Yes, it's a bit of a rarity round here to find me taking part in Frock on a Friday - not because I don't love frocks, I do - but because I loathe having my photograph taken. Whether or not a piece of my soul is lost remains to be seen, but I figure you can't be too careful. Anyway, I decided it was worth battling the camera demons to enter Ceri's amazing competition over at Style Eyes, and decided to wear my most recent vintage purchase - two posts for the price of one. You might have seen entrants strutting their stuff with somewhat more élan on other blogs - the idea is to showcase an outfit with an ethical element to it - whether second hand, bought from a free-trade/eco-friendly label, handmade or recycled.
Yeah, squinting into the sun is so flattering...
Outfit details
70s maxi - eBay
belt - charity shop in Ireland
denim jacket - swapped
vintage clip on earring worn as brooch - found in attic
vintage wedge shoes - stolen from mum
30s earrings - charity shopped
Indian glass bracelets - bought by husband in Hydrabad
seed necklace - bought by me (direct from maker) in Thailand
Nail varnish - China Glaze 'Gothic Lolita' + Barry M 'hologram'
(neither tested on animals)
This was not what I wore to the park this afternoon with Boy2 - it would not have stood up to all the dinosaur fighting and tree climbing he insisted on. However, it is what I changed into when I got home - school's out and so was the sun!
Oh, and in an ever more bonkers turn of events, I've also got a nomination for 'Blog of the Year' in the MAD awards. So, y'know - feel free to nominate me again! That one appears to have actual prizes.
Wow, thanks so much for all your replies on my blogger quiz - that was the most popular post in a while!
If you enjoyed that post, I wonder if I could ask you again to vote for me? Thanks to your nominations, Faith Hope and Charity Shopping has actually made the short-list for a BritMums 'BiB' Award [Brilliance in Blogging - their words not mine] - in the 'LAUGH' category - and well, it would be pretty cool to be in the finals. I don't have a gazillion twitter followers and very few people in my day to day life know about the blog, so if you could take the time to vote I'd really appreciate it. It's very quick and you don't need to enter any personal details - just tick the box and submit. You'll need to scroll down to the 'LAUGH' category, it's the 11th award. Thanks!
It's been another busy week with Boy2's birthday and party this time. When I gave up alcohol for Lent I had somehow failed to consider the fact that it encompasses both children's birthdays. Won't be making that mistake again! Neither will I inflict more of my cake making efforts on you here, but if you do want to see what my attempt at a pirate treasure chest looked like then there are pictures on my Facebook page. And for those of you who follow my blog page on FB - have you seen the competition I've got running at the moment? You can win a copy of Junk for Joy by Sian Berry - with all kinds of makeover and upcycling ideas, perfect for Spring.
Hope you're all enjoying the sunshine.
Thanks in advance for any votes - I won't be boring about it, honest.
Lakota x
EDIT: At the risk of being really tedious and completely negating my last sentence I have just discovered from Twitter that I have been nominated for 'Blog of the Year' in the MADs as well. I have no idea how this works, I think I would need lots more nominations for the remotest chance at this one but as there is actual MONEY and a holiday up for grabs I suppose I should at least mention it :-)
I will put a badge on the sidebar, and if you feel like clicking then please do and I will love you always. (I thought this one was really for child-centric blogs only, but it appears that my occasional sarcastic mention of the offspring and my dire birthday cake efforts loving words about the children may actually count for something. Why are there no awards specifically for snark and sporadic charity shop treasure? Perhaps I will start one. Who's with me?
Bloggers. In cities, it's said you're never more than 6 feet away from one. Whether they're photographing their hazelnut mochaccino froth and cinnamon whirl in your local cafe, or snatching up that set of original Babycham glasses from under your nose at the jumble sale, you can't go anywhere these days without bumping into a cute girl with an iphone and a teacup necklace. But if you've yet to take the plunge, what kind of blogger should you be? And if you've already got your first followers - are you really being true to yourself? Inspired by the 'personality tests' in the magazines of my misspent youth, take my in-no-way-serious quiz and find out!
1. It's been a long week, but it's finally Saturday morning. What are you doing? A. You've already been to the post office to pick up your missed deliveries from the week's internet shopping, and now you've got your camera and are taking a stack of outfit photos in front of the local primary school. Well, there's finally no-one around, and those railings make a great back-drop.
B. Popping the tea-pot back under its hand-knitted cosy, before making a start on that Easter wreath for the shed door.
C. Catching up with new shows on Nickelodeon after taste testing 4 new breakfast cereals with the kids. Then making photo realistic light sabers out of wrapping paper cardboard tubes.
D. Coming back from the car-boot while the street-lights are still on, dragging a Fortnum & Mason hamper filled with vintage curtains and a Midwinter tea-set.
E. Girlfriend, please - it's Saturday morning. I'm asleep.
2. Your hair is indeed your crowning glory, but what does it look like? A. Dip-dyed ombre, currently lavender.
B. It's tied up under a rockabilly style scarf. You don't want to get glitter in it.
C. In a long pony-tail by day, glam and glossy on nights out.
D. Cherry red or shiny black, with a cute 50s style fringe. You sometimes try victory rolls, but you have no idea how women did this every day.
E. It's certainly well conditioned, there's 8 different shampoos and 4 types of nourishing masque on the side of the bath.
*******
3. You need to pick a name for your blog. What do you choose? A. Narnia Girl: Wardrobe Adventures
B. Ric-Rac and Bunting
C. Staying Mum -Secrets from Parenthood's Front-line
D. Nothing New (Under the Sun)
E. Becky Sharp's Beauty Spot
4. You've thought long and hard, and decided to get your very first tattoo. What is it? A. A dotted line sketch of a heart on your wrist.
B. A ball of yarn with needles on your shoulder.
C. A teeny tiny footprint, just on your hip.
D. A traditional swallow, with a girly coloured scroll.
E. Permanent eyebrows. They never grew back properly after your earliest attempts with tweezing.
*******
5. Why is your boyfriend/husband complaining?
A. The credit card bill looks like an alternative alphabet rhyme. A is for ASOS, B is for Bertie...
B. The scarf you said you'd crochet for his mum's birthday is only 12 inches long so far, and has cost £27 in Tibetan alpaca wool. He was going to pick something up in the Next sale.
C. He's fed up of you telling your friends about how inept he is with the children. It was only that one time he dressed 3 year old Esme in 9-12 months dungarees from the charity shop bag. Backwards.
D. He says it gives him the creeps the way your collection of 60s 'big eye' art always seems to be following him around the room.
E. The usual. How he's fed up of showering at work because he can't do everything in the 5 minute bathroom slot you've allotted him. Doesn't he realise you have a limited edition eyeshadow palette to swatch?
with thanks to Sarah Misfit
6. Why can't your parents come and stay in the spare room?
A. It's an over-flow wardrobe. There's a distinct possibility of being killed in a shoe avalanche unless you know the safe paths.
B. They can, if they want to sleep on an antique treadle sewing machine table. The super-king sized hexi quilt should be finished really soon. Once you've given that decoupage chest of drawers a final coat of varnish.
C. At the moment, having a playroom so that Princess P's Sylvanian Family figures can be kept out of the lounge is far more important than Grandparents coming to stay. Grandparents bring more bloody toys!
D. It's full of eBay inventory. When there's a free listings weekend, you'll be right on it.
E. Your parents are always welcome. Besides, your Mum got given Creme de la Mer for her 50th birthday and you know she hardly uses it.
*******
7. It's time to change your profile picture. What do you upload?
A. You looking moodily at the pavement/sky, holding a satchel.
B. A colourful granny square
C. A picture of your toddler from behind, wearing wellies and a tu-tu
D. That slightly demonic looking pottery owl you just found in the Cancer Research shop
E. A close up of your eye, made up in four shades of MUA's Pretty Pastels
8. What's on your dressing table?
A. You're sure you have a dressing table - somewhere. It might be under that pile of discarded outfits in the corner.
B. A felt flower brooch, mini garland made from vintage maps, and a cross-stitch magazine.
C.Guerlain Midnight Secret, Origins eye cream, several odd socks, a box of raisins and a Power Ranger
D. An art deco vanity set, glass bon-bon dishes full of hairgrips, a 1950s poodle ornament and the cast of Bambi.
E. 87 perfumes, including all the Harajuku Lovers fragrances and some which are only available in New York.
*******
9. You check the search keywords in your blog stats. How do people find you?
A. Peter Pan, polka dot, brogues, ice-cream, London Fashion week, H&M Collection
B. Burlap ideas, mod-podge, cute amigurumi armadillo, XXX grannies
C. Outings with under 5s, toddler tantrums, Cybermummy, Carrot stains Marc Jacobs
D. vintage tea set, Tretchikoff Green lady painting, Cats eye glasses, cheap charity shop
E. OPI swatches, Urban Decay, fishtail braid how-to, Customs charges USA to UK
*******
10. What are you drinking?
A. Tea
B. Tea
C. Tea
D. Tea
E. Tea
*******
If you answered mainly As...You are Personal Style Penny. You refer to clothes as 'pieces' and 'remix' your clothes rather than merely wearing them in different combinations. You like statement jewellery, small dogs and Irregular Choice shoes. Your boyfriend dislikes your high waisted floral shorts, but your 2,755 followers disagree and adore the way you've styled them. Your ultimate ambition is to be snapped by The Sartorialist.
If you answered mainly Bs...You are Made it Myself Molly. Your 'DIY ideas' board has reached Pinterest's limit of 1000 pins and you have recently worked out you will need to outlive Methuselah to complete all your WIPs. You have signed up to 11 craft fairs this year and have a permanent hot glue blister on your thumb. Your fabric stash has contained a fat quarter with matryoshka dolls on for 11 years now, awaiting just the right project.
If you answered mainly Cs...You are Mummy Blogger Millie. You used to work in advertising, but now spend your days ruled by the capricious whims of tiny dictators. So, not much difference then. You are a social networking addict, and brand ambassador for any number of kid-centric companies, which certainly makes life on one income less expensive. Your children always have the most interesting lunch-boxes as a result of all the free samples you receive.
If you answered mainly Ds...You are Second Hand Sally. You treat the high street with suspicion, bordering on contempt, and prefer the run down areas with a high concentration of charity shops. Your friends find you a useful resource for offloading 'hideous stuff my Granny left me', but are always happy to come for cake in your bright and cheerful kitchen. They are secretly impressed when Elle Decoration features the very same mid-century sideboard as you have in your lounge.
If you answered mainly Es...You are Beauty Blogger Becky. Your YouTube channel has nearly as many views as Kony 2012, and you have an extra recycling box from the council for all your empty products. You have firm opinions on whether GlossyBox or Boudoir Prive is better, and refuse to be swayed on the matter. However, you continue to subscribe to both. You can look on the bright side of any situation - a three hour delay at Heathrow means spritzing and swatching galore in duty free!
If you answered across the board - Congratulations!You could be a 'Lifestyle' blogger, making everything you do desirable. Your starter kit will be delivered shortly - a vintage suitcase, Tatty Devine name necklace and half a dozen Ladurée macaroons.
Did you have to leave word verification for my most recent posts? I've never even pre-approved my comments - and HATE word verification so wouldn't inflict it on people who read my blog - but it appears to have randomly switched itself on, as well as counting page views made by me, when I'd previously set it not to. I think it might be related to the changing of our country specific domain names - we're now blogspot.co.uk here, rather than .com - which also meant the loss of all my followers other evening. Briefly, thankfully! Oh, and I can't quick edit anymore.
If you don't want to count your own page views or have word verification on, you might want to check your own settings. Can you comment on this post easily? Please let me know!
After my nail varnish rack post, a couple of people enquired about the 'ribbon' I had on the shelf. It's actually washi tape (Japanese decorative masking tape) and whilst most people use it for crafting, I use it mainly for nail painting purposes.
I've never really gone for the traditional French manicure, generally considering it to be either pointlessly time consuming (like the 'no make-up make up look) or liable to make you look like a refugee from The Only Way is Essex. I do however like the updated versions, using either two colours, or a matte and a shiny finish - as shown in the picture below from Yves Saint Laurent's Terriblement Noir range. How cool is this gothic French manicure - matte black nails with shiny tips?
Dark Side = good
Tippex Tips = Bad
The difficulty I always had with French style manis was that it can be a bit of a bugger to paint the tips to a uniform size - partly because of my teeny child size paws and weeny nails, partly because I'm generally cack-handed - so I looked around for an easier method and came up with washi tape. I've since seen sellotape recommended, but I find it's liable to pull your varnish off unless you're very careful. Washi tape is low-tack, so easy to remove.
Anyway, at the risk of preaching to the converted, all you do is:
1. Paint 2 coats of your base colour and allow to dry FULLY.
2. Decide whether you want different coloured tips, or geometric stripes etc and arrange washi tape pieces on your nails accordingly.
3. Paint your second colour where you've blocked out. Thinner layers work better, or you may end up with a ridge between the two shades.
4. Allow to dry for a minute or so, but not fully before removing tape carefully.
5. If you want multi colours, allow each to dry fully before starting the next.
6. Top coat to seal.
Incidentally, I did get the YSL black polishes for Christmas and loved them, but it was impossible to photograph so you'll have to take my word as to how good it looked really. It's super high maintenance though; the matte polish takes ages to dry (as you can't use a quick dry top coat), and any contact with something oily ruins the finish - so no washing up, and definitely no body lotion or hand cream. Boy1 has eczema, so the second I put his skin cream on it was bye-bye to my designer nails. I bet Angelina Jolie doesn't have this problem.
Hello, sorry it's all been quiet for a while. As usual at this time of year, I'm a flap, thinking about birthday parties and baking birthday cakes. The boys have their big days within 2 and half weeks of each other, but ever since we all got some appalling vomiting bug over Boy1's first birthday and I wasn't able to finish his cake - let alone entertain party guests - March has loomed over me like GCSE coursework every year.
I know, it's stupid, the kids themselves are excited regardless and have never claimed their birthday was ruined or anything so melodramatic, but it's the one area where I become totally neurotic. If I'm not monitoring the outbreaks of D&V in nursery and working out how many days grace we'd have to get ill and recover before a party (yes, it's happened again since that doomed first birthday), I'm convincing myself that they'll one day be discussing the inferior frosting on the dinosaur cake with their therapist.
I blame my mother. I always had such fantastic birthdays, with themed cakes depending on my interests at the time - fairy toadstool house, magician's top-hat, signed photograph of Tom Cruise [yeah, I got fancy cakes right into my teens. And I fancied him before he became an unnervingly white-toothed sofa-jumping mentalist. Now, not so much] - that I feel anything less would be letting my kids down. Imagine - just being able to sling a Ben10 'celebration tray bake' in the trolley and job done! But I was brought up with a healthy disdain for 'supermarket cake' - thanks again, Mum - so why not make things difficult for myself and make an edible model of a Nintendo DSi? [You'll notice I'm not Mumzilla enough to pay someone who's actually competent to make it for me - I prefer to suffer and spend £150 on something which won't end its life as a handful of crumbs in a novelty serviette].
It doesn't help that I have several Facebook friends who are professional cake makers, forever posting photos of creations which wouldn't look out of place at the Palace of Versailles.
If you need a properly impressive cake - contact her @PMTCupcakes
Mine taste good, but I've never been on a cake decorating course, and most of the year no-one expects my Victoria sponge to resemble Captain Hook. Mary Berry isn't there on the Great British Bake-off saying "it's delicious, but I'd have enjoyed it so much more if it was shaped like a Victorian steam engine". [It had cotton wool steam billowing from a mini roll funnel. In case you're wondering]. If I'd made the same cake twice a year for seven years, maybe I wouldn't have this problem, but there's been little opportunity to practise making a giant lego brick before now.
Boy1's 7th birthday cake
Despite appearances, this cake was not moulded from play-doh by the chubby digits of a three year old child.
Anyway, he liked it - or the five new mini figures I decorated it with - and I breathed a sigh of relief before surveying what was left of my house following a three hour party for ten rampaging children. And remembering I have to do it all again in 10 days time.
Anyway, this lengthy ramble was supposed to explain my tardiness in choosing a winner for my fabulous blogiversary giveaway. So, as chosen by the random number generator, congratulations to number 6 - aka Alice from An Alien World. Please could you email me with your address?
Hello as well to new followers - I've a load of blogs to catch up on, but do drop me a comment so I can come and say hi.
Right, I hope you're ready for a long post. This tag has been going round for a while, and I've been got three times, so there are a lot of questions I've had to answer. If you aren't nosy - ha! - or don't see how I can possibly be that fascinating, there are a couple of videos in there to keep you entertained.
1. Are you a morning or a night person?
Much as it would be good to be a morning person, after 7 years of early wake ups I'm still rubbish at getting out of bed.
2. Have you ever stolen anything (be honest I won't set the law on you)
It's not big or clever to steal ashtrays or glasses from pubs. It's even less big and clever to half-inch an entire bar stool. Well, maybe it's quite clever. I didn't really carry a handbag in those days. Sorry, former landlord of The White Hart.
3. What is your favourite word?
I'm an English graduate, I should say something impressive. Maybe anthropomorphism? Or ellipses... In reality, most over-used is probably 'bollocks'.
4. What can't you live without?
Books, internet access, kids (mine), decaf coffee, music.
5. Who/what do you have an irrational dislike of?
This was hard. All my dislikes are completely rational. I used to despise 'Lady' Victoria Hervey and her smug horse face, but she seems to no longer be in every magazine I ever open. She's been replaced in my chart of dislike by Peaches Geldof. Frank Skinner. *shudder*. Alex Ferguson and that disgusting dead eyed gum chewing he does. Strictly Come Dancing. Not even thinking about the dopes who crash about on it, just the title gives me the rage. Even more annoying when shortened to 'Strick-ly!' by gormless mouth breathers. Talc. Specifically the amount used by my husband and how he wafts it all over the bathroom. You could make talc-angels in there, seriously.
6. Where is your favourite place to eat out?
I don't go for eating out in the same way most people do. I mean, I enjoy going out with people, that side of it - but I'd rather have a home-cooked meal than restaurant food. Too much cream and butter makes me feel ill. I prefer lots of wine, someone's spotify playlist and spag bol.
7. Who is the cleverest person you know?
I'm not sure, I know a lot of interesting people. It depends how you judge it.
8. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Was it any good? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the Hollywood version. It was ok, although I thought Daniel Craig was pretty dull. He just played Daniel Craig, with glasses. The James Bond-esque opening credits were cool, mind you, and I liked Rooney Mara. The book is better.
9. What is your guilty TV pleasure?
Gossip Girl. Totally ridiculous. XOXO. Oh, and the early audition stages of X-Factor.
10. Where did you last go on holiday?
Malta.
11. What makes you go "GAHHHHHHHHHHHH"?
Walking into a previously tidy room and finding toys EVERYWHERE. The fact that so many people want to be - and are - famous for being orange and vacuous. Facebook 'scare' updates from people who have no 'is this utter crap?' filter. People using LOL as punctuation. Word verification on blogs. Turn it off, turn it off, TURN IT OFF!
1. What is your favourite dessert?
Too hard to pick one! Best quick one I make is ice-cream, banana, flaked almonds and a home-made hot caramel sauce.
2. If you could live in any decade which would it be and why?
Ooh I dunno, quite happy with what I've lived through so far. Assuming I avoided the black death and Great Fire of London, it might have been fun to be a scandalous court lady at the time of Charles II.
3. What is your favourite Disney film?
I'm not one of these people who will argue passionately for one over another, I'm not really into princesses and Elton John tunes. Toy Story was very good though.
4. Who is your favourite historical person and why?
Hmm, Elizabeth I. Kick ass Queen who held her own in a man's world.
5. What is your favourite book? The Outsiders. Reading it as an adult I can see the flaws but I loved it growing up. The Secret History, amazing.
For proper excitement which you rarely find in adult books, YA books 'The Hunger Games' trilogy. Read now before the film comes out!
6. If you were given £1000 to spend in any one place, where would you choose?
Probably a massive weekend antiques fair. Although I wouldn't say no to a grand to spend in Mulberry [would probably get me one bag and a keyring these days]
7. What is your favourite childhood memory?
Standing in a stream next to our gypsy caravan in the Lake District, playing with a margarine tub boat with my sister, my dad lighting the camp-fire to cook Cumberland sausage and new potatoes for dinner.
8. If you could hold a dinner party with only 2 other guests (dead or alive, celebrity or historical) who would you choose?
Well that would be me, my husband and Tim Minchin. Cosy! We've already decided we'd be best friends if we actually met. Obviously. Or if the Mr wasn't available, then Elizabeth the First could join us. We'd drink a lot of wine and get demanding, insisting that Tim serenade us and threatening to execute him if he wasn't funny enough.
9. What would you choose to be your last supper?
Jambalaya with chicken and chorizo. And a boxset of Prison Break.
10. Name one beauty product you couldn't live without
This is where some po-faced supermodel says 'water'. Honestly, if the government suddenly banned make-up in some dystopian future where everyone HAD to be bare-faced, I wouldn't care that much. It's nice to wear on an evening out, but I can't imagine being someone who has to wear mascara to nip out and buy milk. I guess I'd miss nail varnish, as I see my hands more than my face.
11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I'm not sure I've found it yet. I'd like to try living in lots of places, assuming I could 'work' in a Carrie Bradshaw kind of way involving a few lines on my laptop occasionally.
1. Your favourite pizza topping?
As many things as can possibly be crammed on - ham, olives, pineapple, peppers, chicken, pepperoni, extra cheese...
2. Your happiest childhood memory?
See Sandy's question above. Another one would be the Summer (well, it was a week, but felt like a Summer) I spent with my friend Felicity after she'd moved away from where we grew up. That'd be a whole post in itself.
3. What you think when you smell vanilla?
My perfume [Angel] is vanilla based. Makes me think of Paris, where I first bought it.
4. When was the last time you had hiccups and how did you cure them?
I get hiccups ALL the time, I don't bother trying to get rid of them any more. If I get them once in a day, I'll definitely get them again. I'm used to it, but secretly worrying about one day being this person:
5. What you're currently reading? Wonder, by R. J, Palacio. Set to be the new 'Curious Incident', according to The Times. It's about a little boy with a severe facial deformity who starts school for the first time at the age of ten, and how he deals with the reactions of other people - peers and adults.
6. Inny or outie?
I don't even know any more, pregnancy has done weird things.
7. Your biggest fear?
Nuclear holocaust (thanks kids' books of the 80s), hideous disease pandemics (thanks scary films of the 00s) being eaten by sharks, anything bad happening to my children, including the previous things I mentioned.
8. Your favourite song and why?
Again too many to pick just one, different songs remind me of different eras in my life, as I imagine they do for most people. 'Unfinished Sympathy' by Massive Attack is right up there though. It's a Bristol thing.
9. Something you regret?
Not practising the piano more when I was kid.
10. Your favourite item of clothing?
For consistency in my life, one or other of my leather jackets of the day.
11. Somebody you admire and why?
J. K. Rowling. She was a single parent, had the discipline to write every day and became massively successful. She also (quietly) gives loads of money to charity.
********
I was also supposed to share 11 random facts about myself but frankly my brain has seized up and I don't want to bore you to tears, so I'll leave you with the snippet that I secretly think I'd be really good in a rap battle - you know, like Eminem in 8 Mile. So don't be dissing me, dawg.
However, I have managed to think of some questions of my own as the tag dictates, so if you haven't done it yet and would like to answer mine, feel free, and give me a shout when you've done them. Otherwise I tag Lucewoman, Confused Brit Girl, Sian Lile, Middle Aged Drama Queen, Sarah Misfit, La Sophia, A Thrifty Mrs and MissieLizzie.
My questions:
1. Favourite game you played as a kid a) at home b) at school?
2. Personality trait which secretly really irritates you in a close friend or partner?
3. You get to choose one TV channel only - what do you go for?
4. Would you rather be really beautiful, or really funny? Why?
5. What's your Native American totem animal?
6. Which fictional character do you most relate to?
7. Music which you couldn't be paid to listen to?
8. Who would play you in the film version of your life story?
9. Best band you've ever seen live?
10. Most annoying thing about blogging or bloggers?
11. What is or would be your Superhero talent?
Lakota x
PS. I am now the proud owner of a genie lego minifigure!
So, what did you do today? Day at the office and drinks after work? Or school-run and a bit of bargain hunting? I don't do too many 'mum' posts - but I thought I'd share a glimpse into how sometimes life as a parent finds you spending your morning in an alternative fashion - in this case on a friends carpet, trying to identify the contents of lego mini-figure sachets without opening them. Sample conversation was something like this:
"Feel this bit. Does this feel like a banana to you?"
"Could be. Although it could be goggles. Is there a helmet?"
"There's a long bit in here - I think it's a spear. Or a fishing rod"
"Bollocks. Another bloody Hula girl! That's five!"
Yes, this is how many we had. An entire shop counter display carton - £120 worth of the little buggers. If you've not played with lego in the last 30 years you might not know that the humble lego man has undergone a style makeover and no longer has the kind of hair formerly sported by Alf from Home and Away. They now come in super cool outfits, with no career or cheery racial stereotype unrepresented!
Both my boys are lego crazy and absolutely adore collecting these figures. Each series has 16 different characters but as they come sealed packets, without the benefit of x-ray vision, you don't know what you're getting. The boys swap between themselves, but as the figures are £2 each it's hard to complete the collection once you've got most of the series - we have an army of Egyptian Mummies and my friend's little boy's got enough Beefeaters to form an entire Royal Guard. My mate Michelle, mum of said little boy, had spent so long feeling the packets in our local toyshop that the proprietor - presumably feeling uncomfortable with the mad-woman fondling the merchandise - kindly said that she could take the entire box home with her, and then return it the following day with the payment for any she wanted.
I need the genie - contact me with your swapsie requests ;-)
So obviously, being a sane and rational mother, I only laughed uproariously at her for a moment before joining her in her living room for our training in blind lego identification. Luckily, we'd already established that each figure comes with one unique identifiable piece - whether the hula girl's maracas or the rapper's boom-box - and all it takes is a gallon of coffee, an hour and a half and a packet of post-it notes. Oh, and it would probably help to have a working knowledge of braille. But we were successful! And now I have a whole stash of identified mini-figures to give as rewards for good behaviour, in the goody-bags for the upcoming lego themed birthday party and for decorating the birthday cake. I'm thinking a giant lego brick, displayed on one of those green knobbly base-boards.
If you don't have kids this might seem a ridiculous way to spend your morning, but I feel it takes second place to many times we'd run out of emmantal, favourite cheese of the mini dictator of the day, and I defused the immanent melt-down by hand-carving holes in a slice of cheddar. Obviously I couldn't make it taste like an evil cross between soap and walnuts, but he never seemed to mind, it was all about the aesthetics. And is it only my child who will only deign to eat a banana - the convenient self-packaged, ready to eat fruit - if it's sliced on a plate to be eaten with a fork?
There's a lego man head underneath - he's in a gorilla suit!
Mind you, I'd be lying if I said the morning's escapades were all for the benefit of the offspring. I love the figures too, and would have a collection larger than the boys' if I thought I'd be allowed to keep it (I currently have the Statue of Liberty and the Cave Girl, and am refusing to give them up). Michelle is just as bad, Mr FHCS has them on his desk at work, and I defy anyone who played with lego as a kid - or just likes kitschy cute fashion - not to see the appeal. Of course, mine would be displayed on a shelf like Boy1's, not scattered under-foot or mixed and matched to create mutants a la Toy Story and thoughtfully left in the shower for Mummy to tread on - the hallmark of a Boy2 game.
click pic to enlarge
Series 7 is out this month - I want the hippy, geek and merman; how about you?
What ridiculous thing have you found yourself doing for your kids?
Lakota x
PS. My giveaway ends March 7th - I think I'll throw a mini-figure in too!
PPS. If you like my blog, I'd love it if you could nominate any of the more amusing posts for the Brit Mums BIB awards - I think the eBay posts have the edge at the moment!
