The weather was pants yesterday which pretty much threw a spanner in the works for going out anywhere, plus Mrs M had had an awful night with Opeie and id got up with him quite early so we were both shattered. So a day in the house it was. We asked Seth what he wanted to play and he said Lego so off we went to play closing his bedroom door behind us (Mrs M cant stand the noise of the Lego being rummaged through).
Ive been trying to get hold of the Jokers Funhouse for Seth's imaginext collection but they just keep going for crazy money on eBay and you cant buy them anywhere in the UK so i decided that instead i was going to build one out of Lego for him. I thought maybe i would regret my decision but i really enjoyed it and Seth was really chuffed with the outcome.
I made it in the style of the imaginext one as it appeals to younger children, i had a look at the Jokers funhouse kit that was released recently and although it looks great i wanted Seth to have something that was a one off. I love Lego its such a great toy that never loses its appeal because there is so much you can do with it. The kits are great and i do love to snap up as many as i can but my heart is really in designing our own things. Seth always seems more satisfied when we have built something ourselves
I made the Ha's lift up so that Seth could get his little hands in from both sides. I get so carried away when I'm building something, Mrs M always says Ive got loads of patience but playing with Lego is one of my favourite things to do with the boys.
After i had finished making it i decided that it looked a bit grim without any characters, the only Official DC villain we had was Catwoman so i got rummaging again through the Minifigure boxes and managed to pull together a Mad Hatter(luckily i had a leprechaun), Killer Croc (although he was a bit rubbish), Poison Ivy and Manbat(i used the werewolf). I was a bit gutted i couldnt manage a Joker but oh well Seth will be happy when he see's them in the morning, they did kind of make the build.
Putting in the checked floors to the rooms really added to the funhouse and made it look a lot more like somewhere the Joker would hang out. I am now planning on building a batcave next as i think Seth will really like that plus there will be somewhere for his batman minifigure to live, so keep a look at for that one.
Seth got really excited towards the end of the build as while he was rummaging he found a small brick with playing cards on he could barely catch his breath, bless him. I found some Lego money so i decided to have the villains round a table of cash, playing cards, knives and guns. (probably not suitable for children but luckily Seth's not aggressive).
I wanted to get my Seth and Opeie minfigures involved in the action so while Opeie talked to other members of his tactical assault team Seth kept a look out through his binoculars on the riot van. Any moment now they will be storming the Funhouse and making their arrests.
If your interested in seeing more of the build then please check out my YouTube video that was made by my very beautiful lady earlier this evening. Now i better start thinking about that Batcave.
Ive been up since 5:45 this morning with Opeie watching Fraggle Rock (Thank you guys). I still feel shattered after yesterday's fun packed day and poor Opeie didn't sleep very well because he was out of his routine. After Seth's Tae Kwon Do class (which i will be writing about very soon on a separate post) we took a drive to Lichfield to see our friends Chris and Michelle. The weather was lovely so we headed to...
I'm surprised we got this photo as even through he is a photographer Chris struggled with the ins and outs of a lens cap??? It was a great afternoon out and made a really nice change getting to see and feed the animals. Seth really enjoyed feeding the goats although got a little stressed at the one greedy one that was on a mission to empty out his bucket. I really enjoyed spending time with some adults as when your a stay at home dad some days the only people i seem to speak to are the boys especially during the summer holidays. The boys love them both too which is great and they think Seth and Opeie are great.
As i mentioned in previous posts I'm not much of an animal person i especially despise horses, don't know where it has stemmed from but its here and here to stay. I did have a great time though and the boys loved it, what i lack in enthusiasm for animals Michelle definitely makes up for 5 times over. She loves all animals and they all seemed to warm to her too, im shocked we managed to get her to leave she was in her element.
Mrs M was happy she got to see some sheep, its quite often i catch her at home flicking through her copy of Beautiful Sheep that i brought her a few Christmas's ago. Seth even got to ride on one which as you can see from the picture he was pretty chuffed about. He was almost as excited when he got to milk a wooden cow., cant beat a bit of faux farming.
Opeie wasn't a great fan of the noise though and got a little upset, it was fairly busy to so must have been a lot for him to take in. We were asked if we wanted to hold a chick, but after Opeie Hulk smashing my xbox last week i thought it best to avoid any nasty accidents. Seth on the other hand was more than happy to have a little chick sitting on his shoulder (i love Seth's expression...'I'm really comfortable, Honest').
After the farm we headed back to Chris and Michelle's and had some lovely food and as usual some great conversation. They even surprised the boys with some gifts which was really kind of them and i will be writing about them separately. I got to have a good rummage through Chris's toys which was one of the things i was looking forward to the most (have a read of his post "Life's like a movie, write your own ending...") and then we headed down the park.
This park was amazing and Seth was totally blown away by the fact that he finally got to have a go on a zip wire, he always talks about wanting to go on one and since doing so it's all he has talked about at home. Apparently we have to take him back within 20 days? i have no idea why 20 but he was very direct with his point.So it looks like i better do as I'm told or there might be trouble.
Even the grown ups got to play around and i was pleasantly surprised that Mrs M went on the zip wire too. I don't know who enjoyed it more her or Seth. It was a fantastic weekend, spent with 2 amazing people. Thank you so much guys and I'm sure we will be coming to see you again very very soon.
As you all know i love a good collection and toys pretty much take up most of my parenting day. its compulsive behavior that started when i was very young. i had so much respect for my toys and they were really important to me. finding other people that are into toys is great, its a topic i could talk about for hours and i love hearing about how people felt about their toys when they were children. Last month Mrs M came up with the idea of guest bloggers with a post that soon followed by Russell Jones which i really enjoyed reading. When mentioning the idea to friends i was pleasantly shocked to find out that my good friend Chris has been collecting Muppet's for many years and had quite the collection.
After asking (very nicely of course) Chris agree'd to write a post for me and this weekend we went to visit him and Michelle and was lucky enough to see the his toys first hand. It really is a great collection and although i never really got into the Muppet's (mainly because i really don't like Kermit and Miss Piggy) i was a little jealous. I had never seen any of the action figures before apart from the Swedish Chef Kitchen but i had only seen a picture and had assumed it was a statue scene rather than a play set.
After talking to Chris a few nights back we found out he was only missing 7 of the figures so we tracked a Patrol bear fozzie down that he was missing to say thank you for some kind things he has done for us over the last few weeks. Its crazy even though its not my collection i find myself searching about for the other 6 while I'm on the internet, i even obsess about other peoples collections.
Anyway that's enough about me, here's the piece by Chris Kelly and hopefully it's been given the introduction it deserves...
'So, I'm obsessed with the Muppets.
Simple story really, as a child I was left many an hour in front of the Muppet Movie and as a result I became a fanatic for those puppets. I remember in the early 80's I watched the first film over and over again; my dad would get us to try and see who could spot Kermit in the opening song first.
Of course I always won and almost learnt the script of the film word for word. The songs were brilliant - I loved 'Movin right along' which I still think is one of the best songs they did in any films, even to this day I know the sun rises in the east because of it!
The sounds of the Electric Mayhem as they repainted the car are forever etched in my mind too, and I never saw a Studebaker with as an impressive a paint job since. Doc Hopper was the first baddie I even saw in a film too, and no matter how many times I watched it I always found myself hoping he never caught Kermit for that Frogs legs commercial!
The cameo's were brilliant - Steve Martin was a brilliant waiter, Richard Pryor as a balloon vendor at the carnival and even Bob Hope appeared selling dragonfly ripple ice-cream. The TV show was so well known for its celebrity guests and the films certainly kept up the tradition.
Then came the Muppet Caper, the second film, and for me its the best one. Travelling to London and trying to stop a jewel thief, there was just so much to love - and how could you not love the 'Happiness Hotel'? (four minutes into this video).
So on and on the films went, some great ones (Muppet Christmas Carol - surely one of the best xmas films?), and some that hardly deserve a mention (Muppet Wizard of Oz - a real big mistake). They produced the same unique mix of child and adult humour and to this day I enjoy watching them finding myself laughing at jokes my younger self would never have understood. The muppet's were bright and colourful, the characters funny and fearless. So many great messages for kids to take onboard with them through life.
I did go to see the most recent film, The Muppet's, but I was left feeling very let down, it wasn't because the film was that bad; just that it wasn't what I had hoped for the Muppet's. I must say that whilst it was great to see the characters back on the big screen, the way the film was made, especially the huge focus on Jason Segel and his part in the film - I guess that's what you get from an actor who stared and wrote the film. With news of a follow up to this being written, I was delighted to find out that Segel has not been involved - the further he stays from the Muppet's the more likely they are to make a successful comeback.
The Muppet Show (1976-1980), was brilliant. I was never around to see them aired the first time around, but re-runs and then the videos and DVD's meant I have seen them all and some of the celebrities who were involved were great sports. I think the Muppet's back then were loved by almost everyone, so being on the show was like a seal of public approval. Steve Martin, Elton John, Alice Cooper, Spike Milligan and John Cleese are just some of the most famous names involved; the Star Wars episode featuring Mark Hamill might even interest the kids of today?!
As I grew up my view on the Muppets never really did, over the years I have collected a few bits of memorabilia. In 2001 Palisades released the first of 9 series of action figures; there were to be more figures, but sadly in 2006 the company went bust. The figures were originally released to celebrate 25 years of the Muppets and so became quite collectible. Luckily I managed to get my hands on most of the figures - even some of the rarer ones including a prototype Rizzo which never actually got released as a general figure.
Over the 9 series there were some brilliant figures with some fantastic extras, like the Stepping out Fozzie with his ventriloquist dummy called Chuckie. As well as the figures several series' also had playsets, which included the Electric Mayhem stage, Muppet Labs and the Swedish Chef Kitchen complete with about 40 items (bowls, plates etc), these made fantastic additions to the figures and really helped to expand the range beyond a few models.
I was also lucky enough to have some very supportive parents during my 'collection' years, and following a few trips to the States, they came back with a few very special items; first was a Macey's special Kermit toy complete with camera and then the first day release of the Muppet stamps which were stamped on that day, something I know I will treasure.
I also have some more pretty cool stuff including a 30th anniversary Kermit doll with some great talking features and a Chess set which, due to my inability to play, should never get used! I added to the collection only last week, when, on a visit to the Disney Store, I spotted a Muppet Guess Who? Naturally I snapped it up and I await an opponent…
I guess that as time moves on the Muppets have become a bit forgotten, and many kids today don't have a clue who they are or what they do. They aren't CGI characters with superpowers who fight in space and morph into cars, so they will always have a tough time to compete. I only hope that they could be appreciated again - I sure know that any kids I have are going to be heavily exposed to the Muppets, I have started trying to get my nephew into them buy buying tshirts and toys!
The other Jim Henson projects are great; I loved Sesame Street - which really has moved with the times and kept fresh (Elmo's show is a testament to that) and also the Fraggle's (which were never anywhere near as popular), but in my eyes nothing comes close to the Muppet's and for me their TV shows and films continue to have the same magic now as they did back then.'
I really enjoyed reading this, its clear that Chris REALLY likes the Muppet's and its great to hear about someone else that is as passionate about toys as myself. The collection im sure will continue to grow and ill be hoping that him and Michelle do have children so that Chris can experience the excitement on your childs face when you introduce them to things that you love yourself.
I'm sure i will continue to search about for the 6 missing figures for him mainly because i don't seem to have much control over my compulsive behavior. I love to see a collection complete. Well thank you Chris for an amazing post which i will be reading again in a second. If you would like to see some of Chris's work you can find him at http://gingerjamphoto.com/, there's some great photos to look at. Its got me thinking about who am i going to ask next? Id really like Mrs M to write a post about her growing up. She didnt really have a lot of toys and id love to hear a story from the other side of things and how she feels about living in a house where toys are so important.
Since i started the Super Hero Squad collection and wrote my First Post i have found myself really obsessing about certain packs of them, at the moment its the Captain America and Avengers Movie sets as i don't have any of them. These have only moved in to first place of my must have list today as i had a delivery this morning and now finally own the Amazing Spider-man movie sets that were pretty much dominating my eBay searching over the last few weeks.
I'm still surprised I'm so into these as Ive never really been that interested in smaller action figures but its still the fact of the variety of characters you can actually get. Plus Opeie really loves playing with Seth's ones that arn't boxed away. I think when i wrote my Second Post was when my obsessing was at its worst. i was literally searching eBay 10 times a day for 'Super hero squad' in hope that a rare find would pop up for 99p or something. I think this was mainly fueled by the fact that Mrs M had managed to find 4 hulk boxes and won them in one lot for 99p. yes she's a legend!
Since i wrote the Third Post my compulsive behavior has died down a little but this in only because were saving for a holiday and other things. Most of my items are brought with money i make on eBay selling unwanted bits around the house so its not to bad, i very rarely use our money. Both me and Mrs M are Hoarders so there's always something to get rid of.
Seeing the film made me want to get hold of them even more, these will be great toys to own in years to come and Ive managed to get quite a collection together so far.
I'm sure there will be many many more Super Hero squad posts as I'm always looking to bulk out my collection. i cant wait for Opeie to start really getting into all the other characters so i can explain who they all are, but then again there's always the chance he wont be as excited about them as Seth was when i first introduced them to him. Time will tell on that one i guess. It does work in our favour that he always wants to get involved in what were doing though. and he's desperate to get into some super hero costumes. Plus so far he's Spider-Man and Hulk crazy so it should keep me in the toy purchasing for at least a few more years.
Its 3am and i cant sleep, this doesn't happen very often but tonight there is no chance of me dropping off so it looks like come tomorrow afternoon I'm going to be a very tired boy which Isnt great when you have 2 young children that crave your attention the entire time they are awake.
As i sit here and eat what i can only describe as a cocktail of cereal (there was lots of boxes with bits in the bottom) i decided to play some Lego Batman 2 on the xbox which Mrs M had bought me for my birthday. I dont get to play computer games anywhere near as much as i like, i was brought Arkham city months back and have barely touched it but with the Lego games at least its a game me and Seth can play together.
We love the Lego games in the house and spent months completing the Star Wars game to its entirety and when were not in the house then weve got the games on our DS's which usually come in handy when were waiting around in the car or our frequent trips to the hospital for Seth.
The game is great and i really enjoy playing it, Seth's not so sure because of the split screen game play when playing on multiplayer. This only happens when you venture to far apart which works out great for me because in the 1st game Seth would rush off to far usually trapping me under a flight of stairs or round a corner,very frustrating.
The game contains a wide variety of characters not included in the first game such as wonder woman, green lantern, superman and the flash i haven't played it enough yet to know if there are any new villains but there are 50 characters to unlock in total.
The game has the added bonus of a free roaming open-world environment which you can run or drive about in for as long as you like. great for children with a short attention span that get bored after 5 minutes. Also like all the other Batman games there's an option on the pause screen to drop in and out of the game mid level which if like me you have lots of other things going on around the house ie younger children to watch over, keeping an eye on dinner cooking is perfect because you can drop out, do what youve got to do and jump back in without affecting the game play.
This Lego game is the first to have the characters voices which is great because i didnt fully understand what was going on between the levels of the last game so i just ended up flicking through them as soon as i could. There's a lot better story line on this game.
The only negative thing Ive got to say about the game is that the DS version is really short and i had all the levels completed in no time so i was a little disappointed, hopefully i wont feel the same about the Xbox version but time will tell on that one.
I'm off now to continue my game, I'm sure Mrs M is going to wonder why I'm not in bed, I haven't heard Opeie wake up for a feed much so it looks at least like she has got a better nights sleep tonight. I'm sure he will be up in the next couple of hours so ill have to find something to entertain him ( If by that time i can manage to keep my eyes open).
It's new toy day at home, actually im saying that like its a rare occurrence. It seems that Star Wars has become a thing of the past,well at least until the start of the new school year. Its amazing how not having William about 5 days a week filling his head with nonsense about the force has changed Seth's perception of what it is he likes. (I'm now kind of hoping that this new found shunning of Skywalker and his friends isn't going to last as i have a big box of figures collected for Christmas). Maybe he just needs to be subjected to William in small doses.
Its all about Batman at the moment so ive been taking full advantage of the Imaginext 3 for 2 offer at our local Toys R Us. The boys had had some pocket money so we took them to blow it all on the good stuff,Toys. Opeie fell asleep on the way so i sat with him in the car while Seth and Mrs M went and had a mooch. They came back to the car and Mrs M said they had picked some and put them behind the till.Oops!
Clever me hadn't told Mrs M that i had already brought a few pieces for Christmas and Seth had picked those exact ones, so there was an awkward moment for a second when i was the villain saying no I'm sorry you cant have those. Ill explain at Christmas that the reason why was because Santa had phoned us to say he had got them already for them.
I managed to talk him into picking some others that were equally as fun and to be fair Seth isn't spoilt ,even though i said no he is still appreciative of everything he gets. Because we have brought him up knowing how lucky he is that he has such nice things and parents that devote most of their time to him and his brother.
Anyway enough of my babbling, Seth wants to write about his toys today so ill leave you in his capable hands.
"On Sunday me and Opeie had been good boys so we checked our money boxes to see if we had enough money for some toys, we didn't but mommy and Pauly said they would put some more pounds in. we went to Toys R Us and i went in with mommy, mommy said we could have 2 big trucks a joker truck and a two face truck and a Batplane. we put them by the till and then Pauly came in and said i couldn't have 2 big trucks but i didn't feel sad or anything. then we went to look at the batman things together and we got the Mr freeze set and the Joker bin lorry and i was allowed to keep the plane. i was really happy with what me and Opeie got."
"My Mr freeze figure came with a gun its for freezing batman and robin or any policemen that come to get Mr freeze. he came with an ice lair that has a computer, he uses it so he knows when batman and robin and the police come to get him and also for his evil plans. there's also a frozen shaped thing that the goodies can go in and it looks like they are frozen. The Mr freeze character is my favourite part because i wanted the figure for Opeie's jail cell because there is a Mr freeze on one of the doors and all of the jail doors have the pictures of the villains on."
"The jokers bin lorry is cool and the bit with the hook goes down when you put the jokers feet in the twisty bit. i think its funny because its got no bin, i like to put all the batman figures on the back and sometimes Opeie's little cars, their also batman. sometimes i put jokers hammer car on there, i think it looks like a shoe. the thing i like most about it is i can put all the batmen on it and robin can drive it. They drive it because the baddies always take over the Batcave. Bane is the leader of the baddies and he always tells the joker and two face to beat up batman. Id really like the two face big truck so I'm going to be really good and hope i will get it for my birthday its on November the 1st."
"The plane has got a finger push up bit that shoots out disc's from the front and sometimes i like to put some other batman figures holding on to the blue bits so they can stand on the wings. It came with a different batman figure which means i have got 5 different batman's. i have lost a blue one, i think he has been caught and thrown in a crazy hospital because someone saw him walking around talking crazy that he's the real batman. The Batplane goes on the side of the Batcave, it has a little stubby bit that fits in the side. Later on were going to have a Batman battle, the baddies are going to take over the Batcave, Joker says... actually we will leave that for another blog post"
(seth wanted desperately to use an ellipses (...) as he has been learning about them at school)
Another great piece by Seth if i do say so myself. Well the figures are being set up as i type so i should end it at that and go and decide whether i am one of the good guys today or a trouble making baddie but we all know im going to be a baddie, thats what im here for mwahahahahaha...
