Playing

The Doctor is a mad keen word fantatic. He's seven, and has just finished reading Harry Potter, the first and second books. Yikes I haven't even read one.

He loves curling up with a good book on the weekend, and reminds me of a younger me - lying in the sun devouring books in a day. Nothing beats the thrill of a page turner.

It is a joy to see him enjoying the written word. There's so much to be gleaned from a love of words. Well in my book (pun intended) there is.

I was sent the game Bananagrams. I've seen it around the traps but never played it before. But my goodness, it is a really good game. We've been playing it after dinner. In fact the Doctor likes it so much he'd play it at every opportunity.  Before school, after school. He even tried to bring it with him when we went to Cockatoo Island the other day.

No scoring (which is great in my book), just playing all the letters to make adjoining words. Good old-fashioned word nerd fun.

I foresee long rounds of Bananagrams during the school holidays.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. Bananagrams was sent to PMM to try. Honesty is the best policy. It's a great game. I like it. The Doctor likes it. Matt likes it. Tiny likes joining random letters. I think you might like it. I wanted to share.

Fashion Friday:: The Love Boat

 

Love. exciting and new. Come aboard. We're expecting yooooou.

Well golly gee. Another Friday. Another day of nose-to-the-grindstone fashion. I am nothing if I am not dedicated to the cause.

Here I am, ready to direct you to your afternoon activities aboard The Love Boat. Clipboard is mandatory!

Would you believe the girls at work have no idea what The Love Boat is? So they dressed in nautical stripes. In return I made them scrub the deck, walk the plank and then sent them home with scurvy.

And love. Life's sweetest reward. Let it flow. It floats back to you. The Love Boat. Soon we'll be making another run. The Love Boat - promises something for everyone. Set a course for adventure, your mind on a new romance. and love won't hurt anymore, it's an open smile, on a friendly shore. It's looooooooooove!  Welcome aboard it's love!

Apologies, Captain Stubing has had me rehearsing our theme song all week - I can't shake it out of my head.



Are you playing Fashion Friday? Let me know and I'll add you to the blog roll.

Next week's theme: The Librarian.

Fashion Friday:: Paparazzi Lake Como Stylie

Remember it is Fashion Friday? Where we get to dress up in a theme? And role play for the day? Where we take method acting to the max?

This week's theme was 'Paparazzi Lake Como stylie'. Like as if I just snuck home from George's house back to my hotel, through the back door, and the paps leapt out at me. It was a crazy day. Ker-azy. 

The only downside was I didn't have a Starbucks cup, so I had to make do with the Pablo & Rusty's one instead. Sigh. The life and times of a celebrimummy. 

We all wore our sunglasses at our desks for the day. Everyone else in the company thought we were a wee bit bonkers (or we'd had a massive night out - or did a GroupOn eyelift), but who the heck cares? We had fun! 

I got to wear my mum's vintage cape - I remember her wearing that when I was just wee, and I was convinced she was a nurse. She isn't. And my new Mavi jeans. Wahooo! Yeah baby. The cat is back!

Next week's theme is: The Wedding Singer. Let me know if you'd like to play and I'll add you to my blog roll. 

Fashion Friday:: It's A Thug's Life

I am incredibly passionate. About method acting. I take a theme, and then I roll with it. I live it and breathe it. You wouldn't have wanted to cross paths with me yesterday. I was to the extreme.


This weeks theme was: It's A Thug's Life. Tell me I did not disappoint. I even have knuckle tatts. And hoop earrings. And did I mention my belt.


One of my friends at work asked if I had a dress-up box for myself at work, and I must confess, yes. Yes I do.


This is Cara and I. Thugging it up big stylie.

Anyway - next week I'm starting something new here at PottyMouthMama. Perhaps you'd like to play along? As I do every week for myself (and my colleagues) I set a little theme. So next week's theme is: Being papped in Lake Como.

Let me know if you want to play along too and I'll add you to the blog roll. Too easy!

LEGO Celebrates 50 Years In Australia

Fifty years ago, a man named John Peddie landed in Sydney carrying a briefcase of LEGO. I don't know whether he brought any clothes to change into - Sydney can be humid, it's wise to travel with spare clothes. But nope - John arrived with a suitcase of LEGO to introduce us Aussies to the humble brick.


John, who is still a member on the Australian LEGO Board of Directors said: "The brand name LEGO comes from the Danish expression 'Leg Godt', which translates as 'play well'. When first arriving in the country, this was my mission, to encourage Australia to 'play well' and it remains the same today."


To celebrate the 50th anniversary, LEGO are hosting a series of events all inspired by the iconic LEGO bricks. There are loads of ways to become involved - which we will be doing our utmost to be part of! We live and breath LEGO. It's part of our daily routine - and that's about to ramp up! 


Did you know that every Australian owns an average of 70 LEGO bricks? We have much, much more. In fact we've probably got about 70 Australians worth of LEGO. That's a heck of a lotta LEGO.


Meanwhile, you should totes check out the website, because I just have the hunch something is brewing over there. Something good is brewing. 


This is not a sponsored post. I love LEGO. You love LEGO. We can all LEGO love together.

There's No Better Way To Start A Week:: LEGO Giveaway

The Doctor and Tiny were ridiculously delighted to come home last week, after a long slog at school to discover a LEGO parcel for them.

Mama was delighted too - because the afternoon activity was completely taken care of.

We live, eat and breathe LEGO. Doctors may warn against this eating and breathing LEGO, but it's a way of life for us. And what's not to love?

The Doctor spends hours putting together LEGO kits, saves up his pocket money and Tooth Fairy money to save up for LEGO kits. LEGO LEGO LEGO. He wants to work at LEGO Land when he's big - and though he'll have to move to Denmark, he'll still come and visit me in holidays - so he says.

Yesterday Tiny busted out her Duplo and they had a LEGO 'expression session*' together, with their cousin Phoebe, building freestyle creations. It's pretty fun. And if I hadn't torn the house apart in an attempt to tidy it - I would have plonked myself right down next to them and created with them.

To celebrate everything good that is LEGO, LEGO have given me two sets of each of the below kits to give away to four completely, absolutely lucky people:

From one of the Doctor's favourite sets LEGO City:
Police Dog Van $49.99

The forest policeman has followed the robber to the cave where he’s stashed the stolen goods. It's time to release the dogs and lock him in the back of the police dog van before he gets up to any more mischief! Includes 2 minifigures: forest policeman and a robber.

From the new LEGO Friends range:
City Park Café $49.99

Andrea works at the City Park Café and loves dishing out tasty treats, when she is not singing into her broom and daydreaming of her big performance (I am clearly Andrea's kindred spirit). It’s the perfect place in Heartlake City for all of the LEGO Friends to meet for milkshakes and burgers or to chill and have fun! You can bake goodies for the girls in the café kitchen, complete with everything you need to serve up café cuisine instyle! Then hang in the outdoor dining area and have a milkshake in the sun! Order up a sweet snack, serve the customers and pay with LEGO money bricks!Includes 2 mini-doll figures: Andrea and Marie.

All you have to do is tell me in 25 words or less why you love LEGO for your chance to win.

Four winners will be drawn next Monday 1st April - no joking.Winners will be announced on PottyMouthMama as well as being contacted. 
Please ensure you include your email address. 
Competition open to Australian residents only. Sorry international peeps. 

EDIT:: Entries are now closed. Winners will be announced this afternoon. Thank you!

Really Filthy Feet

Here's testament to a busy and fun filled weekend. Look at Tiny's filthy footsies as captured by my friend Anna.

You know those doughnut things on a tilt, that spin 'round and 'round? Well Tiny lies on it, doesn't move and waits for someone to push it and she just grips on like a koala on a tilt a whirl. Deeeesgusting.

So she asked me to wash her feet, I obliged. She promptly returned to the spinning doughnut and got her wet foot back in that dirty, dirty dirt.

What's a mama to do but let her play and get dirty and have fun?

Childhood

While Matt's show was happening, all the smalls that were gathered with their parents played out on the street (supervised), chalking, customising masks, and doing what small children should do. Playing.

I loved this snippet of life. Slowed down.

It reminded me of when I was small. We'd play with the neighbourhood kids. Out in the street. Enjoying simple play. Remember running in packs?

I love this photo taken by my friend Bec. A glimpse of it. It's a picture of how childhood should be. That innocence is retained so briefly. It's so fragile and should be preserved.

Tiny playing with two gals she'd never met before, but it all just clicked. So simple and fills my heart. Sigh.

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.

Happy! Happy 101

Flossy-P has tagged me with the Happy 101 meme. And of course I'll play (yikes, I have some others to play, I haven't forgotten happy taggers I am just ridiculously behind!).

The rules are pretty darn simple: Name ten things I like - 3-2-1 let's go!

• Baking and eating cakes and sweeties
• Wearing vintage
• Friends and family
• High fiving
• Snuggling with my snuggle bunnies
• Dreaming about travelling with our wee family
• My ugg(ly) boots
• Going through old photos
• Receiving surprises in the mail
• Reading about Jack the Ripper (yeah I know, I am a weirdo)

And ten merry bloggers to play along:

• Mogantosh
• Rummey Bears
• Two Tuesdays
• Little Pinwheel
• Che and Fidel
• Knot Sew Crafty
• Her Heart My Hands
• Hugo & Elsa
• Leni & Rose
• The Byron Life
  

Go hard or go home.

Don't Go Back To Snotsville

Well hello there.

For the past week I've been in some sort of denial, and it's time for me to 'fess up.

I have a cold. Gasp. I am snotty, coughy, green mucousy, disgusting.

The Doctor and I got sick at roughly the same time. I lost my voice over the weekend and he wondered why I spent the next two days whispering. My voice is back, but only just. And so is that very charming night-cough. I am the Night-Cougher. Saucy.

I don't need to tell you it's not much chop when you are sick and have smalls. I don't have any brain capacity. I'm forgetful. I'm disgusting. I'm contagious. Even my teeth hurt. And I definitely do not want to have anything to do with tidying, cooking, or playing. Sorry. I just don't.

However, I did find these cute blocks at a garage sale a few months ago. We've been having fun making shapes with them, and the Cuisenaire blocks have been excellent for coralling the small square sheep.

What are you up to? Send me some e-postcards and take me away from downtown Snotsville!

It's Me: Day 3

Day 3 reveals that yesterday I was wearing my very favourite tee (it's Genki). Again. It's easy to wear. I don't need to justify it. Right...? Right...?

Yesterday we spent a glorious morning at Balmoral with my sister and her little girl (that would make P-Bee my niece). The sun was shining. The seagulls were swooping. The babes happily played together in the sand. Tiny got a little too up close and personal with a wave.

Hello Spring - I've seen you around the traps lately. Let me invite you in. Stay awhile.

Stuff That Mummies Do

It was a cold and blustery Winter morning. The rain was coming in steadily. It was cold. It was blustery. It was bunkering down weather. It was toe-freezing weather. Certainly not the time to be galavanting around town. Absolutely not the time to go swimming. But as a dedicated Mama, she packed all the stuff ready to roll and arrived, for once, promptly at 9am.

And there starts my story for today. Swimming. In Winter. Yuck. Walking into that aquatic centre is humid and stinky and - it's cold outside, and there's the mother who wants to tell me her daughter's at home quarantined with swine flu. And there's me steadily sliding down the bench away from her, a metre per minute - I'd give Thorpey a run for his money.

The Doctor went swimming. Tiny sat sidelined and ate yet another banana. Another sandwich. Everything in sight. Then we went home. In the rain. Quel surprise!

We then went to the Doctor. I know how to have a good time. Four year old immunisations. Yeeehaaaaar. Told you I knew how to have a good time.

And then home again, home again jiggedy jig. Do I have anything of interest to share with you? Do I? Do I? Ergh. In case you're interested, I mopped the floors. This is no mean feat. You can now eat off them. But anything of interest?

Well I was interested in building a gold mine with the Doctor while Tiny slept. We built some platforms, we shunted the trains around the track. We brought the animals out for a walk. It was fun to spend that time with him. Shut away from the computer, the TV, the phone - everything, and just hang. I love when we do that.

The Queen's Birthday: Long Weekend

I love a long weekend. Particularly when it involves family dos. Today we had a picker nicker at Balmoral. Another incredible Winter day. Playing on the beach. Digging in the sand. First tastes of fish and chips. Coffees from the hole in the wall. Hours in the sunshine. Catching up with cousins.

I am pooped to the max. After the picker nicker we quickly whizzed off to our friend's fourth birthday, and then home again, home again - jiggety jig. I am pooped. Bed - here I come.

Regular PMM programming will resume tomorrow. Until then.

Autumnal Afternoon Walks

The smalls and I have been enjoying afternoon walks. We make our way, late afternoon, down to the park, in time for the smalls to play for a while, the Doctor scoots around the path on his scooter, Tiny goes crawling off into the crisp leaves. It's clear from her expression that she's having a hoot.

Tiny loves the swing, and it's usually at this time that Matt rolls in fresh off the train.

We've been enjoying the fresh Autumn air on our faces, watching the trees shift from greens into golds, reds, leaves crunchy underfoot. Sometimes the smell of someone's fire, the Doctor asks me why they have a fire. Conversations transpire, conversations evolve. The Doctor shows us his break dancing, begs to go and play leaf races. Alas, there's been no rain lately, so leaf racing is off the walking menu. But we make our way through the second park and watch the dogs prance around on their evenings walks. We greet strangers. And those who divert their eyes - as though we're imaginary - I make sure I say an extra jovial hello. What am I, cellophane??

I don't think I've ever enjoyed Autumn as much as I do now that I have children. It's like rediscovering each of the seasons all over again.

Back To Magical March: Day 12

I've missed a few days. Punish me if you will, but I needed to take some time out of trying to see things magically for a moment to push through the week.

Today is Magical Thursday.

After forgetting to attend a meeting with my accountant on Monday, I turned up to see him today, albeit it 1/2 hour late. He's a rad guy. He didn't mind. He didn't even blink an eye when he saw the state of disarray my tax/accounting is in. Man, oh man, did I mention I hate paper work?

I stayed up late last night continuing Magical Methodical March. Silverfish be damned because you're not going to be eating here tonight. Awright? I even just found an invoice I've been hunting for for the past 36 hours. Magical and then some. Turn it up!

Since the last time you saw me, I've become magically hooked on Twitter. My favourite for the moment is Diddy. My goodness, his updates have made me laugh. But then I decided that things were going Twitter-ific when Matt exclaimed, "PottyMouthMama, now you're twittering to me about Tweeters." It's true. I hang my head in shame. IN SHAME MY FRIENDS. My whole life has become one online par-tay that I must attend at all hours. Breakfast, count me in. Lunch, snore - already here. Dinner, what's Diddy eating? Shame on me.

This afternoon we're busting out of the house once Tiny decides to rouse from her beauty sleep. We're heading to the park. There's no dinner to be had (let's just get it over with and delete it, no one's interested, alright?!). We're busting up some bark chip and we're gonna get vertical on the slide. Awww yeah. Magical March. Ain't nobody like you.

Magical March: Day 2...

Ok so it's really day three, but I missed yesterday and really, I'm lucky to be sitting here typing at all. Call me pooped, I feel like I've spent most of the day in the car. Hello Sydney traffic!

So Magical March, where are you? Playing in the trees that are about to turn? Skipping in the gentle afternoon breeze? Come out, come out, wherever you are!

While technically it's not Autumn just yet, but I go by the calendar, and to me, this is the beginning of it.

SOME (but not all) good things about Autumn:
- stomping on crunchy leaves
- raking leaves and running through them, throwing them skywards
- exit hideous Summer
- rugging up a little more each day
- that sweet cool air that lets you know - I am alive!
- rosy cheeks

Today is a pictureless post. Forgive me. But do tell me, what are your favourite things about Autumn?

Welcome Autumn:: Hello Magical March

So it's the first day of Autumn here. Thank goodness.

I got to enjoy some time outdoors with my smalls. Just me and them. It was calm. Beautiful. They'd both had huuuuge sleeps, their batteries re-charged. We played hide and seek. The babes giggled. We dug in the sand pit. Tiny sampled some. Delicious! Extra fibre! The Doctor and I dug roads and rescued trucks. I looked skywards - oh how I love to look skywards, through tree branches. It almost makes me giddy, those green leaves, that sky. Oh hello Autumn, we welcome you with open arms. We're waiting for the coloured goodness you're about to show.

Later the four of us went for a walk. A nice long walk. The Doctor rode his trike. We saw the black and white bunny again, but she hid because of the dog. Next time we hope to stroke her softness.

Welcome March, and welcome Autumn.

This is the start of my 'Magical March'. Each day I'm going to find something magical to blog about. Play along if you're feelin' it. Tell me too. (I might even go so far as to make a Magical March sidebar - I know, I know, amazing. But it is Magical March after all.)

Family Tree

Pip at Meet Me At Mikes is playing a sort of game tonight. A wee family tree. I'm playing too:

My Mars (my grandmother): sewer, crocheter, knitter, embroiderer (crazy, crazy good), painter, baker, big hugger.
My Mum: sewer, embroiderer (crazy crazy good), quilter, baker, sculptor, ceramicist, big-time hugger.
Me: sometime writer, sometime poet, novice-sewer, novice-embroiderer, super-nova hugger.

Won't you play too?

On Repeat: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

The last few days I've been playing a lot of this. It resonates with me right now. Maybe you'll like it too.



You can visit his website here or here.