Horrid Henry School Holidays Giveaway

Have you ever read Francesa Simon's Horrid Henry books? Well. Maybe not you, but your kids?

They are very, very good. The Doctor adores them. They are funny, and clever - and just what little people like. Humour that's totally read-able, a little bit of mischief and a few illustrations tossed in.

But did you know they made a film of Horrid Henry? Just like the books, it is super good - and stars the ever-beautiful Angelica Huston, the cerebral and stylish Richard E. Grant. It's a great film - and Tiny loves it (she's four), just as the Doctor does (he's seven) just as Matt and I both do (we're in our 30s).

The good news is I have a Horrid Henry giveaway. One that's perfect for the Winter school holidays.

There will be two winners. One winner will receive the Horrid Henry DVD and a hard cover activity book. The runner up will receive one copy of the HH DVD.
All you have to do to enter is tell me in 25 words or less (and I am strict so I don't get into trouble with the law):

What was so horrid about you when you were small?

---------------------------------
Open to Australian residents only
Entries are open from Saturday 30th June 2012 - winners will be announced on the PottyMouthMama Facebook page on Wednesday 4th July 2012.
You must be easily contactable.
There will be no disputes, no arguing and strictly no haggling over the winners.
PottyMouthMama is the judge of all entries.
PS - I love you.

An Anti-Ranty Tanty

I was talking with Andrea of Fox in Flats about the uprise in ranty blog posts.

I hate ranty blog posts. Andrea hates ranty posts. Do you hate ranty posts?

Hate. Them.

If you're in a bad mood. Sure. Write about it. Then delete it.

The negativity that seeps out from those posts is, as my friend Britney famously once said, toxic.

I feel so angsty about ranty posts, I've taken it upon myself to put pen to paper and pen this ode.

An Ode to Cranky Pants Super Social Media Stars:

Angry, cranky ranty-pants
Why so angry?
Tanty pants.
You go social
It goes viral
Down you go in a cranky spiral.
Megaphone blogger mega-cranks
Might as well call the army
- send in the tanks.
Share your bad mood
With the whole world.
Status update to Mr Z'berg
To tell the world it's a big turd
Share your mood with your blogging brood
You're so mad with the world -
Why not delete it?
Tweet your peeps
and let them know you've got the poops
I want out of these cranky groups.
Pin this, update that, tweet those, and
Facebook your foes
I dare you - breathe deep touch your toes.
Life ain't so bad you got to broadcast.

A BIG and BRIGHT Day!

Tomorrow is a big and beautiful day. My awesome Dad retires after 48 years. That's a huge achievement I do believe. Congratulations Dad!

I've been thinking about how very few people nowadays will ever be able to say that they've worked 48 years in one place. I certainly can't.

And I've been thinking about how... odd retirement must be. But also like a fresh breath of air. A new and fresh adventure awaits you.

Tomorrow is also my birthday. As Nan so eloquently stitched on to this crown - Let the wild rumpus start!

What shall one wear on one's birthday? Besides a birthday suit. Inspiration, puh-lease.

I Fell Off

Remember when I was really into walking? How I was getting my exercise on and walking with my elderly friends?

I am loathe to declare - I fell off the bandwagon.

After the chair fell onto my foot - just before Easter, I ebbed away from walking. I think I turned into some sort of man - refused to go the doctor, hellz no. I knew it was useless - if you break a bone in your foot, well there's not a lot you can do. I know this because I have broken two toes before and just had to suffer in my jocks. So I hobbled through it, and have only just regained full bending rights of my big toe.
I know. This stuff is what blog posts are made of. Dreamy material Lexi.

But it poses a problem for me. My foot is still not 100% right. And I haven't been walking since.

When I was walking I felt so good. I could feel myself getting fitter, I could feel my body feeling tighter. It was such a great feeling - and it gave me more energy.

I was in this great habit of getting up early - before everyone in the family, I snuck out under the cover of half-darkness, and walked.

Now? I struggle to get out of bed. To drag my sorry ass out of bed and go walking. I fell off the horse - and now I don't know how to get back on.

Hints? Thoughts? Prodding? All are welcome.

And the Fat Boy Slim clip? Yes. Not sure. It made me think of power walkers for some reason..?!

The Big News

Hold your horses. I have big, BIG news.

Not only did we recently purchase a new fridge - but today I bought a new washing machine. I know. Hold the presses. I have gone whitegoods mad.

But that's not the big news.

Nope.

You know how I have been decluttering? Well. I have. My Mum, my awesome, awesome Mum came down for the weekend to help me - and I've been listing stuff on eBay.

As a result, I listed my Olivetti typewriter (remember that post), and sold it last night.

Stop what you're doing. The drinks are on me. It went for $5.50.

I know. Right? Totes loaded.

It is for this reason I will be doing a sponsored post. Gotz to pay my bills ladies. I hate bills. Even worse, I hate not being able to pay bills. I knew you'd understand. MWAH!

image of flying fish from I'm Just a Bee

Poolside glamour in the By Caprice 'Colby Hearts' bikini

   By Caprice is a brand that I have written about before in my reviews of the 'Audrey' and 'Kitty' lingerie sets, but never before have I tried the swimwear. Since the brand's launch in 2006, By Caprice lingerie and swimwear has picked up fans in the form of Imogen Thomas and TOWIE's Maria Fowler and Amy Childs to name a few.

   As a former glamour model, it may come as no surprise that Caprice's Swimwear is equally as sexy as her Lingerie collections. The Spring/ Summer 2012 Swimwear collection is no exception, with an abundance of  glam padded triangle bikinis, moulded push-ups, cut-out swimsuits and skimpy tie-side bottoms in black, metallic tones and vibrant blue, along with ruching, polka dot, stud, floral and ruffle details. 

   By Caprice's padded triangle bikinis have proved to be a particularly popular design for many years now and have been brought out in a range of patterns. I recently spotted a very cute pink and black heart print bikini from By Caprice on lingerie and swimwear e-tailer, Lingerie Please. Lingerie Please offer some very cute bra sized bikinis, so I was delighted when they sent me the By Caprice 'Colby Hearts' bikini to try.. 

  By Caprice 'Colby Hearts' moulded bikini 
(Top: £23 and briefs: £15)

   As I have mentioned before, buying non-cup sized swimwear tends to be a 'no-goer' as I have to mix and match tops and bottoms to account for my bust, meaning that good support is pretty well out of the equation! Although the 'Colby Hearts' bikini does not come in bra sizes, the sizing works using a UK dress size and dual cup size e.g. Size 8-18, with cup sizes B/C, D/DD and E/F. 

   Although I generally wear 28 back bras, I decided to go for the 10 E/F in this bikini as I thought that the 8 E/F may come out rather like a By Caprice size 30 E/F, which would have been too small. (I wear a 30FF in By Caprice lingerie) I also went for a size 12 in the low rise bikini briefs as I have noticed that By Caprice briefs tend to run small due to their skimpier cut.

   It could probably be argued that this sizing system is a little confusing as dress size and band size do not necessarily (and often don't!) correlate. Before you get worried, luckily back size is not too much of an issue with this bikini because it has tie backs, which is great as you can tie the straps as tight or loose as you wish!

   The 'Colby Hearts' bikini top is a black moulded triangle style covered in ultra girlie hearts in bubble gum and lipstick pink. The bright dual tone hearts really stand out against the black base colour, giving this bikini a bit of a colour 'pop'. The low rise bikini briefs have an identical heart pattern and also feature an elasticated black waistband for comfort.

   I was glad that I went for the 10 E/F in the bikini top, as I definitely wouldn't have fit into the cups of the 8 E/F! The cut of the 'Colby Hearts' is much more revealing than most of the bikinis that I own, but boy oh boy does this bikini give you an impressive cleavage! Like the By Caprice bras that I have tried, the 'Colby Hearts' bikini also boasts hidden graduated padding on the inside of the cups.. 

   As you can see from the picture, the padding is quite significant and I definitely got a cleavage to rival a glamour model's in this number! This look may not be everyone's cup of tea (especially if you have a large bust already), but I'd recommend it to those who want to boost their bust on the beach, whilst melting a few ice creams (and hearts) whilst they're at it! 

   I was also glad that I went for a size 12 in the matching briefs as they do come up smaller and skimpier than some of the other bikini bottoms that I own. It is worth sizing up in these low rise briefs if you don't want to show too much derrière.. 

   

   The By Caprice 'Colby Hearts' bikini is a very flirty and glamorous bikini that will boost your assets and your confidence in equal measure. It's worth mentioning that this bikini is more of a 'lounging' and 'posing' bikini and wouldn't be ideally suited to high levels of activity (unless you want to give onlookers an eyeful!)

   It does look great on, however, and I can imagine this bikini drawing many an admiring look on the beach or by the pool! If you're looking for a sexy bikini with 'wow factor', the 'Colby Hearts' has definitely got it. 

   You can see more of Lingerie Please's range of bikinis on their site. There is currently FREE postage for a limited time, with quick dispatches and speedy postage!

Roll on Summer holidays!

Love,

Kitty xo

I'm Famous! (Also Known As: What To Do In The School Holidays)

Tiny has a fascination with being famous at the moment. I'm not altogether convinced she quite grasps the idea of being famous, but when something good happens she'll jump up and down and shout: "I'm famous, I'm famous." And then she does a funny little jig and continues her chant.

It's cute rather than being precocious. Well I can say that, I am her mama.

Last weekend we got to tread the charcoal swirly carpet to view a preview of Brave. (Almost famous.) There was highland dancing, bagpipers, face painting, and then of course - the movie.The smalls were in utopia.

Brave is all about a teenage girl-princess, Merida, growing up in Scotland. It involves bows and arrows, haggis, bears, and a witchy woodworker. We found it pretty enchanting. Tiny got scared at one point and climbed onto my lap - and then continued to rave about Brave after we got home.

I loved listening to Billy Connelly and Emma Thompson breathing life into their characters. And the gags that went over the kid's heads.

The smalls loved the adventure, the story, the action and the excitement. For us, it's school holiday viewing recommended. And basically, since I need all the help I can get for school holidays - I'm going to continue this week with some more school holiday worthy ideas that you might like.

Or are you going away somewhere warm? And in that case - take. me. with. you.

And Then The Washing Machine Died

A few months ago our fridge started doing something alarming. Quite literally. In the middle of the night it would start wigging out and beeping. Incessantly. It got to such a point, after repeat performances, at 2am I would stagger out of bed, bump into walls, and turn it off at the power.

In the morning I'd defrost it, and sure enough, the ice would start ice-ing as soon as I averted eye contact. I'd be in for another night of the freaking beeps.

It's here that I must also point out - I was the only one the beeping would wake. Everyone else continued to sleep soundly. But not me. For me the beep was too much.

After a number of weeks of this, I declared we needed to buy a new fridge. Clearly it was on its way out.

I'm not a huge white-goods purchasing fiend, but I went and bought one and we have a new fridge.

It was mid-Winter last year that our dryer decided to not play nicely anymore. Clearly we have some Winter timing issues.

Just yesterday I was churning through my Saturday washing pile ie Mt Everest in clothes, when the washing machine made a loud bang as I was walking away. I went back, looked at it. Dead. It flipped the fuse. It wouldn't give me any power. Dead.

The good news is I was right in the middle of washing the Doctor's school uniforms. The better news? I can't find any local laundromats. What happened to all the laundromats?

Thankfully my sister let me toss a few loads in her machine last night.

What's with the whitegoods giving up the ghost? And what ever happened to whitegoods that lasted the distance. My parents still have the fridge they had before I was even thought of. Still going strong - and surprisingly energy efficient.

Looks like I need to find some funds for a new machine or I'm going to be hand-washing a la Little House on the Prairie. Michael Landon would be so proud.

The image, is of course someone grenading a washing machine.

Zambesi Spring Summer 2012-13 Collection Preview

A good summer wardrobe in it's purest form should be comprised of only what we need and more importantly what feels good. This week we were invited along to view the new summer collection from Zambesi for Spring Summer 2012-2013, which has focused on exactly that. Softly-fitted, with a mood of sensibility, the ease and grace of summer oozed through these garments. Given the the opportunity to create our own summer looks on site, here is what we came up with; slouchy silks and worn, soft cottons, some structure from leather and the most perfected loafers - which we immediately put our names down for...... Bring on Summer, we say!

Images taken by Yasmine Ganley.

Fashion Friday:: The Librarian

Oh crumbs! You've spotted me - I had a sneaky sleepover with the Art Teacher, and I'm racing to get all the books back on the shelf, plus the Dewey decimal system back in order before the first class.


What's this?! Your books are late! Well my friend. We all know what that means. Late fees. That's what.

We fellow librarians have got to stick together (just like the pages of some books - ergh). Don't return your books with dog ears. Don't bend the covers back on your paperbacks. And don't even think about talking in my library.

SHHHHHHH!

Dress: vintage - my Mum's frock. Man I love this frock.
Scarf: vintage
Belt: vintage
Tights: er don't know
Pencil: Freedom
Boots: Very old Costume National (my favourites)

Next week's theme::  Pirates. ARGH!

Clive James

Saddened to read that Clive James has said that he believes he's lost his battle with leukemia, it made me think of his rich, almost iconic voice.

Such a clever, witty and intelligent man. I vividly remember being transfixed by him. Laughing out loud before anyone LOLed.

I had a bit of an obsession with The Clive James show in high school, and loved him. I kept coming back for more.

I just had to find this clip of Margarita Pracatan performing on The Clive James show back in 1996. In fact, I watched this just a couple of months ago because I often think of Margarita Pracatan. I know. My mind is an unusual place.

From essays, poetry to reviews, the man has a wonderful way with words. I think that's why I was drawn to him.

Looking for some Clive James clever-ness? Here. Here. And here.

New Hair

I got a new 'do!

Do blondes have more fun? I switched to blonde when I was about 17. For a couple of years. And then I switched back. I have more fun being a brunette. It's less maintenance, and I just like my own dark tresses.

But here I am with a Newtown assymetrical do.
Thoughts?

Papa Can You Hear Me?

I don't really know why this post is named what it is. But it is what it is.

We can however time travel, back, back to a place when I was about nine. It was the school holidays and my sisters and I - as a treat - were allowed to hire videos. Can you believe?! It was a highlight for us. I remember watching Mannequin many, many times. It is a rare talent indeed that I can still quote great sections of that quality film.

And this particular holidays I am talking about - we watched Yentl. And clearly we were impressed, because soon after my grandparents, Mars and Gramps, gave me a cat for my birthday - and Babs was such a hit - I called that cat Yentl. I am very sure with some persuasion from my two older sisters.

Enough of that. We're no closer to knowing why I named this post. Or what the crux of the post is. But it was a good story. Wasn't it?

By the way - many years ago I blogged about making a quilt for the Doctor. Well with a lot of help from my sister - this week the binding is being stitched on, and that sucker will be finished. It's only taken five and a half years. Gold star. Top of the class.

As Seen On The Voice

Did you see me on The Voice on Sunday night?

Nope. Me neither. I was too busy tweeting and eBaying at the moon.

But one of my ace Twitter buddies sent me this photo.

Sculpting swimwear: Speedo Sculpture at the Vitality show

   A little while ago I was invited to the Vitality Show, which is one of the biggest health, beauty, fitness and wellbeing events for UK women. Taking place at Earl’s Court, the show is a great opportunity to see the latest trends in healthy living, sample new beauty products, grab a beauty bargain, taste new healthy foods, pick up cooking tips from the chef kitchen tutorials or grab a massage or manicure!

   Amongst the plethora of brands and products on show, one brand that particularly stood out from the crowd was Speedo Sculpture! Speedo has been a swimwear market leader for many years now and has easily become one of the most well-loved brands amongst amateurs and Olympic professionals alike. Speedo is also proud to uphold high ethical and environmental standards, which are reinforced by its sourcing process and in the eco-conscious production work with fabric company, Eurojersey.

   The success of the Speedo brand lies in their passion for quality and fit, coupled with a relentless desire for innovation. Speedo garments use Xtra Life LYCRA®, which ensures comfort and durability, as well as resistance against chlorine, lotions and the sun (all of which can cause fabric degradation). Xtra Life LYCRA® is also geared for skin breathability and sun protection (due to the use of super-opaque microfibres) and is also very quick-drying. 

   Speedo Sculpture is the new body shaping swimwear range that has been designed using an “exclusive body sculpting technology [that] slims and shapes your body to flatter and enhance its natural curves.” Speedo Sculpture offers two ranges that target two common issues to the fit of standard swimwear products: the “Tummy Control Range” and the “Cup Sized Range”. 

The Tummy Control Range

   This range is ideal for women looking for a swimsuit with body shaping properties that will flatter curves and give control to the stomach area in particular. Speedo Sculpture's use of Xtra Life LYCRA® has strong fabric strength, meaning that you can expect great fit and shape with none of that unsightly ‘bagging’ or ‘fabric sagging’ that can affect swimming performance (and your overall pool look!)

   Aside from the benefits of the fabric, the swimsuit designs are carefully developed to flatter and streamline your body (e.g. thanks to carefully positioned coloured panels). The range incorporates classic and unfussy designs alongside fashion colours and prints (which are ideal for those wanting something a bit more trendy and fun for the pool..)

(Women's Premiere Sculpt Swimsuit)

(Women's Premiere Sculpt Swimsuit)

(Women's Aqua Deluxe Swimsuit)

(Women's Aqua Grace Swimsuit)

(Women's Premiere Flowactive Swimsuit)

(Purity Legsuit)

(Aqua Grace Print Swimsuit)

(Premiere Classic 1 Piece)

The Cup Sized Range

   Although the cup sized collection was not on show on the day, it is a range that is certainly causing waves. Many women with a bust struggle to find swimsuits that fit well and offer a high level of support, so this range is definitely exciting news!

   The "Cup sized" range is available from a 30 band up to a 38 band, in cup sizes B-GG and up to an H cup in backs 30-36! This is really good news for larger busted ladies, who can really benefit from the support that these underwire cupped swimsuits offer. Moreover, these swimsuits also boast tummy control and a scooped neckline to flatter curves - you'll both look and feel fantastic.

Women's Premiere Underwired Swimsuit (above) 

This classic-cut swimsuit is available from cup sizes B-H and boasts integral underwired cups, tummy control and a subtle scooped neckline. This swimsuit comes in classic black with a pop of purple or vibrant blue with an aqua contrast. I really like the edging on the neckline and under the bust as it looks very flattering to curves.

Women's luxe style swimsuit:

This swimsuit features integral bra cups (B-H) and tummy support for an overall sleek look. The crossover design and V shaped neckline will flatter your bust too. Classic black is reknowned for looking great on everyone and this piece looks very stylish and curve friendly...it seems that Speedo Sculpture have created the swimming equivalent of the LBD!

More from Speedo

   Aside from the Speedo Sculpture collections, there was also a range of classic Speedo swimsuits on show, updated in new colours and graphic prints for this season...

(Women's Hydrojet Allover Powerback)

(Women's Endurance Plus Divejet Allover Turn Back)

(Women's Powersprint Placement Powerback)

   It was great to see Speedo Sculpture at the Vitality show and I really enjoyed chatting to the lovely team about the new ranges. I love that they are striving to give (and restore) confidence to women of all shapes and sizes through their new "Tummy control" and "Cup sized" ranges.

   The ranges offer comfort, support and style, enabling women to feel good about themselves both in and out of the water. I am especially keen to try out one of the Speedo Sculpture cup sized swimsuits in future. Standard swimsuits tend to flatten the bust and offer minimal support, so a supportive swimsuit would definitely encourage me to take up swimming again!

Find out more about the Speedo Sculpture range and where to buy it here.

Love,
Kitty xo