Dirty Dancing...

So another day, another film... Dirty Dancing was, for many many years, my favourite film... As a girl I watched it every day after school, I was 10 when I watched it for the first time, at the cinema... What compelled my mum to take a 10 year old to see a film called 'Dirty' Dancing, a film about love and sex and abortions, topped off with some Daddy issues, is beyond me! But Mum let me watch relationship inappropriate films, and dad let me watch horror inappropriate films... In any case I loved it, I love the story, the characters, the actors, the dancing... And after so many years I still do... It's a great film, I still absolutely adore it!

I find it funny how hot I thought Patrick Swayze was back then, as a girl... As a grown woman he still has an amazing body, and his character is awesome, but there is no way I would tap that! It was really nice of the kids to let me watch the last scene uninterrupted! I watch one film in countless sittings, so it was a joy to get that 12 minutes of quiet!!!

Pretty Woman...

I have been watching some new films lately and decided that since I never get a chance, I should dedicate myself to watching some classics... Started with Pretty Woman for no particular reason, I LOVED this film growing up... Rewatching it now I have my own kids I am completely disgusted that I was watching it at 12 years old! Soooo inappropriate... Aspire to be a hooker, it will get you a rich classy guy... Ummm, no... Far too sexually explicit for a young girl, and I can actually see why I had the sexual attitude I did when you combine that film with a very relaxed attitude to sex as I was growing up, really wasn't viewed as 'special' and so I didn't, and still don't, view it as special... Oh the damage of youth! Haha...

Anyways it is a good film for the corrective group! Although I never got the Richard Gere thing, thought maybe as I am older now I would, but no... It still escapes me...

Hello Kitty Busy Book (also Dora the explorer and Thomas the Tank Engine)

We love these busy books, for a crazy $7 at Target (right now, run!) you get a board book story, 12 figures and a play mat! They come in Hello Kitty, Dora the Explorer and Thomas the Tank Engine... Perfect for a gift, holiday/plane toy or just because I love you toy... There are so many ways that they can play with them, with you, siblings or alone! If you are local to Target, get one!!!

James Boag and Son Brewery...

We went to Launceston on the weekend for the Melbourne Victory V Central Coast Mariners game... I wanted to do something touristy but not too far away from the city, and this was perfect!

Kate, our guide was very likeable, she gave loads of info but was never boring... The hour or so flew by, learnt a bit about the beer making process, and the history of beer in Launceston, checked out the process as we went... Finally there was a beer and cheese tasting, the beers were good, the XXX ale, which is actually a lager, only available on the island, was awesome! We even went to the trouble to get a pint of it after the game! The cheeses were mindblowingly good... Making me sad that Mark is vegan...

The tour was $50 for both of us, and you get the 3 beers and cheeses included, which was great value! It was a lovely way to spend and afternoon... Highly recommend it!

Hello Kitty Hello Art! Compiled by Roger Gastman

I can't remember a time in my life that I haven't love Hello Kitty, as well as other Sanrio characters... I saw a beautiful tattoo of Hello Kitty cherries posted by Pam Power in Instagram and she told me about this book... I contacted Spotlight Tattoo Studio, got permission and had the cherries on my leg that night... I also ordered the book, which is awesome... Some beautiful art, as well as tattoo ideas, all with the wonderful Hello Kitty as a focal point... It's just awesome, Marley, Mace and I sat and chatted and looked at it for 40 minutes - a long time to a 1 and 3 year old! And when I am done gushing over it, Mark can keep it with his tattoo books, it's a win win!

Also Marley is over the moon about the temporary tattoos in the book, we can have matching cherries!

Walking Dead Omnibus Vol 4

No blogging for a bit as Mark and I spent the weekend in Tasmania watching the Melbourne Victory play Central Coast Mariners... There is quite a bit to say, but right now I am tired so I will just stick to the ever amazing Walking Dead graphic novel omnibus I just finished...

First, if you don't watch the show, you should! And if you like graphic novels (comics) you need to start this series! I did blog about it a while back, but I read the Compendium in a little over a day, over a thousand pages of scary joy! This was done over two days, but I didn't have Mark home to help with the tiny humans so it took longer, having sneaky reads!!! It was absolutely gripping, I am so attached to these characters, much more then in the TV show, it's exciting and at times terrifying to read... I'm not doing spoilers, but there is definitely a feeling of hope by the end, I just love the places it takes you, it is about so much more then zombies!

Green Street Hooligans

You may be surprised to know that despite loving football, a West Ham fan and Charlie Hunnam, I had never seen this film... Through the first 20 minutes I wondered why anyone had, Charlie's ridiculous east end accent, just couldn't get in to it, and then I did... Deeply, I actually had a teary toward the end... The film itself explores football hooligans at their worst, it can be hard to watch and confronting at times... But it's good, if you can get past a hobbit playing the lead and Charlie's terrible accent!

As much as I love football, the Australian football culture gets such a bad rep, when it honestly feels so safe... I have never felt unsafe at a game, but I certainly have at other sporting events and that's why I didn't go back... I feel blessed that a football rivalry over here doesn't equal bloodshed... I remember at the West Ham v Leeds match we went to in 2011, it felt extreme that we would be let out at different times and have a proper amount of police as an escort... In the Premier League there are decades and decades of history, and it had gone terribly for some people, I only hope that the A League doesn't go down that route... I love that it is, for the most part, a family safe environment and I look forward to taking the kids, once they can watch the full 90 minutes!

TWG Tea Vanilla and Bourbon Whoa!!!

I have become a big fan of tea over the past year, not English Breakfast tea, mostly chai and peppermint tea... I was given the TWG tea bag gift box for Christmas, today I ran out of chai tea bags and thought I would crack then open once I was over peppermint for the day... I was a bit suss in vanilla and bourbon, but this tea has blown me away!!! Just delightful going over your tongue, and a sweet delicate aftertaste... I don't think I have ever tasted such a luxurious tea before, so I did a search to look at replacing them when they are gone, they are $19.50 for 15 tea bags! You can taste it, and see it, it comes in cotton tea bags, they are beautiful, seems such a shame to throw them out! So if you have a spare twenty, or are lucky enough to be gifted these, drink them slowly, treasure the deliciousness!

Beastie Boys tshirt for boys...

You may have noticed that hip hop is important in this household... When I saw this Beastie Boys tshirt on nextdirect.com I had to grab it for Mace! He has an awesome collection of hip hop shirts, I just hope he wants to wear them... He is going through a serious obsession with dinosaurs right now, so they are the preference for clothes, shoes, toys, everything!!!

2013 is going to be off the hook...

I have been looking at our year ahead, I am a big planner, work with a 5 year plan and fine tune each year the year before... So coming into January I have 4 interstate weekends away from the kids, a week in Vegas with Mark and a family trip to the Gold Coast with some friends and their kids in August, which excites me! I was telling my BFF about our year ahead and how at any point I will always have something coming up to look forward to this year, she commented that we go on a lot of holidays... She's probably right, but before you have kids, your whole life is a holiday, your relationship is THE priority, you have all of your needs met first all of the time... Parenting is not like that... We made the commitment that for the first 5 years I would mostly be with the children, we would do whatever was required to give them what they need to develop into awesome humans, and yes I totally get that this is different for everyone, but for us this is it... So to keep 'us' in a great place we have weekends away so that we can hold each others hands, have a couple of drinks if we like, eat whenever we want and just be free to be a couple, doing grown up things which are normally reserved for the kids bed times...

I have also always been of the belief that we work to live, not live to work, travel has always been important to us, and if we have to work, the reward needs to be more then just basic living... So we do this, we plan and take trips, it's probably the main thing that gets me through the 2 sick kids through winter thing! It's also what keeps our relationship awesome, because we do 'family' brilliantly, but when our kids leave home, we need to remember how to do 'couple' brilliantly too! And the way things are going, we will...

This is 40

I don't know what to say... I love Judd Apatow, I love the cast, but I was under the impression it was going to be a comedy... It felt more like a depressing drama... A few jokes, but overall I was totally underwhelmed... Funnily enough we had booked childcare to see this opening weekend, then Action Bronson was going to be that night so I transferred the childcare for that, thank goodness, I would be pretty angry if I wasted childcare on going to see that in a cinema... Oh well...

Seems to be average/crap film after average/crap film lately... The good news is that I am slowly getting through all of the films on my 'to watch' list and the. I can rewatch Battlestar Galactica! Back to work and normality tomorrow, looking forward to getting back into my routine, getting things done! It is the busiest time of year at my work, but after a very low key Christmas break, it's exciting to go back!!!

Cabin in the woods...

I have delayed talking about this... I love Joss Whedon... For at least six years not a day went by that I didn't watch several episodes of Buffy/Angel, and in my insomniac years, many more... Even in those first years with Mark, I went to sleep watching every night... And my daily dose continued right up until I had Marley, as with all things unsuitable for kids (most notably hip hop) I gave it up... When Cabin in the woods was announced, I was over the moon! Not only was it Joss, but basically an all star cast, couldn't wait to see it... Finally I got the opportunity, I even made Mark watch it with me, such was my belief in the greatness of this film...

It just wasn't as good as expected... It read like a montage of Buffy and Angel episodes put together to create a movie... If you have seen the episodes at length, it might be different, or maybe you felt the magic because of Joss and the cast? But I didn't... It is the first time since the Dr Horrible blog that he did, that I haven't been well and truly sucked in... You will have to decide for yourself, but I definitely won't be watching it again...

Sheeeeeiittt, and a happy new year!

Holy crap, I just realised that my first post for 2013 was about Katy Perry... Sigh... I'm so sorry! I had in mind that I would continue blogging through the holidays, but with the in laws, extreme lethargy, sorting out our house (making way for Mace's inevitable big boys bed!), it has just escaped me... The Christmas break doesn't feel anything like a break this year! Hopefully by next year Mark will be tattooing full time and he won't have a forced two weeks off and we can use the holiday as an actual holiday to go somewhere warm in winter!

Anyways 2012 was a brilliant year for us, looking forward to 2013 being more of the sane, but with a childless trip to Vegas!!! Wishing you all good health and happiness!

Katy Perry - Part of me and a bit of hip hop chat...

I need to make a few points before I begin... I went to Raise the Roof at the Espy last night with my girl Kelly... Briggs and The Funkoars absolutely smashed it... They really need a Golden Era show, like the scale of Supafest, but just their crew, would be crazy... That lot are seriously the cream of the crop right now! It was surprisingly quiet, and the crowd was random at best! Because of this night out, I am suffering an extreme hangover, and desperately needed something mindless to sit with... Cue Katy Perry DVD...

I am not a fan of her music, there is one song of hers that I don't mind, but that's it... It's her voice that has just an irksome tone, it makes me crazy... However as a human, she is hilarious... Loved her in the sesame st song and on SNL she was funny to the point of being an actual comedian! I also adore Russell Brand and thought they were a cute couple, even though they clearly got married far too quickly! So her Part of me DVD is a take on that tour, all of it, including the break up... It had me in tears (this is hangover emotion), I can't imagine losing my husband, certainly not so publicly, I was really impressed with how she put it across... I was also impressed with how often she didn't wear make up in the DVD, she has a really pretty face! If you are a fan of her, or her music, or of Russell Brand, watch it...

Hungry hungry hippos...

Marley has been asking for this for months, so at the Target toy sale in July I bought it for her and put it away for Christmas... She talked about it at least once a week that entire time, completely unaware that we had it stashed away for her, and she was filled with joy when she opened it and realised what it was! I must admit, I was concerned whether she would do well at it, but no matter who else was playing, from Mace to Mark, her aunties, me, she won about 90%of the games! Mace obviously has a way to go, he has his own technique which sometimes includes picking the balls up and running away with them, Marley minded her temper though and it was a great game for the day, and our futures!

I definitely recommend it for a 3 year old, even though it says older... Lots of fun for the whole family!

Lego Friends: Olivia's House

My family are crazy for Lego... Apart from me! We have bought Marley and Mark/Mace quite a but over the past year, lots of Friends Lego, the girls range, and they all love to play and build... Personally I'm not a big fan, until we bought this house for Marley... Mark built it with her while I was napping, when I woke I was disappointed with how small it was, then I had a good look, and I can see why the price!

Opening and closing doors, details of little things like the perfume on her dresser... Setting good and real examples like the fresh veg growing in the garden and the lawn mower too... I'm so impressed by this... Definitely a great present choice!

Merry Christmas!

I have been crazy busy lately with the in laws in town for Christmas... But I wanted to say Merry Christmas to all!!! This year has been full of so much good news from many loved ones, as well as being blessed with my own awesome family!

Today has been brilliant, makes me even more thankful for my circumstances... That I married a wonderful man, had beautiful and healthy babies, have the support of my brilliant mother and her partner as well as my cousins, aunts, grandparents and all of my wonderful friends... I honestly feel blessed every day, even the shit days! Haha... Looking forward to 2013, hope it is full of all the good stuff for everyone!

Snow White and The Huntsman

Another on my 'to watch' list for quite some time... I didn't have high hopes, but it was really good... Dark and beautifully filmed, an entertaining take on the story... And I didn't want a refund on the two hours of my life that it took! It was a shame about the cheating scandal tarnishing this film...

On top of wanting to see it, I wanted to see whether Kristen Stewart could act, and she almost can... Her trademark kissing/pained expression did put me off, but she wasn't as bad as any of the Twilight films, maybe bad acting is her interpretation of Bella Swan! Who knows..?


In any case it is worth watching....

Toothache skirt...

I have wanted this skirt for months! There is a dress in the same fabric, but it was too much fuss for me... I spotted the skirt, couldn't find it in my size, let it go and then found it in my size! I was beyond excited! It does have red in it, which goes against my personal tastes, but the cuteness overwhelms me! So here is my toothache skirt!

Black Swan...

When this was at the cinema it felt like everyone was raving about it... It sounded like my kind of thing, so I finally get around to watching it... Mistake... This film has actors in it that I love, but the story is just creepy and twisted going nowhere... Serious time suckage... I won't get that 2 hours back...