Learner Mum: It’s been a long time since I gave my reflection more than a glance

'The pandemic, two babies in 20 months and working from home have conspired to make me a cliché in leggings, or if I have a Zoom call, a cliché in pyjama bottoms and a blazer'

Picture: iStock 

We took a trip to an outlet mall on the way back from a St Patrick’s Day weekend break in Belfast. I was like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep, grabbing things I thought my daughters would like. When I could carry no more, I found a quiet corner to see if there was anything in my arms that was actually worth buying. 

My husband, bemused by my frantic efforts, had already taken the smaller daughter outside to let her run around. The nearly four-year-old stayed with me, making her feelings about certain dresses (‘oh, no, that’s for a baby’) abundantly clear.