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  • WIN: Aussie Giveaway Linkup #40

    WIN: Aussie Giveaway Linkup #40

    Some of my wins for this week:

    • Playing “hide and seek’’ with the two princesses and having them always hide in the spot I’d just hid in. How easy is that game? Even better is when they searched under my bed and I jumped out of the wardrobe and shouted “boo’’. I had to change Holly’s nappy afterwards.
    • Tasmania being in the midst of the Devonport Food and Wine Festival, which meant The Bloke in The Shed and I experienced a five-course degustation dinner by Melbourne’s Pure South chef Dwayne Bourke – without a snotty nose or tantrum in sight. If you’re hungry, I suggest you don’t click on this link.
    • Holly finding her own solution to keeping her hands from getting cold when drinking her morning milk. The saddest part is not that I have a child using a stubby holder (now called a drink holder in our house), but that she gravitates towards the Collingwood one.

    Collingwood beer holder

    Some more wins are waiting below. So, get clicking.

    If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:

    1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
    2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents.
    3. Grab the button to add to your post.
    4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.

    Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.



    Aussie Giveaway Linky
    Hosted by Three Lil Princesses



  • Young Talent Time’s newest star has arrived

    Young Talent Time’s newest star has arrived

    Girl smiling and posingMost of you know by now that Ella is a huge Young Talent Time fan, which is not surprising considering she was born to a super fan from a previous generation. However, there’s one little difference between her and I – confidence.

    This week she stood up in front of her entire Kindergarten class and sung Queen’s Somebody To Love (performed on YTT by Lyndal) – twice. The second time she sang it without her pinky in her mouth! Not surprsingly, her goal in life is to be on Young Talent Time.  Let’s see if that one changes before the four years is up.

    When I asked her “why did you sing?”, she said: “because I wanted them to hear my lovely singing voice.” So, here you are, Ella’s “lovely singing voice” on Somebody To Love. If only she knew the words.

    Do you have a Young Talent Time fan in your house?

  • I Don’t Know How She Does It DVD review ($100 Rom Com DVD giveaway)

    I Don’t Know How She Does It DVD review ($100 Rom Com DVD giveaway)

    I Don't Know How She Does ItReviewing I Don’t Know How She Does It, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, has been on my to do list for… well, for a while. The aim was to have it out well before its release date, which was Thursday, March 1, by the way. However, my to do list has been so out of control of late with the business, the blog and my all-important role of being a mum, that this one got pushed down a little.

    sisters

    Last weekend, I finally had a chance to sit down and take in the movie – with a glass of wine too. Apart from the odd Tweet and Facebook (about the movie), I even put the laptop down. Shock. Horror.


    Maybe I was in the right frame of mind to see this, but it resonated – big time. As a working mum, the movie was highly relatable – the juggling of family time, with work time and everything else in between can take its strain some days. I live by to do lists and working to plans, but not everything always goes to plan.

    Parker plays Kate, an investment banker with two young kids and a low maintenance husband. She gets picked to work on a big deal with Wall St fat cat Jack (Pierce Brosnan). This constantly takes her away from her family and puts her in a position of awkwardness with Jack as they begin to get closer.

    OK, so my life isn’t quite like that. But the ball juggling thing is. The real hero of the movie is Kate’s dry humoured personal assistant, played by Olivia Munn. She pulled the biggest laughs for me because of her view on parenting from an outsider’s perspective.

    By the end of the movie I was in tears. Maybe I was tired, but mostly I think it nailed its message of trying to find balance. Sure, it could do without the interviews which are a little distracting.  And, at times, it was a little overdone (really, whose life is like that?). However, this was good fun nonetheless.

    And, before I finish up, there’s a giveaway. Of course there’s a giveaway.

    romantic comedy movies, rom coms

    I have a Rom Com DVD pack, valued at $100, to giveaway. It includes Life As We Know It, The Switch, No Reservations and I Don’t Know How She Does It. One runner up will received a copy of I Don’t Know How She Does It.

    I’m keeping it simple today – no forms. Just leave a short fun story below relating to the notion of “I Don’t Know How She Does It’’. Maybe you have a story about rocking up to a meeting with a head full of lice. Or have you walked down the street in your best outfit, complete with spew (I have my hand in the air for this one). Or told your boss you were having a mammogram when you were late for work? (No. Never). Whatever it is, leave it below to give us a giggle – even if it’s someone else’s story! The best stories win on Saturday, March 24 at 7.30pm.

    The same rules apply though.

    Terms and conditions: The Rom Com DVD pack competition will be judged on creativity and originality. The total prize value is $100. The competition opens Sunday, March 4, 2012 at 7.30pm AEST and closes on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 7.30pm AEST. One entry per person. Australian entries only. There is one prize winner and a runner up prize. The winner will be notified via email and name published here. Entries remain the property of Three Li’l Princesses and may be republished.

    Aussie Giveaway Linky
    Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

  • WIN: Aussie Giveaway Linkup #39

    WIN: Aussie Giveaway Linkup #39

     

    Ella singing using biscuit box
    Princess Ella using cheese and biscuits as a microphone

    I thought I’d give you a little insight into my week and a few of my wins:

    • The week started with The Bloke in The Shed getting “the snip’’ and ended with me getting all clucky over seeing a newborn bub yesterday. Um, too late now.
    • I performed a little magic trick on Twitter during the week, with @ThreeLil morphing into @KellieOBrienAU. I may possibly have an identity crisis before the week is out.
    • Princess Ella performed three Young Talent Time classics (complete with YTT moves) for the video camera this week. It was apparently to “put on your blog, Mum’’. My favourite is: “Ana ple-ay, oh story, and I’m hanging on a moment with you’’. Translated: “I’m on the edge of glory and I’m hanging on a moment of truth’’. Apologies to Lady Gaga when I finally upload that one during the week.

    Something I’m not sorry about is the fabulous giveaways being linked up in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup (yeah, I know, that segway was about as clever as those on Today Tonight) . Anyway, most of you know the drill by now – click the links and start entering to win some fabulous prizes.

    If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:

    1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
    2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents.
    3. Grab the button to add to your post.
    4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.
    5. Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.




    Aussie Giveaway Linky
    Hosted by Three Lil Princesses



  • My Tasmanian Backyard: Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot

    My Tasmanian Backyard: Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot

    Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot, dubbed the world’s largest maze complex, is on your way to Cradle Mountain at a little place called Promised Land in Tasmania’s North West. Yes, sounds like something out of an Enid Blyton book, doesn’t it? Well, wait till you see it.

    Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot

    Tasmazia was declared one of the world’s best 10 family attractions by GoTravel24.com, South Africa’s premier travel company. Aside from the tea rooms’ scrumptious pancakes (oh my goodness)

    Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot

    and the view out to the lavender fields, it’s easy to get lost in Tasmazia – and I’m not just talking about the mazes.

    Princess Ella particularly loved the fact we were taking the usual mazes from her activity books and turning them into a real life experience. And there are plenty to choose from – Hampton Court Maze, Confusion Maze, The Balance Maze,

    Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot

    Hexagonal Maze, Irish Maze and of course The Great Maze (which we survived, I might add).

    The girls were particularly taken with the Village of Lower Crackpot and this little house called Fairy Princess Sam’s Pink Palace:

    Tasmazia and the village of lower crackpot

    Built just for us, right?

    The village was by far the highlight for Ella and Holly, whose imaginations ran wild.

    Tasmazia and the village of lower crackpot

    Tasmazia and the village of lower crackpot

    Add to that a list of things you have to try and “seek’’ out, like The Three Bear’s Cottage,

    Tasmazia and the village of lower crackpot

    The Crackpot Correction Centre, Cubby Town (Ella loved the theatre complete with little stage),

    Tasmazia and the village of lower crackpot

    Humpty Dumpty’s Wall,

    Tasmazia and the village of lower crackpot

    The House That Isn’t There, Hobbit’s Hole, Signs with Sayings (over a dozen)

    Tasmazia and the village of lower crackpot

    and even the Kitchen Sink.

    You receive a little map on entry, so it’s relatively easy to navigate. There’s also a little gift shop with the most lovely staff, a noodle bar and some development over the hedge with some new little houses being built. Yes, we couldn’t help but sticky beak. The only point would be that it’s a little pricey for larger families, with adults $20 and children $10 each. Bear in mind, you will spend quite a lot of time there though.

    While our girls (4 years old and 16 months) were happy to wander through the mazes and discover the village, I can imagine it would be even more ideal for children of reading age who would be able to take over the provided map and dictate the adventure a little. Overall, we highly recommend it if you’re heading to Tassie’s North West and love places with an element of fun – and maybe a little quirkiness thrown in.

    What: Tasmazia and the Land of Lower Crackpot

    Where: 500 Staverton Road  Promised Land, North West Tasmania

    Opening hours: Dec-April 9am-5pm and May-Nov 10am-4pm.

    Cost: Adults (16+) $20, children (4-15) $10, Seniors (valid card) $18 and tots (3 and under) free.

    Are you into mazes? Does your area have a place that fuels children’s imaginations?

     See more photos on Facebook and read more from the My Tasmanian Backyard series.

    DISCLAIMER: We receive complementary tickets to experience Tasmazia. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

  • The idea of a little brother given the chop: The aftermath

    The idea of a little brother given the chop: The aftermath

    If you have a husband/partner/boyfriend contemplating having a vasectomy, this post may help answer some questions and shed some of those fears. WARNING: If operations make you squirmish, probably best not to read this one.

    dad and daughter

    By Julian O’Brien

    The anaesthetist peered down at me as I lay on the table. “You’re lucky it’s a hot day,’’ he said. Puzzled, I shot him a questioning look. “Well, it makes the operation go quicker if things are hanging low and not retreating,’’ he said. And that was the last thing I remember.

    Waking up what seemed like hours later after my vasectomy, which happened on the morning of the Labor leadership challenge, I was ashamed my first slurred words on waking were … “so, is it Julia or Kevin?’’. Yep, weird I know – not entirely relevant to the situation I found myself in.

    Sitting in my robe awaiting the surgery, it had seemed like an eternity to get to that point. Truth be told, it was. You see, Princess Kel and I had talked about this a long time ago (even pre-marriage) and decided, should we be lucky enough to get our two children, I would bear the burden of birth control. It’s an incredibly personal choice and not for everyone.

    One thing is reinforced through the whole process and that is: While there is an outside chance of reversal once done, the operation should be considered terminal for your “little squigglies’’. It’s not a decision we’d taken lightly and we’d received good advice to take our time with it as I’d spoken about in my first post on the topic.

    Strangely, I went in to the operation with very few nerves at all. It was a relatively straight-forward procedure. Post op I sat enjoying a sandwich and a coffee when the nurse said to me, “he (my surgeon) doesn’t usually give you any stitches, he just leaves a hole’’. At my first opportunity, I grabbed a sneaky look and, sure enough, there was just one single hole. (Can someone pick my wife up off the floor please, she gets a bit queasy).

    Anyways, the post-op pain was OK, but I did decide to take a couple of the prescribed painkillers. That feeling was worse than the operation. For the next few hours I laid on the couch watching the roof spin before they wore off and I pledged to stick to nothing but Nurofen from that point.

    I’ve taken the medical advice and taken it relatively easy since. Thing seems to be going OK. The process now? Well, I’ve got eight weeks to work the remaining “little squigglies” out of the system fully (vasectomy bonus!) before I book a date with a specimen jar and pathology. That’s one story I’ll leave well alone.

    If you have any questions at all, I’m more than happy to answer them.