Kidspot Top 50 Blog Your Way To Dunk Island

It has been three freaking years since we holidayed. Sure we've had the odd weekend away here and there - here and there being scattered very intermittently between those 1095+ days. Count that on your fingers, twice.

Ah for a family holiday.

I'd dig that, fo' shiz.

Dunk Island. I'd slam dunk that for shizzle.

The last real holiday was with my Mum and Dad in Byron. Tiny was a wee little speck in my belly. We spent a blissful fortnight in Byron Bay. Let's face it, any amount of time spent beachside is blissful. And any time on holidays is ridiculously awesome.

The Doctor was about two and a half, Tiny's age now. He loved trawling the beach with my parents, looking for shells, or any matter of seaside souvenirs.

When I think holidays I think of all the time I can spend hanging with my smalls - as opposed to juggling work commitments, and above all - domestic duties. I can't remember any time on holidays having to spend extended periods of time tidying or cleaning. Halleluljah!

Holidays, I think, always bring out everyone's cruisy side. Don't feel like cooking? Ace - let's meander our way along the beachfront to fish & chips and watch the waves roll in. I also like holidays with no TV. In fact, I love holidays with no TV. It's prime territory for board games, chatting, reading, lolling about, dreaming, and one of my favourite past-times ever - sleeping.

Even when you arrive home from a holiday you can carry that relaxed feeling for at least a couple of weeks. And once it's worn off, and your tan is nothing but a memory, and the only reminder that you holidayed was some stray sand in the bottom of your bed, some well placed photos to remind you of that time away together, existing, living, enjoying, adventuring, loving can give you an instant hit of holiday. Oh for a holiday.

Can you vote for me? Please!

Sweet!

One of my best friends sent me this. Clearly my Glee love knows no bounds. Clearly it's well documented. Clearly I am plum loco!

Mad Men fans stay put 'til at least 1:44. Golden Girls fans - ditto.

Thanks Buggy.

Date Night:: Feeding The Big Love

Did you read the article in Sunday Life about date nights? It happened to coincide with our long-awaited date night - and I've just managed to read it while the smalls enjoy their evening bath.

Date night was blissful. Date night was a lazy lunch together. Chatting. Non-stop. Uninterrupted, save for the waiter, a glass of wine sitting in the sleep inducing sunshine, followed by a sneaky pre gig beer (no alcohol, all ages). Date night was all sorts of awesome.

I am so looking forward to our next date night. At the beginning of the year we vowed we'd go on a date at least once a month, but sometimes the month slips away and before we know it, we've missed three date nights. But not again (well, we will try harder!).

My favourite kind of date night involves some good food and a glass or two of vino. Ah yes - cheers to that.

Date Night

As daggy as date night might sound, date night is something I always look forward to, and tonight I am pretty darn excited. Which has also been exacerbated by the fact that Tiny is on a terrorising tirade of tantrums. Wah wahs aside, I'm keeping my eyes on the fries - lunch where we were married almost five (!) years ago, followed by Angus & Julia Stone.

It's been a pretty stinky, no good, very bad week, so today is most certainly the highlight. Woot woot!

Tiny and I were in the city on Friday. She thought the tall buildings were castles and went into some princess induced type crazy excitement.

Happy Sunday dear reader. It most definitely is here. Except for Tiny tantying.

I Is Getting Fat. I Is Eating Cheezburger

Getting fat is fun! Being fat? Notsomuch. I'm eating too much chocolate. TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE. It seems like it surely can't be true. But after the PottyLittlePinwheel of Fortune, I is getting a nice tum tum. Give me ten cents and I'll let you rub my belly and make a wish.

I'm meant to be detoxing next week with Nat. Will you be in it?

When Life Hands You A Banana.

You make fruit salad, right? Or you can eat it monkey style...?

Or if life hands you a rotten banana, make banana bread - right?

Photos courtesy of Tiny and her train ride. (I've got plenty more where those came from - try ten shots).

Train Portraits:: Tangara Meets iPhone

Tiny and I ride trains together. Sometimes. When we do, we document our little trips. Sometimes. This is Tiny looking very serious. I think it's reminiscent of those old school portraits when you had to look a little sombre. Tiny can do sombre very well. And she can do crazy in the coconut astoundingly well. One day you'll see her grasping a big golden Oscar because she's just nailed crazy in the coconut.

Interview:: Oslo Davis

Corner of LaTrobe and William Streets, Monday 10am

"As I told him, losing ten kilograms could be the difference between losing your job and keeping it."

Queen Street, Tuesday 4pm

Woman 1: "Now that's how dinner should be: loud."

Woman 2: "Yeah, but not so aggressive."

Oslo Davis is an international man of mystery. Trust me, I've been sitting here googling images of him, to no avail. According to Google Images he's a black and white line drawing. But no matter, the show will go on, with or without a headshot.

Oslo has finetuned the art of eavesdropping - into his very own style. You've probably seen Oslo's work in The Age. His new book Overheard is a collection of more than 100 cartoons that have featured in the Sunday Age.

PMM: You have a new book Overheard. Are there any particularly salacious overheard conversations that you couldn't include in the book?

Oslo Davis: I've been quite fortunate in getting almost all Overheards past my editor, but there was one that didn't get through featuring a couple walking out of the law courts swearing their heads off about somebody. I find too that people's voices drop when they get talking about anything juicy. I try to lean in, but I sense their forcefield go up.


When did you start illustrating overheard conversations?

I did a drawing for A2 in The Age about what people were saying outside a theatre during interval and from that an editor thought it would make a nifty regular cartoon.


When I am busy eavesdropping I am paranoid the person speaking will catch on that I am listening. How do you make yourself look inconspicuous? A fake moustache doesn't seem to cut it for me. Earphones that aren't plugged in? Bugging devices?

Turning the iPod definitely helps. As does following from in front (an old trick I learnt from episodes of The A Team). The key thing is pretending to be engaged in something else - reading a newspaper, browsing some jeans. Even mindless talking to a friend, but bending an ear to a nearby gas-bagger is doable.


Tell us about the process for each illustration.

I store up a number of overheards in a little notebook. I try to take a photo or do some sketches of the scene of the crime when people have moved on. Then I sit down in my studio and draw it all up, using pencils and ink wash.


As a child did you always want to become an artist?

Yeah. I always wanted to do something that used my creative brain, be it something to do with comedy, theatre, painting or drawing.


When and how did you get your 'big break'?

I've been chipping away doing drawings for years. In the early days I just drew and sketched and made my own books and newsletters of drawings and writing which I posted to friends and people who worked at magazines and newspapers. I also did a lot of free work, just to get my work into journals and magazines. Eventually the right people started to see my work and I got little drawing gigs here and there. The Age has been supportive over the years and the former editor of M Magazine gave me my first big long-term break with Overheard three years ago. I guess it was a risk for them to bring someone on who didn't have a track record of working consistently for a paper, but so far so good.


Inspiration?

Cartoonists such as Bruce Eric Kaplan, Roz Chast, Saul Steinberg. TV shows - Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Mighty Boosh and The Office. The early films of Woody Allen and anything written by David Sedaris.


Flight path for Oslo Davis - what's next on your agenda?

I currently have a Creative Fellowship at the State Library of Victoria and for that I am working on a large wordless newspaper of drawings that will hopefully be out later this year.


And something completely random that we should (or shouldn't) know about you?

I once saw a man walk to the horizon and back in a western desert in India.

----------------------

Crossley Street, near Pellegrini's, Thursday 11am

"And hey - you'll never guess who I saw weeping at the end of Mary Poppins the other night: Eddie McGuire!"

You can get your very own copy of Oslo's book - Overheard here (such a perfect gift for Father's Day - or an ace coffee table, pre-bedtime read).

Return of Big Foot

The other day I was sitting in the park with some other preschool mums. Enjoying the sunshine, sitting in the grass, taking in the delighted squeals of small children, observing others running amok. It was an almost perfect, almost Spring afternoon.

Which came to an abrupt end when one of the mums pointed to my feet and said: "How big are your..."

I finished her sentence as she trailed off.

If I had a soundtrack, it would have cut off abruptly like an old LP. The birds were frozen mid-flight, the kids on swings were stuck up in the air, gasping. Everyone else in the park - heck everyone in a 10km radius froze.

I said "Yep, you're going to tell me I have big feet."

Yes. The elephant in the room. With big feet. I wasn't going to dance around it. Mid-flight she'd realised the error of her ways, but she'd spoken without thinking, and thus was her downfall. Well sort of. If I was Shakespeare I would have rewritten that afternoon, Othello would have walked into the park at that moment, mistaken her for Desdemona, and you know the rest. Or alternatively the Capulets would have come in chasing Leonardo diCaprio and then Baz Luhrman could have taken over directing my movements. I could have won an Academy Award.

Instead I said - yes, it's hard to find shoes to fit me. And that I had lived with big feet for my whole life. I'm well-versed in trying to find enigmatic larger sizes. And shoe-sharing with my husband. And then I changed the subject. Promptly.

image via Daily Mail

Natural Habitats

I have done my 21 days of habit making. I'm not overly convinced about my:

a) dedication to some of my causes

b) habit-forming success

But here's for the debrief. I am sure it makes for scintillating reading:

- water - yep more water

- exercise - ergh, negatory, I am going to puff out pretty soon if I continue with my chocolate intake

- throwing away things - yep I am excelling here

- housework - yep kicking goals

- meal planning - slightly better

How did you do? Did you kick some goals? (it's pretty hard to kick goals in a full-length habit, right?).

But Did You Vote For PMM?

If not, don't expect your trench in the mail.

PS: this is NOT my vote. I didn't donkey it.

Feeling Cranky? Yes? Feeling Mad? Perfect. Hit Play.

Funny? Yep. Awesome? Yep. Totally apt? Heck yes. NSFMP*

Am thinking of adopting this for my theme song. Too much?

*NSFMP = not suitable for my parents (or the kids for that matter)

Just What Ken be Done?

I know one of my sister's is particularly going to be interested in this post. Read on dear reader, for it will unravel before your very own eyes.

The other night Matt alerted me to the fact that an Aussie blogger is wearing Ken Done designs for the next 365 days to raise money for refugees.

A brilliant cause with a brilliant iconic Aussie unwittingly at the helm.

Ken Done has been panned over the years, but it is without doubt that his euphoric use of colour and naive line is instantly recognisable as he colours the Australian landscape.

You too can get involved in this ace project. You can donate or loan things for Jackie to wear on her well Done fashion adventure. You can donate a few coins too! Or even send in a photo of you wearing some iconic 80s Australian fashion (think Done, Kee, and so on).

Jackie pays homage to The Uniform Project too - what I think is one of the most effective fashionable, charitable social media projects executed!

Anyway, go over to Good Fashion for Good and read more about it. I won't hijack Jackie's awesome plan!

image is of course via Good Fashion for Good - What Ken be Done?

Mediocre? High-five!

I thought of a really flipping awesome post title and post tonight. And then flipping well forgot what it was.

So now we'll have to settle for mediocre.

We voted today. That was an event. Mainly because the SES people provided a service for dog owners to mind their pooches while they cast their votes. While we're not a family that has a canine, we enjoy patting other people's canines. In particular a five month old schnoodle. Or something like that with some crazy name that was crazy cute and crazy soft.

And prior to voting, Tiny was running and smacked her small noggin into the footpath and is now sporting a massive egg on her head. Yowsers. Poor Tiny.

The first time the Doctor got an egg, I freaked out and called the ambulance. Somehow he managed to pull the Kitchenaid mixer onto himself. I'd never seen anything like that egg. Called the ambulance, then hung up on them, then they called me back. I still wear the mother guilt badge for that, four years later.

We also enjoyed tidying the house. Ok that's not true. No one enjoys tidying the house - and I for one, certainly can vouch for that myself. However I tipped some boxes on the ground so now the mess is like an ocean of mess ebbing onto the floor. I'm guessing if I pick up a couple of things each time I walk past it will be gone in about 32 years. Here's hoping.

PS - Anyone who voted for PMM - expect your trenches to arrive in 2014. Or alternatively, voting is still over here... Maybe you can try and send me to Dunk Island? Alabaster in a bikini? You bet your bottom bippy.

image could be of our house. or alternatively it could be via The New York Times

Where There Is Sunshine

The Doctor accidentally sat on my sunglasses in a freak swing accident - one which also involved his two shoulders were almost dislocated. True story.

Now my sunglasses are totally wonky and falling off and they aren't going to cut it for the long, hawt Summer ahead.

Oh Colab. I know I love you.

Making Music. But at 10:14pm.

Tiny (aka The Boss) is up to her old tricks again and is enjoying late nights. I've pretty well given up on her day sleeps because at least if she skips a day sleep, she goes to sleep sort of early. Sort of.

She was so insanely tired today (and to be frank, so am I, no stamina post-wedding) I coaxed her into sleepytime.

And now we're paying for it because she's banging on drums, playing the xylophone and won't stay in her bed.

On the upside, when she WAS sleeping today, I managed to tick off lots of things on my to-do list.

When Tiny stays up late and drives me a little bit bananas she acts as the ultimate contraception.

Baby. Baby. Baby.

I have been loving watching SBS' 'One Born Every Minute'.

I just love anything to do with birth. I'd love to one day be a midwife, but alas, I will wait until my smalls are not so small and I can study full-time.

This program showcases some seriously awesome midwives - so supportive, empowering and genuinely interested in the mums and babies being born - and full of the LOVE!

Every birth brings goosebumps to me - the tension, the nerves, the tears, the frustration, the exhaustion. Those big gutsy pushes. Oh man, I just love it.

You can watch this series online too. Just in case you missed it.

image via The Guardian

MumSpace:: Sydney & Adelaide Mums

Here's the last chance to win a double pass (one available in each city) to see David Campbell perform.

Sydney:: 20th August at the Opera House
Adelaide:: 28th August at Adelaide Festival Theatre

Please comment and tell me which city you're in.

Winners will be drawn tonight at EST 9:30pm. It's a quick draw McGraw!

This is for MumSpace members only. You must be at least 18 and an Australian resident to enter.

Competition closed! Thanks to everyone for playing.

Tiny Dress Ups

Tiny is big loving the dress-up box at the moment. Mostly she's just loving her tutu too-too much. Five days running and by now it has been encrusted not with jewels or sequins, but instead Milo, melty chocolate, dirt and any other sticky food groups that she's gotten her filthy mitts into.

Today she dragged out everything from the dress-up box and simultaneously was a dancing koala-lizard. Interesting? Experimental?

Once we got home from our afternoon excursion she raided the dress-ups again. This time - a dancing pirate. See the theme here?

I think I'll try and sneak that tutu out of her room tonight for a quick wash. Chances of success are slim to none. But worth a shot.

Beautiful Lines

I love illustration. And I LOVE fashion illustration. It may be a little known fact that a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I worked in fashion. I loved the buzz. The giddy and exciting feeling of a new collection. Squeezing my frame into sample size (squeezing being the operative word).

David Downton worked on a huge mix of projects including advertising, packaging, fiction illustration and cookbooks before the Financial Times commissioned him in 1996 to draw at the couture shows.

In 2007 David launched Pourquoi Pas? the first ever journal of fashion illustration.

No matter his history, I'm pretty smitten with his fluid lines, and the economy of the strokes. Those few lines have the power to say so much.

all images are courtesy of David Downton

Don't Drink & Dance

Yesterday we went to my cousin's wedding. It was a beautiful afternoon.

And now I realise I really have two feet. Because they are really stupendously sore. I should have worn ugg boots instead of stilettos. Stylin'.

According to the sister that took these photos of my other sister and I, I turned into a real boozehound. And carved up the dance floor in a most unruly manner. I think the final photo is testament to someone having spiked my lemonades.

Oh and you see that there - -- that's my faux undercut - I fashioned it from a heck of a lotta hairspray and some bobby pins. If I can't have silver lame leggings, I gotta have something.

Back In The Habit - Group Pow-WOW!

Back in the habit is busting my bollocks, and I'm not succeeding in much other than my flossing. It wasn't a hard habit to rekindle.

So let's take a look at a few of our other habit formers over the past two weeks, let's see if anyone is flying high:

list.Lis has been getting buns of steel

ChoccyBangles has been showing off her buns of steel

Babble On has been reconnecting with old friends

Little Lady is kicking all sorts of goals - she's gone habit mad!

Coffee, Cake and Sunday is raising a family AND a garden - check it out.

As for me:

- Water is up

- Exercise is nil

- Flossing - yes!

- Housework - yes!

- Is that it? Can I lie down now?

Only one more week to go until our habits are so watertight we'll be doing them by rote. Let's go people!

A Hidden Garden

We have spent the afternoon exploring a hidden garden, trees heavy with camellia blooms, red, pink, variegated, so pretty for small fingers to peel back petals. So pretty strewn across the neatly clipped lawn.

Camellias are one of those flowers that appeal to me for many reasons, but mainly, they are just so ridiculously beautiful and I think, old-fashioned. I like old-fashioned flowers.

Image via Sazanka - a 1958 edition of The History of Camellias

Fantasy Island Friday::

Another Friday, another Fantasy Island. I've travelled around the world (actually I shopped local and kept my eco footprint and bank balance in check) to find some fantasies this week. Commes des Garcons Series 5: Sherbet from Mecca Cosmetica

Elke Kramer Blush Stud bracelet from Off The Runway

Well Spotted tee

Christina Lowry 'Away with the clouds' silver pendant

Have you had any fantasies this week? You can keep your filthy little mind out of the gutter! Shame on you!

Birds Don't Whistle, They Just Sing

It's Friday. Halleluljah! I wish I knew ya! This is the weekend, so roll up your sleeves and step out into the sunshine, feel the rays on your back, whistle while you wander. Whistle while you work, is that what I can see, a vague smirk? Do something that makes you squirm, don't even contemplate getting a perm (unless you're Dan Single, and you're ready to mingle or you just want to eat Pringles.) Walk barefoot on the grass, say in your best Scottish accent, 'my you're a fine lass'. Eat a cake or two, look at the sky so blue, don't go around sniffing glue, when you were small - did you say boo hoo? It's the weekend, it's time for freaking, let's go!

title of post from Angus & Julia Stone

image via The Sartorialist (wish I rolled out of bed looking like this, instead I am lily white and growing my hair out - ack! the pain.)

Why Copying Is Never Kosher

Or even why plagiarism is not the rage-erism.

If you steal content or 'borrow' ideas, the world is a small enough place that it will be noticed.

If you can't go to sleep at night because something's not right, then it's probably not right.

The Ever Evolving Lego Loving

Yesterday we got our filthy little mitts on something pretty darn fab! Lego are launching the world's first buildable board games in Australia in September.

The Doctor is suitably chuffed, and he has not stopped playing or talking about it since we took the game out of the packaging.

Lego is the toy de rigeur in our household at the moment. Park trips have been put on hold because he needs to clock up time constructing. I have to enforce outside play because it's not just an obsession, it's a hardcore Lego addiction. The Doctor has also been known to be ridiculously sad for having to go to bed instead of spending hours creating new buildings (his latest creation is a rad dog - skater boy).

But who doesn't love Lego (the only thing not to love about Lego is treading on it in bare feet - yowsers)? I bet you couldn't find one person who doesn't love sitting down to enjoy the merits of building something from bright blocks.

We're lucky enough to have Minotaurus ($39.99). And I am not kidding that we have been playing it since I walked in the door yesterday, I got woken up to play it this morning, and as soon as the Doctor came home from pre-school, we're back into it.

In fact, the Doctor loves it so much he's carrying around the catalogue everywhere (in the car, in the park, in the supermarket) and planning which one he wants next. Thankfully Minotaurus is a fun game. Matt and I are loving playing it with him - spending the time together, playing a game that relates to a five yeard old, but is fun for two 30+ year olds? Completely rad.

Even better is that you can change the game (and you get to build the board yourself) to keep it exciting. Minotaurus, you can not bore us.

It's Just A Wee Problem

Last night I was having trouble sleeping. Firstly I couldn't get to sleep. Then Tiny woke up all out of sorts. Then decided she wanted in on our bed. Fine, I love that snuggly little body. When the small legs are not under my neck. And when she's not wiggling like a worm.

At 1:58am I roused from my half-slumber to Tiny getting all excited and sitting up in bed, and a small voice whispering, "it's wet, it's wet". A little unsettling in the wee hours."It's wet, it's wet." Thankfully it was a small familiar voice whispering it, and not a large unfamiliar voice. That would have been really unsettling.

It was a wee problem. Not only was Tiny still singing like a birdie in our bed at 2am, but the Doctor who had gone to bed with his croupy cough (aaaahhhgain), but he'd wet the bed as well. Man alive.

Kids. Let's regroup in a few hours. When the sun is shining. Sounds good? Sounds great!

I hate wet the bed nights. Disrupted sleep nights.

(Dandelion - aka wet-the-bed - image via etsy)

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To...

So today I went to buy my tights. But people, people I know what you did. You went to AA and you bought out the entire rack of medium tights in silver lame so that I couldn't have a pair, right? Not even for a moment did I contemplate squishing my hips into the lone XS pair on the rack. I picked them up in disgust, asked the assistant for a more adequate size and was denied.

So I had to settle for something else. Something more understated. I mean dudes, insert a big, fat, giant HMPH right here ----->( ).

Black bamboo tights. Black?! You left me with no alternative but to go black. HMPH!

I tried my outfit on when I got home. The whole outfit. Tiny got a wee bit giggly and excited. I'm also wearing a vintage fur to which she said, "Oooh like fluffy" and then she spent 10 whole minutes trying to convince me to put it back on.

The End.

image is The Sartorialist I think.. She wreaks of awesome style.

Also - what about this ad?

And can't wait for Offspring. I will be at a wedding, but I will be taping it. I think it's set to be a brilliant Australian show.

I Might Just Go To Space

Since I am running as PM, and we've gone to the polls, I'm probably going to jet off into space to a wedding.

So far:

• 57.7% of (stylin') peeps think I should go silver


• 26.9% peeps think I am going to see Buzz Aldrin


• 7.7% peeps think I look like KAK's wardrobe exploded on me


• 7.7% peeps are self-proclaimed fence sitters (surely your butt must be hurting?)

You might be wondering about comments, I'll give you a sneaky peak:

• really not! it's too matchy matchy, go for black stockings, big bangles... Dude! It's not like I want to wear this! or even this! If I was, then you could definitely hold an intervention.


• You can NEVER have too much sparkle. The world NEEDS more sparkle.... AMEN!

But you will have to hold your horses. I might go into the shops tomorrow and surprise you all.. Who knows.. But no matter what, it will be one small step for man.. And one giant leap for fashion-kind. Get it? Get it?

Pretty Bloody Exciting!

Here's something exciting! PottyMouthMama was included in a list of top 10 mummy bloggers in the brand spanking issue of Shop 4 Kids. I was totally surprised.

Meanwhile the Doctor is completely chuffed that his dragon (as seen on the header) is in the magazine (a small picture) and is going to tell everyone at pre-school about this revelation, "Great, I was right, now I am in a magazine, next time I will get in the papers with my dino bones." (A girl at his pre-school does lots of advertising work so I do believe he's been harbouring some small form of competitiveness and yearning to make it to the broadsheets ever since then. And he's been fuelled by finding dino bones in my parent's backyard.)

If you're new to PottyMouthMama - welcome. I am Australian. But I'm not wearing a cork hat. Disappointed much?

image courtesy of Ange at KidStyleFile

Perth MumSpacers

Hello ladies!

If you'd like a chance to win tickets to see David Campbell perform at the Perth Concert Hall, leave a comment here and I'll draw the winner tonight 10pm EST.

You MUST be a MumSpace member to enter. And you must be over 18. And you must be an Australian resident.

Blog About It

If you blog about something, someone is bound to have an answer, or at least be able to talk it out with you.

My beautiful friend Two Tuesdays has come to the rescue with silver leggings.. Oh yes she has!

Despite the fact I spent way too long last night trawling the interwebz looking for them, she boom! Sent me a link tonight and answered my bloggy prayers.

My cousin is getting married this weekend. I am wearing this dress. Will the leggings make me look like I am jetting into out of space?

Maybe you can vote? Or you can comment? Whatever it takes people. Whatever it takes.

Click here to take survey