Music Monday [6] – Songs To Make You Jump Around

Well Hello, it must be Monday again. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, despite my varied schedule, I do still tend to suffer from a touch of Monday-itis. One of the better ways to combat my sluggish Monday Mode is to listen to some up-tempo fun tunes to get me in the mood to tackle the day head on. So in this post I’m going to focus on four songs to get your heart rate up and a smile on your face.

This first song is what I call my #1 workout song. If anyone ever asks for a recommendation on a song to add to their exercise playlist, I recommend this one without fail. A few years ago when I was heavily into jumping rope for exercise, I used to use this song to do a mad skipping workout. At around 7 minutes long, and 145 BPM (that’s beats per minute) you are sure to get a kick out of working out to this. And if you skip to it, I guarantee you at around 5 minutes into it, if you can keep up, the endorphins really start to kick in. I’m pretty sure I had an out-of-body experience running to this song once too. For me, it’s the perfect mix of tempo, sound and build-up, so fantastic to dance to or exercise to in whatever way you love to exercise. The lyrics are definitely not happy shiny rainbows, but that just leads to a way more powerful song, in my opinion. Workout songs don’t have to be happy and cheerful, in fact, some of the best ones are a bit darker, and can motivate you to push that little bit harder when you have to.

Infected Mushroom have been around since the mid-90s, and are just an incredible psytrance group hailing from Israel. I have seen them live three times, and each time has been mind-blowing. Honestly, if you’ve never heard of them before, it is well worth checking them out. And if you have heard of them before, no doubt you are nodding your head in agreement whilst I wax on about how great they are. I personally recommend the album Legend Of The Black Shawarma as a good jumping off point.

Ahhhhhh
I hope I can chill and stay the same
Stop the bleed inside / And feel again
Cut the chain of lies / You’ve been my feeding my veins
I got nothing to say to you…

Keeping with the psytrance theme (you may come to learn through my Music Monday posts that I adore psytrance), here is another of my favourite psytrance groups, Pendulum. Pendulum originated in Perth Western Australia in 2002, and like Infected Mushroom, are known for mixing harder rock elements with electronic music, creating their own sub-genre of psytrance / electronica that has been a global success. I have never seen Pendulum live, but I’m pretty sure I’d feel like I’d died and gone to heaven if I did.

The Vulture never fails to fill me with energy and make me want to bounce around like a mad thing. At 174 BPM it makes a great workout song, and will make you want to fistpump the air as you do it.

We’re taking the power…

Now onto something a bit happier – let’s get some hardcore into our lives, shall we?  When my husband was a DJ “back in the day” Darren Styles was his absolute favourite dance artist. And, of course, that totally rubbed off on me. To be fair, Styles has had an enduring career and is really at the top of his game when it comes to this genre of music. Not only is he an outstanding DJ and producer, but he also does the vocals on most of his tracks, making him a complete triple threat. Total talent, and fantastic tuneage.  This is an old song, circa 2007-ish, but in my mind it’s a classic. Styles tours the UK and Eurpoe quite often, performing at all of the biggest dance music festivals around. If you’ve ever had a chance to see him perform, I’m completely envious of you.

I have been waiting, all of my life
For you to come along, and make everything alright
My body’s shaking, right through my bones
So take me by the hand, please don’t leave me here alone
And I wonder if you know just how I feel…

To round of today’s fab four, I figured what’s exercise without a bit of Crystal Castles. I’ve included them in Music Mondays before, but this song is a little more mainstream than the last tune I recommended. I’m Not In Love comes in at a respectable 136 BPM, so is good for jogging, warm ups, cool downs or weights. As an added bonus – Robert Smith!  Yes, I even managed to find a slightly “goth” work out song – go me!

‘Cause it’s cold outside, when you coming home
‘Cause it’s hot inside, isn’t that enough
I’m not in love…

Aaaaand that’s a wrap!

As always, leave me some comment love and let me know what you think of my playlist for this week. I hope I’ve managed to introduce you to some tunes that you hadn’t heard before, or just revisited some old faves you haven’t listened to in ages.

Happy Listening!

Music Monday [4] – Bop Chill Bop Doo Wop

Hola my people!

Another Music Monday is upon us. ARE YOU EXCITED? I sure am. I’m not going to waffle on this week, let’s jump straight in, headfirst, to some delicious tunage for your ears and souls.

First up, a bit of fun. This track is from UK DJ / producer Mark Ronson, and features Kevin Parker from Tame Impala. Mark Ronson is known for working with some major industry heavyweights, including Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lily Allen, Robbie Williams… and I could go on and on, and is basically just the shit right now (if you don’t get my Aussie slang, “the shit” is a good thing. A very good thing). You know that song Uptown Funk? Yeah, that’s him too. This song is by no means a new one, it’s been out for quite a while, buit it never fails to get me in the mood to boogie.  Daffodils is from the Uptown Special album which was released earlier this year.

(Note: this song has vague drug references. If that’s not your thing, consider yourself forewarned)

Drop another daffodil / We can push on through till morning…

Número dos. Holy Holy is an Aussie duo hailing from both Brisbane and Melbourne. They’ve just released their debut album in Australia, called When The Storms Would Come, and these guys are generating quite the buzz locally. This indie project hails back to old school classic songwriting, and you can hear many influences in their style from days gone by. Oh, and I really have to mention, these guys both have epic hair. EPIC. I’m pretty sure their musical power is held in their hair or something, like a modern day tale of Samson. Or Samsons.

Anyhoooo… Sentimental And Monday is the perfect track to listen to whilst driving aimlessly around in the rain. Yes, I’m being that specific. So seriously, try it. Go out to your car on a rainy day, put on this track, then drive aimlessly. I highly recommend it.

The good news is that these two are doing an album tour around Oz right now, and then they’re heading to Europe. If you want to go see their epic hair in person, check out the tour dates here.

This darkness is nothing but a lack of light…

Número tres. This next one is a bit of a mash up. It’s a remix of a song called Frostbite by an Australian dark electropop trio by the name of Avarice In Audio. AIA are fantastic all on their own, and I highly suggest you check them the hell out, but this remix by symphonic darkwave duo Revenant Cult takes it to the next level. You can listen to the original version here for comparison if that pleases you to do so.

In the interest of transparency, I should also let you guys know that Revenant Cult is my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. That doesn’t make this remix any more or less awesome just because they’re family, and it is one half of the duo, Julian, who is entirely responsible for this great remix. I wouldn’t post any of their stuff here unless I absolutely loved it, and this is one remix that is on high rotation on my iPod and in my car.

If you’re interested in checking out more of what Revenant Cult has to offer, the best place to do so is their Soundcloud.

Número cuatro. The final sweet melody I’m offering up to you today is a fabulous track by some new kids on the block, Melbourne alterna-pop group City Calm Down. Their debut album In A Restless House is set for release on the 6th of November, and boy oh boy I’ll be salivating to get my hands on this one. They’re also currently touring, so get on that bandwagon people! Perthies, they’re playing at Jack Rabbit Slims on the 10th of October, just FYI.

This song, Rabbit Run, is just so perfect in its 80s nostalgic sound. I’m hearing Joy Division, I’m hearing Morrissey, I’m hearing elements of The Cure. I’m just LOVING what I’m hearing, in other words. This song is for evenings spent watching ominous dark clouds roll in to obliterate the sunset, with a large glass of red in your hand.

If had wrote you for your thoughts / Pretend they are my own and turn the other way / Still living in my regrets / Reflected in the mud / But I’m not ashamed…

That’s it for this fortnight my lovelies. Love these posts? Hate them? Shout me out in a comment.

Happy Listening

Music Monday [3] – Slinky, Slippery, Sanguine and Staunch

Welcome to the third installment of my Music Monday blog posts, where I share with you some of the tunes that are making me shake my Mummybutt at the moment.

My first offering is a song that I have been loving on for months now, since I first heard it on the radio whilst driving to pick my daughter up from daycare. If this song were an object, I would be rubbing all up against it like a purring cat who wants to be fed likerightnow!  Canadian duo Purity Ring released their second album Another Eternity back in March, and have just played the Splendour In The Grass festival (and a couple of sideshows) in Australia last week. This song is the second single from that album, and has become hugely popular since its release. I am on a major Purity Ring kick right now, I am simply in lust with Megan James’ voice (again, cue purring kitty analogy). If you missed them in Australia, they’re headed back to do a US tour beginning in August, followed by Canada, The UK and Eurpoe until the end of the year. Hopefully they’ll be back to Australia some time in the future.

You be the moon I’ll be the Earth / And when we burst start over oh darling
Begin again / begin again / begin again …

This next tune I heard for the first time during an episode of my favourite (at the moment) podcast, Welcome To Night Vale. If you aren’t already onto that shit, do yourself a favour and get thee to a podcasting App and have a listen. You can thank me later. Neptunes Jewels is from American artist Mystic‘s debut album Cuts For Luck and Scars For Freedom, which was released back in 2001. I’m way late to the party on this one, but I’m really thankful that I was introduced to this, even years after it’s release. So, thank you WTNV!  (Note: I’m probably going to end up including quite a few songs I’ve heard on WTNV here on Music Monday, they just play such damn cool music, and I’m always listening and going: man, that song is kick-ass!)

This particular song just hits all the right spots for me, it has a chilled R&B vibe and a fabulous Lauryn Hill-esque feel to it. This number is definitely going to be on high rotation on my playlists for a while to come.

For you I’d dive into a treacherous sea / Bring you Neptune’s jewels to keep you happy
I would fly into a merciless sun / Steal you the sky ’cause you’re the one…

This contribution is a funky ditty that is my current earworm. EARWORM ALERT!  If you’re anything like me, you will NOT be able to get this song out of your head once you hear it a few times. The first time I heard it, I actually found it quite annoying, but then it swiftly grew on me, and now if it comes on the radio I bop along like a mad thing and it always always brings a smile to my face. The upside is that my toddler loves it too, it must just be that right combination of boppiness and upbeat styles that just make it a pretty rad bit o’ fun.

SAFIA are an Aussie three-piece electro band who came to fame after winning the TripleJ 2012 Groovin’ The Moo Unearthed competition, and then also featuring on Peking Duck‘s double platinum single, Take Me Over. Since then, they’ve just been on the up and up, most recently playing the Splendour In The Grass festival. They’re touring right now in Oz, their two scheduled shows in Perth in September have already sold out, but they’ve just added a third show at Amplifier Bar so jump on it if you’re a fan, or if you love what you hear here, because tickets are sure to dissappear very quickly.

Said you said, you wanna be alone / But someone loves you more / Than no means no
‘Cause you don’t know, you don’t know / You don’t know, all the things that could set you free…

Like embracing me! Like embracing me!

It’s totally not embarassing at all that for a good two weeks I thought the lyrics were: “like a recipe”.

NOT EMBARASSING AT ALL!

My last song for this post is from my absolute favourite Perth prog metal band, Voyager. I love these guys, lovelovelove, they play incredible music and their shows are always SO.MUCH.FUN!  If you have never been to a Voyager show, I pity you, and to avoid my pity you should go and see one as soon as humanly possible. They’ve just finished up an Australian tour, and they’re off to the States in August to tour with Evergrey. Don’t fret though, they do Aussie shows quite regularly, so you’ll be able to get a chance to see them soon enough, especially if you live in Perth. Also, if you have ever wanted to see an absolute star of a guitar player GO ABSOLUTELY OFF, Simone from Voyager is like my damn hero. She’s just amazeballs. Enough said, go soak your ears in this baby.

(As a little bit of “About Me’ trivia, I was in the crowd when the live show part of this filmclip was filmed. The filmclip is made up almost entirely of footage filmed by their fans, and some of the footage I took that night may even be in there somewhere. I’m pretty sure I can see me headbanging in that crowd for about 0.02 seconds. Oooooh, special.)

(Further trivia – I actually gave myself proper whiplash that night from so much headbanging. This was BC (before child) when I still had a sweet social life).

I saw the sign from a million miles away / Saw the sign  / Take it all and seize the day…

Well, I hope you all enjoyed yet another installment of Music Monday. If you’re loving what I’m putting out there, drop me a line and let me know. If you think it sucks, bring it on. If you have a band that you’d like me to check out, definitely let me know about it.

Happy Listening!

Kids Book Review – The Super Baby and Ted Series

This blog post is not a sponsored post – all opinions are my own.

Quite a while ago, my daughter was given the 6 book set of the Super Baby & Ted series as a gift from a family friend. I immediately liked these books because they are written by a local author, Jennifer Bates, here in Perth. The stories are set in a fictional town called Cotsville in Western Australia. I really have a thing for local ANYTHING, and I’m pretty sure none of the other kids books in my house were written in Perth. For that reason, I was charmed before I’d even read them.

Any parent of a small child knows that books often play a big part in a daily routine. My daughter, who is a week-ish shy of being 21 months old, is obsessed with books at the moment. She sits and flips the pages and babbles to herself, she brings them over to me and requests that I read to her multiple times a day, and we have integrated a book into the all-important bed time routine; in our house the book comes after the bath but before the bottle and bed. This is also a good opportunity for her to spend quality time with her Dad, as he often doesn’t get home from work until around book time.  They say that reading to your children is something that you will never regret, and I am a big believer in this statement. I was an avid reader as a child, and I hope that one day my daughter will find the same joy in books as I do, so far it’s looking good.

So, I was really thrilled to have been given not one but six new books for Holly to get into. Although the Super Baby & Ted series is written for older children, around pre-school age, there is still a lot a little one can get out of them. The illustrations  are vibrant and a little bit old-school, and my daughter has no problems with pointing to various characters and being able to identify them: “baby”, “ted”, as well as objects like “bike”, “bottle”, “dog” and so on.

The other thing that I quickly started to like about these books as I began reading them was that they are very lesson oriented. Each story has a very important message about safety entwined in it’s plot, and is a very good way to start teaching your kids about safety from the get-go. As the author writes:” The main characters were Super Baby and his ‘sidekick’ named Ted. They lived in a make-believe town called Cotsville in Western Australia. Their mode of transport was the Pram Jet – an old fashioned pram that they had converted into a fast aeroplane. They would keep an eye on all the children in Cotsville to make sure they stayed out of danger and were safe from accidents and injuries.”  She also goes on to say: “I hope the ‘big people’ take note of the messages in the books that our children are precious and we need to take good care of them so they are kept as safe as possible.”

The Super Baby & Ted series is comprised of six short story books, each with it’s own lesson on safety. The tales cover such subjects as water safety, caring for your pets, the importance of always supervising children, the danger of playing near roads, and the consequences of taking things that do not belong to you. Each tale sees Super Baby and Ted helping the citizens of Cotsville learn these valuable lessons. Not only will these stories help kids to understand some of the dangers that they should be aware of, but they will also remind parents of their responsibilities when it comes to safety.

You can tell that the author is extremely passionate about child safety. So much so, that there is even a section on the Super Baby & Ted website devoted to extra safety tips for parents. These safety messages have tips about water safety, hot cars, safety at home and at play, dog safety, trampoline safety, driveway safety, and more. They say knowledge is power, so I for one am thankful for any extra safety tips I can get. Parents are not perfect, but the more we know, the better we do. You can check out the Super Baby & Ted Safety Messages here.

The Super Baby & Ted series of six books retails for AU$29.95 and you can purchase them on the secure website here. They make a great addition to any child’s home library, and they also make excellent gifts.  Your money will be going towards supporting a local small business, and that’s always gotta give you the warm fuzzies!

You can read more about the Super Baby & Ted series on their website, or if you love your social media, you can also follow them on Facebook.

Tell me, what is your child’s favourite book right now?

Happy Reading!

Images and quotes used with permission from the author.

Music Monday [2] – Throw Your Hands In The Air

Living the Mum Life, I find it very hard to commit to anything. The fact that I’m publishing a second Music Monday blog, like I’m actually doing another one and only a week after the first – well, it’s nothing short of amazing. UH-MAY-ZING. So please, medals, accolades and big-arse bottles of champagne right this way.  I figure if nothing else, Music Monday will keep me blogging regularly, and will hopefully hold me accountable to do so. I can’t promise that I’ll do these every Monday, but I think fortnightly is achievable.

On to my first offering for this week.

This is a song that I can’t get out of my head at the moment. I rejoice when it comes on the radio, and I like it so much that I even **gasp!** downloaded a copy so that I can listen to it over, and over, and over, and over…

(I live on a shoestring budget. Like seriously Scroogealicious stuff. Even downloading a two dollar song is considered a treat to me. So that’s how much I like this damn song)

Eves The Behaviour  (aka 20 year old Hannah Karydas) is an Australian artist based in Brisbane. Think dark electro-pop with some alternative almost goth-style elements. This song Electrical is just my cup of tea. It has a bit of a dark moody vibe, but mainly it’s just haunting and beautiful.

An interesting trivia point for those playing at home, Karydas actually experiences a neurological phenomenon known as synesthesia, in her case this means she associates music with colours. I believe she’s playing at the upcoming Splendour In The Grass festival, so if you’re going along to that, you may be lucky enough to see her play live.

Hazes from New York, slow burning
Blue screen come down
Transition from night to day
I’m synthesized but profound…

This next tune is a lot of fun. A LOT OF FUN. Totally bop-worthy, and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. Well, it brings one to mine, anyhoo.

The Jungle Giants are a young indie rock band, also based in Brisbane. GO BRISBANE, seriously knockin’ out some great talent of late. Keep it up Brisvegas, you rock! These guys (and gal) have a new album coming out in early August and are touring around the country in September and October. So, if you’re digging on this, going and checking out one of their shows would be pretty rad.

Heads up Perth, they’ll be playing at Metros Freo on September 4th, the Prince of Wales in Bunno on the 5th, and an all-ages show at HQ in Leederville on the 6th. Get on it.

Kooky Eyes. What can I say? This song just speaks to me. We all know a kooky eyes, don’t we?

Kooky eyes / Do you wanna stay the night?
All my friends think you’re a psycho / That kinda makes me like you more though…

Dooooo ya want to be my giiiiirl oh kooky eyeeees!  Come on, tell me that isn’t going to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day?  *ahem* You’re welcome.

Alrighty, now for something equally as cool, but from a band with a bit more leverage under their belts. Modest Mouse have been bringing us excellent tuneage out of the USA since the early 90s, and they’re showing no sign of slowing down. With a new album just released in March of this year, these indie cool cats just keep on bringing the good stuff. Lampshades On Fire was the first single from the new album Strangers To Ourselves, and is definitely worth a listen, even if you’re not a big MM fan or don’t even know of them. Whilst it’s a boppy tune, it also has some underlying themes in there that you can read between the lines with.

Our eyes light up, we have no shame at all / Well, you all know what I’m talkin’ about
The room lights up, well, we’re still dancing around / We’re havin’ fun, havin’ some for now

Pack up again, head to the next place / Where we’ll make the same mistakes
Open one up and let it fall to the ground / Pile out the door when it all runs out…

I’m going to leave you today with something a bit more up-tempo. OK, a LOT more up-tempo. In fact, fuck it, just throw your hands in the air and get your dark rave on!  Crystal Castles is a Canadian electronic band with three albums under their belt, the latest one being III which was released back in 2012. This track, Deicide, is actually from a yet-to-be-released album, and features a new singer mysteriously only known as “Edith”, after former vocalist Alice Glass left the band late last year. Deicide is unsettling and emotive, but still manages to make me want to get up and dance. Whatever Crystal Castles are doing right now, in my opinion, they’re doin’ it right.

Their kindness is charade / It’s used to sedate / They remain unashamed / If you are being used / You should remain confused / To keep them amused…

Alright folks, that’s another Music Monday done and dusted. Please let me know if you’re liking these posts, and if you have any thoughts – I love getting comments, so don’t be shy.

Music Monday – Sick Beats and Tasty Tunes

I’m into sharing music that I like. I’m pretty sure most folk who love their tunes love recommending new stuff to people. I always appreciate it myself, you discover some great things when other people give you the hot lead.  I’ve been getting into the habit of sharing music on my Facebook lately,  from my favourite tunes to things I’ve just heard on the radio that made me rock out in the car. I have a really wide and varied musical taste, I love almost everything. So I thought I would do the same thing here from time to time, because music makes the world go ’round, yo!

So, without further ado, I give you: Music Monday.  Today I’m going to be sharing with you four songs that make me smile.

First off is this wonderfully ecclectic tune by Willow Beats called Merewif. I’ve been hearing this one on the radio off and on for months, and it never fails to make me perk up and listen. The sounds that this band creates is definitely unique, and the lyrics to this song are beautifully creepy.

A little longer baby / I whisper in your ear
I know your lungs are screaming / You’ll learn to love it here
Embrace the haze around you / You’ll never wanna leave
Your beauty mind collected / For an eternity

Now for a little hophop to brighten your day. I have a love/hate relationship with hiphop, especially Australian hiphop. However, these next two songs have definitely brought a smile to my face this past week.

This first one is a song called Dreamchaser by Indigenous Australian hiphop artist Philly. Now, you can listen to the original version here, OR you can do yourself a massive favour and listen to this amazing scaled back acoustic version, recorded by Aussie radio station TripleJ for their Like A Version session. Seriously … chills people.

(For an added bonus, you can also listen to Philly cover Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds here)

The second hiphop offering I am giving up to you today is a fantastic song by MANTRA called Got Me Wrong. MANTRA is also an Australian hiphop artist and is really releasing some great stuff at the moment. This song makes me bop along every time, plus it has a great message behind it, as most hiphop songs tend to do. Added bonus is that it has a really great catchy Indian-style break featuring Parvyn Kaur Singh, which adds a funky exotic vibe to the tune.

If I am lonely, the shallow motif, I know I don’t belong,
But you won’t really see the real me before you hear my songs,
‘Cause I am lonely, but don’t mistake me, or think that I ain’t strong,
I know you think you know me, but you don’t know me, and you have got me wrong…

The final musical masterpiece I am giving you today is one I just heard on the radio this morning. It’s by a band called Bring Me The Horizon and it’s a super new release off their new upcoming album, called Happy Song.  This band has recently moved away from a metalcore sound to a sound that is closer to what they describe as Stadium Rock/Metal. Whilst some of their hardcore fans haven’t welcomed the shift in genres, this next album looks to be a bit of a killer, if this first single is anything to judge by.

If I sing along a little fucking louder / To a happy song, I’ll be alright…

So, there you go, my very first Music Monday offering to all of you. Please let me know in the comments if you loved or hated the songs I’ve chosen this week, or recommend some other bands / artists / songs for me to check out.
Happy Listening xxx

I’m Beginning To Get A Touch Of The Vapours

My daughter has had a nagging cough for weeks. You know the type, a remnant of a cold long since passed, but a constant reminder that she still is not in tip top shape. She’s been to see the Doctor twice about it, and each time he looks at me with compassion and understanding, and then tells me that there is not much I can really do about it. It’s not a chest infection, it’s not anything worrisome. “She’s just a bit grotty”, he says. (That’s his version of snotty nosed kid, pretty much). When her lingering congestion finally goes, the cough should as well.

Which is fine. Except that it still bothers her. She coughs throughout the day. She coughs and splutters when she eats and drinks. But the worst part is at night, when her cough wakes her up constantly throughout the night, meaning not enough good sleep for either her or us. Yesterday her one of her daycare educators called me in the middle of the day whilst I was at work. “Her cough is bad”, she tells me, “it’s preventing her from eating”. “She can’t nap”, she says, “she is coughing too much”. “She’s lethargic”, she points out, “we took her outside to play and she just lay down on the ground”. Cue major Mum Guilt. My poor child. She’s lethargic and can’t eat and can’t sleep and fuuuuuuuuck how am I going to make this better?  So of course I book another appointment at the Docs, and go and pick her up early. When I get there, she’s playing happily. “Oh, she has perked up this afternoon” they tell me. Great. No, actually great, I want her to be perky, to be playing, to be happy and comfortable. But the cough is still there, so off to the Doc we go, and the same old advice ensues.

Me, trying to deal

My husband and I had been discussing vapourisers the day before. I’m going to admit it, vapourisers always seemed a little bit woo to me. I love reading those lists, you know the ones, “10 Baby Items I couldn’t Live Without” or “The 15 Baby Gadgets That Are A Waste Of Money”. Yep, those ones. I’ve read loads of them. I think every parents likes to think they are doing the best by their child, and in this consumer-driven climate, this includes having all of the gadgets that make life easy. Or, in my case, wanting the gadgets that I can never afford. Of course, there are always things that you see other people buy that you think: That is a huge waste of money. For me this list includes those “Diaper Genie” things (a lidded bucket with a scented bin bag emptied every day does me just fine), those monitors that you put under the basinet mattress to alert you (give you a heart attack) if your baby moves too little / too much / stops breathing / breathes too much, and those crazy formula bottles with 120 separate parts designed to prevent reflux, colic, germs, right wing political leanings, and bad fashion sense. I joke, I know Diaper Genies and crazy bottles are a godsend to some, they’re just not for us. (For the record, I love Avent bottles – simple, east to clean, and only 4 parts).

Mr M and I started our journey into parenthood with the motto: If our parent’s didn’t have it, we don’t need it. We definitely broke this rule somewhat; we had an airconditioning / heating unit installed to help make us all comfortable during the summer heat waves and the cool winters. We bought a whizz bang infa-red forehead thermometer when the cheap underarm ones from the pharmacy just weren’t cutting it. And Holly has a bunch of crazy battery-operated musical toys to keep her entertained whilst I attempt to get housework done.  One thing that always seemed to be on my internal “expensive and probably useless but everybody seems to have them” list was a vapouriser. I’ve seen many a parent talk about how those things are an absolute life saver, especially during the colder months, and when their child is sick. I’d caught myself secretly mooning over them in the pharmacy, always kept on the top shelf right where I can see them when picking up prescriptions or buying Children’s Panadol and, in my opinion, ridiculously priced (usually $80-$150) for what they appear to do. I mean, my Mum would’ve just made me sit in the bathroom with the shower on hot, or with my head over a bowl of hot water with a bit of Vicks in it and a towel over my head (as you can imagine, I was NOT game to try this with a 20 month old wiggleworm, but I did try the steamy bathroom thing a few times). In any case, I simply could not afford one. Point blank. Too expensive. My daughter will manage.  Yet they still called their siren song to me. I put it down to me always wanting things that I can’t have, and moved on.

We all remember this treatment, am I right folks?

Well, last night, my husband came home with a vapouriser. He’d picked it up on sale at the pharmacy for $50. I guess he was as sick as I of not getting a full night’s sleep in weeks, and to listening to our poor daughter cough herself stupid all night. What the hey. Let’s give it a go. Can’t hurt, right?

Bring on the vapour!

This was last night. I have had this device in my house for less than 24 hours. And, do you know what? IT IS PRICELESS. It is irreplaceable. If anything ever happens to this thing, I will cry real tears. It is one of the most amazing things in the world. OK, I’m probably exaggerating, but DAYUM this thing is AMAZEBALLS. Hyperbole that shit up, this thing is the ducks nuts, alright. I think I’m going to have to give it a name. Only the best household appliances have a name. I’ll call him Vapey.

So, last night just before bed, we set Vapey up 1.5 meters from her cot in our room as per the instructions. (Holly’s still in our room as we do the finishing touches on her room, which we’ve been renovating). We fill it with water, put in a little of the aromatherapy stuff that it comes with (it’s like eucalyptus / menthol stuff with a hint of lavender) and turn it on. It starts steaming away, it sounds a little like a kettle, boiling forever. The user manual tells us that it will automatically turn itself off when the water level gets low, so we’re good to leave it on all night. We also have the heater on, not high, just enough to keep the chill out of the room. Holly hates sleeping bags, and constantly wiggles out from under her blankets no matter how many times we tuck her back in again, so the heater at this time of year is pretty necessary for us. We’ve been sleeping with the heater on all night recently and have been waking up a bit dehydrated. Usually, Holly will have quite a few coughing fits as she falls asleep. Last night, she coughed a little bit, but drifted off fairly quickly, which we put down to her being exhausted. We were still sceptical at this point. Initially, I thought the bubbling noise would be annoying. However, it was like the best white noise ever. Combined with the soothing sounds of the meditation CD that I always play her to go to sleep, I could have gone to sleep right there myself!

To get to the crux of this post, we ALL slept like the dead the entire night through. Holly did not wake up coughing ONCE!  NO COUGHING!  Like, what is this, witchcraft???  Vapey filled the room with a very subtle and relaxing aroma, and the room never felt “steamy” or “humid”. The bubbling noise was very soothing. And the best part was that we woke up this morning and didn’t feel dehydrated, even though the heater had been on all night. WINNING!  *victory dance*

So, the moral of this story – I came to realise that not all parenting / baby gadgets are stupid and useless. That every so often, if a bunch of people rave about something, it’s because it’s actually awesome. And sometimes, it’s worth it to spend a bit of coin on something that will do what it is meant to, help you or your child out in some way, or make a difference to your household.

ILY Vapey!

This is not any kind of sponsored post, I am speaking from the heart when I extol the virtues of this wondrous machine. However, for the record, we purchased the Vicks brand vaporiser. There are a bunch of other brands that make them, such as Medescan, Able, Allersearch, Taav and Euky Bear, and I’m sure they are all just as great as each other, and prices vary somewhat.

Alright, so TELL ME, what are the baby / parenting gadgets or hacks that you once thought were silly, and now you can’t live without?