Just what is a Yummy Mummy anyway??

Aha - a very good question indeed, and one we should answer before we proceed. Well, there are several definitions bandied about by the press, your hairdresser and the man at Tesco's, but here is the most common, and it's the definition that DOES NOT describe me:

When it all kicked off a few years back, 'Yummy Mummy' was a term used mainly by the press (because hey, it rhymes) to describe impeccably turned out, skinny, fake-tanned ladies with money pouring out of the rear door of their 4x4, a nanny, a gorgeous 8-bedroom house littered with designer scatter cushions, six luxury holidays a year (with nanny, personal trainer and private chef in tow) and a fresh blow-dry, who spend their days shopping in expensive boutiques, having deluxe facials and organising other people to look after their little spoilt, neglected kids. OK, so not you or me, then!

I, like 95% of the Mums I know (and like!), am pretty much the opposite of that: I have no nanny, my kids eat fishfingers and beans on a regular basis, I haven't shaved my legs for, oooh, about 3 weeks and so far nobody has noticed, my daily mode of transport is a bicycle with a child seat on it, and I have a post-baby tummy wobble which refuses to budge. But I haven't let myself go completely! I can scrub up pretty well, I wear clothes that are both flattering and practical for my dashing-about lifestyle, and I excercise regularly to keep things in check. We 'normal' Mums don't live in designer clothing or eat in posh restaurants...but that doesn't mean we're not Yummy too!

My definition of a Yummy Mummy is simply a normal Mum whose kids are her top priority - but who still makes an effort in the personal-grooming department once in a while: No nannies, no organic falafel, no designer baby gros and no heels. Just being a Mummy, while not giving up on yourself - because you are the most important thing in your child's life, so you need to take care of yourself a little too.

I called my first book 'The Yummy Mummy's Survival Guide' because I believe (as I now know thousands of other women believe too, because they've read it a loved it!) that motherhood needn't be the end of you as an attractive woman, and if you feel better about yourself - however you look, or whatever you wear, it doesn't matter - you will be much happier and therefore be a better mummy for your kids.

We ALL find motherhood difficult, no-matter who we are, what we look like or where we live, and the best way to make it easier is to share what we've learned, admit when we're not coping, and try, try, TRY to have a sense of humour about the whole crazy thing!