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Tag: family

Katy Perry: Part of Me (giveaway)

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang.

A screenshot from Katy Perry: Part of Me

If someone had told my 17-year-old self that one day I would be writing a book, I’d probably have gone red, cowered into a corner and felt generally embarrassed that someone was mocking me. Now, 18 years on, it doesn’t seem like such a bizarre concept. Here I am, finally living my dream.

Princess Ella and I regularly have the “when I’m a big girl…’’ talk. Mostly she talks about singing and dancing on stage. That’s all she wants to do. She’s highly disappointed she hasn’t been able to achieve that already in life – at the tender age of FOUR!

We stopped ballet lessons late last year. Although the elephant and giraffe dance live on, I assure you. We’re now on the hunt for some other form of dance for her, because there are only so many home concerts one mum can bear.

I’m going to compare myself to Katy Perry here. I know, don’t cringe. Just be thankful I didn’t marry Russell Brand or I could be telling a really creepy kinda story right now.

Katy’s new event movie, Katy Perry: Part of Me is a 3D backstage pass into the fun, heartbreaking, inspiring and crazy world she leads while on the road. You can only imagine, right? It includes these quotes:
“She was not an overnight success’’.
“People said she couldn’t do it.’’
“I think Katy is a dreamer.’’
And in Katy’s own words: “I feel a real connection to fairytales and I think in some ways I live in a fairytale’’.

These all ring true for me. If I’d listened to the naysayers, I wouldn’t have become a journalist. In a community where it was expected you’d work on a farm pulling calves out of the back end of cows or in a factory sorting out chips from potatoes, it was odd to say you wanted to write for a living. It wasn’t a realistic dream. And yet, a decade and a half in journalism and half a book later…

All I really want for Ella and Holly is to be happy and healthy. Whether they become singers, Zumba instructors or street sweepers is irrelevant. As long as they can jump out of bed each morning and love what it is they do. And if it helps look after their parents financially in their retirement, all the better. Just sayin’.

Sure, it won’t be a perfect red carpet ride – and I certainly haven’t had one – but passion and a positive attitude will help get you there. Katy has proven that. I have proven that.

Katy Perry: Part of Me, which is released in cinemas on July 2, is all about how Katy overcame obstacles to achieve her dreams. It’s a film I think young girls would take a lot from to show they can be whoever they want to be. Just make sure you’re happy with your version of YOU!

“You don’t have to feel, like a waste of space, you’re original, cannot be replaced’’.

Along with Paramount Pictures and Nuffnang, we’re offering five cinema passes to see Katy Perry: Part of Me in 3D. To go in the draw, simply answer the question:

What are your dreams for your children?

Please refer to the Terms and Conditions. Entries close July 9 at 5pm.

July 3, 2012
{My Tasmanian Backyard}: What to do in Stanley

It goes without saying that when you go to Stanley you have to experience the Stanley Nut in some way. Whether it’s climbing it, taking photos of it or experiencing the chairlift. Unfortunately the chairlift wasn’t operating while we were there over the long weekend, so we opted to take lots of photos.

And climb it.

Just before we were about to climb it, Ella let us know she was:

“going to eat some of the nuts as we go up the big hill.’’

Which was followed by a conversation about the fact it’s not actually made of nuts.

When we got to the top, the view was incredible.

I’d say it took our breathe away, but that could also be from the fact we had to carry one child and drag another up the incredibly steep incline.

After watching Julian skid all the way back down (I highly recommend you wear good grip sneakers), we celebrated what was pretty hard going by having the most decadent chocolate brownie and scones and cream at the Touchwood Cafe. Sublime.

Afterwards we took the girls off to the Stanley Seaquarium. Now this is certainly no Melbourne Aquarium and is tailored more to the kids than the adults. Manager Dianne gave us a great opportunity to touch the crabs, see the octopus being fed and learn about seahorses that you just don’t get anywhere else.

The girls just loved it. So if you have young children, it’s well worth the visit. (Check out the Tasmanian Giant Crabs in the gallery).

I even encouraged Ella to listen to the ocean inside the shell, but she kept giving me blank stares. What are you going on about, Mum?

The afternoon was then dedicated to roaming Highfield House, a home originally built in 1835 for Edward Curr, chief agent of the Van Diemens Land Company.

If you’re a history buff you will fall in love with the story and the way the European-influenced home is set up to be able to tour it yourself with the aid of a map is a credit to the managers of the home. It was a fantastic, and very hands-on, experience.

Julian sat down with the girls and played snakes and ladders, but was quickly “spun out” when he swears the spinner moved without anyone touching it. I think he’s been reading too many ghost stories.

Ella was captivated by the chapel and classrom, and the fact there was not a computer in site. How on earth were you meant to do Reading Eggs?

All Ella cared about was dressing up in period costume. She’d been itching to do it all week, even asking:

“When we dress up in old fashioned clothes, does that mean everything will be in black and white?’’

She got her wish. Here’s the O’Briens in the olden days.

The sneakers – and the big smiles – sort of give it away.

We finished the tour with the most gorgeous rainbow. Which was quickly followed by a conversation about wanting to go and find the gold. We settled for some ABC2 on iView at our Stanley Seaview Inn accommodation instead.

More on that here.

Speaking to the people of Stanley, the MasterChef episode filmed at Highfield House on Thursday night certainly helped draw quite a lot of interest to the place – and so it should. It has the finest food this state has to offer, incredible scenery and true country style service. Sure, it can get mighty cold. But it’s well worth a visit.

What did you get up to over the long weekend?

To view more photos, visit my Stanley page on Facebook. This post is part of the My Tasmanian Backyard series.

DISCLOSURE: Our trip to Stanley was organised by Cradle Coast Tourism. We were given acommodation and tickets to the Sequarium and Highfield House. We were not paid to write this post. All opinions expressed are our own.

June 12, 2012
Guest Post: Who would ever believe

It’s almost 18 years ago since you were placed in my arms. Perfect and so small, yet you had your own way of doing things. Even from the moment you came home from hospital. It was almost like you had been here before and you had your own set rules.

Never did work out what those rules were but let’s look back on what you have managed to achieve in the last (almost) 18 years!

Woody’s Oldest Son

You walked at 10 months. Actually you ran… it scared me so much that we decided not to have six children – I guess we almost made it!

You could climb 6ft wooden fences with your bare feet – and that was scaling them in seconds from the tender age of four.

Broken bones? Yep… we have lost count! Your first time was falling off a slide in a playground – you insisted on standing instead of sliding down. But guess what – you were built to last. That adventure ended up in a hospital trip, three different doctors’ interviews, many questions and one pink cast. Why so many doctor questions?

Well, you never said anything for a day (or maybe two!) so we hadn’t taken you in straight away because we didn’t realise it was broken.

Then there was the time you were running through the house. And you mis-judged the hallway. You sure made a good impression on the wall – literally! You left your statues in that house (with your head imprint on the dining room wall)

Then there was the time you said “Watch me, Mum” – where you grabbed some rope, swang on it from the trampoline, smack back into the wooden fence. YES. You did that, and you laughed. You went back to do it again even when I said “no more”.

Can you also remember the time you climbed a paper bark tree? Sure, the climb was easy, reaching for your lost ball. But the slide down was not something that you will surely repeat again? Your stitches in your leg may have healed, but I still remember the day clearly. So does the neighbour who used to live next door to us…. I have never seen a grown man jump a wire fence before!

What about your football smashing good times? You so loved to get out onto that field, and run towards boys double your size. You might have been small but you sure could play as part of the team.

I even remember you sneaking out of the house to run away… we found your note and guessed where you were. Out on the field – with one broken arm… nothing was able to stop you!

Over the years we have watched you grow, and said a little thank-you (maybe more than little) to your guardian angel. She sure is working over-time. Yet you manage to find your way.

There are no set rules when it came to watching you grow, but gee are we proud of all you have achieved, and we are so delighted that you are about to turn 18!

We can’t wait to the day you have your own family (just not yet please!). Maybe then you will one day realise how many of your fun crazy filled adventures sure helped your Dad’s hair to fall out, and mine to go grey. But hey, at least we get to say “Yep that’s our son”!
Lisa Wood brought a motorhome from eBay and then had to tell hubby afterwards. Lisa and David have five boys, four of them are travelling and living together in an old school bus that is being given new life! She blogs about her travel at New Life On the Road and you can connect with her on Facebook.

June 6, 2012
Antenatal classes enough to make you pale

On Monday I released a special Mother’s Day price of $5 (usually $12.95) for the Only Hearts Should Be Worn On Sleeves: The Snotty Truth About Motherhood ebook. There’s only three more days to grab a copy before it reverts back to the old price here.

Here’s a sneak peek inside the ebook to give you an idea of what it’s all about:

Antenatal classes enough to make you pale

September 19
DUBBED ‘‘huff and puff’’ sessions by some, antenatal classes have obviously come a long way from their earlier days. Well, for starters, there’s no huffing or puffing any more. For me, the scary part was who you’re going to get in your class. And thankfully, we had a good group.
For my husband, the scary part was having to see anything gory. And if you’re wondering, yes he will be at the birth, even if the entire time is spent trying to get colour back into his face.
The first glimpse of pasty-coloured skin actually came courtesy of that antenatal class. While he avoided having to watch any gory videos or see pictures of the insides of other women, he was presented with a nice, fresh placenta an hour into the first day. Lovely.
Having seen the insides of sheep and cows put in the wheelbarrow and then buried on Pop’s farm, a placenta was a piece of cake for me. Just not as tasty.
For city slicker husbands there was lots of deep breathing (ah, so now I understand why they call them ‘‘huff and puff’’ classes). And the faces turned a lighter shade of pale when one woman started mentioning how some cultures fry up their placentas so the husbands could eat them. Hence the supper provided that night was left largely untouched.
For me, the stomach-turning moment was the crochet hook-looking implement they’ll use to pop my insides if they don’t pop themselves. All of a sudden I swear someone turned the room temperature up and I was desperate for fresh air.
Overall, the antenatal classes provided a great insight of what’s to come and how to cope during labour. The most interesting moment though was hearing the mother of one pregnant woman saying how good she thought women had it nowadays. So good, in fact, she wouldn’t mind going through the labour all over again. Can’t be that bad then, can it? Well, can it?

What do you remember about your antenatal classes?

May 10, 2012
Aussie Giveaway Linkup #47: The Interview
Today is day seven of the 10-day Virtual Book Tour for the Only Hearts Should Be Worn On Sleeves: The Snotty Truth About Motherhood ebook. Being a journalist, I couldn’t help but want my contribution to the tour to be an interview. So here I am, interviewing myself. Yes, there is nothing I won’t do!

How did the idea for the “Mum’s the Word” Advocate newspaper column come about?

I was up the duff. I like writing. I just put two and two together and came up with a mum column. I might add, I had no idea what a mummy blog was at this stage.

What sort of response did you receive from the community about the column?

There were no picket lines outside the Advocate offices, so I took that as a good sign. We had the odd person who was shocked at seeing terms like “up the duff” in their newspaper and banter about your “girls” leaking, while others mobbed Ella in the street as if she was some mini superstar. Thankfully, she hadn’t mastered signing her name by this stage or the whole thing could well have gone to her head.

Why did you decide to form the columns into an ebook?

It could be said I didn’t want to see them buried forever in the dusty archives of the newspaper file room. Maybe I also had visions of buying a Porsche Boxter, but hey, I’ll take the Hyundai Getz.

What’s the best way to describe an ebook, for those who don’t know what it is?

It’s a way to carry this:

in your handbag without putting your back out.

Who would the ebook be an ideal gift for?

Anyone who’s had anything to do with babies or mothers – so pretty much everyone. And Mother’s Day is precisely 14 days away. Order it, include mum’s email address and it’s all done for you. You can thank me later. As can your mum.

What’s the best reaction you’ve had from the ebook/columns?

“You made me snort my wine through my nose.’’ This person clearly needs professional help for their little problem.

Where can I get a copy? I want one NOW.

Of course you do. Just click this link and you’ll be reading within seconds!

The tour features a few giveaways of the ebook, but you’ll need to be quick as some are ending in the next day or two. Now onto some other giveaways…

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 below 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.
Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

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April 29, 2012
The launch of Only Hearts Should Be Worn On Sleeves: The Snotty Truth About Motherhood

Today is a pretty significant day in the palace. The long-awaited ebook, Only Hearts Should Be Worn On Sleeves: The Snotty Truth About Motherhood, has been released. A tad earlier than expected, but in all honesty I’m just glad to see it finally out there. Kind of like the day Ella was born. I’d had enough of waiting.

For those who don’t know the background, here’s a bit of a timeline:

Mid 2007: I was up the duff and trying to launch a new magazine for The Advocate Newspaper. There’s nothing like a bit of stress when you’re “in the family way’. We needed a column and we needed some content to appeal to mums. The logical answer was to write a funny mummy column about the good, the bad and the ugly of pregnancy. Back then, I had no idea about mummy bloggers. Never heard of the things.

November 2007: Ella was finally born and requests for the column to continue quickly started. So we decided to continue it throughout Ella’s first year of life. Re-reading them, there seems to be an awful lot of discussion about excrement.

November 2008: A year later the column ended, but people’s desire to talk about the column didn’t. We’d get stopped in the street by people wanting to meet “THE Ella’’. Even older men whose children had long left the nest wanted to recount their favourite column. Always awkward when it involved the one where I sneezed eight times and wet my pants. Did I do that?

October 2010: Ella’s little sister Holly was born. With the column still being brought up in conversation at least two to three times a week, it seemed the right time to launch one of those mum blogs I kept hearing about so I could direct them somewhere to keep reading.

January 2011: This blog was born and my discovery of the potential of ebooks began. I started talks with The Advocate Newspaper around the idea of launching the columns into an ebook. Over the course of motherhood, blogging and starting a business, the ebook idea gathered a bit of dust in the “we’ll get there one day’’ trays.

April 2012: Here we are, nearly five years later, finally launching my baby. And it really is like having another baby all over again. At least this time I keep my dignity. Or maybe not. I hope you enjoy it as much the second time around as you did the first. And if this is the first time you’ve read it, I hope it gives you plenty of giggles and head nodding moments. If you see us in the street, please stop us, let us know you read the ebook and say “hi’’ to Ella – she loves the attention. She feels akin to Suri Cruise these days.

Oh, and it seems the support continues. This was what happened on Facebook last night.

Thank you. You have no idea how much those “likes’’ and comments mean to me.

If you’re interested in buying the book, whether as a Mother’s Day gift, for yourself or a friend in need of a good laugh, you can buy it here or click the button below.

Stay tuned for Monday when we start our Virtual Book Tour.

I’m interested to know if you read the columns when they were printed in the paper? Are you planning on reading the ebook?

April 21, 2012