Silly things your mother did (lighthearted)

[RaraRachael]

Trying to lighten my current mood and started to think about things my mother did - and insisted that I do - as they were "the done thing" back in the day.

Turning the clothes inside out to put on the washing line in case a bird shat on them
Lining every shelf in your kitchen unit with patterned greaseproof paper
Stuffing the chicken and then sewing it up with a needle and thread

Suffice to say, I stopped these ridiculous traditions when i realised there was no valid purpose to them

@Fuckingcrustybread

She used to make curry with sultanas and serve desiccated coconut and chopped hard boiled eggs on the side. I'm sure that the recipe came from one of those 1970s "exotic" cookbooks.

I love sultanas or chopped apple in curry! Nothing wrong or odd about that at all! Adds a touch of sweetness, like apricots in a tagine.

When we were young, we were given a spoonful of Radio Malt and a Haliborange tablet every day to stave of colds.

If we had a chesty cough, we would have Vick rubbed on our chests, and a heated flannel vest on top of that. We would sit in front of the coal fire to help our chests.

Mum would also make 'butterballs' for a sore throat, little pieces of butter covered in sugar.

Dad's cotton hankies were boiled in a special large pan, which was also used for cooking the cat's fish, which was ling. (Not at the same time!).

Don’t sit with your back to the fire, you’ll be sick.
Don’t wash your hair when you’re ‘like that’ (on your period).
Don’t go out with wet hair, you’ll get pneumonia.
Don’t go out in bare feet. See above.
Don’t eat sugar out of the sugar bowl, you’ll get worms.
Don’t sit on a cold floor, you’ll get piles.

Life was a minefield in the 70s and 80s.

@unmarkedbythat That's hilarious and it would also drive me up the wall (as I call it)

I recognise so many of these - was telling DH the other day about ITV not being allowed apart for sport because it was vulgar, sultana in curries, the man must be the master in his own home so always got his way (DH quite liked the sound of that one) and presents handed over with the rider 'it's a good one' to emphasise they had cost more than she thought was appropriate.

@Anystarinthesky

When we were young, we were given a spoonful of Radio Malt and a Haliborange tablet every day to stave of colds.

If we had a chesty cough, we would have Vick rubbed on our chests, and a heated flannel vest on top of that. We would sit in front of the coal fire to help our chests.

Mum would also make 'butterballs' for a sore throat, little pieces of butter covered in sugar.

Dad's cotton hankies were boiled in a special large pan, which was also used for cooking the cat's fish, which was ling. (Not at the same time!).

Oh yes, the disgusting malt and cod liver oil every morning after breakfast, with the Haliborange tablet to take the taste away!

When I have a chesty cough/bronchitis, I had a Wright's coal tar lamp in my room to help me breathe. It gave off a weird blue glow all night and a very strong smell. Anyone else remember this??

Also the hankies boiled in a special pan! Urgh! He wore shirts with a detachable collar and these were sent to the laundry along with his shirts, sheets and towels. They used to come back in a blue paper parcel and had been stiffened with starch!!

Hilarious

My Mum did all this plus

Always had posh telephone voice

Always asked anybody what they were having for dinner that night

Was extremely superstitious (back then a lot of superstitions were based on fact, e.g don’t cross on the stairs (not enough room) stir with a knife bound to cause strife (you could cut yourself) don’t walk under a ladder (something could fall on you)).

She was particularly offended by the colour green (buy a green coat, the next one will be black) so much so that when she chose to send me to a school which had green uniform I was the only child dressed entirely in BROWN except for my knickers which were white and could be put into the boil wash with other whites.

Take your coat off or you wont feel the benifit.
Tights must be worn, never bare legs (very common)
Bra less oh my heavens noooo
Tea must be made in tea pot, never in the cup and it must be a China cup, not one of those horrid thick mugs.
Wash the front step, neighbour's will talk.

@80sMum

It's interesting that a lot of the posts are about previous generations being natural conservationists, ie washing clingfilm for reuse, saving plastic bags for reuse, using up every scrap of leftover food etc. Much of this stemmed from necessity. There's no doubt that in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s living standards were much lower than today and people were poorer.

I read a lot of guff these days about baby boomers having had such an easy life. But I do often wonder if the people who say that were actually there at the time, getting by on very little, making do with 2nd hand everything, darning their socks and sewing patches on their clothes to cover the holes!

Yes there was a lot of eye rolling when I stayed at DS’s flat recently and I told his flat mates that they wouldn’t have credit card debts if they didn’t buy take away coffees and muffins everyday for breakfast and occasionally made themselves a home cooked meal.

She always cleans hard to reach places, like behind the washing machine, before going away. Apparently this is because if anything happened to her, she would not want people to think she was dirty!

My mum used to mop the kitchen floor and plump up all the cushions before we went away on holiday. And they used to hide the (hefty non flat screen) tv in case anyone stole it!🤣🤣

Thought of another one.

Mum used to make us stand outside and count out very loudly the number of bags of coal delivered. She was convinced the coal man would diddle her otherwise (and constantly tell him NO SLACK (fine dust or very small pieces of coal)). Humiliating all round except for her hiding in the pantry and watching it all anyway.

My mother was obsessed with punctuality - not a bad thing in moderation but my sister and I played in the local brass band and the bus picked us up for concerts in the town square which was a 5 minute walk from our house. Mother insisted we leave half an hour before so that "We'd be in plenty of time". I was just talking to my sister about standing in the square freeaing to death in skirts and socks (she wouldn't allow us to wear trousers as that wasn't smart) for 25 minutes until the bus came.

If we had a chocolate bar like Mars or Milky Way we were only alowed to eat half of it and then have the other half the next day. Even creme eggs.

They were much more frugal, they had less. They reused, they recycled.
They didn't get in to huge debt. There wasn't the "instant gratification" - you saved for what you wanted/needed.
We want it all now.

@maddiemookins16mum

Oh and my mum would always say ‘she/he must need the money’ if a once well known actor suddenly started doing TV adverts. Examples - Michael Parkinson Babs Windsor (that Bingo one she did)

Whenever an older actor or singer stages a comeback, DH always says "They must need to top up their pension fund!"

Don’t sit on a cold floor, you’ll get piles.

My mum's version of this was "Don’t sit on a cold floor, you’ll get a chill in your back." Mentioning anything bottom-related was totally taboo.

My aunt still answers the phone by saying her landline number. Which I always found weird as a kid because I knew what number it was, I'd just dialled it in!

The one clock in the house was always 30 minutes fast,so that we would never be late.

Never eat in the street.

Don’t sit with legs in front of the fire,gives you chilblains.

The list is endless when I think back.

@DareIask

I love this thread.

Lost my mum years ago and so many of these she did but I'd forgotten. You've made me all teary. In a nice way.

This - thank you

@Fireflylane

I've just remembered one my mum used to put her tights on and then put her knickers on over the top of them

Was she Supergirl?

[quote Sohelpmedog]@Fuckingcrustybread something like this? My mum collected recipe cards, I’ve got several sets, can’t bring myself to Chuck them, I know she spent a fortune on them[/quote]
I've got those-they sent a set every month.

"The lunch box would be a walls ice cream tubs, the old blue ones with the white lids. She used to wash out any ice creams tubs or anything similar and use them for storage."

My mum used to do this too. I still have her blue icecream pot with white lid with christmas cake and birthday cake decorations in -not that I have ever made a christmas cake- but it reminds me of her

Doesn't everyone keep ice cream tubs for storage and freezing food in?

MIL insists on keeping everything in the fridge. She was a farmers daughter, and would never had had a fridge in her early life - yet she now puts eggs in the fridge and and insists she has always done so. I bought her a jar of sweet chilli sauce the other day and she said 'does it go in the fridge?' I said the larder would be fine. Went round the next day and had realised she'd need help opening it as there was a very stiff plastic bit round the lid. She got it for me - out of the fridge.....

I know some people keep opened sauces etc in the fridge - but this was still sealed!

She also keeps red wine in there if it's been opened, and all kinds of things you'd never even think of. Bless her.....

@50FootWave I throw pasta at the kitchen tiles, I heard it means it's done blush I'm 31, not handed down to me by my mum

I first heard of this when staying with very smart friends in Paris - I was dumbfounded when our hostess flung some spaghetti at the kitchen tiles to see if it was done! Must be something in it.

My Mum used to scrub our doorstep on her hands and knees once a fortnight. She used to stand on a chair and have some flash in with water and wipe off the top of her doors once a month. She used to iron everything even knickers. She made the best steak and kidney pie ever and made the pastry herself.