To ask if anyone else knows a little miss perfect?

[BadEducation]

and is very envious of her?

My friend is lovely, but she is just so "perfect" and I just wonder what the secret is really!

She has two children; a toddler who is just coming up for two, and a baby who is six weeks old. Already she is back in her size 8 clothes. She is breastfeeding exclusively. Her house is immaculate. She bakes and home cooks most days. She does craft activities with her toddler (who also looks immaculate!). She has been on two girls nights out, dressed up to the nines and looking great, does St Tropez tan on herself every week, she looked fantastic in her pregnancy too. Oh, and did I mention her 6 week old, breastfed baby is sleeping for 8 hours through the night now too? I'm assuming too that in a few months time she'll be going back part time to her brilliantly paid job that she absolutely loves and is good at!

At this stage, with a newborn and a toddler, albeit an older toddler than she has, I was barely managing to get dressed each day. I looked a mess for months after the birth of my youngest. The house was a tip for months as he didn't sleep well and wanted to be held constantly. There was certainly no time or energy for baking, home cooking, St Tropez tanning or nights out, much as I wanted there to be

She is great, a lovely person, but I just wonder how she does it! I've asked her and she just laughs and shrugs it off.

What is the secret of this type of woman? I need tips!!

I tell myself that the reason my children are loud, demanding and buzzing round my knees the whole time is that they're intelligent. I put the mess down to creativity. I put my slovenly housework habits down to being a relaxed person. I put my shabby clothes and generally stained children down to finding fashion quite unimportant... Of course, I don't really believe the lies I tell myself, but I'm kind of happy. I do wonder about perfect mothers and how they do it, though.

Life is a struggle for some people based on a lot of factors. Like growing up with loving, supportive parents, giving you healthy self esteem, meaning you have friends/lovers who treat you well and an enjoyable life experience with little tragedy or difficulty. Alternatively growing up with co-dependant, emotionally unavailable or abusive parents, giving you low self esteem, meaning you have destructive/abusive relationships, a difficult life experience, marred with loss and struggle.

^^ This ^^

So sorry to all the parents who put on an act and feel unhappy underneath it all. I hope thing's get better for you all soon.

OP - it may be that your friend is sad or just as likely that she is perfect. I think we all have the potential to do all those things with or without sleeping/behaving children. It's just that most of us choose not to as we don't feel it's essential or important.

I know most of the things I claim not to have time to do (gym,clean windows, sew shit, wash the car - this could go on forever so I'll stop). I Could do these in the evening once the DC's are in bed but quite frankly I'd rather eat chocolate and