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Wednesday, 2 December 2020

Ocean Sensory Bottles

This may sound like an Itch-Speriments blog entry, but learn how to bring the ocean into your home with this nifty ocean sensory bottle science activity - perfect for little ones!

Videos I Saw At Grandma's Today

Christmas Swim

I've had three dreams last night, two of which included me with Bluey and all her family and an idea that'll change one of my favourite Me, You, And... stories.
In the first dream, I joined Luke, Resus, Cleo, Bluey, Bingo, Mum, Dad, Uncle Stripe, Aunt Trixie, Muffin, Socks, Nana, Uncle Rad and Frisky on a Winter walk through the woods and countryside. I was amazed - nature was such a wonderland of ice and snow at Winter, and the younger members of Bluey's family thought it was beautiful, too, though Socks got his tongue stuck to an icy tree at one point and Uncle Stripe had to pull him free. In the field, we had an epic snowball fight and made snowmen, and even went sledging down the big hill, before going home to warm mugs of milk and cocoa.
My second dream was a montage of images that would be epic front cover suggestions for my Me, You, And Transformers Cybertron books - silhouetted, crayon-drawn images of Furaha and Jetfire. They may seem childish at first, but this dream gave me an excellent idea. Like how Walt Disney decided to break Winnie The Pooh into three short featurettes, I decided in reality to divide MYATC into thirteen chapters and release them in book form. Chapters 10, 6 and 13 will be up next year, so look out!
In the third and final dream, I was on a five-star cruise ship with Luke, Resus, Cleo, Luella, Bluey, Bingo, Mum, Dad, Muffin, Socks, Uncle Stripe, Aunt Trixie, Nana, Uncle Rad, Frisky, Snickers, Dog, Pug and Calypso. We were all taking a holiday together, and we delved in the luxuries of a family cruise ship: succulent food including burgers, chips, pizza and ice cream and more, a surf stimulator, a skydiving stimulator, a trapeze school, dodgem cars, a rock climbing wall, scuba diving, archery, bars, lounges, clubs, pools, wave machines, room service, spas, fitness centres, shops, a sports court, fitness classes, a pool table, scrapbooking (which we all did together), table tennis, whirlpools (I meant pools, not those found in the ocean), outdoor film nights, a kids' area (Bluey and her friends loved that), an arcade, a solarium, an art collection, wine tasting, jewelry making, salsa dancing, teen disco, adventure science lab, dance classes, activity groups, cupcake classes, sushi-making classes, an art collection, a music hall, a water park and lots of other endless possibilities. It's like taking a holiday in Heaven! While the grown-ups had time to relax, the kids and I had time to explore and have fun with the pools, the food, the activity groups and so on, though Calypso had to accompany Bluey and Snickers during the groups. If there were a Bluey episode called 'Cruise' we would either see Bluey and her family play at being on a cruise ship or going on a cruise ship. However, there's a scene in my favourite story in the original Horrid Henry book, Horrid Henry's Holiday, which saw Henry and Peter on board a boat eating chips and sausages - while Henry went crazy, Peter was quiet and sensible. Yeah, Royal Carribeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnn!!!

Dig & Scrambled Eggs

This is my card I'm going to send to Grandma at the hospital today. It contains Dig from Scream Street and a plate of Grandma's breakfast of scrambled eggs she had yesterday morning. Imagine Dig's about to eat them, only to let them slide out of his other end!

Countdown To Christmas Day 2 - Make Polka's Peashooter

Polka is the youngest in the wolf pack that raised Dot, his dalmatian puppy brother. Being the youngest and most mischievous, he likes to play tricks on his brothers and sisters using his wooden peashooter, mainly on his stern-minded big brother Milo. Now you can be a mischievous trickster like Polka and make your own peashooter!

Tuesday, 1 December 2020

Scream Street's Back This Christmas! I Knew It!

SIR OTTO: Aaaah, this is the life. My very own jacuzzi. *blows bubbles*
DIXON: Otto? OTTO!
SIR OTTO: *spits water back out* Dixon!
DIXON: Guess what I just saw? CBBC is airing the Scream Street Christmas episode this December 21st! And we weren't invited. We never get invited to go anywhere!
SIR OTTO: Who cares? We don't need to spend Christmas on Scream Street, we've got our own pool.
DIXON: Oh. Okay! Wa-ha-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
SIR OTTO: AAARGH!!
SPLASH!
SIR OTTO: Alright. Let's spend Christmas.

Thank You NHS

I made this card for the NHS featuring Henry from Blue Peter, not thanking them for helping those affected by the Coronavirus....
...but for caring for my Grandma when she was in hospital. Thank you for airing that Blue Badge programme as part of your Six Badges Of Summer campaign months ago, Blue Peter. Dogs like Henry lighten up any serious situation!

Tastes Like Home

Have you ever read The High Hills? I remember that bit about the mice visiting the voles and sitting round the fire drinking hot bilberry soup and resting their weary paws. Wilfred falls asleep, and wakes to the delicious smell of breakfast sizzling on the range - oatcakes with rowanberry jelly - while listening to the voles talking about their life. I just listened to it on audio! Today at Grandma's, I had lunch - an old fashioned TV lunch of battered cod. To me, the delicious smell of dinner sizzling on the range feels just like I've had a second, quieter home, away from the craziness that goes on in my neighbourhood in Golspie. But! When you eat battered cod and drink Pepsi, you develop a serious case of wind in your mouth and butt, much like the goblins in Scream Street. This lead to mum and me comparing the goblins in Scream Street with those featured in Noddy and a question about if the goblins will ever get an episode in the new Scream Street. Those goblins know how to set up a stink if you know what I mean!

Videos I Saw At Grandma's Today

"The delicious smell of dinner sizzling on the range."

Disney's US Christmas Surprise

Good news to my US blog readers!

While Disney Junior is airing the new Australian Christmas tradition, Bluey in 'Christmas Swim', Disney Channel is airing something I've always cherished - my favourite Christmas special, The Snowy Day! When you watch The Snowy Day, you might want to make your own mac 'n' cheese and have it with a mug of cocoa while watching. Then, you can gather your entire family to watch 'Christmas Swim' on Disney Junior! Mind you, if I watch it, it'll be a new Christmas tradition for me, alongside reading Horrid Henry's Christmas Cracker. The Snowy Day and Christmas Swim are only aired in the US, so I'll be lucky if I do star in the episode in my dreams.

In the meantime, look out for my Countdown To Christmas blog entries featuring a Christmas Swim-themed photo album and a recipe for Mac 'N' Cheese and cocoa on the 21st and 22nd of December!

Blueycap 2020

Now, let's take a look back on what has happened to Bluey in Australia in 2020:
  • Bluey, Bingo, Mum and Dad take up street dancing in 'Dance Mode'.
  • Bluey explores a hardware store in 'Hammerbarn'.
  • Bingo discovered the difference between light and heavy in 'Featherwand'.
  • Dad and Uncle Stripe were controlled like in a video game in 'Squash'.
  • Bluey and Bingo play around with Mum's shampoo in 'Hairdressers'.
  • Bluey, Bingo and Muffin try to use Dad, Uncle Stripe and Lucky's dad to discuss gender stereotypes in 'Stumpfest'.
  • The family experience deja vu during dinnertime in 'Favourite Thing'.
  • The Heelers prepare for their morning in 'Daddy Dropoff'.
  • Bingo learns and plays in 'Bingo'.
  • Dad becomes stranded in a make-believe jungle in 'Rug Island'.
  • Bluey, Bingo, Muffin and Socks learn about body language in 'Charades'.
  • We see the overworking days of Mum in 'Sticky Gecko'.
  • Dad learns about baby development in 'Dad Baby'.
  • Bluey goes through parenthood training in 'Mum School'.
  • Bluey and Bingo board the Dad Express in 'Trains'.
  • Rusty and Jack learn about deployment in 'Army'.
  • Mum and Dad have a romantic evening in 'Fancy Restaurant'.
  • Bingo learns about taking first steps in 'Piggyback'.
  • Bluey and Bingo create a theatre experience at home in 'The Show'.
  • Bluey and Bingo attack Dad with tickles in 'Tickle Crabs'.
  • The Heelers use their imaginations in 'Escape'.
  • Dad learns about love in 'Bus'.
  • Bluey and Bingo spend the day as royalty in 'Queens'.
  • Bluey and Bingo learn about evolution in 'Flat Pack'.
  • Bluey uses a tree stump as a buddy bench in 'Helicopter'.
  • Bingo explores a womb-like intergalactic dream world in 'Sleepytime'.
  • Bluey, Bingo and Grandad go on an adventure of survival in 'Grandad'.
  • Bluey and Bingo learn about up and down in 'Seesaw'.
  • Bluey has her first theatre experience in 'Movies'.
  • Muffin looks forward to a good story during 'Library'.
  • Bluey and Mackenzie play with and become big kids in 'Barky Boats'.
  • Bluey and Bingo feed a rumbly tummy during bathtime in 'Burger Shop'.
  • Bluey and friends practice performing circus tricks in 'Circus'.
  • The Heelers go on vacation in 'Swim School'.
  • Bluey and her new friend Winnie have breakfast in 'Cafe'.
  • Bluey must team up with Bingo to stop her parents arguing in 'Postman & Ground's Lava'.
  • Bluey and Bingo lose their voices in 'The Quiet Game'.
  • Bluey and Bingo use their monkey toy as a human puppet in 'Mr. Monkeyjocks'.
  • Uncle Rad and Frisky come to babysit the girls in 'Double Babysitter'.
  • Bingo displays out of control behaviour in 'Bad Mood'.
  • Chloe has a wiggly, giggly day in 'Octopus'.
  • Bingo relies on Mum for guidance and support in 'Bin Night'.
  • Muffin isn't allowed any food until she stops her habit in 'Muffin Cone'.
  • Bluey gets her paws all sticky making a cake with Dad in 'Duck Cake'.
  • Bingo learns to perfect her roll in 'Handstand'.
  • The Heelers finally hit the road for a camping vacation in 'Road Trip'.
  • It's a typical average day in the park in 'Ice Cream'.
  • Bluey and Bingo develop dirty mouths in 'Dunny'.
  • Bluey, Snickers and Winton unleash their inner ninjas in 'Typewriter'.
  • Mum recalls playing with Bluey as a baby in 'Baby Race'.
And now...
  • Bluey and her family spend Christmas together - something all Aussies should cherish - in 'Christmas Swim'.
I hope there'll be more Bluey soon...maybe next year if there's time....

Greeks, Handstands, Princesses & Trains

Four dreams in one, most of which are themed around Bluey. Let's go!
In my first dream, Cleo and I were princesses in Ancient Greece, even though Cleo basically comes from Egypt. We'd do dances in and out of the ancient temple, then play in a huge puddle of mud when it stops raining. When our muddy games are over, we'd head over to a Greek bath house and still have fun there, splashing each other and relaxing. We'd also sleep in this large, silky bed while our dad, Emperor Niles, kept a watch over us. A time like Ancient Greece is a perfect time to be a princess, ain't it?
In the next dream, Luke, Resus, Cleo, Space Ghost, Zorak, Moltar, Horrid Henry, Perfect Peter, Twilight Sparkle, Spike the dragon, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash all starred in the Bluey episode 'Handstand' as party buddies for Bluey and her friends. I was with Bluey, Luke was with Rusty, Cleo was with Chloe, Resus was with Mackenzie, Space Ghost chatted with Uncle Stripe and Dad, Moltar was partnered up with Snickers, Zorak was with Honey (and was wanting some jelly), Henry and Peter were fighting over stuff as usual, Twilight was with Missy, Applejack was with Winton, unlucky Spike had to be partnered up with Bentley since he picks his nose all the time, Fluttershy was outside in the garden, Rarity kept guard of the party food and Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash spent time with Muffin, Socks and Lila watching TV. Although the dream was set in a Bluey episode, elements of it were taken from the Horrid Henry episode 'Happy Birthday Peter'.
Next, when I went back to sleep, I starred in the Bluey episode 'The Adventure'. While Bluey and Chloe were playing their princess adventure game, Honey, Mackenzie and I played our own version of the game - I was a blue whale, Mackenzie was a knight and Honey was a jungle explorer, and Coco had asked us to guard the cherry birthday cake she had brought in to share with her friends while she plays doctors and nurses with Snickers. As we guarded it, each of Bluey's friends, even Calypso, wanted a piece of her cake. This dream's moral is all about one thing I did when I was at school with chocolate brownies - sharing.
In the final dream, I was on board a train heading to Australia with Mackenzie. The conductor came in and handed me a clipboard with a list of new Bluey episodes that'll be coming next year. I completely forgot about the dream until a few minutes later. On the clipboard, the new Bluey episodes listed include 'Rusty' - which I presume will focus on Rusty - 'Bathtime' - which I know has turned into 'Burger Shop' - and 'Tea Party' which I think will focus on Bluey, Chloe and Honey having a tea party. Mackenzie was very excited seeing what's listed on the clipboard because that'll mean he'll star in the episodes, too! Aren't I lucky? Hmmmmm...you may call me the luckiest person in the world if you have the chance.

Countdown To Christmas Day 1 - Lion King Printable Activities

Get ready for Christmas in 24 simple activities with this new set of limited edition blog posts!
Unleash your wild side and get ready to ROAR! These Lion King printable activities will have you unleashing your inner Me, You, And...!