First Day Of School, I see you.

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To the parent whose child is so very excited to go to school, I see you.

To the parent whose child has a sick tummy from nerves, I see you.

To the parent who hasn’t slept for days, I see you.

To the parent dancing out of the school gates, I see you.

To the parent who is excited about the endless learning opportunities for their child, I see you.

To the parent who slips a bottle of hand sanitizer into their child’s school bag, I see you.

To the parent who spent the night before school starts sitting next to their sleeping child praying they will be okay, I see you.

To the parent who read their child books to prepare for school, I see you.

To the parent who is sick to their stomach, I see you.

To the parent who has tears streaming down their faces at the traffic lights, I see you.

To the parent who is high-fiving their child, I see you.

To the parent whose child cries at the thought of school, I see you.

To the parent who made up rhymes and songs about school, I see you.

To the parent who is biting their lip and straining to smile, I see you.

To the parent who has joined every lunchbox ideas website or page, I see you.

To the parent who doesn’t turn back – who can’t turn back – after school drop off, I see you.

To the parent who spent hours labelling everything, I see you.

To the parent who sewed buttons full of love on uniforms, I see you.

To the parent who spent the last 5 years protecting, I see you.

To the parent who can’t hold it together, I see you.

To the parent who spent the last two weeks baking and preparing school lunches, I see you.

To the parent who had to stop on the way to school to buy their child something for lunch, I see you.

To the parent who is sitting in the car park for hours – just in case, I see you.

To the parent who has to pry their screaming child off them, I see you.

To the parent who took extra care in ironing their child’s uniform, I see you.

To the parent who still doesn’t have all the required uniform or materials, I see you.

To the parent who wants to hang out in the playground (in a non-creepy way), I see you.

To the parent who expects to wear their night wear under “acceptable” day wear for school drop off in the near future, I see you.

To the parent who is under prepared and in denial, I see you.

To the parent who is bursting with happiness, I see you.

To the parent who is already missing cheap travel outside of school holidays, I see you.

I see you. I know you. I am you.

Who do you see?


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Kidding Around … with Cobs Popcorn

Remember when we introduced you to Cobsmacking popcorn manufacturer Cobs Popcorn? They generously donated a hamper worth $100 filled to the brim of assorted Cobs Popcorn flavours for our Random Acts of Kid-ness benefiting Justin and his family.

The benefit raised more than $23,000 on the day and we were happy to be involved in a small but meaningful way.

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Cobs Popcorn is Australian made using only natural ingredients, no additives, colours or preservatives and is produced in a nut-free factory. There are organic options available as well so it makes the perfect guilt free snack for everyone in the family!

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Cobs Popcorn comes in 11 flavours, in 3 ranges: Organic – Lightly Salted, Slightly Sweet and Sea Salt ; Natural – Lightly Salted, Slightly Sweet, Sea Salt, Cheddar Cheese, Butter, Coco Crunch, Nacho Cheese, Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar and Aged White Cheddar ; Favourites – Caramel, Dark Chocolate Caramel and Milk Chocolate Caramel.

Our favourite is Lightly Salted, Slightly Sweet, closely followed by the classic Butter flavor.

I was surprised that the Coco Crunch flavour wasn’t a bigger hit with the kids, Nacho Cheese has a spicy kick to it and no-one (except Isaac, on occasion) particularly liked the Sea Salt & Vinegar flavour.

The ‘Favourites’ range is perfect for eating as is for a sweet snack or for making a drool-worthy desert.

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Recently, we attended the Kids Business Bloggers Brunch and met one of Australia’s most celebrated patissiers, Adriano Zumbo who made two delicious deserts using Cobs Popcorn! He has inspired me to create a popcorn sensation … stay tuned, my recipe will POP up on the blog soon!

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We have spoken to the lovely people at Cobs Popcorn because we wanted one of you to be able to experience this Cobsmacking flavour sensation! They have generously given us a $100 worth of popcorn to give away to one of our lucky readers!

COMPETITION CLOSED

Congratulations to Nicholas P! We hope you enjoy your Cobs Popcorn!

Competition closes 6pm AEST Sunday 31st January, 2016.  Winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

Terms and Conditions:
Open to residents of Australia only.  By entering this competition, you agree to subscribe to the Kidding Around Australia mailing list, if you are not already subscribed. Your privacy is protected and you can unsubscribe at any time. By entering this competition, you are also agreeing to all other terms and conditions.
This is a game of skill not a game of chance. Entries not filling in all the required fields and answering the question will be deemed invalid. The winner will be chosen by originality and creative merit, by a non involved party. The Judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The winner will be drawn 31/1/1 6.30pm AEST and announced on this website. The winner will also be contacted via email. The prize consists of $100 worth of various packets of Cobs Popcorn.
One entry per household. Prizes are not transferable, changeable or redeemable for cash. Kidding Around Australia will not be held responsible for any loss, injury or damage that occurs in connection with the prize or the winners participation in the promotion.

 

Kidding Around at … Wind in the Willows by the Australian Shakespeare Company

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Wind in the Willows is TOADally awesome!

We were invited to join Mr. Toad, Ratty, Weasel, Mole, Badger, Otter, Portly, Polly and the Head Chief Rabbit at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne to watch them bring to life Kenneth Grahame’s famous tale about life on the riverbank. Amazingly, this year Wind in the Willows is celebrating 29 years in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and 15 years in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney!

The cast of Wind In The Willows – from left Badger (Ben Noble) Mole (Chloe Bruer Jones) Ratty (Leigh Piper) Head Chief Rabbit (Roscoe Mathers) Weasel (Paul Morris). Photographer Matt Deller.
The cast of Wind In The Willows – from left Badger (Ben Noble) Mole (Chloe Bruer Jones) Ratty (Leigh Piper) Head Chief Rabbit (Roscoe Mathers) Weasel (Paul Morris). Photographer Matt Deller.

For over 90 minutes, we were entertained by all of the classic characters who were introduced by the narrator, Head Chief Rabbit. The children (and let’s face it, most parents) were transformed into rabbits by the Head Chief Rabbit with a waggle of the ears and a wiggle of the nose!

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All of the young ‘rabbits’ were encouraged to get involved and become part of the adventure where we (oops, I mean THEY) sang out loud, ran through the gardens, screamed and laughed hysterically!

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Head Chief Rabbit (Roscoe Mathers), Ratty (Leigh Piper), Toad (Ryan Hawke), Portly (Dante Arestia), Badger (Ben Noble) and Weasel (Paul Morris). Photographer Matt Deller.

Georgina Says

Don’t forget to pack a picnic full of yummy goodies, a rug to sit on, a hat, insect repellent and some sunscreen. The production moves location half way through so make sure you are ready to fold up your picnic rug, grab your stuff and go for a little stroll to the next set.

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Head Chief Rabbit (Roscoe Mathers) Toad (Ryan Hawke ) and Ratty (Leigh Piper). Photographer Matt Deller.

The kids loved the Head Chief Rabbit (played by Roscoe Mathers) and by far the most entertaining for me was the Weasel (played by Cheltenham local Paul Morris). He has shades of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow and rumour has it that whilst I was away from my picnic rug with the children (I won’t tell you why) he helped himself to my popcorn!

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Paul Morris is fantastic as Weasel!

We LOVED the show. Seriously, there is something for everyBUNNY (see what I did there?) to enjoy. Everyone from 4-84 will be have a laugh at one of the jokes and thoroughly enjoy being whisked away to the world of Wind in the Willows. This is interactive theatre at it’s best and you and your family will be talking about it for a long time!

So, HOP TO IT, book your tickets and don’t forget to get a photo with the cast after the show!

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MORE INFORMATION

Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne (Enter via Gate F on Birdwood Avenue)
Season: 24 December 2015 – 23 January 2016
Bookings: (03) 8676 7511 or online at: www.shakespeareaustralia.com.au

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney (Harbour side of main pond)
Season: 6 – 23 January 2016
Bookings: 1300 122 344 or online at: www.shakespeareaustralia.com.au

www.shakespeareaustralia.com.au

Please note all details quoted are correct at the time of publishing. All details are subject to change without notice and Kidding Around Australia takes no responsibility for information contained in this post. Please check the appropriate website to ensure that information is still correct and current.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES ON THE KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA WEBSITE ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF THE KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA AUTHORS. ALL IMAGES ARE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT AND CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA.

Weekly Photo Competition!

As something fun for the new year, we have decided to share some of our favourite photos with you and let you try and figure out where in Australia they were taken!

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Each Sunday (beginning on the 3rd of January 2016) for 10 weeks we will be posting a photograph that we have taken somewhere in Australia.

This 10 week round will be a Facebook competition so you need to enter via the Kidding Around Australia Facebook Page!

To Enter: Put your guess of the EXACT location in the COMMENTS and then please SHARE this post. You must LIKE the Kidding Around Australia page to be eligible. Only one guess per person, per week. Australian residents only. By entering, you agree to the T&C’s detailed at the end of this post.

How is it judged? The first 3 people to correctly guess the location will get a points (1st comment = 3 points, 2nd comment = 2 points, 3rd comment = 1 point). The person at the end of the 10 weeks with the most points will win an awesome prize! If, at the end of the 10 weeks, there is a draw there will be an extra “sudden death” round where the winner will be determined!

The Prize: One lucky winner will WIN a YAMAHA PDX-B11 Wireless Speaker valued at $169.00

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Whether at the beach or at a barbeque, the PDX-B11 wireless speaker is the perfect companion for your music this summer. Wirelessly stream your favourite tunes from smartphones, laptops and other Bluetooth compatible devices and enjoy the freedom of music without wires.

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For more information click HERE #HOMEOFSOUND

Good Luck!


Terms and Conditions

Open to residents of Australia only.  This is a game of skill not a game of chance. Entries not answering the question will be deemed invalid. The winner will be the person who correctly identifies the correct location of the photograph.
The winner will be drawn 07/03/2016 0900 AEST and announced on this website and on Facebook. The winner will also be contacted via email. The prize consists of one (1) YAMAHA PDX-B11 Wireless Speaker valued at $169.00.
One entry per person. Prizes are not transferable, changeable or redeemable for cash. Kidding Around Australia will not be held responsible for any loss, injury or damage that occurs in connection with the prize or the winners participation in the promotion.

WEEK 1KAA comp week 1

FLORENCE FALLS, NT. Winners: Jo Carrick 3 points, Nikki Tremain 2 points and Liz Barhoush 1 point.

WEEK 2low island

LOW ISLAND, QLD. Winners: Cassandra Green 3 points, Jessica Hoover 2 points and Jo Carrick 1 point.

 Week 3

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FAIRFIELD, VIC. Winners: Nicole Tate 3 points, Nikki Tremain 2 points and Joel Martin 1 point.

Week 4mine

 

CENTRAL DEBORAH GOLD MINE, BENDIGO, VIC. Winners: Noleen Cornish 3 points, Liz Barhoush 2 points and Cassandra Green 1 point.

Week 5

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MOSSMAN GORGE, QLD. Winners: Jo Carrick 3 points, Liz Barhoush 2 points and Jodie Payne 1 point.

Week 6giant cod

THE BIG COD, SWAN HILL, VIC. Winners: Nikki Tremain 3 points, Jo Carrick 2 points and Cassandra Green 1 point.

Week 7

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PORT DOUGLAS, QLD. Winners: Faye Dickinson 3 points, Liz Barhoush 2 points and Jodie Payne 1 point.

Week 8

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CAIRNS, QLD. Winners: Jo Carrick 3 points, Ben N Michael Bates 2 points and Nicole Tate 1 point.

Week 9Moreton Bay Fig, Sydney Botanical Gardens

ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS, SYDNEY, NSW. Winners: Lizzie Dodd 3 points, Michelle Green 2 points and Kamahl Barhoush 1 point.

Week 10

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MELBOURNE taken from WILLIAMSTOWN, VIC. Winners: Jo Carrick 3 points, Liz Barhoush 2 points, and Lauren Anderson 1 point!

LEADER BOARD

Jo Carrick 15 points, Liz Barhoush 8 points, Nikki Tremain 7 points, Cassandra Green 5 points, Nicole Tate 4 points, Lizzie Dodd 3 points, Faye Dickinson 3 points, Noleen Cornish 3 points, Michelle Green 2 points, Jessica Hoover 2 points, Jodie Payne 2 points Ben N Michael Bates 1 point, Kamahl Barhoush 1 point, Lauren Anderson 1 point and Joel Martin 1 point.


Please note all details quoted are correct at the time of publishing. All details are subject to change without notice and Kidding Around Australia takes no responsibility for information contained in this post. Please check the appropriate website to ensure that information is still correct and current.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES ON THE KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA WEBSITE ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF THE KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA AUTHORS. ALL IMAGES ARE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT AND CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM KIDDING AROUND AUSTRALIA.