#44 Keep Mum...

My friends and family are a curious bunch. Whilst stuck in the kitchen getting ready to serve tea to the Malcontent elders, my mother popped into the bedroom to have a nosey around - she's been dropping hints about throws and cushions for a while now, but I'm always too busy to invest time into a decorating 'scheme'. She would've been disappointed. The bedroom is pretty much in the same state as it was a year ago - a lovely bed, simple wardrobes and side tables and aside from the Calvin Klein bedwear which we got for a steal at our local TK Maxx, it's seriously lacking in homely, comforting touches. But hey, the Mr and I rather like it that way. Clean, fuss-free, airy.

No clutter, aside from a rather large pot of the new Derma Mum Stretch Mark Cream, nestled on the bedside table. It's fragrance free, fall of essential fatty acid-rich oils and helps to keep skin supple and moist. In other words, it's a perfect body cream - especially, if like me, you're prone to eczema on your body. What I was not expecting, was the assumption that, well, I was expecting. My mother, beside herself with excitement, whispered conspiratorially in my ear, 'Is there something you want to tell me darling?' Oh crap, I thought. She's finally found out about the flowers I killed off, having forgotten to water them when she went away on holiday. 'No,' I said confused. 'Are you?' she nodded, looking down at my belly, 'Are you trying?' Oh lord - Do I look pregnant? I thought, popping a Jaffa Cake back into the box. 'I saw the cream you're using - are you...?'

Mistake ironed out, and my mother visibly disappointed, the cream was popped back behind the cabinet doors - for fear of the same conclusion being reached by others. But, secretly, and between you and me, there might just be another, very tiny, practically insignificant reason for my choice. You see, the Mr and I are discussing the, ahem, possibilities of spawning a little Malcontent. It's certainly not something for the immediate present, but very possibly, we're hoping, something for the near future. And, having seen the stretch marks that my mother is burdened with, I've always been wary of how my own body will succumb to all of that scary 'swelling'. Fundamentally though, this cream has turned out to be a surprise cure for my recurrent patches of eczema, but, well, if pushed, I might also concede that alongside the curative, I'm also considering the preventative. Secretly of course... Derma Mum's the word.