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

@sleighride5 please tell us about the rest of the events!

I still fold up butter wrappers to grease cake tins like DM and DGM. My fridge door is full of them. DH finds it hilarious...

I was also instructed by DM and DA, to go and 'do my wifely duties' (consummate my marriage) ASAP after the vows and photos, so I could relax and enjoy the wedding.

We also reused teabags. I think that's a northern thing?

My nana would never have any thing from the chippy but used to pinch ours 'because they taste better that way'.

Whenever DM comes to visit for a few days, DF calls her every day, about 5pm and asks her how long he should cook a chicken thigh for. DH and I narrate the conversation to each other as it's been the same for the last ten years! They also call me up, individually, tell me everything and then the second one will call me and I have to listen to it all again.

Mum also uses flannels on the kids. 1 for all four. Then dries it on the side, and uses it again. Makes me .

MIL is another character... insists that kids can't drink water, and always gives them sugary cordial and puts sugar on strawberries? Posh tea every Sunday with nice ham from Morrison's sandwiches and fondant fancies.

Sitting on a cold surface - gives you piles
Practically any illness could be cured by gargling with salt water and taking two paracetamol.
If you went out with wet hair you’d get a cold.

OMG I had forgotten DM’s obsession with baby DS wearing a vest!

I did try to explain he was more at risk of cot death from overheating in his cot, and wouldn’t get hypothermia in our bedroom in a centrally-heated house, in May. She still bought me millions of vests.

@DailyMailHater - I'd forgotten that my mum used to add half a can of milk to tinned tomato soup until I read your post; obviously to stretch it. The first time I had unadulterated Heinz tomato soup I thought I'd been poisoned!

HeaviestDirtiestSoul Mine too! If we spilt the salt it would be frightful! Also walking under a ladder ,not cutting toenails on fridays (just why)! The list goes on .Strangely My DGM wasnt at all superstitious though!

@knittedfairies I can imagine. It just never occurred to me that she did that the any jarred sauces to stretch them I just assumed it what you did,

My grandmother and to a lesser extent my mother were obsessed with the temperature of one's kidneys. Too close to a fire or radiator and they'd get too hot, any hint of bare midriff or lack of cardigan and they'd be too cold. Quite the tightrope

According to my dear Mum, you should ... always cut the buttons off a coat before sending it to be dry cleaned...

Leather buttons.

Some dry cleaning fluids shredded some plastics and leathers and cutting buttons off a garment before cleaning it was routine.

Knotted leather 'thong' buttons and toggles, common on Aran woollens, would be cut off and resewn every time the cardigan was washed.

Tedious.

@Stovetopespresso
taking a random pill a youngster left in her house after a party "just to see what it does, do you think its crack?"
regularly having prehistoric visions of how the landscape would have looked (unconnected to the pills)

My first genuine MN lol. I love this so much :)

When i was 7/8, DM did a college course which ment she got in after we were home from school. She decided it would be scandalous if we were latch key kids, but completely fine if we "just played in the garden" until she got back. She genuinely couldn't see the difference between kids going out to play (on nice days, with the option to go home) and us sat in a cold dark shed for hours on rainy winter days.

I always remember my mother beating a piece of meat to tendurise it... you don't don't see that nowadays.

@moanieleminx the wedding was a mild comedy of errors.

On getting to the reception I went to mingle, was having a nice chat when I was given a shot of whiskey to calm my nerves. I was explaining that the dress issue was over now and I was just going to enjoy myself. And the whiskey giver said "no, because of DHs Grandma and the paramedics"... I had no idea that in the lobby DHs Grandma had ignored the mobility lift and tried to make the stairs on her own so she wouldn't be a bother, she fell, hit her face on a stone floor, lost consciousness and a lot of blood and DH was busy yelling at his family because no ambulance had yet been called. Turns out they didn't actually know where they were. Obviously DGM was taken care of, the photographer (our second hired because the first had ended a long term relationship 3 days before and couldn't do a wedding in her state) kept bugging us for photos, we didnt budge so he took a LOT of pictures of food and wine glasses- it's not like there were 120 family members and close friends there he could have amused himself with.

DGM was given a clean bill of health and told not to drink or dance, she was extremely annoyed. A few family pics were taken - none with DGM as she was too embarrassed about the plaster on her face.

Fast forward a few lovely hours, my DB comes over and says he has to go home - he lived very close- I presumed his new shoes were causing him pain...nope he had been burgled and he and his housemates had to make a statement to the police about any missing items. At this my DS fainted...turns out she had left precious, expensive and very sentimental earrings at DBs. Just out on the side. Thankfully these werent taken but the fainting and crying bit was fun nonetheless.

My DM to bring it back around did her usual running commentary from the sidelines (not one to have too much fun) about how drunk my DF and friends were, how the dancefloor was "rowdy" and how all the miniature fairy lights we had put into jars to look pretty were being used as skipping ropes, a limbo pole and crowns. The dancefloor was a sea of twinkly lights...it was AMAZING but my DM could only tut.

To finish the night me and newly DH got into separate cabs with some of our friends to carry on the party at ours....he got vommed on by a young cousin that had gone too far, had a row with the taxi driver who was obviously upset, and had to walk over a mile to get home...where I was dancing around. He was not pleased.

But it was one good story!

My DM also has a lovely habit of answering a question not asked.

Me:Will you be coming round for dinner?
DM:I know you will be going for a walk soon, I don't want to do a walk today.
Me: That's nice, would you like to come round for dinner?
DM: it's just I've had a long day and it's very cold out. I just don't want to walk today.
Me: Ok so dinner?
DM: I had a business call over my lunch break and didn't eat much.
Me: *!?!$!@#:# DINNER???
DM: yes please it will be great to see you. You know I won't eat meat though.
Me: Yes I am aware you have been a vegetarian for my entire life. See you later.

Ironed wrapping paper to use again: "my mother did this in the war, you know"

@50FootWave

Throwing a strand of spaghetti at the wall (during cooking) - if it stuck, it was done.

No idea why she didn't just taste it!

@Heaviestdirtyestsoul and mine also salutes magpies and asks 'how's your wife?'

My DH looked at me like when I taught my DD the pasta was done when it stuck to the tiles

I'm loving this thread. Yes to the no eating in the street= common. Add to that no shouting or raising of voices in the street = common; no smoking in the street (esp bus stops for some reason) = common; going into a pub on your own = common (you should always meet mate or date outside first); wearing white shoes of any kind particularly stilettos= common; bra straps showing = common; anything too tight= common even when I was a size 8, she was very into the French idea of covering a little= keeps them guessing!

However, she was really forward thinking when it came to men: she encouraged us 3 girls to 'try before you buy' at every opportunity and swore that we would have every opportunity of our time despite being married at 17, 2 kids by 19 herself.

Another! DM mixed cocopops and rice crispies whenever she bought them.
And for my 14th birthday, I wanted to go to the cinema with friends. She sent me with sandwiches.

Repeated our phone number in Received Pronunciation whenever she answered the phone.

@RaraRachael

We weren't allowed to watch sci fi - "far fetched rubbish" or American programmes- "noisy American rubbish " or films- "waste of 2 hours".

She used to turn supermarket carrier bags inside out as she didn't want to advertise them.

My mum did this! Would also refuse a "sale" shopping bag and ask for an original as she didn't want to advertise the shop's sale!!

Mine used to go mad if I ate 'raw' jelly cubes as they would 'stick up my insides'! My treat was cocoa powder mixed with sugar in an egg cup - it tasted nice but used to make me sneeze!

Peeling sprouts, then with knife putting a cross on bottom of the sprout 🤔 I started to do this and realised that they cook perfectly well without having to do this 😆

Also whenever my mum gave me weetabix she would add a dash of hot water then milk and sugar. my mother in law adds butter and sugar

@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.

Um.... that's wrong?....

😂😂😂😂

'Ne're cast a clout till may is out' actually refers to the hawthorn blossom rather thant the month, though its often around May!

I am only in my 50's but feeling quite ancient after reading this thread. I like to iron my tea towels (good for hygiene) and I use a tea pot - just tastes better!

I am also a lover of an airing cupboard - though I have a perfectly good tumble dryer and central heating. Our house is ancient and very damp and clothes need to be really dry before they are put away. They are just so warm and fresh in the airing cupboard.
Ours is in the kitchen - also excellent for proving dough!

I also keep boxes from Amazon deliveries, packing materials and padded envelopes etc. My DD laughs at me but when she wants something posted that she has sold online - its all there ready to go and doesn't cut into her profits.

A lot of these things that make us smile come from having little. We all have a duty these days to be thrifty for the sake of the planet; I think unnecessary waste is immoral. I draw the line at using pants for dusters though.

I also remember my mum sending me out to buy her cigarettes "20 Silk Cut" the red ones i was in primary school at the time. I also remember myself and my brother got some "cigarette bangers" from the joke shop stuck them in her cigarettes and when she lit one up it exploded burnt a hole in her dress we thought it was so funny but Mum went mad