Bloggers road trip. The playlist. Win a New Ford Territory for a Year and $5,000

I've found myself in another blogging competition. The Kidspot and Ford Territory Top 50 Bloggers competition. A friend asked if there is any competition I haven't entered into. The Olympics. Duh. And considering I am not a mummy blogger, don't have children, have only written about children a few times, and I don't handle other peoples' poo or spew well (the requisites of being a good parent, in my opinion), I find myself pretty lucky to be on this list! If I win this competition, I will get to drive around a new Ford Territory for a year, and also pocket $5000 (is this more than the baby bonus??)! 

You can help me win by voting for me - it only takes one click. You don't even have to enter your email address. Easy.

Some of the other fabulous bloggers in the Kidspot Top 50 invited me on a virtual road trip as a part of this competition. Yay! (You can vote for them in the competition too!)

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Nikki at Styling You compiled a list of fashion must haves for the road trip, Jodie from Mummy Mayhem vlogged about it in a way only she can, Bern from So Now What wrote a post about road hazards and Bianca from Big Words Blog thought it'd be a good idea to put down some road rules. I am living up to my blog's name by taking charge of the tunes. Last time I was on a road trip with my friend, I was singing along to Bob Evans, and my friend told me I 'ain't no Australian Idol'. Thanks. Can't wait to receive those insults about my singing again on this road trip!
 
I asked the girls what music they liked. Fortunately a lot some of it was daggy. Just the kind I like to sing along to in the car! And I had a think about some driving-themed songs, to up the ante on the dag scale.  Driving-themed songs are all about escape. When I drive alone I like to take the time to listen to lyrics - reflect on my life and think about the life the singer may have had. I also like to sing loud to fast songs. It makes me the trip go faster.

Singing along in the car is sober karaoke. You can hit all the high notes and bust air guitar moves as far as your seatbelt will stretch. Of course your fellow passengers may groan at at least one of your song choices. And you may even make other travellers laugh when they pull up alongside you at the traffic lights and hear you singing any of these songs:

Big Red Car Ford Territory - The Wiggles

Chances are I'll be the only one in the car not knowing the words. But this will give me time to rest my vocal chords before I belt out the Darren Hayes song.

Hey Driver - Motor Ace

Motor Ace. One of the most underrated Australian bands ever. I vote we play this song each time we change drivers.

Sweet Child Of Mine - Guns n Roses

Bianca knows every word. And I love doing Guns n Roses at karaoke.

Living on a Prayer - Bon Jovi

There's no guilt about singing to bogan rock when you're in the comfort of your car.

Fast Car - Tracey Chapman

I don't condone speeding. But you have to admit it feels pretty good to drive along to Fast Car, with the windows down, pretending like you're taking off to start a new life.

Go Your Own Way - Glee does Fleetwood Mac

Jodie loves the Glee soundtrack. And I am quite besotted with this cover.

Casey - Darren Hayes

This song makes me think of the times I just wanted to escape my small town. And I can indeed belt out every word. I love Darren Hayes. He does a good driving song. Plus Bern is a Savage Garden fan too. So maybe we can do a duet?


Passenger - Powderfinger

One of Nikki's favourite bands. And is there a more appropriate song title for a road trip?!

Flame Trees - Cold Chisel

It's a song about returning to a familiar town. Perhaps the town you grew up in? Where the one that got away lives (and doesn't that apply to me?!). You might find find an old friend whose house you can stay the night. And chances are that on this road trip, we will pass through a town familiar to at least one of us. And maybe as we sit we sit at a table with old friends, will see our former sweetheart near where the pianola stands, falling in love with a young local factory out of worker, just holding hands.

Rest Stop - Matchbox Twenty

I often think about whether the woman who dumped Rob Thomas at the rest stop ever regrets it, seeing he's now a big rock star. Or maybe she has never turned on the radio since that night she rejected him.

Love at First Sight - Kylie Minogue 

So when I was six, my parents bought me a Kylie Minogue record for my birthday. Enjoy Yourself. I'd ask them to play the taped version of Enjoy Yourself on our trips to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. It was a 300 km trip. And we'd play Kylie over and over and over. I may have been a difficult child. This song is my favourite Kylie song ever. And it's only apt we play a Kylie song on our road trip!

Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler

This is my FAVOURITE karaoke song. Ever. It would sound so good being sung on a road trip. Every nooooowwwww and then I fall aparrrrrrtttttttttt.......

Thank you for reading/listening to my road trip playlist. Please consider voting for me and the other girls on our virtual road trip. Who knows - one of us may win the Ford Territory and we can all go on a road trip for real this year!

What are your favourite driving songs?

Blogging without make up.

So there is a little initiative today called bloggers without makeup. Jodie Ansted from Mummy Mayhem had the idea for this initiative, and it's really taken off.

Jodie said 'It feels right to do this, and I'm so glad there are so many who want to get involved. What a great example we will be to our kids, and also to young girls who think they have to look like a magazine cover all the time. (You DON'T ladies! You are gorgeous as you are!)'.

Some of my blogging friends (that's you Bern, Caf and Taryn) have posted photos of themselves without makeup and why they believe in the cause. Aren't they beautiful?!

Right now I am blogging without makeup. I always do ;)

I can't wear much makeup. I have some bronzer, but when my skin gets dry, the bronzer makes it look like a crocodile skin handbag. A cheap crocodile skin handbag because once my skin starts peeling, bronzed skin flakes off.

I sometimes wear nailpolish. I hate taking the stuff off. And about once a year I will wear lipstick.

As for makeup on others - yeah, when it's minimal it can look nice, but my belief is to be yourself. Why hide your inner and outer beauty with makeup so thick you need a trowel to apply and remove it?

I like to look good - I take pride in what I wear, but I despise vanity. I believe it's time consuming, annoying and shallow.

It agitates me to see girls fixing their makeup in public, worried that a stray hair or smudged eyeliner may ruin their day. Get some perspective. Why should women feel pressured to wear makeup to change the way they look? When did we forget about inner beauty? Natural beauty?

I hear some of you wonder what the point of me taking part in this initiative seeing I can't wear makeup.

Well! Today I am sharing one of my favourite photos of myself with you. I love the closeup shot, the way the black and white takes the severity of my skin away, and the way my smile lights up. It was taken by my lovely friend Jo Ginn.


My wish is for everyone to love the skin you're in. If I can do it, you can too :)