Ever since I made my Danielle Thompson Curated album I have been keen to do more - I am however intrinsically lazy when it comes to designing the the templates and quite honeslty there is such great ones already out there . This on caught my eye this week.
Quotes I would use that are haunting us right now
Said by me
I'm just saying
Because I'm the Mumma
Cut off jeans do not constitute a nice outfit
Packing up your craft includes cleaning your paintbrushes
Turn off your reading lamps and go to sleep.- repeated over and over again
Said by the girls
Can we go to borders and afternoon tea?
Where is my hairbrush? ( said EVERY MORNING without fail)
Whatcha doing?
I need a xyz breed pocket frog
Its not fair. It's my turn ( said by both of them regulary in unison -usually with a stamp of the foot or a slam of the door )
You'll note Rchrad doenst even get a look in - Its kind of female centred round here at the meoemnt - He is doing a lot of eyerolling and praying that the stage moves on LOL.
and as always I have realised I haven't snapped anywhere near as much as I thought I had.
Sof has an art assignment to work on where she has to choose a piece for inspiration and recreate it in some way so we used that as an excuse to go :) We had been waiting for it to reopen after the floods.
It was a real treat to have Richard with us for the day - usually its just the girls and I as we venture to GOMA in the hols.
This was amazing in both size and structure- I love when they run kids events that they have such wonderful explanations - not too complicated but not dumbed down either. Richard wanted to pretend to be eating it - I'm not sure why.
The sheer scale of artwork is quite impressive- we loved this cardboard bridge
and this was inside - an amazing feeling of being suspended in air overlooking a solar system - you are only in there for 45 secs I could have stayed much longer.
The main reason for going to GOMA was to find an inspiration piece for Sof. This is it she thinks. An incredible 4000 piece mosaic using triangles and hexagons.
Our favourite part of the day - this very neat pool which you have to experience - You look down into it and see the people inside - then you go down and become the people inside :) Very clever!
There is also a fantastic live bird display of finches and music - has to be seen - so so good the girls loved this - incredible structures made from coathangers
We also saw 16 impersonations of Michael Jackson , entered a room full of Balloons, became honorary members of Alienation after sitting a quiz, watched a lego city being created, learnt about bindis - and decorated ourselves accordingly - and much more. Such a full day .
I loved this quote I saw on a wall.
The highlight of the day for Talia was meeting these girls dressed in Japanese street fashion style- which is what her art assignment is on would you believe??? - so she was thrilled when they agreed to be photographed with her :)
Fun - Do go if you are a local- Its all free - gotta love that even more. Hope your Sunday was fab.
This is week coming is going to be crazy busy as we try to finalise some family concerns - meetings, difficult conversations and decisions to be made - agggh I hate that never my forte, so I may be a little quiet.
The pocket Frog craze has hit our family fast. I have to admit I'm not much of a game player on my phone at all- I have hardly any games but Gigi twittered about this one and I had a quick look- it was free and I needed something to keep the girls busy and occupied this week while we were dealing with some stuff which required alot of sittign and waiting and meeting.
This was perfect - and free.
Well we are all totally hooked. - Richard and I both have it on our phones and I find myself playing as much as the girls- if not more LOL.
The idea behind the game is that you breed tame and catalogue frogs. As you progress through the levels more "flavours" are revealed :)
One of the cool things about coming late to a fad is that everyone else has already done the work for you LOL. So with a quick google I have found so much info and lots of people have put together cheat/help sheets and tips on how to play.
Tonight I'm printing stuff out so we can get it sorted!- and I'm putting this all into one post so we can have a link of this page for when we are playing out and about.
So the frogs are all different colours - and breeds - you have to get used to the names fairly quickly but different ones are unlocked at different levels.
Here is an overview
Different base colors can be found at any level. The base colors include:
Different breeds become available as you level up. Breeds from level one through eight can be bought at the frog store. The available breeds and colors change every day. The following is a break down of which breeds become available at which levels.
Level one: Anura
Level two: Crustalli and Velatus
Level three: Clunicula, Marmorea, Puncti, Tribus (must trade or get within first week of games release), Glacio (only at Christmastime), and Lanterna (must trade or get during the week of Halloween)
Apart from cruising around breeding frogs (as above ) , eating dragon flies, looking for gifts and sending frogs to friends - the best part is there is a whole series of awards - where you have to find or breed certain styles of frogs.
Here is a spreedsheet I found which spells it out and makes it much much easier to work out what you need for each award. I have printed it out for us to mark off as we go- and to be able to check easily as we find unusual frogs in our travels.
So far we have worked our way through 8 awards. There is also a catalogue section I'd like to get one of every colour frog in the catalogue - would make it so much easier for breeding but that's going to take some time - It can be done - as I found over here
Apart from zapping your time - Pocket frogs also really zaps your battery. Thats really the only downside .
My final word on it is that Tals and I have been working hard on the awards etc - and we just sent Sof some frogs to make Award No 4 - I Choose You - I had to show her what to do with them and when I checked her nursery and habitats all her frogs were twins :) She said I like having twins - then they aren't lonely. So so cute.
Go on you know you want to play now don't you ?? - Link to itunes is here
Today I had a few hours to myself - and went to see Black Swan. I had heard so much about it. It think it is one of those films that you need to see in the cinema if you are going to see it. I did find myself closing my eyes and hiding behind outstretched fingers - looking without looking quite a few times.
It's certainly different and I think I almost have to see it again as I'm not so sure I really followed what was true and what was in her mind. That aside Natalie Portman was fabulous.
If its not on your to watch list and you want to know the WHOLE story you can read it all here
Otherwise here is the outline
Nina (Portman) is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive former ballerina mother Erica (Hershey) who exerts a suffocating control over her. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side - a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.
and lest you think why is she prattling on about a movie that shes unsure if she recommends what I wanted to do was let you know that there are $7 tickets available at the moment :0 - If you are near an events cinema that is.
I found out about it through twitter - I follow @cinebuzz on my twitter stream - well worth adding :)
go here and buy your token - then when you go to buy your tickets add in your code. You can even use them for 3d movies - I think they add an extra $3 for that . Sale ends on March the 8th I think but you can use them up until April sometime.
I asked my Year 12's for recommendations - they also suggested I an number four but i think Richard would probably enjoy that one.
I was keen to see Burlesque but it wasn't on at a good time. The girls would like to see Gnomeo and Juliet - I am not so keen on that LOL but I will probably take them when Richard is away next.
What's not to love about buttons? They make such a perfect addition to nearly every project. I dream of finding great big jars of vintage buttons in op shops but alas its not happened yet. I can hold out hope right?
I've noticed more and more button projects and pictures popping up on pinterest lately and I keep going to repin them but they don't fit any of my other categories - good excuse to make a new board I say
and I found this pretty tumblr account with all manner of button love- I particularly love November's posts.
Heading off to lounge on the couch with one of girls who is a sickie running a temp :( :( :( I'm planning on getting lost in my new book. Richard making guacamole burgers for dinner.
While browsing through the book store the other day I spotted this book. I loved the idea behind it just by reading the back and had decided to buy it this weekend and get lost for a little while in the stories of the dresses. Now I have googled for more details I am totally smitten and can't wait to get it.
When Dora returns to her home town to run her grandmother's vintage clothing store, it feels like a step back in time. But when she discovers that her grandmother has been writing stories to accompany every dress she sells in her shop, she begins to feel like she's part of something special. And when the stories start to help Dora forge a new path towards the future - to happiness and maybe even true love - it becomes clear she's not going backwards at all...
Erin McKean loves words and vintage clothing. Marry the two and you have her debut novel The Secret Lives of Dresses.
When Dora, the book's main character, goes home to run her grandmother's dress shop, she finds each item has a story attached, written through the eyes of the dress.
Erin is a lexicographer and is co-founder of online dictionary Wordnik. She's also an avid sewer and a collector of vintage clothes.
Here is fabulous podcast interview with Erin Mc Lean. You really must listen to it. She sounds so fabulous - she makes her own dresses and creates stories around them.
She also has a gorgeous blog - called a dress a day where she shares beuatiful vintage patterns and dresses. The blog came before the book :) And you can follow her on twitter here
I'd like to hit the reset button on this week - all manner of interesting things going on none of which I can share yet until I get them sorted - My daughters are giving me grief! - which sounds bad but its not its just stressy trying to decide what the heck to do with them. That all aside
this afternoon and tonight I would have cheerfully sold them both
On the bus home this afternoon they got into an argument over who knows what so child two decided to tie child ones shoe laces together
As she got off the bus she fell of course and cried the whole way home with two bloodied knees a split lip and a grazed nose. You can imagine the howling - I could hear them half a street away and went out to find them.
Needless to say neither were talking to one another.
I was cross on a number of levels- the fighting the shoe tieing the accident the howling - can you just imagine the scene they made on the bus and at the bus stop? I shudder to think.
ANYHOW I say those knees dont look good you may not be able to swim tomorrow at the swimming carnival.
More tears slamming of doors Your not my sister anymore ....
So teh afternoon routine was kinda out of whack. Instead of the usual unpack your bags etc I leave them to sulk for a while before I make them sort it out.
All is happy until 8.00pm when I say ok get sorted bags - where are your swimmers ( they had swimming lessons at school today you can see where Im going can't you ???
Instant chaos Oh No I left my swimming bag on the bus - waaaah its your fault Your not my sister ( again ) etc etc etc.
SO at 8.25pm we had no swimmers no rashy no sunscreen no goggles no thongs no swimming bag for one child.
Fortunately Kmart is open until 9.00 I had time to rush there and buy one rashy and one pair of togs - the last of each in her size. You can imagine my delight when I came home with these and I was told oh Mumma not purple - My look must have been enough as she quickly changed it too oh well at least its not pink ( my pink hating daughter ). $12 swimmers they'll probably last one whole wear but right now I love Kmart LOL.
SIGH.
She's sharing the sunscreen and goggles with her sister, we have a second set of thongs and tomorrow Richard starts the ringing around to work out how to find the missing bag.
This week seems to have passed in a blur - it's been crazy busy and has required a lot of thinking time too. Do you ever have days like that ? It's not the stuff that you are doing it's the thinking around the stuff that takes the energy.
Richard started his first week working from home - It's taking some adjusting for him and I - he needs to talk incessantly as I walk in the door because he hasn't been around people all day - And I need to go to a quiet room with no noise as I have been around hundreds of people and voices all day - Kinda not working right for us yet.
We had our family meeting around chores and responsibilities which is moving along well but zapped me and required alot of creative thinking to make it work for everyone.
I moved back into my office at work - after being out for over 4 months- I think oe even longer -they have been dealing with some mould issues and high levels of formaldehyde which was giving me asthma. It's been tricky and now I have so much to sort out but it's good to be back in.
Two trips to the optometrist for Talia with the need for glasses and the talking up of how great they'll be only to find out this afternoon that they aren't needed ( YAY ) She is devastated as we'd done such a good sales job . SIGH Can't win
Two meetings with the girls teachers and now I'm waiting to meet with administration next week. The girls have gorgeous teachers who we so thankful for but we are battling some issues which are yet to be resolved.
Richard spent many hours glued to the phone for two different isps - our outgoing one and our new one. Not even going to begin to tell that story it's so out of control ridiculous. Anyhow we think it's solved will know more on Tuesday. Not loving the off shore call centres.
Richard's Mum is recuperating in hospital after a knee replacement op on Monday. Today we found out they are sending her home on Sunday -so worried about how well she will convalese at home but it can't be helped.
So sad to hear the woes of Borders and A and R - I always thought we kept them in business LOL but clearly not. Hoping they manage to stay open - we love Borders at Robina.
I have been watching Big Love - it's so fabulous I am part way through season two and I love that I have a little stash of Itunes cards that I received from various sources for Christmas -Im giving them a good workout.
Welcome to my blog, I am so happy you came to visit. I share the stories of my life creating, documenting and loving as a Mumma to twin girls. I am navigating a clean eating lifestyle as I run towards being a breast cancer survivor.
