My Handbag

Here we go! Having been tagged by Snafflesmummy with the handbag meme, it's time for me to face up to the truth of what lurks in the depths of my handbag.

Actually, it's not too bad at the moment. I'm a bit passionate about handbags, and swap from bag to bag fairly regularly, so I have a bit of a clear-out when I do. At the moment I'm travelling light, without my organiser or make-up bag, so this is what's in my handbag as of this morning (photographed on my grotty office carpet!):



From top left we have: a pair of gloves (not needed now it's suddenly nice and warm!), my trusty iPhone in its turquoise case, my large zippable purse (stuffed full of receipts and other useless things), some antibacterial hand gel (essential in both my paid job and my mummying job!), some knitting wool and needles (you never know when I'll have a moment spare), a few letters from the kids' school that need replies sorted out today, my Wonder Woman compact mirror (a lovely gift from one of my best friends), my car keys and a pen. I think that's quite good - I was very honest and photographed absolutely everything in the bag, too. I have to admit that some weeks there would be a LOT more junk than you see here...

And this is my bag itself:



It's a gorgeously soft Mulberry Araline in forest green nappa leather. I love the tassels! Mulberry bags are my weakness - my friend L is addicted to Louboutin shoes and lusts after those, and for me it's Mulberry bags. I think I'm recovering, though - I managed to go into the outlet store in York last week without buying so much as a keyring!

Threenager

One of the reasons it's been such a long time since my last blog post is the presence in my life right now of a Threenager.

Tig is three, and she absolutely hates the fact that she is a) smaller than her siblings and b) less able to do things as a result. This means that life in the Piggies household is very far from calm at the moment and the air is often full of enraged squeals as she stamps her feet and pouts.

Let me give you a list of things that enraged Tig this weekend:

- being unable to tidy the playroom on her own
- her brother and sister being able to run faster than her
- the fact that she had spent all her pocket money and didn't have enough left for a Princess magazine
- the fact that even standing on a stool, she's not quite tall enough or strong enough to help me switch the cake mixer on
- the fact that her hair is not quite long enough for bunches

I could go on. Each little frustration tends to result in an outraged screech and often a stamped foot or pouted lip for good measure; she has recently learnt to scream "SORRY!" even as she is stamping, because she knows she's about to be told off!

On the flip side, there are some absolutely wonderful things about having a 3 year old girl around the house. I need never lack in self-confidence; every morning she tells me I'm beautiful and gives me a tight hug with lots of kisses. There's no shortage of laughs (secret ones of course) as she misquotes things she has heard or practises her "ballet" when she thinks no one is watching. And she's becoming a little person that I can talk to - she thinks and plans ahead and is considerate to her friends (Snafflesmummy's Snaffles being a particular favourite at the moment, she is constantly urging me to think what we should buy him for his birthday which isn't happening until 2011). I'm hoping that the tantrums will decrease and the sunniness increase as she gets closer to the landmark birthday of 4 in July and starting school in September.

The photo is of Tig with her kitten, who never seems to make her cross...