Jingley Jingles

I just read Jodie's post today at Mummy Mayhem in which she is talking about Mad World and advertising of years gone by. I know many bloggers are from PR or media backgrounds, but I am purely a consumer, a sucker for a good advertisement, well really an advertisers dream (2am on the Shopping Channel is amazeballs with such quality stuff I need!!!)


Jodie mentioned jingles and when I thought about it, there doesn't seem to many jingles used anymore. Is that because we are more stimulated by the visuals than audio nowadays, or is it the brands that want something to be visually enticing first and foremost? Or, is it that I am no longer part of the target audience and the Gen Y and Z respond to different methods altogether? (Any reasons advertising people???)


I remember growing up with some great jingles, for Vegemite, for cereals, toys, services and all sorts. I can remember the words to so many of them, and yet, can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. So obviously the jingles worked on me.


When travelling through Europe, and bumping into other Western Australians, drunken conversations would inevitably turn to reminiscing of home. 9 times out of 10, the Channel 9 Community Service announcements were brought up. We all knew all the words to everyone of them. For those non-sandgropers, they were a series of public service announcements on Channel 9 telling us not to put knives in toasters, to wash our hands before we ate, to eat healthy and to stay away from ding-a-lings. Life seemed simpler then!


These ads definitely influenced me. I know that Mum knows, I brush my teeth, keep cuts clean, I know what each of the vitamins do (after singing through the song in my head), and I think that the ding-a-lings ad may have had something to do with my irrational fear of people with red hair when I was young (sorry!). If you only watch one, watch Ding-a-lings!

















Are there any radio or television ads from your childhood that get stuck in your head?

Chantel x

Sunday Session

  

Thought I would do something different today and link in with Thea's Sunday session at Do I really Wanna Blog?

I love music, our life is full of music and our house has very eclectic tastes. I love nothing more than watching Master Z 'dancing' to the radio. His favourite is Copperhead Road from Steve Earle - not a song I like, but a certain radio station I sometimes listen to as I know all the words to all the songs, plays it every day!!! He enjoys it as he can stamp his feet on the floorboards throughout.

I am more a Triple J girl, desperately clinging to my youth. This week, I heard some awesome songs that took me back to the nineties when life was so simple. Mike Mills, a well known director and graphic artist was on Zan Rowe's morning show on Friday and played 5 songs that he has been involved in some how. My favorite of these was Sonic Youth's Diamond Sea - but the radio friendly version, not their usual 17 minute prog rock version. Mike did the cover art to Sonic Youths' album 'Washing Machine' that this song came from.

Second song I chose, is Blind Melon's No Rain as it was part of a mash on Spicks and Specks  and again flashed me back to my uni days - haven't thought about this song for ages, buts its a cute little catchy tune that reminds me of summer.

What songs have caught your ears this week?

Chantel x

Grateful for......

There are so many things to be grateful for the past week, I thought I would choose my top five:

 image from here

1. TBone - I am off on another manic venture in my quest for working out what I want to be when I grow up. This week, it is a solicitor and I have decided that once I finish my MBA next July, I am going to commence a postgraduate law degree. This will only work if I stop working part time and TBone is very supportive and happy to allow me to explore my dreams - probably because he knows next month I will come up with a new crazy plan. (but I think this one may be a goer:o))



2. My parents - they have been overseas for six weeks, arriving back on Tuesday and having them away for so long, made me realise how much they do for us, not only with Master Z, but just being there for a chat, or unwind.

3.  Birthdays - what started out as a shamozzle in my head, turned into one of the best birthdays a girl could ask for. When I stopped throwing a tantrum and took stock of things, slowed the pace down and accepted that not everything needs to go the way I planned to still be great, we had a lovely weekend. I also looked very ungrateful and can't believe that with all the terrible things people are going through in their lives, I felt the need to whinge about this.

image from here

4. Our health - our house hasn't been well for the past 8 weeks, with one of us down with something or other each time. But the lurgys we have had are fleeting, symptoms controlled with paracetamol and rest. We are so fortunate to be healthy.


5. Wine - I love wine, I love white wine, I love red wine. Our quarterley wine club dozen arrived yesterday - nuff said!!!


What are you grateful for this week? 


Linking up with Maxabella's Grateful for Link

This week, I know I am ashamed.....

sorry for the cliched image

I have always been a proud, boxing kangaroo flag flying, yellow and green wearing Australian. This week, I am ashamed to be Australian.

I am ashamed that our parliament is having to have a debate about an issue that shouldn't even be an issue. An issue that is a civil right and should be available to everyone. I am talking about marriage and specifically marriage between two people of the same sex. 

What angers me is that in this day and age there is this inequality among our society. That it is even an issue that we are having to debate is terrible. That people in same sex relationships have to fight and rally for legislative change is archaic. The marriage legislation as it stands denies people in a same sex relationship and their families legal equality and perpetuates discrimination and prejudice. 

It doesn't matter if you don't believe a marriage licence is worth the piece of paper it is written on, the fact remains if you are in a heterosexual relationship, you have the choice to get married if you want to. People in same sex relationships are not afforded that right. 

I myself, love being married and I value my marriage and it saddens me that there are still people in our country that are don't have the opportunity to marry the person they love. 

I am linking in with Yay for Home's Things I Know

Chantel x

Priorities

Saturday was my birthday and we had the whole weekend planned with fun stuff to do. I love birthdays. I love to make a big deal of people's birthdays and I love to celebrate my own. We had planned that when TBone got home from work at 2pm Saturday, there would be a quick turn around and we would head off for afternoon tea at Koko Black (I know, a cafe devoted entirely to chocolate - could you get any better!!!) then shopping for my presents, followed by a quiet dinner at home with candles and an expensive bottle of red we have been saving for a special occasion.

But....

Poor TBone came home at 7am Saturday with a stomach bug and spent the rest of the day in the bathroom. Seems he caught Master Z's bug of the week from day care.

Now, I am usually very laid back and caring - I am a health professional you know :o) - but for some reason, all care and compassion left me and all I could think was that my birthday had been ruined! I was close to tears even though I knew perfectly well that there was nothing he could do about it. The poor thing was feeling terrible not only for the lurgy, but as he felt he had ruined my birthday. 

I spent the morning huffing and puffing, playing with Master Z and feeling very sorry for myself. What a waste, as it was a beautiful day in Perth. Once Master Z went down for his midday nap, I thought, right, going to go and buy my own presents. First, I decided to get my finger and toe nails done, so headed to a local salon. I asked for the special pedicure and manicure and got shuttled to one of the booths. The guy started sanding my nails and then clipping them back - that was then I started to pay attention to what was going on. He then pulled out acrylics and I pretty much melted into a blubbering heap. My fingernails had been cut right down. "I don't want acrylics, I only wanted a manicure, its my birthday and everything is going wrong!" 

The poor people in the salon didn't quite know what to do with this stranger with tears running down her face and mascara following them. They were very lovely to me, fixed my now very short nails up with a manicure, dealt with my elephant like feet and toenails with a pedicure, not even commenting on the fact that my legs were hairy like a bear.

As I was relaxing I decided I needed to grow up, act my age and make the most of the day. I can be very Pollyanna when I need to be. So I went home, picked up Master Z and went to have the day we had planned, unfortunately without TBone though. I had a lovely afternoon being escorted around Claremont by Master Z and TBone was well enough to have a low key version of the dinner we planned - but we have saved the wine for another time.

The next day really put things into perspective for me. TBone was well, the weather was fantastic, despite predictions otherwise and we headed to one of my favourite places in Perth, the zoo. Master Z had the best day, his smile was beaming the whole time and he chattered away throughout the day. He was so excited to see the lions, tigers, elephants and the meerkats up close and spent the afternoon imitating the monkeys. I had the such a lovely time just watching him happy. We let him spend most of the time out of the pram, wandering around the zoo at his pace.

That's when I realised that what happened Saturday didn't matter and I am embarrassed at my tired and fatigued reaction. The day we had Sunday, a simple activity, the three of us together enjoying each others' company, Master Z soaking up new experiences, that is what deserves to be celebrated. And that is how I will remember my birthday for this year.

Pretty Lady

I am a slave to Princess K, but wouldn't change it for anything. She is our beautiful 3 year old Bernese Mountain Dog, who has brought so much to our lives.


We got her just after we moved into our first home. We wanted to practice our care skills on a puppy before we inflicted them on a child. She hasn't worked out too bad. Apart from the usual puppy mishaps, and few holes dug as a demand for a walk, she is well behaved and follows commands if she wants to.


Her nature and temperament is wonderful. She is a gentle giant - except for a tail that wags with enthusiasm with the power of a propeller. She has knocked Master Z over with it on several occasions and then shown a look of horror when she registers what she has done (well, what I perceive to be her look of horror.....) 


She is excitable and playful. She does the typical Berner thing of trying to get as close to you as possible, looking for pats. She will place her enormous paw on your feet and lean into you to let you know she loves you. She can be needy, but likes nothing more than to just know we are close. As long as we are in sight, she is happy.


She has a huge bark that fends off strangers - but in reality if anyone approached her, she would probably pee herself and run to the corner of the yard - hopefully no-one is ever willing to test that theory. I am pretty sure she would put herself in front of us if there was ever any trouble and she can look pretty menacing to those who don't know her.


When I had a miscarriage prior to Master Z, she knew we were sad, she was quiet and calm, not her usual boisterous self. She sat in the lounge next to me with her head on my lap as we cried over one of the most painful things we have had to deal with. She somehow knew and was there for us in the only way she knew how.

She is fantastic with children and likes nothing more than hugs and pats. She knows she is pretty and expects passers by to stop and comment and fawn over her. She looks put out if she gets ignored.


Not just a pretty face, but a beautiful nature also. We are so fortunate to have her in our lives. Today I am linking up with Maxabella for her Saturday Grateful for.......

Head over there to check out what others are grateful for on this beautiful day.

Chantel x

Things I Know...My week

I thought I would link up with Yay for Home's "Thing I Know" this week as I haven't really been near the computer much and want to try to be more consistent and I think if I set my self a task for each day of the week, I am more likely to do this.

 

I know Man Flu is life threatening and causes the male sufferer to lose powers of mobility, speech and reason - and it has similar symptoms in the male under 2. When transmitted to the female however, the symptoms are very subdued and they allow the female sufferer to continue on with life and responsibilities as normal!


I know that joking aside, TBone is obviously working long, hard days for us at the moment and must have been pretty run down to have caught said man flu and I am grateful he was able to have 4 days off to rest up and be refreshed for the coming months which are going to be very busy for him at work.


I know that I enjoy going to work, but not really for the work I do, more for the people I work with that make me laugh each day and allow me to distract them from doing the serious stuff.


I know that I have missed Mum and Dad while they have been off galavanting around Europe for the last six weeks and I can't wait to see them Tuesday.


I know how much of a help they are to me by having Master Z two days a week to allow me to go to work - I appreciate them.


I know I am really looking forward to this weekend, celebrating my birthday with my boys and going to the zoo on Sunday - Master Z is at a really good age to enjoy it and I can't wait to see his face.


I know The Sassy Cookie in Vic Park does the best gluten free cupcakes ever - and I may or may not be addicted - 3 trips in 3 days isn't bad surely???? (not all for me.....)

What do you know? Head to see Shae at Yay for Home!  to check it out.

Have a great weekend

Chantel x