Category Archives: family
My Week in Photos (and all Aussie Tix are Now On Sale!)
Poster spotted in Adelaide. It's a-happening!
First things first, as of yesterday morning, tickets are all OFFICIALLY ON SALE for all my upcoming Aussie gigs! Woohoo!
Adelaide Fringe tix here!
Brisbane Powerhouse tix here!
Melbourne International Comedy Festival tix here!
I’m thinking of doing a bit of a competition in each city, offering free double passes to see the show to peeps photographing themselves (or their hands, or their gnome/teddy/figurine of choice) spotted with my posters. Whaddya reckon? A little self-indulgent, yes? Yes? YES. That’s why I kinda love it. I’ve always dreamed of becoming the hunted in a real-life “Where’s Wally?”
So, in between panic attacks, this week has been crammed with littlest’s birthday celebrations…
…a friend’s hens night…
…a much overdue hair overhaul…
Can you see the blue bits? It's a little wilder when it's all out...I thought it might go well with my tutu!
…Valentine’s Day tradition-eschewing in favour of a family picnic at the park…
One of my fave ever kidly pics.
…and the requisite to-do item of “ignoring housework.”
Seriously, I completely freaked out the other night about the state of our house, when my hubby kindly pointed out that if I intend to set the bar so ridiculously high for things-that-must-be-squeezed-into-the-one-lifetime then that’s all well and good, but that perhaps I need to accept that having a house that’s always up to scratch on the tidy front is going to be a casualty. At least until we can afford to bribe my kids adequately hire professional help. Ahhhhh. My innards sigh just thinking about it.
Ah well. At least in my imagination my house is beautiful and blog-worthy all the time. And imagination is more important than knowledge. Einstein said so.
Our artsy attempt at a Family Purpose Statement
This vision you see before you is the result of a family bonding event gone this past weekend.
Let me start by being honest: things can get pretty nuts around here. I know this is true of pretty much every family household I know, so I’m certainly not pleading special circumstances, but just with the added factor of Mummy dearest to-ing and fro-ing all over the countryside for performances and such, well yes…I’m pleading special circumstances.
And with more performances coming up this year than ever before in our family’s history, I’ve recently realised more than ever how much we are in dire need of some help in:
a) making our time together really, REALLY TRULY count; and
b) getting more organised in terms of practicalities. (Oh dear HEAVENS when we can finally afford professional help with that I will consider that my moment of having “made it”. You have it in writing.)
So, I headed for the first place any approaching-overwhelm mother would in such circumstances: an all-you-can-drink buffet a helpful e-book. After seeing it plugged on another blog, I opted in for this one: One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler.
Thus far, I’ve checked off a couple of these projects, much to my delight (hello morning routine! Menu planning! IS THERE NOTHING I CANNOT CONQUER?!) and last night, the five of us gathered together to nut out one of these tasks as a family: crafting our Family Purpose Statement. A little cheesy? Sure. But those of you who know me well know how I love to embrace the dairy in life.
We each contributed ideas to the kind of family we want to be, even littlest (whose contribution of a Buzz Lightyear quote: “I come in peace!” was included on the grounds that:
a) we wanted everybody in the family to be a part of the statement; and
b) once we adapted it to “we”, it actually is rather cool indeed. WE COME IN PEACE, YO!
Then today, we set about emblazoning it in gold. Only that didn’t work out, so we opted for the next best thing: a mixed media collage.
It now has prime position in our kitchen. And I kinda love it. Now I finally have something to stare dreamily at when I find my happy place.
Note: I have already uttered the phrase today (that’s right, on DAY ZERO):
“Where does it say “hit each other!” on the family purpose statement? WHERE?!?!?!”
I am not proud.
And yet…I am.
“The Bum and I.”
This pic taken inside a funky West End cafe. If there's a connection between this image and this story, it's probably cos you made it.
I was reminded of a moment from my past today, upon reading this gorgeous post at Edenland.
I responded in the comments so thought I’d share the story with you.
I was living in Sydney and had just found out I was pregnant that week, completely out of the blue and in far from ideal circumstances. Broke. Single. Jobless. It had been a rollercoaster ride of a few days, calling my sister, my friends, my ex-fiance, counsellors, asking for advice, mulling it over, drowning in hormonal angst…then that Saturday, I did something that took me completely by surprise: I made the decision to have the baby.
I was walking down the street with my friend when this homeless guy sitting there asked for some spare change. I said “sorry mate,” but then stopped and went back to him. “I don’t have any money, but…do you smoke?”
“Yeah!” he said.
“Here.” I handed him my near-full packet of tobacco, rolling papers, filters and a lighter as he thanked me.
My friend piped in: “She’s just found out she’s pregnant.”
“Aw!” he said, smiling up at me. “CONGRATULATIONS!”
He was the first person to actually respond to the news in any positive manner whatsoever.
And I’ll never forget it.
A Peek Inside My Office If You Dare…
Where the magic happens. (If by "magic" you mean "endless facebooking."
I’d love to tell you that the reason I’m sharing this little tour of my home office is because I was simply inspired to do so by its sheer beauty, its gorgeousness and its wondrous ability to lift me up where I belong…but the truth is, I finally pulled my finger out today and shovelled about a gazillion bits of un-filed paper into other unknown crevices in an attempt to make it look at least semi-decent. And as Fiona O’Loughlin herself says, “there’s no point to doing anything without an audience”! So the moment I had mopped my brow from such complete and utter cleaning-exhaustion, I put finger to i-phone and documented the shizz out of it.
Because if I’m totally honest, heaven knows when or indeed if it will ever look this way again.
A few bits and pieces I'm reading right now.
I swear I didn’t line these up specifically to show you; they are quite truly what are on my desk at the mo. I’m about halfway through “Dear Fatty” which I’m enjoying very much and connecting with in more ways than one (see my previous post on this here).
My PRECIOUS.
This is my prize and joy (yes, that’s right, I said PRIZE!) I ripped the original poster off a pole in Saskatchewan, Canada, where I had spent the entire day driving across the state 7 months pregnant, with two small children in the back of the car, just to seize my once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the man himself live. When he walked out onstage, I almost wept. What a masterclass in comedy that was. I should write an entire post just on that gig. Note to self: add to to-do list.
The clutter corner! At least it's colourful.
My philosophy on interior design? If it’s gonna be messy, at least make it a mess of pretty things.
My magnetic noticeboard. I'm just proud that after months of having it sit on my floor, I finally pulled my finger out to hang it!
I originally bought this from Ikea thinking I would stack it with to-do lists (one of which is actually up there; if you look closely you’ll see my daughter has thoughtfully ticked off every time and then written DONE down the bottom, despite me having not even read through the thing since it was put up), but instead it’s just become a bit of a rotating arty board, filled with magnets from my travels, photos and works of awesome from my kidlets.
And I love it umpteen times more than even the most inspired to-do list in the world.
Things To Do With Kids in Brisbane: Get Thee To The Abbey Museum!
My little girl in a low budget ad for stranger danger? WRONG, silly! We're at the Abbey Museum! Oh YOU!
Though my grandma always tells me not to tell people, lest I be suddenly the subject of some sort of medieval ages type prejudice from the sins of the forefathers, apparently our family is in possession of Viking blood.
Perhaps that – or just a fondness for headwear with horns – was behind my immediate compulsion to take the kids to the Abbey Museum when I saw their advertised “Family Fun Viking Week!” Yes! If nothing else is gonna make me feel like Mother of the Millennium, it’s blowing an ivory horn while wearing shiny stuff!
I decided to surprise the kids, not telling them where we were going, so as to spring the amazing awesome on them for maximum effect.
We turned into the museum.
“WHAT?” they groaned. “A museum?” Insert enough whining to make Mummy start staring at the array of blunt axes with a dangerous glint in her eye.
That is, until we walked into the actual museum itself, where shortly after being christened with their new names…
Rechristened for the day!
I took great pleasure in pronouncing this all day with a rolling "R"!
…the kids were handed weapons.
TURNING POINT.
Awww...Holger's first axe. Bless.
I love how he looks actually sliced in half in this one!
Suddenly, Mummy’s lame idea turned into the MOST. COMPLETELY. AWESOME. THING. EVER.
The Abbey Museum, as it turns out, makes a real effort to not just be a museum of the “come in and stare at shizz” variety, but of the “come and interact with things, do stuff, handle bits, dress up, make props, get into it!” kind that pint-sized (and not-so-pint-sized) tikes really do love.
For a day, they became knights. Archers. Shield makers. Archeologists.
Being instructed in the art of archaeology!
Sifting up a storm.
Receiving sage-like instruction from the local village wise man.
Sigrunn Hood
They don't mess around here. The kids take aim at an ACTUAL KNIGHT!
Even Mister 7 got into the beading: I proudly wear this necklace of lovely from my Viking offspring.
Painting their shields. I was overtaken by a desire to come up with a family crest.
And ultimately, they became Mummy fans.
As we drove away, I turned to Mister 7.
“See?” I said. “I told you you’d like it!”
“I didn’t like it,” he said.
“Huh?” I said.
“I LOVED it!”
This viking Mama was just a little bit chuffed.
*This is not a sponsored post. We simply rocked up and did it and loved it. Note that these activities were part of a special Family Fun Viking Week, for deets on what else is going on week to week at the Abbey Museum you’d be best to check their website. I do know they have a rocking Medieval Festival mid-year, preceded by a special one-day festival event focused on the kiddies which we will almost certainly be at!
Jekyll and Hyde (Or “Parenting and Performing”) plus Links of the Week
Show poster for Adelaide Fringe season; I noticed quite a lot of posters for other fringe shows up around the place when I was down there, I need to get my act into gear!
Parenting during the day. Fighting crime Performing at night.
I really do feel like I live in two worlds a lot of the time. There’s the world of strutting the stage, having the attention of a group of people (sometimes I wonder if this is indeed, the reason I do this: “Oh dear heavens, I am actually being LISTENED TO!”) and then having nice things said to you afterwards…then there’s the world of flouncing around a kitchen filled with stains you couldn’t even explain if you wanted to, trying desperately to capture the attention of anybody without using the words “who wants an (insert bribe here)” and if you’re lucky, having something coherent said to you afterwards.
I’m not meaning to be a martyr and it really ain’t all that bad all of the time, but aye carumba. Sometimes I just feel like a ping pong ball. One that plays music, but a ping pong ball nonetheless.
School hols are rapidly fading away, along with my hopes of ever actually being on top of any housework. Unless you mean literally on top of it, smothering myself in whipped cream and singing “where is the love?” at the top of my lungs. Of that scenario occurring, my hopes are exceedingly high.
I do have a few bits of juicy gossip to share (if your version of “juicy gossip” happens to be “self-promotional slather mixed with non-me related web links”):
- it looks like I might be back in Adelaide even sooner than I thought, to do a bit of cabaret performing, baby! As I type this, I am flipping my hair with the mystery of an Emo onstage at the Moulin Rouge…deets to follow!
- I have become just a little bit obsessed with the Aussie dramedy Spirited. Henry Mallet. Mmmmmmmmmmmm….
- the video of the German portion of my performance at the Cabaret Summer School Showcase (which, by the way, you can read all about with a very lovely write-up about yours truly, over at Cabaret Confessional), is shortly to be online! I’m planning to send it out in the inter webs on Monday morning with a terrific send-off which may or may not involve me smashing a bottle of champagne over my computer as I hit send.
- LURVE this, as does a fair portion of the interwebs: Feminist Ryan Gosling.
- a podcast interview with AU Review I did at Woodford Folk Fest is now online. I don’t know what the heck I was on at the time, other than Woodford air, but I’d love to know how many words per minute I’m speaking at, cos I’m pretty sure it’s just a little bit impressive.
- Don’t know if I’ve ever told you this but I am mildly enchanted with small homes. The studio I worked on in the Banff Centre was such a place and even then I felt I could quite happily live out the rest of my days there…were those days not filled with my gorgeous yet extraordinarily loud family! Still, one can dream…
Dawn French on Being Apart From Her Daughter
I have had to stop writing here to have a little self-indulgent weep, as I allow the significance of your easy forgiveness for my absence, and the sheer warmth of your appreciation, to flood through me. I should be with you today. I don’t feel guilt about it, I just feel the pain of separation, which confirms of me how connected we are.”
Dawn French in “Dear Fatty”.
Woodford Folk Festival: A Personal Photo Gallery & Bit of Blather Day 4
Haven't made it into the freak show yet, but DAMN I'm in love with the venue!
I knew Woodford would be a whirlwind, but…WHIRL. WIND. I don’t really know how to be coherent on this subject, not the least reason of which is that as I type this on day 5, I am suffering from the festival-wide epidemic known to locals as “Woodford brain”, so instead let me turn to my trusty pal, the bullet point, to help me on.
Highlights thus far:
- gigs on The Mystery Bus have been seriously lovely. I ADORE the intimacy of performing in such a small (and air-conditioned) space. For those of you yet to experience it, the audience comes onto a bus, not moving, without having the foggiest clue which artist they are about to see. The MC announces the performer, said performer spews forth from the cockpit and proceeds to do a 10 minute set. Love, love, love this whole concept.
Onboard the Mystery bus.
- doing tons and tons of improv including improv songs in my comedy sets. Loving this and am so happy that I’m forcing myself to just take the risks. Last night I pulled an audience member up out of the crowd to sing a duet with me, her name was Ally and she was absolutely full of beans and adores-balls, we sang a song about her crazy adventures in Woodford (including, from memory, taking over the circus show) called “My Pally, Ally.”
- the Great Comedy Debate yesterday. I know this was always one of my favourite events to watch, and now I think it’s one of my faves to be in. The winner turned out to be the AUSLAN interpreters – who are seriously a tour de force and are deserving of some sort of performance award in their own right, blessed as they are to make the funny so much funnier. Twas wonderful. PLUS:
- Working with the wonderful Ernie Dingo, MC of the debate who repeatedly and publicly referred to me as “Princess Jen.” I don’t know why. But I shall accept.
- Having my hand shaked by Bob Hawke (BOB FREAKING HAWKE) who came backstage afterwards, chuckled and said “Well done, well done!”. I feel so geeky. I can’t wait to tell my Grandma so she can score gasps from all her friends.
- seeing my littlest do his very first somersault, completely unprompted (well, aside from the umpteen he’s no doubt witnessed since our arrival) and with such joy in his face I wanted to eat him. Which I may start to. We are running out of money.
More highlights to come.
Hope magic is finding you wherever you are! (Apologies, this wacky Woodford talk will quite possibly continue for at least the next few days…)
xx
Woodford Folk Festival 2011: A Personal Photo Gallery Day 2-3
Mister 7 learning to juggle.
Mister 2 bringing it shaman hip-hop style.
Damn hippies!
Two of my favourite Woodford icons, Glover and Sorenson, doing the daily Joke'n'Choke at the Pineapple Lounge. Oh, to do a 2-person improvised comedy show with your bestest ever friend. Sigh.
At Mister 7's request, they added a "man running away from dragon's fire."
Musical GENIUS Matt Hadgraft joined me for a night of musical improv shenanigans.
Steddy Eddie. I MAY be doing some keys with him for a bit of a special comedy concoction on the final night tomorrow! Watch this space.
Woodford Folk Festival 2011: A Personal Photo Gallery Day 1
- My daughter has been coming to Woodford since she was in a sling!
Woodford ain't Woodford without good lighting.
First two gigs were on The Mystery Bus. I love it.
Backstage at The Mystery Bus!
Trying to perfect the quiff. It ain't happening.
The Pineapple Lounge, my FAVE venue!
LOVED this audience on The Mystery Bus. This was my first gig, what a rocking way to kick off the week.
And the kids are digging the fest and for extra pocket money.
