Category Archives: Uncategorized
Dreaming Big: With Kids!
And now just super-speedy bit of house-keeping here at CM headquarters:
- Blog links are active! Please see down the right hand side of the screen for the ever-growing list of legal cyber-stimulation that I regularly indulge in.
- Facebook group: the link is on the sidebar also, would love to have you! In the next day I’m doing the final transfer from my personal page to this comedy page, so if you’re currently on my friends list but I don’t know you personally, please make sure you click on the new page ASAP so we don’t lose touch.
Now please don’t be shy, would LOVE to hear your ideas, thoughts, questions, etc!
xox
How to Enjoy a Day Off
The other morning I had the great fortune to stumble across an entire, glorious two hours between tours for kids to squander away at will.
And so, I ventured forth on my own little date with myself. This is one of my FAVOURITE things to do in the world, namely because:
a) I am free to do whatever the heck I like without considering anybody; and
b) I am fabulous company.
It’s funny, because while I am technically an extrovert, I’m absolutely not one of those people who finds being alone uncomfortable, threatening or in any way negative. (Note to self: this is quite possibly a side-effect of having children. Was I like this pre-kids? Hmmm. Must investigate).
No, no! Being alone these days is such a complete luxury and just so damn hard to come by, that when it does I savour every last drop.
Is that a magazine? Oh my heavens, I might actually READ THAT. Give me four!
Coffee? Don’t mind if I do! Make mine a super-size double decaf with a shot of tranquiliser. No, no, nothing fancy, just whatever you’ve got on stand-by.
A new movie out? Hells to the yes! Don’t tell me what it is, for I don’t really care, so long as it involves frozen Coke and Maltesers.
So, there I was on my little self-indulgent conquest, when what should I stumble on but this complete and utter delight of a West End store: Nook.
Nook, 19 Browning Street, West End
Isn’t it just….cute? I ventured on it, proceeded to slobber all over the lovely polished floors and then asked whether I could take some photos for me ole blog! And so I set forth, feeling like quite the mother who’s finally been let out of the house artist extraordinaire…
Mmmm…
Heck yeah.
Ah, I am so in love with sewing machines. In the same way that I’m in love with Edward Scissorhands. I think they’re so beautiful, yet have no idea what to do with them.
It even had its own resident cat. And while I’m not generally a fan (of cats that is, not residents), even I could acknowledge that this dude just added to the whole charm quotient.
In other words, my perfect date!
How ’bout you? Any other solo date lovers out there? Any fave/dream/ideas for outings?
x
Comic Mummy V-Blog Episode 2! Intro blurb
Okay, okay, so I’d love to pick your brain. Is that okay? I promise I’ll be gentle.
I’ve done up a bit of an intro blurb to the blog, which, if approved, will go forth to spatter itself around the interweb…but first, take a look if you will be so kind and let me know what you think.
*Note: This was filmed about midnight, hence the fatigue-enhanced delirium (otherwise known as unbelievably bloodshot eyes.) I SWEAR!
Tours for Kids at Queensland Art Gallery!
Kids Tours at Queensland Art Gallery
Can you guess?
Judging from the above, I have either:
a) Completely and utterly lost the plot;
b) Decided to combine my lifelong passions for flowers, the colour purple and Johnny Depp with an unabashed tribute to the Mad Hatter; and/or
c) Spent the majority of the past week doing child-wrangling duties of the most pleasing variety i.e. those involving other people’s children.
If you guessed c), well hey, hey, hey! Here, have a slab of turkish delight!
Yes, as part of QPAC”s Out of the Box Festival for children 8 years and under (which, by the way, if you’re in Brisbane, kiddified and NOT there, you are completely certifiable: it is PURE UNADULTERATED AWESOMENESS), I have been – and continue through to Monday - presenting a series of interactive kids’ tours through the Queensland Art Gallery‘s most excellent exhibition, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones.
It’s truly delightful, not the least reason of which is that the exhibition itself is just so magical and full of wonder that getting pint-sized gallery enthusiasts to jump on the passion bandwagon is really not too hard.
My favourite moment thus far? Marching my little ‘hat explorers’ into the room which houses the “milliner’s studio” and having one little prep aged girl tug at my leg.
“Yes?” I asked her.
She stared up at me.
“You’re pretty!”
“And you,” I wanted to say back, “are now mine.”
5 Things Making Me Smile
1. This super cool poster from the very sweet selection at Sycamore Street Press.
Admittedly, it would be even better if my baby could read it. And get the joke. But in the meantime, I’m happy to laugh in…
2. …my bubba’s cute little face.
The Cass-Meister
3. The thought of doing my upcoming week-long stint of Kids Tours at the Art Gallery! SOOOO in love with the exhibition I’ll be leading kids through and so excited to be getting back into working life again.
4. This apartment – oh my word, not only is it Colour Central (a place after my own heart – my hubby is always saying that it takes him a good few days to come to terms with some of my bolder clothing choices, only to realise that they are perfectly me!) but this place is a NON-PROFIT ART HOTEL FOR TRAVELLING ARTISTS. Say what? Are you serious?
Philadelphia Art Hotel
Excuse me would you? I just have to find a spatula to scrape my drooling jaw off my now rather limp foot.
And finally…
5. My 7-year-old daughter came running inside yesterday from the mailbox, with a letter in her hand, all suspicious smiles. “Mummy!” she called. “You have a letter!”
Knowing full well I’d already collected the mail, I played along and opened my lovely delivery. And this was what was inside:
Needless to say, I will be holding onto this one for life. So when if she turns evil in her teens and/or tries to divorce us daggy, out-of-touch parents, I can present this as evidence that I ain’t all bad.
Oh yeah, and you know, it’s beautiful and all that!
Evidence, I tell ya!
What about you? What’s making you smile right now?
Guerrilla Goodness: Takin’ It To The Sidewalks (via Kindnessgirl)
This is just fan-freaking-tastic.
Oh my, what a wonderful week this is turning out to be on the inspiration front.
Now please read along and excuse me while I go release the little Julie Andrews that’s bouncing around inside me right now. She’s making quite the mess…
via Kindnessgirl
Confessions of a Tumultous Love Affair with Blogging
Blogging and I have had a bit of an on-off love affair over the past, oh boy, I guess it’s coming up to five years now.
I started flirting with this mini-love-of-my-life over at Vibewire, way back when I was just beginning to claw my way out of the foggy crevace that is life with two children under 2, and with performing only just beginning to enter my life, the contents were basically just musings on life. They were pretty damn personal actually, come to think of it, namely because I really had ZERO expectation that anybody would even take the time to read.
But then they did. And boy was I excited. In fact, my excitement soon turned to ‘obsession’. “How many readers will I get this week? Will mine be the most highly rated blog today? Why have I only got a few comments, last time I had more, did I do something wrong? Ooh, I must remember this conversation I’m having right now with friends, it would make SUCH A GREAT FREAKING BLOG ENTRY NOW PASS THE DAMN COMPUTER BEFORE I CHEW MY OWN GUMS OFF!”
In other words, you know, healthy.
"Dinner? Don't be stupid, child! Mummy's got to blog!"
Not long after that I moved over to my own little nest, where the birth of Comic Mummy took place at that great cyber-birthcentre, otherwise known as blogger. It was here that my addictive tendencies did ease somewhat, however their temporary surrender only made room for another dilemma to rear its ugly blogging head – that of caring way too much what other people thought.
Suddenly, I was worried about who exactly was reading this blog. Not in the “who are you?” way, but in the “I know who you are and hot damn now I’m freaking out about what YOU, dear Sir/Madam/Uncle Bob/person who knows my Mum, is going to be thinking of all this!”
In other words, say hello to my new friend, SELF-CENSORSHIP!
I tried to fight it. I tried to embrace it. But neither worked.
So…I quit.
Cold turkey.
No blogging at all.
And you know what? It felt like a huge relief.
Only then, like all real love affairs based on anything more than lust and/or a mutual love of partying, my former lover kept calling me. At 3 in the morning, drunk, from a phonebox in a dirty alley… “Jen, Jen…you know you want to blog…”
I avoided its calls. I returned its letters. But then, one day, I don’t know why, I don’t know how…it got me back.
Except this time, we decided to take it slow.
We decided to move here, to our own little domain, in a tokenistic move to start afresh.
And more importantly, I, yes I, Jenny, decided to keep it real.
And so here we are, trying again.
But this time, with a commitment to no more pandering, over-thinking or freaking out about who is and isn’t reading. This is just about me being myself, and if somebody doesn’t like that, then that really is okay. For the first time in my life (sorry to keep harping on and on about the car accident but it seriously was an extremely big event on the ‘I need to re-evaluate my life’ scale), I really am fine with the thought that not everybody on little ole Planet Earth is going to like me.
No, REALLY.
So yes, anyway, here’s to our past, and our reunion. May it be enduring, fulfilling and most importantly…REAL.
Gangstaz.
*Image courtesy of http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com
Oh boy…
I’ve been so mega-inspired of late that it’s probably borderline illegal somewhere in this crazy world.
Last weekend I did a TV presenting workshop which just has me rearing like a horse at a gate, slobbering like a Pavlov pup and whining like a teething toddler. Don’t get me wrong, this development hasn’t been like a bolt out of the blue, in that I’ve always really thought that TV was the place I wanted to be. But now, it’s like I know. Like, KNOW KNOW.
You know?
Then of course, there’s this e-course I keep blabbing on about.
Sigh.
It’s amazing. So amazing in fact, that I’ve decided to post in-depth thoughts, commentary and ramblings (plus some art stuff) on a whole other blog. I’m not going to be divulging the course deets itself, mind you, but just my thoughts in the meantime. Yeah, so if you’re into that kinda thing, you can check it here. (Link is fixed now, thanks so much Kylie for pointing that out!)
If not, stay here, sit a while. I’ll put the kettle on and we’ll have hot chocolate.
xx
Something is brewing and it ain’t smelly!
So today is a good day. A GREAT day, even!
Why? Because today I did two amazing things that I think might just change my life.
1) Joined the gym. Then forced my hubby to join with me. With 6 months of free CHILDCARE thrown in no less (Shazam! Kapow! Insert other highly motivated cheer of glee here!) Meaning we can have date nights as often as we want! On spin bikes if we choose! Wearing heart rate monitors!
AWESOME!
2) Signed up for this incredible e-course. I know it’s incredible because I’ve already been mega inspired by just reading through the comments of the other people taking it. My heavens. My greatest challenge is just to stay open minded, I don’t want to get sucked into thinking “I know exactly what I’m going to get out of this!” but rather, just leave myself open to whatever may come. Because whatever it is, it really is all good.
The Canadian Aussie Birthday
Okay, okay, so this photo is now 2 months old, but given that at the time we were just post-accident and hospital stay and without internet access (oh, how I have missed you, let me count the ways!!) then I feel more than a little justified putting these up now. Firstly, because we did very, very little to celebrate our littlest one’s 1st birthday so in my mind, a little strutting in cyberspace cannot be a bad thing. Secondly (and more importantly), because my cake – collapsing as it was – totally rocked it.
Heck yeah.
In fact, here’s another angle, just so you can really lap it up.
Oh yes.
Our little munchkin is coping much, much better this week with his broken little appendage. He’s discovering lego, blocks and little toys and lapping them up like they’re made of chocolate. I’m actually beginning to think that maybe this awful turn of events may end up resulting in a massive leap in his brain development. Perhaps he’ll be a genius engineer or something – or you know, worst case scenario, even if he ends up broke and in the gutter, at least he’ll be able to make cool stuff out of collected paddle pop sticks.
Whatever.
My boy. Oh how I LURVE him.
