Best and Worst: Tell us how your week's been.

All right, people. I’m back. I can’ t remember the last time I was handed the reigns for Best and Worst. I think Julia Gillard was the Prime Minister and I’d just started watching Breaking Bad (before giving up in season two …because yo, there’s only so many times that I can watch a high school science teacher turned drug lord hide his money in a nappy bag in the baby’s room).

Best and Worst is still my favourite Mamamia tradition. So, I’ll kick things off.

BEST 1:  Watching the finished result of a Kmart video I made for Mamamia with two of my dearest friends Kate Hunter and Amity Dry.

I’ve known Kate since 2008 and we routinely get together for cups of tea and cake in Brisbane. Well, I eat the cake. Kate is one of those people who never snacks between meals. I know. I KNOW.

And Amity? Well, during the two years I lived in Adelaide, Amity was my lifeline. For those of you who watched Am on The Block – she is EXACTLY like that in real life.  We spent many a morning in Adelaide solving the world’s problems over her famous coconut and raspberry cake.

Anyway, so when I was offered the chance to shoot a Mamamia video series for Kmart with two of my favourite people in my own home – it was a no-brainer.

From the moment the three of us were together (having our hair and make-up done at my kitchen bench, no less) the conversation took more twists and turns than Gone Girl as we jumped from the Budget to Offspring (we’re divided on Lawrence and Billie) to the best way to make bruschetta to how the hell we each manage to entertain our kids over the school holidays.

That’s when the director Aragon politely told us to shut up and save it for when the cameras were rolling!

With eight kids between us (four boys, four girls, all ranging in age from 11 months to 13) the videos are really us just picking each other’s brains on new ways to keep boredom at bay over the July break and what Kmart has to offer.

I hope you enjoy watching the videos and I only wish the cameras had kept rolling during the breaks when Amity shared some behind the scenes goss from her time on The Block All Stars! Let’s just say none of what you saw on TV was staged and that some people really were as, er, cranky as they came across on the TV!

If you haven’t seen the first episode yet, check it out here.

BEST 2: Another best for me is that this week, I received a copy of Emma Grey’s debut novel Unrequited.  Emma is a long time MM reader and commenter and somehow over the years we’ve become friends.  Unrequited is the ultimate story of girl meets boy band (yes, a girl who loathes the world’s biggest boy band  finds the lead singer flirting with her). I loved this book so much that I offered to give Emma a blurb quote for the front cover and let me say – if you have a One Directioner in your household, this book will make their heart burst. You can buy it here.

WORST: I accidentally downloaded ‘Frozen Karaoke’ onto my iPad for Ava.  Enough said.

Have a great week, y’all.

This weeks Best and Worst is brought to you by Kmart.

Say No to Boredom!!

When it comes to the power of imagination, kids prove anything is possible.  A saucepan lid suddenly becomes a mighty warrior’s shield, or cleverly stacked blocks can form a three-tier wedding cake. 

Kmart understands creative play and we never want the fun to end.  Inside this easy guide to school holiday activities you’ll find playful twists on all Kmart’s fun everyday items and toys at the low prices we’re famous for.

CLICK HERE to view Kmart’s easy guide to school holiday activities.