All Mum Said

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Archives for January 2015

Veep Season 2 Review + Giveaway

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Anyone who knows me personally will tell you I am a TV series junkie. I love discovering new shows and last week I was introduced to another comedy; the hit TV Series, Veep.

For those who aren’t familiar with it; leading lady Julia Louis-Dreyfus (known for her characters in Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine and now of course Veep) plays Vice President Selina Meyer. While it is a political based show, it is nothing like you would expect. Personal issues, government dramas, personality clashes and uproarious quotes make Veep a must watch TV Series.

My initial thoughts when I read it was about politicians was ‘Snooze-fest, not sure this is not for me’, however after watching just one episode of Veep season 2 I was hooked. To be completely honest I enjoyed a Veep marathon to catch up on what I had been missing out on, I started at season 1 and didn’t stop until I had finished.

It is hilarious watching the VP try to improve her popularity and boost her influence while her staff {Tony Hale – Arrested Development, Anna Chlumsky – In The Loop, Matt Walsh – Hung, Reid Scott – My Boys, Timothy Simons – Days Together and Sufe Bradshaw – Overnight} (some of which are not the sharpest tool in the shed) are right by her side in an attempt to assist. Veep is full of dry, wet-your-pants humour (which is often crass from the mouth of the VP) and I absolutely love it!!

In Season 2 of Veep, Meyer overtakes the President in the popularity polls and is expectantly thrilled with the results. In her efforts and best intentions to maintain her influence something always seems to go disastrously wrong. It always starts out as a slip of the tongue or something mundane but inevitably sets off a chain reaction of unexpected consequences. Selina Meyers has the mouth of a sailor and as she gets closer to the top job her ambition to reach this goal dominates her daughters discontent.

The hit TV Series Veep, will have you laughing out loud and wanting to know what happens next.  A definite must watch for the comedy lover.

Thanks to Warner Bros Australia I have a copy of Veep Season 2 on DVD to giveaway to a lucky All Mum Said fan. It is available for purchase from Warner Bros Australia online, JB Hi-Fi and Sanity.

Prize includes: 1x Veep – Season 2 on DVD. 

**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **
a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received a copy of VEEP season 2 for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. This is an S1 POST. 

Hunter Valley Gardens Mega Bugs

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Mega Bugs have invaded the Hunter Valley Gardens! You may have seen last week that we visited the Hunter Valley Gardens to view the Christmas Lights Spectacular and as usual we were not disappointed. If not you can read about it here. It hadn’t occurred to me until yesterday that we have never actually been there during the day to admire the wonderful gardens themselves. They are incredible. The reason we returned on Friday was to experience the Mega Bugs and as per usual the kids loved it!

The beauty of the Mega Bugs is that you can enjoy the elegance and hard work of the amazing gardens, features and fresh air while the kids look in awe and interact with the animatronic Mega Bugs located throughout the gardens. When visiting the Christmas lights you don’t realise how much beauty you are missing out on; this is of course replaced by incredible displays of lights though.

Throughout the gardens you will find a wide range of Mega Bugs that move and replicate their real life movements and sounds. Included are:

Ladybug – The ladybugs wings move up and down.

Spider – This Mega Spider has adopted the name Spider-saurus because it is so huge!

Blue Poison Arrow Frog – Just between you and me, I am petrified of frogs.

Praying mantis – This is absolutely huge! So large in fact it was difficult getting it all in the picture.


Wasp – I cannot explain how much detail is involved in this Mega Bug. Absolutely amazing!

Snail – This was one of my favourites!


Cricket – I got B1 & B2 to stand next to the cricket so everyone could see how big these bugs are. The cricket was one of the smallest there.


Bee on Flower – This bee buzzes about its business on a flower.


Unfortunately I couldn’t get photos of them all but there are heaps more to see. Including: Cicada on tree, Scorpion (this shoots water out of its stinger), Bee, Blue Winged Butterfly, Red Winged, Caterpillar, Dragon Fly Male, Dragon Fly Female, Bean Worm, Green Frog, Centipede, Ant Family, Spider.

The gardens and Mega Bugs were definitely worth seeing! It was such a fun day for the whole family and one the kids will remember for a long time to come.

If this is of interest to you and your family, you can purchase tickets on the Hunter Valley Gardens website OR WIN yourself 1 of 2 family passes over by clicking over here and entering the giveaway. You can experience both the Christmas Lights and Mega Bugs at once!! These family friendly events close on the 26th January.

Is there a bug lover in your house?

Disclosure: I received a family pass to the Mega Bugs for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. 

Everloc Xpressions {Review}

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Whether you rent or own your own home, you want it to look sophisticated while being practical. Where bathroom storage is concerned; the shower in particular can be difficult to achieve in a modern and sleek appearance. I have previously shared simple ways to makeover your bathroom but I didn’t mention storage in that particular article. The Everloc Suction Systems allow people to maximise their accessories without requiring any tools.

The Everloc Xpressions range is so easy to use. It only took a couple of minutes to install the dental station – this is no exaggeration! Only a couple of minutes. It uses the power of suction to hold which means no tools, no drilling and most importantly no damage.

1. Take the paper off the back of the suction cap.
2. Press it to the wall with the hole facing 12 o’clock and press the centre dot to ensure it is pushed flat.
3. Add cap and screw on tight.
4. Hook on the attachment. All done!

One of the best features of the Everloc range is that they can be used over and over again. The attractive appearance is surprising as when I think of suction systems I visualise yellowed white soap holders so they are naturally put into the category of old and out dated. This is so far from the truth in this case. The Everloc Xpressions Dental Station offers D.I.Yers, the style conscious and renters a professional floating appearance for their home. The practical designs permit them to be added without causing damage and removed without a trace they were there to begin with. The Everloc Xpressions new range features: Xpressions Double Corner Basket and Large Shelf, Xpressions Towel Ring, Xpressions Shower Caddy (which I would love to get so the kids can reach the shampoo and soap!) and of course the Xpressions Dental Station as shown.

Looking for Everloc stockists?

Have you seen the Everloc products before? How do you add storage to your bathroom?

Disclosure: I received the above product for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

Another year older but hopefully wiser

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So yet another year has rolled around faster than a cheetah on cocaine*. Another year older but hopefully wiser. I have hit the ripe old age of 28. Deep down I thought this number would make me freak out and start checking for wrinkles, grey hairs, etc. however I am the happiest I have ever been. The most comfortable in my skin. Just loving and embracing life. (*quoting a line from Dukes of Hazzard)

While I have yet again missed the New Years resolution post for 2015 on the blog and the sum up of 2014, I must admit that I don’t usually set resolutions. This year however I have set myself a few of goals that I’d like to have achieved by the end of the year.

1. To manage my work/home/family balance more efficiently.
I have relocated my office to the actual office and not in the living room where I will be distracted. This will hopefully have me focused and work more proficiently; therefore cutting down work hours that I could spend with my family instead of trying to do it all at once.

2. As cliché as this goal is, I’d like to get more active and lose some weight.
As I said above I am happy and confident in my skin and losing weight isn’t a huge part of this goal, yes it would be nice but not my ultimate aim. I want to get healthy, fit and active. I want to set a good example for my children; eating better and exercising regularly. Monkey see, monkey do and all that. I didn’t push myself into getting my pre-pregnancy figure back (because the chances of that happening are slim to none) and just wanted to take my time and enjoy our beautiful baby. I have certainly done that and before I knew it 18 months had passed. I think it is now time to give myself that kick up the arse and get into shape. It is important to note that I will still indulge and enjoy food, just more moderately.

3. Do more for myself.
This is pretty self explanatory and something many mothers will have on their list this year. I always put everyone before my wants and this year I am going to try and make myself a priority. I will buy myself a few pretty things. I will get my hair done more, I’ll get a facial and I WILL get my first ever manicure and pedicure. Yep I’m now 28 and I have never experienced a mani/pedi!

Do you have a goal you want to share? Maybe you have a similar resolution and would like to support one another? I’d love you to share below!

LOGO Board Game – Fun for Families

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Board games often get a bad rap because some people think they are boring or simply for children however I disagree. I am a huge board game lover. Always have been. I love the household classics like Monopoly, Yahtzee and scrabble but I am always on the lookout for new games to add to the collection. So naturally I was ecstatic when I was recently sent The LOGO Board Game to enjoy with my family these holidays. And it has been put through its paces this week.

My sister and brother-in-law joined us for a week at Christmas and after all the planning, cooking and festivities, an easy fun filled night was on the cards. I was amazed at how much notice and attention we pay to advertising. Those working in advertising are well worth their money! This game is full of everything about everything; from chocolate and tyres to cleaning products! Yes they all have logos but the LOGO Board game isn’t just about the brand logos, it is also about the items wrapped up in them.

On the box it recommends players to be aged 12+ however our 7 and 5 year olds got quite a few right which made them feel great. They loved being able to play. It was surprising because we were actually learning a few facts about the brands we know and love along the way. As I mentioned above, we have played this game a lot lately and as there so many different cards we still haven’t gotten through them all. I love that it isn’t repetitive!

When the kids were no longer playing and it was just us adults we ditched the board and just played with the cards. I know this isn’t how it is supposed to be played but we took turns reading out the cards and whoever ended up with the most cards in front of them as a result of correct guesses won the game. Whichever way you play it, you won’t be disappointed.

Are you a board game enthusiast? What is your favourite?

Disclosure: I received the LOGO Board Game for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

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