1-2 YEARS

  • THE SHOCKING TRUTH

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, Dad Mishaps, Events, Gadgets, Sponsored Posts, The Baby Years, Uncategorized

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    It’s the call you never want to get while holidaying in Bali. Life is high, you’re on top of the world and suddenly it hits. That apprehensive voice on the other end of the line calling from home in Australia. Right from the get go, you detect a slight tremor in the voice and a stunted hesitance which can only mean one thing…

    What do you mean, dead?

    “There was a thunder storm. An enormous power surge. It was very quick, there was nothing I could do…”

    Don’t say it. Don’t tell me, I don’t want to hear it!

    “I’m really, really sorry, but…your modem got fried. Your internet…is dead.”

    Nooooooooooooooo!

    “It also blew up your microwave and the central heating has stopped working as well. And it’s totally freezing!”

    Not quite the news you want to hear while you’re away on holiday. The trip was costing us enough as it is, but our niece was doing us a favour by house-sitting for us while we were away. So we felt we owed it to her to at least make sure we didn’t come home to a frozen Popsicle gnawing on the leg of a sofa, and sprung for a new microwave, heating and most importantly…a new modem, so she wasn’t completely cut off from the outside world. (Okay, so I didn’t have to go a day without internet access once we got home…stop twisting my arm, you got what you needed).

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  • 2014: OUR 7-11 YEAR

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, D-scoveries, Events, Places, The Baby Years

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    Today marks the beginning of a very special time for us.

    Our 7th Year Wedding Anniversary.

    But this year also marks our 11th Year Anniversary of being together.

    Hence, 2014 will hereforeafter be known as…

    Our 7-11 Year.

    And the secret of our eternal youthful outlook on life, is the occasional dip in the fountain of youth down at the Peninsula Hot Springs.

    And it was Indy’s inaugural dip into the mineral elixir of life and tranquility. He had his learning face on for a great deal of the time, which indicated to us that he’s taking mental notes and filing this place away in his memory banks of ‘things to always remember’. (more…)

  • COMBAT CREATURES STRYDER IS HERE!

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, D-scoveries, Events, Gadgets, Sponsored Posts, The Baby Years, Videos

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    When asked to trial and review “The Greatest Toy in the Universe”, how could I possibly say no? And short of owning my own combat ready Ironman suit or life-size Dalek, this boy’s toy satisfies both my inner nerd and sci-fi geek. Plus, we wanted to make it a momentous occasion by putting together our very own short film with our little bloke in his first ever short film debut, where he gets to exercise his acting chops and see if he qualifies as a fully fledged member of our ‘Funsters’ (trademark pending) family.

    So, without further adieu.

    The long awaited most anticipated release of the year (so far).

    Please enjoy…

    ‘STRYDER’ – The movie

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  • IT’S COMING…

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, D-scoveries, Events, Gadgets, The Baby Years, Trailers, Videos

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    We had a very productive Christmas period that we shared with a very unique…’visitor’ (and I don’t mean Santa).
    The results of which, will be released in 3 days time.

    In the meantime, stay tuned. There will be more clues on my Facebook page.

    The whole experience was out of this world, you might say? And involved some very special teamwork.

    And just to whet your whistle, here’s a sneak preview of what’s coming.

    Watch out!!

    'STRYDER' Sneak Preview Trailer

    Click on image to play movie

  • BIRD IN THE HAND, 3 IN THE BUSH

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, D-scoveries, Dad Mishaps, Events, The Baby Years

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    ‘Twas the day before Christmas and all through the yard, not a creature was stirring except for…a bird?

    Three birds, that is!

    Pruning back the hedge bush like giving Zach Galifianakis a Brazilian, I was startled to discover…we we’re not alone.

    For just as Zach Galifianakis’ beautician would have been surprised to discover a small Vietnamese family dwelling in his undergrowth, I too discovered a small nest of blackbirds residing in our bush.

    Seeing as Santa had given me a heads up regarding the size of a certain gift coming for Indy, it was necessary to make some room in the backyard. Which meant digging out and transplanting a few bushes, but when I happened upon this little feathered family, it was time to down tools. (more…)

  • THIS MEANS WAR! – (TER)

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, D-scoveries, Events, The Baby Years

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    It was bound to happen eventually. The odds were stacked against us. The old bull and the young buck. The signs were all there, we should have seen it coming…

    Our first fight.

    It was inevitable, I guess?

    I blame the heat, but take full responsibility. Admittedly, I was provoked. Influenced heavily by the conditions and situation we were in.

    A 40 degree heat, hot scorching sun, two ‘guys’ alone in the backyard…and a loaded…garden hose.

    I guess I should have said, our first…

    WATER FIGHT!! (more…)

  • MY FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, Events, The Baby Years, Thoughts

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    As far as family traditions go, one of my favourites has always been decorating the Christmas tree. I remember as a kid, the excitement of pulling it out the box (I love the smell of plastic in the morning), and staring up in awe as it loomed over me like a giant redwood. Only to discover years later, that giant redwood became a bonsai as the tables were turned once I hit my teens.

    Many is the time I recall climbing up inside its branches and escaping its carnivorous plastic foliage relatively unharmed, which is more than I can say for Batman’s Boy Wonder sidekick, Robin. Every year I got a Batman and Robin playset with a Batmobile, Batboat and Copter, I would play with the tiny figurines inside the tree. And without fail, that tree would devour poor Robin without a trace within minutes of pulling him out of the box. I can’t say for certain how many Robin’s were consumed by that tree, but by the time I was a teenager the branches were only held together by sticky electrical tape and tiny skeletons.

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  • AHHH, CROUP!

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, Events, The Baby Years, Videos

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    There’s no worse feeling than seeing your little one in distress. And that’s exactly what we woke up to this morning. Indy went to bed last night without a worry, despite a little runny nose. But this morning when he woke, his little nose was caked in dried snot and he really struggled for breath, sounding a lot like a barking seal. I grabbed a few seconds on video to help relay what was happening to the doctor in case it wasn’t happening by the time we got there.

    Please note: The following video is for educational purposes only in order to help other parents identify croup symptoms in their own child. If you suspect your child has any respiratory ailments, please seek medical advice immediately.

    Viewer discretion is advised: Contains scenes some viewers may find distressing.

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  • DADDY’S REDUNDANCY PACKAGE

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, D-scoveries, Events, Food, The Baby Years

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    Today, I had my redundancy package served to me on a spoon. A baby spoon to be precise.

    The last 16 months I’ve enjoyed sitting with Indy, serving him a hearty breakfast every day of porridge, banana and vegemite toast. He’s been handling his own toast and banana for quite some time now, manipulating every handful skilfully like a ping-pong ball in a clown’s mouth, but porridge duty was always Daddy’s domain.

    Like a Roman Emperor being hand fed grapes, Indy was always content to sit back and let Daddy shovel in his sustenance in bite size spoonfuls. That is, until today.

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  • IT’S SNOT ME, IT’S YOU

    AUTHOR: // CATEGORY: 1-2 years, Body Functions, D-scoveries, The Baby Years, Uncategorized

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    When I was a kid, video tapes were all the rage. Especially those in the Horror genre. At least, it was for a thirteen year old teenager in the 80’s. By today’s standards, they’re probably more comedies than horror films. But you have to remember, a chainsaw cutting through a rubber arm or stop-motion skeletons with swords, was considered “cutting edge” special effects. (Pun definitely intended) 😉

    None were more memorable for me, than the unforgettable movie monsters, such as The Thing, Pin-Head from Hellraiser, the deformed evil Siamese twin from Basket Case and of course, Freddy Kruger. But there is another legendary movie monster from my past, that has recently returned to haunt me…

    THE BLOB

    If you’re unfamiliar, The Blob was a creature from outer space that resembled a giant red booger that slimed it’s way through town, growing and consuming every living creature until it eventually covered everything in sight. And this past couple weeks, we’ve faced the unfortunate experience of battling this creature’s yellowy-greenish cousin, that has terrorized us (not from outer space), but from within…deep inner space. Specifically…

    INDY’S NOSE (more…)