopped dancing regularly in my late twenties when I worked out that there was more money to be made adding up numbers.  I struggled to find appropriate classes for years, but discovered a couple of great options locally, and I dip into dance class whenever I can, most recently competing in the UDO Streetdance World Championships.  I've even managed to find time to study and pass Part 1 and 2 Pre-Associate IDTA Tap exams.  All that might part explain the lack of blog posts recently!

I write about my attempts to find an exercise programme that works for me and review various work-outs in the Fitness posts here.

Me and Writing

I have always read A LOT of books and I have always created my own stories.  I have poems and children's stories and plays and manuscripts piling up.  This blog gives me an outlet for some of that pent up creativity that has to lie low when I'm faffing with spreadsheets (see above!)  


To read more about my attempts at writing click here
For posts related to blogging click here
And for social networking click here 
For more information on how I can help with your writing needs, go to my Yummy Mummy? Really? Hire Me page.

Me and being a Mum

I previously wrote in this section that I constantly beating myself up (mentally, not physically) for not being good enough, as a mother, wife, daughter, friend, worker and blogger.  I set high standards and then am disappointed if I don't meet them.  I promise things that I know I am going to find difficult, risking letting people down.  I always have a pile of ironing on the go.  I don't clean my bathrooms nearly often enough.

Now I've hit 50, have started HRT and found my happy-place work-wise, I have also realised that the last paragraph is full of crap.  Oh, and my language now includes far more expletives.  I am good enough, as a mother, wife, daughter, friend, worker and blogger, as well as any other label I want to use.  Turning 50 was quite liberating.  Watch out for blog posts on that!

Also, from a parenting perspective, I read bedtime stories with my two girls - right up to the point they weren't interested anymore!  I played shops and schools and hospitals, baked cakes, decorated cakes (and the floor), took them swimming, to gymnastics, to play dates and parties.  As they grew I switched out playing shops for supporting their new activities; streetdance, golf, table tennis, football, rugby, trampolining, whatever they wanted to pursue to find and explore their passions.  I even managed to prepare the eldest successfully for Uni, and now she's an independent young woman.  So, I'm doing alright. 

A new section of this blog is developing as the children are now hitting adulthood.  With the changing challenges that brings for us parents.

For a variety of posts on topics such as:-

• Pregnancy
• Breast feeding
• Toddler tantrums
• Activities, crafts and baking
• Cheap days out
• Family holidays
• Internet safety
• Weight loss and fitness for teens

Then click here for the MUMMY page. 


Contact me

Email at yummymummyreally@aol.co.uk.
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