Gotta Be Done - A Bluey Podcast

BONUS EP (Bluey's World x Bluey's Brisbane x producer Andrew Kay!) Nov 13, 2024

When Kate and Mary from Gotta Be Done and Lou from Bluey's Brisbane sneak along to the opening day of Bluey's World, it's not going to be a subtle affair.

And this epic crossover chat, just outside the new Sunshine State landmark/ destination/ (other) happiest place on earth, was next level excitable. It even prompted Bluey's World and Bluey's Big Play producer Andrew Kay to join the fun!

Hear first reviews of the one-of-a-kind immersive/ panto/ playful experience at the Northshore Pavilion in Brisbane, Queensland, attempts to divine life advice from fortune cookies and career guidance from creative arts, explainers on why Bluey's World surfaces have to be lickable, and much more!

As the secret message in the Narnia cupboard says (IYKYK), "It is a happy talent to know how to play". Ralph Waldo Emerson (and Joe Brumm who added it!) know what they're on about - and we're all happier for it!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Our Rug Island Era and JOFF BUSH!) Oct 25, 2024

Skip out on work and bring your connector pens - it's RUG ISLAND DAY!

The THIRD album from Bluey maestro Joff Bush and his glorious music team is out globally today (25 October 2024) wherever you get your music (and even on vinyl!)

So of course Mary and Kate were going to drag out the wagon and skive off work Bandit-style, to ask Joff about how this journey into playful imagination came together (it started with a Cafe play-date, and ended with new friends!)

From collaborating with Arnhem Land legends King Stingray, to who you can ask to make octopus sound-effects, how Joe Brumm and Costa Kassab delivered the artistic inspo to tie it all together, and why Muffin deserves her own breakout album - Joff shares the all the antics that made Rug Island such joyful perfection, and what's left over for the next album too!

Plus, congrats on new dad life Joff - Gotta Be Done gets the exclusive on Joff-tested tunes to sooth your small people!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Gotta Be Done's Mary with Bluey's Brisbane at the Markets! Aug 09, 2024

So it's been a while, but when one half of Gotta Be Done sneaks up into Blueyland/ Brisbane... podcast magic happens!

Mary caught up with Justin and Lou from Bluey's Brisbane for this fun and frenetic crossover episode, on the for-real-life location of iconic Bluey ep Markets (the West End Markets, every Saturday at Davies Park!)

Now in their fourth year of exploring the real life world of our favourite Heelers, Justin and Lou have plenty of local knowledge to share.

And the superfans also spill theories, feelings and insights about new Bluey music (listen to the brand new single 'Octopus' with Arnhem Land legends King Stingray on Spotify), possible mascots for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics (bring it, Unicorse!), life post-The Sign, Bluey dollarbucks released by the Royal Australian Mint (maybe a rip off? and since this was recorded, epically ripped off!), Bunnings-bought husbands, and Bluey's World in Brisbane set to open in November (just 90 days away!)

If you haven't already discovered amazing Bluey's Brisbane, dive into Justin Rouillon and Lou Bromley's back catalogue here - and follow them on Facebook and Instagram @blueysbrisbane.

Thanks for sharing your beautiful slice of Blueyland, team!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Looking for signs with Joe Brumm) Apr 17, 2024

Did you know it took nearly two years from Ludo Studio putting finishing touches on The Sign, to actually getting that biggest ever Bluey episode onto our screens??

So really, the fact that Kate and Mary interviewed Bluey creator Joe Brumm after the The Sign dropped on Sunday, and now you're getting the episode on Wednesday - pretty quick turnaround!

Joe is back in the wagon to talk through his favourite ever Bluey episode, the only one that has involved every single member of the incredible production team, and the one that ripped out our hearts, ran them through a few rollercoasters, then cradled them back to where they belong.

Hear how Meg Washington's stunning Lazarus Drug came into the episode (and helped shape the ending), why Joe wrestled with who gets to be happy (fictional characters, definitely), a long history animating Dunk Island/ Ulysses butterflies (and following signs), and even a surprise in store next...

Oh and in case you missed the signs, this conversation has SPOILERS!

The Sign and Ghostbasket are streaming now on ABC iView and globally on Disney+ and are glorious.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Gotta Be Done's Mary does TONTS! Mar 04, 2024

So Gotta Be Done has been missing in your podcast feed for a bit (and you better believe Mary and Kate are missing it too!)

But of course they haven't stopped talking about Bluey in any/every other aspect of their lives, and for this special crossover, Mary talks about Bluey A LOT. Thank you TONTS host Claire Tonti for sharing the mic, over to her to explain!

In a very special episode of TONTS. I deep dive into the wonderful world of Bluey podcast with Bluey expert and podcast host Mary Bolling. Mary is a journalist, mum and kids culture enthusiast, and one half of the Gotta Be Done podcast, deep-diving Australian juggernaut Bluey (and parenting, pop culture and everything else!) since 2019. In typical TONTS. and Bluey fashion we talk about the themes in Bluey that so closely match our own experiences. Two mums deep diving into the highs and lows of parenting, grief, loss, miscarriage, the power of story and the vital role of play and silliness. What a joy! You can find more from Mary Bolling on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marytbolling/ and listen to her and co-host Kate McMahon on Gotta Be Done here https://www.blueypod.com

Head to https://www.clairetonti.com for more awesome episodes, and follow her on Insta at https://www.instagram.com/clairetonti/ and https://www.instagram.com/tontspod

BONUS EP (Play, Development, and the Importance of Being Bingo) Dec 07, 2023

It's not often an episode of Gotte Be Done has required reading... but when there's three developmental scientists putting Bluey under the microscope, then of course we're all diving in!

Mary's joined in the wagon by Dr Molly Scott, Research Scientist in Playful Learning at Temple University, Aria Gastón-Panthaki, Research Coordinator for Children's Development at Harvard University, and Doug Piper, PhD candidate in psychology at Georgetown University.

The play-hard trio recently penned a research piece, Bluey teaches children and parents alike about how play supports creativity and other life lessons (lime lessons??), and on the podcast share their own journeys to Bluey, favourite bits of Bluey brain science, and whether Bluey is inspiring a new generation of more thoughtful, playful parents... (spoiler alert, hopefully?!)

Thanks team for sharing your brilliant insights, and thanks Bluey for everything you're teaching us!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Gotta Be Done Back and Bluey Fest!) Nov 17, 2023

Gotta Be Done's been on a break, but Mary and Kate just couldn't keep mum for BLUEY FEST! (For international types, that's the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's celebration of five years since Bluey launched... and the top 100 episodes as voted by Australia!)

So, the girls have got the somewhat-broken-down wagon back together, for a lap through the trials of trying to pick top five episodes, the delights of being in a Bluey book (Where's Bluey? At Christmas), and what's ahead for the rest of season three...

.. and also, what should we see in (new 28-minute Bluey ep in 2024) The Sign??

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Pizza Girls (aka We’ve Covered a Lot of Pizza Feelings) Sep 01, 2023

Recently listener Matthew in London emailed Gotta Be Done to ask when the Pizza Girls recap was coming. And Mary and Kate laughed because they'd totally recorded that back in February 2023... and then stopped laughing, because Mary had forgotten to release it.

So, strap yourselves in kid, for all the late-summer reminiscing, fresh-new-year-misty-eyed-ness... and Muffin dropping the clutch and drifting her way to glory.

Is Pizza Girls the unofficial sequel to Bedroom, and do families need to hold onto every item ever that has a story? (Well Marie Kondo has given up on tidying, you know...) Plus, February Kate and Mary excitedly preview the now well-and-truly out Dance Mode album (and they're still excited six months on!)

Oh, and... Yeah I want garlic bread!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Cricket II (aka It’s Gonna Take More than a Tea Towel) Aug 25, 2023

Yep, Gotta Be Done is still talking about Cricket... in this second-half recap, and in Mary and Kate's for real life generally!

More music, more obscure cricketenalia, more Rusty love, and the tightrope walk of encouraging your kids without overwhelming them (that Rusty's Dad makes look easy!)

Plus, a good guess at when Australia might see the last of Season 3's new episodes... if Gotta Be Done is right, it will be so spooky!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Cricket I (aka How Many Innings Will This Take and Also What’s an Innings?) Aug 04, 2023

It's more than a year since Bluey creator Joe Brumm told Gotta Be Done a cricket episode was coming... which is even longer than the average game of cricket!

Kate (vessel of cricketing knowledge) and Mary (cricketing knowledge vacuum) explore the whys and wherefores of the deeply weird (but supremely strategic) game of cricket. And how the never-ending, convoluted, global obsession impacts a childhood - theirs, their children's, and theirs again as parents of children!

Plus, slips, gullies, silly-mids, fruit and pies - and not the kind you get at tea break!

(Speaking of tea break, this recap gets one! Stay tuned for Gotta Be Done does Cricket II next week!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Smoochy Kiss (aka Maybe That’s the Fairytale and This Is the Reality) Jul 14, 2023

So Gotta Be Done isn't here to call out annoying habits - but if Smoochy Kiss goes there, do Mary and Kate maybe kind of have to?!

From what (on earth) Bandit's doing in his first scene, to best kitchen weaponry that's not too weapony (and how saucepan lids pre-date shields, actually?!), crimes against laundry sinks, boxes big enough for grown-ups, inversion and flipping the chase (music), and whether it's toughening up or softening up that makes a relationship work.

In short, it's just another day in the Heeler household/ Blueyverse/ Gotta Be Done... works for us!

Oh, and courtesy of the Bluey magazine... what's the stinkiest planet?? Jokes aside, it takes some serious analysis!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Dirt (aka Need a Redemption Arc in Our Lives) Jun 30, 2023

Gotta Be Done is back after a break, and redeeming oneself is the theme of this recap - in all the ways. Morning, Wendy!

Memories of mud piles and doubts about overly-clean modern life (is Insta to blame??), and is that dirt under fingernails, or potential neural connections?

Oh, and what IS a chow chow? Well if a dog and a lion had a very adorable baby... that's Wendy and Judo!

Also, parents modelling to children is a big theme of Dirt - but hang on, has Bluey been modelling to everyone all along?!

Du-du-du-dirt!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

VINTAGE GOTTA BE DONE: The Show (aka Advice for the Ages) Jun 02, 2023

CONTENT WARNING: In this episode, Mary and Kate talk pregnancy loss, infertility, and grief... and life in lockdown, because this is a 2020 throwback. It can get heavy.

Bluey is known for tackling big issues - and in 2023 we know there's definitely a miscarriage storyline in The Show. (Back then and now, there's still plenty of hope, hilarity and happiness to take from this gorgeous episode too.)

And in these overwhelming times (i.e, all times!), who doesn't need a helpful checklist on hand?

While this trip down memory lane takes Gotta Be Done deep into July 2020 feelings, it gets happy again, via Aussie power pop memory lane, as we compare episode notes with Lenka's The Show! Also, exactly when are jacarandas meant to be blooming?!

(Thanks for sticking with a weightier episode of Gotta Be Done. It was a tough one to record - but as usual and of course, the show must go on.)

Big thanks to episode sponsors mathsonline.com.au in Australia, and mathonline.com in the US!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Onesies (aka Getting People Up to Speed on Kid Chaos) May 26, 2023

Content warning: This episode of Gotta Be Done covers topics around fertility, pregnancy loss and grief.

Onesies broke hearts and healed them again, and Mary and Kate wade into "the messy middle" to work out how.

In summary: Families are hard, children who have complaints about the presents they receive are annoying but predictable, incredible Australian actor Rose Byrne (who plays Brandy!) is lovely (even if she's not who we think she is!)

And, two years on, the moving miscarriage storyline in Bluey episode The Show is finally confirmed, thanks to the beautiful book Hard to Bear by Isabelle Odeberg.

Yep, we're all crying, but are we okay? We will be.

Big thanks to episode sponsors mathsonline.com.au in Australia, and mathonline.com in the US!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Granny Mobile (aka Muffin’s Shiny New Career as a Hostage Negotiator) May 19, 2023

Gotta Be Done loves doing the slow crawl past a garage sale, and Granny Mobile brings more Bluey delights than a giant bargain table!

Mary and Kate talk the endless possibilities for types of grannies (nobody puts granny in a corner!), the Muffin redemption arc (can toddlers really grow out of their tantrums?!), and weapon-of-mass-destruction qualities of a Glomesh handbag.

Plus the historical details/ The Crown facts captured by royal wedding plates (spoiler alert, they hated each other), why Bizet is perfect Muffin mood (Joff Bush says: "deliciously grouchy!"), and more of the glorious garage sale treasures.

Also, MY HIPS HURT!

Big thanks to episode sponsors mathsonline.com.au in Australia, and mathonline.com in the US!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Exercise (aka Personal Fulfilment at Work, Not Just a Unit of Production) May 12, 2023

It's the episode that launched a thousand hot takes, and Gotta Be Done is finally here with a slightly reheated one!

Kate and Mary recorded their Exercise recap before ABC and Ludo re-released an updated episode, then recorded more again after the fact - so get ready for many, many thoughts about the challenges of exercising, the niceness (or otherwise) of bosses, and the fact that kids really do copy everything we do.

So, let's play more lawn table tennis! Nice shot!

Big thanks to episode sponsors mathsonline.com.au in Australia, and mathonline.com in the US!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Turtle Boy (aka Kids TV Dichotomy of Preachy or Mindless Violence) May 05, 2023

Gotta Be Done has confessions to go with Turtle Boy - Mary and Kate have both let their kids take lost toys home. Can this episode undo the damage? Lucky the childhood magic of a park never changes (captured by Rafferty Amor)!

Also, are all kids shows either preachy or mindless violence? (No, some have songs about physics and structural engineering!)

Big thanks to episode sponsors mathsonline.com.au in Australia, and mathonline.com in the US!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Rich J Labels on Everything!) Apr 28, 2023

He's the all-knowing and all-seeing Series Director of Bluey, and Richard Jeffery has all the panicked 4am wake-ups to prove it!

Rich/ Rich J from the Fairytale 80s montage/ Mackenzie's Dad/ RichWOW jumps in the Gotta Be Done wagon to share his Bluey origin story, what director life actually involves, and the true state of Aussie-Kiwi relations behind the scenes at Ludo Studio ("we don't jump on sheep Mackenzie!")

Plus favourite scenes, favourite character, favourite episode - and just how long it took to make Sleepytime as magical as it is, plus all the series secrets Rich was desperate to include in Behind Bluey.

Thanks so much Rich and keep up the amazing work!

Big thanks to episode sponsors mathsonline.com.au in Australia, and mathonline.com in the US!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Jazz and Joff in Dance Mode!) Apr 21, 2023

"Finally I've got an outlet for what I'm really good at, that is: singing like a cat."

There's no shortage of surprises on the new Bluey album Dance Mode out worldwide TODAY - and Joff Bush's feline finesse is high on the list!

Bluey music legends Joff (famously the voice of Cat Squad) and Jazz D'Arcy (famously the singer/songwriter behind Rain/Boldly in the Pretend) jump in the Gotta Be Done wagon to talk through their new album highlights, reveal Bluey secrets (OMG the voice of Chattermax!) and get Kate and Mary even more euphoric about this glorious album!

Plus the battle for an extra beat, the almost-impossible task of narrowing down tracks, hints about new projects, and just the musical mayhem that is Jazz and Joff - make sure you're following them for more! (And they've promised us a Bluey album 3!) Thanks Joff and Jazz!

Plus (geddit?!) thanks to episode sponsors mathsonline.com.au in Australia, and mathonline.com in the US!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Puppets (aka Do We Know the Meaning of Life Yet?) Apr 14, 2023

How's it goin', salad dodgers?! Whether you've been dodging salad or not, you might want to know why that's a shout-out to the original Bluey pilot (now leaked!) - and Gotta Be Done wouldn't mind advice on ending the salad dodging by obstinate kiddos, also?

Puppets has bigger issues than salad to dodge though - and of course Mary and Kate dive straight in! From voicing your children's toys to who's pulling whose strings, and what makes life a lie (or otherwise, hopefully?!), Unicorse is triggering all the big questions. (And just triggering full stop! Aaaaaand why should I care?!)

Big thanks to episode sponsors mathsonline.com.au in Australia, and mathonline.com in the US!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Taking Bluey Global with BBC’s Kate O’Connor) Apr 07, 2023

She's played keepy uppy on the stage of Madison Square Garden, floated down Sixth Avenue, and beamed into millions of homes around the globe on the daily - but strap yourselves in kids, Bluey's only getting bigger!

And trying to wrangle the worldwide juggernaut and unstoppable tsunami of Bluey partnership requests is BBC Head of Brands and Licensing (ANZ), Kate O'Connor.

BBC Kate jumps in the Gotta Be Done wagon with Kate and Mary, and shares the couldn't-stop-watching awe of her first Bluey binge, the behind-the-scenes of taking Bluey to New York, and why travelling with the Ludo family is a bit like being in a Bluey episode!

Plus the process behind Bluey being on anything from lunchboxes, to muesli bars to cricket bats... but maybe not EVERYTHING. (Bluey tarot cards, anyone??) And what a new mum buried in Bluey can absorb into parenting, too.

With new Bluey dropping in Australia on ABC TV from THIS SUNDAY, get the goss on what's next for our incredible blue girl/ dog.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Fairytale (aka An Accurate Historical Document) Mar 31, 2023

It's the Heeler history we all need to believe in, and Gotta Be Done is fact-checking and fetishising every glorious 80s moment!

From montages to hazy memories, violent consequences of jinxes and whether child discipline should be depicted for historical purposes, Mary and Kate have a fairytale's worth of half-baked theories.

Also, this Fairytale poster by Bluey animator Mark Paterson, art director Costa Kassab's reimagining of little Bandit and Chilli, and the sun, the moon, the prickles, the princess, and everything!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

VINTAGE GOTTA BE DONE: (Gotta Be Done x The Hammerbarn Project vs Bluey the Album!) Mar 24, 2023

So it's ONE MONTH until the new Bluey album lands - who likes to Dance Mode?! (And second single, the Rain score WITH JAZZ D'ARCY'S LYRICS is dropping on streaming services TODAY, make sure you are following Bluey to hear it!)

Of course Gotta Be Done can't wait to talk about piece of musical gloriousness (out globally 21 April 2023!), but while we wait, we're going back in time to when we deep-dived the original Bluey the Album - with the original Aussie blokes Bluey recap podcast, The Hammerbarn Project!

Back in July 2022, Frank, Marty and Brendan jumped in the wagon with Kate and Mary for fun and frenetic crossover chat - from the life hacks that the tunes provide parents, to Beatles connection buried in the bridge, and whether the kids albums of our Australian childhoods survive the test of time. Oh it's musical mayhem, and it's so much fun!

Make sure you're following The Hammerbarn Project on Insta, Facebook and Twitter and dive into their back catalogue to get across all the Hammerbarn awesomeness! (And if you're wondering why the fever-pitch talkfest suddenly flatlines - it's because there was enough fervour for two episodes! Listen to part two here.)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Faceytalk (aka Not Just One Baked Good But Two!) Mar 17, 2023

Are you triggered by time outs? What about televisual content that recreates pandemic lockdown conditions? Unequal distribution of parenting? Or the sight/ thought/ mention of people/ dogs on the toilet?

Well, dial in and get ready for Muffin (Cupcake) Heeler levels of outrage - because Gotta Be Done goes there!

So who are the villains when parenting is being hogged? (Inequitable kids!) What are the pitfalls when boundary-setting with kids? (Stripe nails them all!) And what's the Franco-Prussian War got to do with it? (Bizet it on us!)

Are Mary and Kate qualified to give these answers? Well, they did read a blog!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Tina (aka And Yet, And Yet...) Mar 03, 2023

Nice to meet you Tina... or should Mary and Kate say, SEASON 3'S ASPARAGUS?!

Okay so three years on Gotta Be Done has come to the party (animals) of their previously least-favourite Bluey. But what happens when there's another contender??

Tina sparks questions about giving kids responsibilities, rights, riot permission, plus the weaponising of toilet hands and commentary on large ladies.

Will they talk themselves into actually liking it though? She's a whole lotta unlikely!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Gotta Be Done x Mums Work & Chaos) Feb 25, 2023

We know Bluey is beloved/imitated/talked about the world over.

So when a British mum, talking on a podcast, and channelling all the Bluey in her parenting, suggests a chat - well, it's gotta be done!

Louise Salih is a mum of three and the host of new podcast Mums Work & Chaos. Strap yourselves in kids for plenty of great questions for Gotta Be Done's Mary on this fun cross-over ep. There's furious agreement about the new standard Bluey sets for kids tv/ life in general, deep-dives on the philosophy of Bluey, and some surprising favourite moments from across the seasons.

You can follow Mums Work & Chaos on Insta, and find more great eps on the podcast feed. Thanks for having us Louise and all the chaos mums listening, you're doing great!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Ragdoll (aka 10 Bucks Lying Around?! Clearly Happened Before Inflation Crisis!) Feb 24, 2023

It was a break that threw up more than a few roadblocks... but at Gotta Be Done, obstacles don't block the path, they are the path!

So Kate and Mary are back, maybe not with a lot of newfound wisdom, but would reading/ swallowing a Little Book of Calm help?

Plus, money-hungry children, force-feeding good qualities or modelling quads, and the gloriousness of Wendy. Remember, great works are performed not by great strength, but by perseverance. Also, somewhat chaotic podcasts and parenting!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Gotta Be Done does Pub Trivia Expereience ft Two Bandits Watching Bluey!) Feb 11, 2023

So Gotta Be Done has been gone too long, but don't think for a second that Mary and Kate have stopped talking about Bluey!

Thanks so much to amazing Tim at Pub Trivia Experience who hosted Gotta Be Done (original Bluey recap podcast) AND Two Bandits Watching Bluey (original upstate New York recap podcast!) for an epic Bluey showdown!

There's musical mysteries, trifficult title cards, character conundrums - and it's brain-meltingly good, by Toutatis!

If you like this ep, Pub Trivia Experience has HUNDREDS more epic episodes, with trivia themes from Friends to MCU, so many movies and just the mind-bending-est pop culture knowledge. Make sure you follow and like them wherever you get your podcasts! And check them out at: www.patreon.com/ptebb Discord: www.ptebb.com/discord Merch: www.ptebb.com Twitter: @PubTriviaPod Instagram: Pub Trivia Experience

AND if you need more Bluey recaps in your life (hint, YOU DO!) they're at Twitter: @WatchingBluey and Insta @watchingblueypod - love your work Miek and Greg!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Jazz D’arcy Makes Music Magic) Dec 09, 2022

It's the final Gotta Be Done for 2022, and Mary and Kate are wrapping up in musical style, and on the beat!

Jazz D'Arcy has been a composer, musician and music assistant on Bluey since the beginning, and is a key part of the chart-topping, award-winning gloriousness that is Bluey music! And she's in the wagon to share her Bluey-esque musical origins, and some of the secrets behind scoring the beautiful Blueyverse.

From the process that has Jazz and Joff Bush scoring five Bluey episodes at any given time, to Jazz's childhood inspirations for the music of Copycat and Rain, what might be on the NEW Bluey album (out in 2023!) and where to listen for Joe Brumm's drumming... plus friendship icebergs and a dog called Padme, it's a chat just a gorgeous as a Bluey score!

Follow Jazz on Insta and Facebook, and make sure you check out her beautiful film score single This Little Love of Mine too! Thanks for such a fun chat Jazz, and thanks to everyone who's tuned in across, laughed/cried along, and shared Gotta Be Done in 2022. See you in the new year!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Explorers (aka Stealing Seats in Cafes When They’re Not Lost in the Glass House Mountains) Dec 02, 2022

So Gotta Be Done doesn't need a tourism campaign to tell them Queensland's Glass House Mountains are beautiful/ in Australia... but did tourism dollars help get this Explorers episode to where it was going?

Mary and Kate analyse Jack's Dad/ Hamish Blake's career, ambassadorships and performance (and also his excellent new podcast How Other Dads Dad - lots of Bluey chat on Nazeem Hussain ep!)

Plus, greatness thrust upon unsuspecting Jack Russells, famous and fabulous guest voices and the plot-twist resurrection of Neighbours, and music that makes you go "heave away, haul away!"

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Gotta Be Done x Bluey’s Brisbane in Blueyland!) Nov 18, 2022

So, Mary went to Brisbane. You might not be as excited about that as she was, but luckily Bluey's Brisbane duo Lou and Justin were just as excited!

And while this crossover is not quite a Bluey tour of Brisbane - as Lou points out, not many Bluey episodes happen at night! - it's a comprehensive tour of three Bluey-obsessed heads, via plenty of places in Brisbane that everyone should want to go! Oh, actually on location under the Story Bridge on the banks of the Brisbane River!

(We love Justin and Lou, and they've got a great back catalogue of fun eps focused on different Brisbane suburbs, plus interviews with Joe Brumm, Joff Bush, Dave McCormack, Dan Brumm and more. So dive in and binge the Bluey love - and don't forget to follow Bluey's Brisbane on Facebook and Insta too!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Chest (aka May Have Missed the Child Prodigy Boat) Nov 11, 2022

First things first, when is the right time to teach your kids anything - and is it too late for Kate and Mary to chess master it up?

Gotta Be Done dives into the Breneness of looking after hearts, and the Unicorsiness of low-key undermining of your partner's efforts.

Plus, the woodwork carving out a place in Bluey fans' hearts! Enjoy (and please remember you're not dead, you're at a pool party!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Tradies (aka Ironic Plumber’s Crack, Despite the Big Belt) Oct 28, 2022

Big belts, big heroes of Australian comedy, big plumber's crack - Tradies delivers plenty of big Bluey moments!

Mary and Kate explain tradies, sparkies and chippies for the non-Aussie audience, and find Brene moments in talking to your enemies with defences down. Also ice cream, and the Australian feel-good drama waiting to happen (Leigh Sales, call Gotta Be Done!)

Plus, the extremely confusing Blueyverse timeline of the fish pond, from Stumpfest and beyond - nice lawn, Bandit!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Rain (aka Sometimes Saying Nothing Says the Most, But Probably Not on a Podcast) Oct 14, 2022

It's the Bluey episode that started in the gutter, but now all of us are looking up at the double rainbows.

Rain has so much meaning for Kate and co - and especially in a week where rain and memories are coming down hard.

There's also (Mary butchering) the Serenity Prayer, the double rainbow meme (what does it mean?!), Oscar-winning Balance that wordlessly inspired this episode, and its link to this most televisual bit of Aussie music history.

And, the girls don't get to say it, but how much is Rain a sequel to playing under the tap in Takeaway? (Flowers may bloom again, but a person never has a chance to be young again.) Hope you can hug your people young and old, and all go out and play in the rain.

This Gotta Be Done episode is in memory of beautiful girl, and in thanks for all the double rainbows she continues to bring us all.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Magic (aka The Couch Is Cursed and You Shall Never Lie There) Oct 07, 2022

Is Magic powerful, or is magic just power? Either way it comes with great responsibility... and plenty of other half-baked film connection theories, courtesy of Gotta Be Done!

Mary's asking how much magic/power/autonomy you can give Bluey/ a six-year-old/ her six-year-old specifically, while Kate's taking it back to ancient Grecian agoras to wonder what magic ethos, pathos and logos can deliver.

Oh, and a fun mail bag filled with Minnesotan manes (thanks Stephanie!) and What Makes This Song Great (keep on rockin' Greg!) and more - it's magic!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Driving (aka Phone Handy in Case the Game Gets Boring) Sep 30, 2022

Parents are used to having plenty of purpose, but Gotta Be Done wonders about the bored side-effects of the busy.

Also, Driving takes Kate and Mary to wild workplaces where staplers are tied down, bangers in the Blueyverse and beyond (like Lollipop Lollipop in Dance Mode Bluey!), and the cats that pee/ scratch/ are the embodiment of evil in a dogs' world.

Oh, and spoiler alert - it's gonna take more than five minutes!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Sheep Dog (aka If Fish Mullets Had Hair It Would Probably Be Long at the Back?) Sep 23, 2022

No doubt Sheep Dog contains important lessons, but is this Bluey at its most simplistic? (Context, text and subtext: Mums just need 20 minutes, dammit!)

Kate and Mary wonder what needs more explaining, mullets or shearers (and wonder if there's cutting-room-floor tape of Lucky's Dad singing Click Go the Shears??), delight in the Wendy redemption arc, and get excited about new voice Emily Taheny (just as her genius array of characters on Mad As Hell disappear from Australian screens, sob!)

Also, Mary's continued fangirling for Darren Hanlon (here's where it started for her), and all the animals on rotation at Gotta Be Done HQs.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Stories (aka Didn’t Know So Many Horses in Australia Were American!) Sep 16, 2022

“We are the stories we tell ourselves."

There's a lot for Gotta Be Done to unpack about Stories, both Indy and Winton's, and Kate and Mary's!

Plus their desperate attempt to be across all the pop culture references within ("we're not very good"), a detour into Lin Manuel Miranda/ David Bowie crossover, and exactly what belongs on Old McDonald's Farm.

It's a Bluey deep-dive at its most chaotic - much better!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Gotta Be Done x Aussie Girl Margie) Sep 09, 2022

Gotta Be Done goes beyond the audio this week - with the superstar of YouTube, Aussie Girl Margie!

The effervescent Australian-mum-living-in-the-US has been making fun-filled Bluey content for a year, and shares her screen with Mary in this big chat!

From the stars that aligned for Mary and Kate's Promises roles, to the intricacies of censoring Bluey, and whether there really is a wedding still to come in season three - it's a meeting of obsessive Bluey minds, and wild Heeler theories!

You can watch online for the interview across first, second and third parts, or catch it all in your Bluey-loving ears here! And follow Margie on YouTube and Insta for more amazing Bluey chat.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

VINTAGE GOTTA BE DONE: Family Meeting (aka Where’s My Wooden Spoon?) Sep 02, 2022

It's the episode that made Disney decree farts aren't funny - or maybe are too funny for under-5s?! Look, who knows how that Mouse's mind works! But word is Disney is revisiting the decision - so Mary and Kate are revisting their recap!

So, how do kids/ pups inherently know what wooden spoon are used for, if they've never seen them used for that purpose?

That and so many more questions for the witnesses in this rollicking courtroom drama, as Gotta Be Done calls a Family Meeting.

But the biggest question: When is it okay to laugh at a fluffy?

Well, it's hard not to!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Musical Statues (aka OMG I Just Realised They’re Playing Musical Statues) Aug 26, 2022

Sorry rest of world, Gotta Be Done is sneaking ahead of you again, to recap the first of the Australian-only-so-far episodes - and honestly, Musical Statues is the mood-lift we all need! (Thanks Bluey Season 3 Part 2A.)

Mary and Kate talk the right time for protein powder, Pulp Fiction-inspired dance moves, whether Bandit really hit Brisbane's dance floors with his worm in the "glory days", and of course relatable parental despair.

Hope it gets you dancing into the weekend (also, can it be a weekend that is forever?!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Curry Quest (aka Layers of Coping Strategies We Need in Our Lives) Aug 19, 2022

What is a Curry Quest/ Campbellian Monomyth/ Peshwari Naan/ good approach for breaking bad news to kids?

Gotta Be Done asks all those questions and more - the only sure answer, Mary and Kate want Chilli narrating life for all of us!

(Oh and lots of love for Our Flag Means Death and Only Murders in the Building too, and this dissertation from Dr Bandit Heeler!)

Grrrrrrr!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

VINTAGE GOTTA BE DONE: Bedroom (aka The Girls Are Getting Extremely Good at Drawing) Aug 12, 2022

So Bluey Season 3 has finally reached the rest of the world, and Gotta Be Done is giving you global Bluey devotees a week to catch up/ process/ binge a certain podcast. You're welcome!

This recap first dropped in December 2021, just as Australia got S3, and Kate and Mary weren't crying, you were crying. (Clearly everyone was crying - and now the rest of the world is too!)

Bedroom seems to answer some longstanding Blueyverse questions (or does it, Grandpa Bob wherever you are?) and has Gotta Be Done wondering how many babies is the right number (and also, why cots have teeth marks?)

Plus the importance of persisting with drawing for successful communication, and how to respond to late night requests/ demands/ hostage situations.

Bags not!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Gotta Be Done x The Hammerbarn Project FREE RANGE!) Aug 05, 2022

Gotta Be Done and The Hammerbarn Project have covered Bluey the Album, but there's still so so much to talk about - so they do!

From podcast team back stories to how anyone ever parented pre-Bluey (did they really??), a rapid-fire round that's anything but, and picking the ultimate bit of Hammerbarn (is that even possible??) Plus, the most momentous merde moments of Bluey... there's a few!

Basically, it's just five grownups finding supreme joy in talking supremely excellent TV. And it's gotta be done!

Make sure you're following The Hammerbarn Project on Insta, Facebook and Twitter and dive into their back catalogue to get across all the Hammerbarn awesomeness!

Gotta Be Done is back to recaps next week, as Bluey S3 hits the rest of the world... strap yourselves in kids!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Gotta Be Done x The Hammerbarn Project vs Bluey the Album!) Jul 29, 2022

Did you know that Gotta Be Done is NOT the only podcast that religiously recaps episodes of Bluey?

The lads from The Hammerbarn Project burst onto the podwaves last year, and are bringing some brilliantly (beautifully!) blokey perspective to our favourite family of Heelers - with puns and power tools galore!

Frank, Marty and Brendan jump in the wagon with Kate and Mary for fun and frenetic crossover chat - and just to make things interesting, abandon all recaps to drill down on award-winning Bluey the Album instead!

From the life hacks that the tunes provide parents, to Beatles connection buried in the bridge, and whether the kids albums of our Australian childhoods survive the test of time, it's musical mayhem and so much fun!

Make sure you're following The Hammerbarn Project on Insta, Facebook and Twitter and dive into their back catalogue to get across all the Hammerbarn awesomeness! (And if you're wondering why the fever-pitch talkfest suddenly flatlines - it's because there was enough fervour for two episodes! Back with part two next week...)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Pavlova (aka Up Here for Bibliothèque-ing, Down There for Discothèque-ing) Jul 20, 2022

Zut alors! We has emerged!

Gotta Be Done does Pavlova and wonders if the French language even exists beyond the bits you learn from kids cartoons. But what would the Blueyverse's French folks (frog dogs?) make of Bandit's impression? (Or of Flight of the Conchords or Greg Champion, for that matter?) Better than Pepé Le Pew, surely!

Also, no shortage of Brene moments when you're playing the long game, but Kate got her feeding kids advice from Kemi and played the loooong long game - to win!

And, more pavlova information then you can shake a sauce bottle at. Tres malade!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Whale Watching (aka Be Motivated By Spite Not Guilt) Jul 15, 2022

So Gotta Be Done has finally left the couch (HA!) and is back to the recapping, but moving slowly and avoiding loud noises, a bit like Whale Watching!

It's the Bluey episode that proves Bandit and Chilli occasionally get on the sauce, but Mary and Kate want to know who's paying harder for their hedonism?

Also, nautical-themed games that let you stay still, a sailor's hornpipe that doesn't, corn chip warnings and sometimes food... but how often IS sometimes?

Anyway, it's all very educational - a bit like a whale documentary! It's gotta be done (finally!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Joe Brumm III: THE DECIDER!) Jul 08, 2022

So we did a Grandpa Bob and disappeared for a bit, but Gotta Be Done is BACK BABY - and for the best possible reason!

Joe Brumm joins Kate and Mary on the mic, with a ton of Bluey S3 secrets to share.

So, which TV heroes was Joe most excited to meet at the Logies? Who was the voice of Major Tom before Lin Manuel Miranda neighed his way in? What period piece inspired the music for Seesaw (we struggle for the name but it's The Favourite!) How hard did the team have to fight for fourth-wall-smashing Puppets? And (we can't be the only ones asking) what was the deal with Space??

So there might be one or two burning questions left unanswered, but plenty of hints about what's ahead and CHEESE AND CRACKERS WE ARE EXCITED - ENJOY! (And thanks so much Joe - for the chat and for beautiful Bluey!)

SPOILER ALERT: Literally! This interview contains so many spoilers from the current season three batch. If you haven't seen 'em yet, we hope you accept our sorry.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Adelaide/ Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Mini Bluey (aka Just Be in the Moment and Hug the Wombat) Apr 08, 2022

A slight technical glitch to start this Mini Bluey recap - but are lost library books and non-compliant noisy children just technical glitches too?

Gotta Be Done wonders what constitutes weird in on-toast combos (Bingo toast, anyone?), and whether anyone can know themselves and all their annoying ways as honestly as Bluey does. (Reckon Ted Lasso would give it a go - here's his Patience rendition!) Plus, committing to the character and owning your child's inherited traits - it's painful, we'll tell you that for free!

(Finally, Mary tries to channel her inner Bandit Heeler and lay some dino knowledge on everyone. But plot twist/ we know that now - brontosaurus is a dinosaur again, phew!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Obstacle Course (aka Mel Gibson and the One Who’s Not Mel Gibson) Apr 01, 2022

Are kids bad losers, or do they just have keenly developed senses of injustice? In Obstacle Course, Bluey is a bit of each - and at Kate and Mary's places, it's definitely one or the other!

Meanwhile, what movies do you see in the montage? Kate's done the research, while Mary has to admit Gallipoli and Kokoda are not the same.

And why do our Gotta Be Done girls, like Bandit/ every parent, always lose at memory snap? Either social media, Wizz Fizz or bio-char is to blame!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Born Yesterday (aka Glittering Star Cameos of Bluey Season 3... and also Eva Mendez) Mar 25, 2022

Gotta Be Done wasn't born yesterday, but who else thinks a fresh start on life on earth might not go astray right now?

Of course, Mary and Kate and everyone else would still need the wisdom of Bluey and Bingo to guide us through - and even if we can't start fresh, there's plenty of goodness to work with in this leafy gem.

Plus, stealth plans to grow indoor gardens, a Bible verse, and will a Twitter verse or two make up for the Bluey Christmas episode that's been robbed from us all?

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Housework (aka Who Even Cleans Windows?) Mar 18, 2022

From Chilli's first line for the ages (oh man, Gotta Be Done is just not a fan of housework either babe!), Housework is a joy that does not usually come with housework!

There's the playful Fab Four, the interminable demands of Lego Batman, and detailed instructions for making a toy car wash - oh, and plenty of Bluey wisdom for life.

Plus, the perils of looking too closely at the contents of your vacuum. Bee-oop!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Phones (aka You Can’t Call Millennials on the Phone) Mar 04, 2022

Ring ring, ring ring? Hello, this is Kate and Mary showing their age by actually picking up the phone - but will the next generation even know what that is?

Phones and Grandad Mort's visit have Gotta Be Done wondering about the right hand signal for a smartphone, what's next for Emma Wiggle, and is tech the source of all the world's problems. So yeah, just all the big questions!

Also, what are curried sausages and is there any chance children would eat them? Lovely evening, ladies!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Family Meeting (aka Where’s My Wooden Spoon?) Feb 25, 2022

How do kids/ pups inherently know what wooden spoon are used for, if they've never seen them used for that purpose?

That and so many more questions for the witnesses in this rollicking courtroom drama, as Gotta Be Done calls a Family Meeting.

But the biggest question: When is it okay to laugh at a fluffy?

Well, it's hard not to!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (The Heeler House For Real Life!) Feb 18, 2022

So unless Muffin Cupcake Heeler has dropped your phone in the pool, you've probably heard that Bluey's house got listed on Airbnb!

After Gotta Be Done tried and failed to take up permanent residence, Mary got to go behind the scenes from a distance, with amazing designer to the Heelers, Yvette Turnbull.

The creative Queenslander has worked with Airbnb, BBC Studios and Ludo to bring the beloved home to life, and she has plenty of hints for what it takes to Heeler-fy your place too! Plus some of the for-real-life Bluey moments of the epic year-long project, and how the team managed to keep Brisbane's biggest secret.

If you didn't get this weekend's one-off booking at the Paddington palace (not hooray), take an audio tour through paint swatches, dog gnomes, and lawn grubs... it's got character!

(Follow Yvette on Insta for more behind the scenes shots - you might even spot a long dog!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Pass the Parcel (aka Birthday Party Invitees Convenient for the Purposes of This Episode) Feb 11, 2022

Is Pass the Parcel the most controversial episode of Bluey yet? The clickbait stories would suggest so, but Gotta Be Done is seeing plenty of Brené nuance falling out at every layer!

From tradies and their dexterity to concert pianist rock stars, birthday party expectations to English county fairs, and of course where the hell we're meant to get resilience and empathy, Mary and Kate take this recap back to the 80s (and 1800s) and back again in their search for answers.

Also, is Pass the Parcel 30 seconds better/more important than Sleepytime? Either way, the extra minute is the perfect big prize in the middle!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Unicorse (aka All the Things You Don’t Want Your Kids to Throw Back at You) Feb 04, 2022

Sooooo Unicorse might be the most annoying unicorn in the world, but can the same be said for this episode?

Mary and Kate grit their collective chompers and go deep into the psyche of unicorns/ eunuch-horses, mullets with the sides shaved, leather bedding, annoying people, and meetings that should have been emails ("AAAAAAND WHY SHOULD I CARE?!")

It's equal parts disturbing and cathartic, and that's before the part about Mary's past life as William Tell. (This essential context viewing might help - watch it mate, or I'll have to get a little pokey!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Omelette (aka Kitchen Parameters That Ensure Mostly Success) Jan 21, 2022

(Birthday) cards on the table - the Gotta Be Done girls do not mind a bit of mess. But do Mary and Kate draw the line at Omelette?

From managing kitchen chaos (and potential hangriness) and 10,000 hours to perfect egg-cracking, to the Bluey-Brene imperative to own your mistakes, and the dubious delights of breakfast in bed - it's triggering stuff for our two (likely hangry) hosts.

So as Bingo covers herself in egg, does Chilli cover herself in glory? Either way, as usual, it's a cracker!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Promises (aka The Joy of Disembodied Eyebrows) Jan 14, 2022

Gotta Be Done is BACK baby (hello 2022!), and Kate and Mary are settling in for their LONGEST-EVER RECAP. How can they justify more time on Promises than even Sleepytime scored? The answer's in the library...

Strap yourself in for the trouble with trampoleneums, when bribes become promises, Meryl Streep toddlers, and the most over-analysed two-sentence cameos in the history of entertainment. We promise!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Melanie Zanetti Is BACK!) Dec 17, 2021

So 26 episodes of Bluey S3 are now out in the ABC iView wilds - where did those weeks go??

Anyway, five minutes ago when they'd just started dropping, Mary snuck in a quick chat with Chilli herself Melanie Zanetti!

The Brisbane star had plenty to share about her frenetic year of recording Bluey everywhere from LA to Florence, in between filming romance and horror and even saving the planet! Also, what might be the perfect way for Bandit and Chilli's voices to finally meet for real life?!

Thanks Melanie Zanetti for jumping back in the wagon, and enjoy your Aussie Christmas break!

(Gotta Be Done is also taking a break for Christmas and we'll be back in the (happy!) new year.

Huge thanks to every one of you beautiful folks who been along for the (hell) ride that was 2021. Hope Bluey has saved you when you needed.)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Bedroom (aka The Girls Are Getting Extremely Good at Drawing) Dec 10, 2021

Gotta Be Done is back to recaps, and they're not crying, you're crying. (Clearly everyone is crying.)

Bedroom seems to answer some longstanding Blueyverse questions (or does it, Grandpa Bob wherever you are?) and has Kate and Mary wondering how many babies is the right number (and also, why cots have teeth marks?)

Plus the importance of persisting with drawing for successful communication, and how to respond to late night requests/ demands/ hostage situations.

Bags not!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Alternative Energy/Indie Folk Purveyor, Darren Hanlon!) Dec 04, 2021

Did you know that when Ludo Studio was developing early Bluey episodes, the animatics featured Darren Hanlon songs as holding scores?

Gotta Be Done has never seen them (ahem, we'd love to!) but now Gympie's favourite folk troubadour has an official Bluey gig too - as the Alt Energy Dog in S3 episode Sheep Dog!

Darren joins Mary in the Gotta Be Done wagon to talk Queensland's biggest cultural exports, little people's favourite songs, his love of Dave McCormack's band Custard, and how his guest role is already delivering playground cred.

Also sneaking in are just a few hints of Darren's gorgeous tunes, including House, We All Cope in Different Ways, All These Things, Folk Insomnia, and Lapsed Catholic.

Darren had a chat just before he launched his national tour, and ahead of his new album next year - thanks Daz!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka It‘s DAD!!) Dec 03, 2021

New Bluey means Gotta Be Done has new excuses to sneak behind the scenes - and finally, Kate and Mary have bumped into Bandit/ Dave McCormack!

This frenetic chat reveals that Dave has now been part of 153 episodes of Bluey (and is still recording as Season 3 hits our screens!), that Sydney's lockdown had him deeply considering a mullet, and that he still doesn't consider himself a real actor. (Would a Logie just for his Unicorse performance change his mind??)

Also, what do Dave McCormack and Bandit actually have in common? And maybe the biggest question of all, who is Dave's favourite character?!

It's DAD!!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Perfect (aka We‘re Back and Perfect, Right?!) Nov 26, 2021

Gotta Be Done gets recapping this Father's Day Bluey - better late than never, and better done than perfect, right??

Kate and Mary talk preschooler drawing persistence, and what press-ganging your little people into card production actually delivers.

Also, do the girls have enough Indy smarts to sustain this podcast? (Mary's assertion that the boulder scene is from Temple of Doom suggests not. Um, the game is literally called Raiders.) No ticket!

What Gotta Be Done does have: SO MUCH excitement for Bluey Season 3. Hooray!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Season 3 Is Coming and We‘re Already Here!) Nov 18, 2021

It's been a long time between episodes/Stumpfest juices for Gotta Be Done, but with Bluey Season 3 right on our doorstep* - of course Kate and Mary are here to play!

Yep, there's 25 new episodes of Bluey hitting ABC TV from Monday 22 November, and the self-confessed superfans are here to tell you what they know about them. Well, what they think they know/ are able to tell you without breaking any contractual commitments. Ooooh!

Plus the new Sleepytime book and celebrity readings, Joe Brumm's favourite Bluey episode, and new toys just in time for... eeeep, don't say it until the girls get their hands on Bluey Advent calendars!

Also, it's a chance to reflect on what nearly three years of talking Bluey has taught them. (Mainly, that very first lesson from Bike - it's going to take a lot of getting back on.)

So strap yourselves in kids, THEY'RE BACK BABY!

*Specifically, Australia's doorstep - sorry rest of the world, don't know when you're getting new episodes, but hope it's really soon!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (On Tour with Bluey‘s Brisbane) Sep 03, 2021

We're back in the wagon (and still in lockdown!), but a couple of sunshiny guests are just what Mary and Kate ordered to brighten things up!

This special episode welcomes fellow Bluey podcasters Lou Bromley and Justin Rouillon from Bluey's Brisbane - the podcast that shows off for real life Brisbane, and all the hangouts of our favourite Heelers!

From road trips and live music haunts back when we were cool, to all our the hopes and dreams for Father's Day's Perfect episode, and S3 after that.

Oh, and strap yourselves in kids - when Bluey podcasts combine, we talk a lot!

(We love Justin and Lou, and they've got a great back catalogue of fun eps focused on different Brisbane suburbs, plus interviews with Joe Brumm, Joff Bush, Dave McCormack, Dan Brumm and more. So dive in and binge the Bluey love - and don't forget to follow Bluey's Brisbane on Facebook and Insta too!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Baby Race (aka Try to Stop Us Talking about Bluey!) Aug 13, 2021

Baby Race takes Gotta Be Done back to those early days of parenting - and wow, IT IS A LOT.

Kate and Mary talk milestones, leaps, and Mercury retrogrades - is this stuff all deliberately confusing? And when are we meant to put honey on dummies/ peanut butter on spoons/ oil on knees??

Plus why Leigh Sales was the perfect person to be Coco's Mum, whether parenting/life has to mean uncertainty, and what's on the top of the Bach Spotify pops.

Meanwhile, our little baby podcast has hit a terrifying milestone - we've recapped every single episode of Bluey! We're toddling off for a break/ being invisible, but don't panic, we'll be back!

In the meantime... you're doing great.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Road Trip (aka Someone Who’s a Linguist or Can Read Facial Expressions of Cartoon Dogs) Aug 06, 2021

Road Trip has week-ago easing-out-of-lockdown Mary and Kate dreaming of the open road. (Now we're back in lockdown and we don't want to talk about it.)

Instead, focus on the music that gets you through extreme boredom (Paul Simon) and existential threats (Ennio Morricone). And Kate has a hot tip for finding good tunes on the road. (It involves Turkish restaurants in Port Macquarie.)

Plus, ranking Bandit's food-as-swears on a severity scale, and what are the chances that the only two people in Australia whose parents forced them to listen to times tables songs on road trips start a podcast together?! (OR ARE THERE MORE OF US??)

Are we making good times yet?

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Octopus (aka Finding Nemo/ Six-Year-Olds Who Don't Watch Octonauts) Jul 30, 2021

We all know an octopus saved 2020 for plenty of folks, but is slightly awkward Chloe's Dad the hero we need in 2021?

Kate and Mary definitely appreciate his commitment to Chopin and Wikipedia, and how he relieves the pressure of meeting Bandit Heeler standards.

But why is it some of us are so naturally silly, and some can't get past the first ooh-bool-oop? Maybe the animal world has the answers. (And also Bluey and Brene, of course!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Gotta Be Done presents Goodnight, World! Elmo's Choo Choo Jul 24, 2021

In this special episode of Gotta Be Done, we're are getting excited (and sleepy!) about another podcast, Goodnight, World!

Goodnight, World! is developed by a team of early childhood and meditation experts at Headspace Studios and Sesame Street, to help kids get their minds and bodies ready for sleep.

And previewing the episode Elmo's Choo Choo takes Mary and Kate on a Morningtown Ride through sleep routines, Sesame Street's biggest influences, in utero train sounds, and whether it's still a book-on-tape if you're listening on your phone?

If you've got little people who need to drift off at your place, check out more Goodnight, World! episodes here - big thanks to them for sponsoring this episode, and for all the sleepytimes ahead!

(We're back to regular Bluey recap programming next week - get ready to deep dive Octopus!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Joff Bush II: A Choir of Joffs) Jul 16, 2021

It's the second half of Gotta Be Done's epic chat with Bluey composer Joff Bush, and Joff's talking us through the instrument parade in his studio, the importance of auto-tune, and why a shop assistant refused to sell him his perfect piano.

Plus we nerd out over what makes "the Bluey sound" (three ukuleles, a mandolin, an accordion over strings, a choir of Joffs and "sparkliness"!), get hints about S3 music (it's Carmen for ya!), and ask why Bandit didn't make the cut on chart-topping Bluey The Album.

Don't forget, if you're in Australia, you can win a copy of that album on watermelon rug and kiwifruit rug vinyl - enter on our Insta before 10PM AEST on Friday 16 July 2021!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Bluey maestro Joff Bush!) Jul 09, 2021

It's taken two years of obsessively discussing his incredible Bluey scores, and finally Bluey composer Joff Bush joins Mary and Kate in the Gotta Be Done wagon!

Joff's finally found some time after creating the score to Bluey's Big Play (touring now!) and recording this year's chart-topping Bluey "The Album"!

Yep, busy times are over and Brisbane's Beethoven is just calmly working on multiple episodes of Bluey S3 every week - needless to say, Kate and Mary are anything but calm to hear about it! Plus Joff reveals his favourite character, what he knows about Busker Dog, and his plan to stockpile every copy of the amazing new Bluey "The Album" vinyl release (but if you're in Australia, you can win a copy before Joff gets his hands on it - enter on our Insta before 10PM AEST on Friday 16 July 2021!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Muffin Cone (aka She's Embracing Her Vulnerability Really Well) Jul 02, 2021

Recorded way back when Melbourne was in lockdown (um, two weeks ago), Gotta Be Done's Muffin Cone recap is a romp through all the bad habits that a bit of extreme social distancing seems to turn up. (Eat all the Doritos, all our locked-down interstate/international friends!)

But maybe it's not habits that are bad, just shame is? Kate and Brene have lots to share on the topic, while Mary's determined to stop parents getting shamed - even if they're bringing up brats!

Plus, meeting people where they're at - can't we all just take a leaf out of Bluey's book/ sunflower?

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Bin Night (aka Sometimes Problems Grow Balls and Come at Your Recorder Playing) Jun 25, 2021

We remembered Bin Night! After going missing last week, Gotta Be Done is ready to re-establish our life rituals... if we can work out what they are?!

With amazing chart-based input from listener Derek, Mary and Kate pick apart every pattern of life happening in this perfect little episode, with detours via kindy pick-up, rubbishy avian species, and so much more.

No wonder we can never remember bin night!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Handstand (aka Another Reason We Have to Smash Society) Jun 11, 2021

Handstand packs a lot in (12 loops - or did we miss some?!) - but Kate and Mary might even cram in more!

Bingo and Nanna are on the edges of this bit of Blueyverse chaos, but what needs to change to see them in the real world?

Plus all the S3 teasers, a deleted scene, and of course, Brene.

And a sad note, this Gotta Be Done is dedicated to the darling, scruffy, giant heart of Lucky McMahon. RIP Goodest Boy.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Duck Cake (aka Sweetly Reminiscing for Lockdown Already) Jun 04, 2021

Gotta Be Done is back in lockdown, but before that happened we recorded this Duck Cake recap and pined for those long locked days of having time to make duck cakes. For the record, we take it all back.

But whether you're locked down or just locked into parenting, Duck Cake has what you need: a can-do attitude, tail-wagging, determination, bribery and a bench to sink hopelessly behind.

Also, can children be weaned off poo chocolate? Guess Bluey can't answer all our existential questions.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Postman (aka Correspondence Will Not Be Entered Into, Envelopes Will Be Opened) May 28, 2021

From toys on the floor to vacuums that still have wheels and implausibly wide skirting boards, there's a lot that's very convenient about Postman (and if you want convenience, why wouldn't you just shorten it to Postie?!)

Bluey's making Kate and her "fake arguments" feel seen, and same for Mary with her ground is lava obsession. Also, Mary grew up with lava floors while Kate grew up with crocodile ones - is it the same game, or oceans apart? And where does A*Mazing fit in?

Plus, we bust open the secret of making kids music that reaches millions - it's as easy as pop goes the weasel. (We're onto you, The Kiboomers!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Swim School (aka Margarets as Victims of Toxic Power Structures) May 21, 2021

We’re diving into Swim School, but is this the least relatable Bluey episode out of 2020? The Heelers are in Bali and Kate and Mary are struggling to recall how you even get overseas!

But a holiday plot is (nearly) as good as a holiday, and this one takes Gotta Be Done to the big-haired 80s (does ANYONE else share Mary’s triplej memories of Bevan the Musical?? Luckily, YouTube does!) And briefly back to the 2020 hellscape (hello, Karen!) - but there's hope to find for 2021 too.

Ninja kicks!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Easter (aka Eggsistential Doubt and Other Problems) May 14, 2021

We are risen! Gotta Be Done is back and belatedly bringing Easter offerings, faith theories and left-over chocolate - hallelujah!

Appropriately taking on the universe's biggest questions (Nicholas Cage: good or bad?), this madcap mess finds treasure along the way - even if it's just Mary and Kate occasionally just getting to go to the toilet by ourselves.

(Also, all the back episodes are back in Apple and Spotify - miracles everywhere people!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

VINTAGE GOTTA BE DONE: Queens (aka Lorikeets Are Quite Nice Birds Really) May 07, 2021

One more week in the archives for Gotta Be Done, and just in time for Mother's Day, what better place to go than Queens?!

This recap was also baby Joe's first appearance on the pod - and now nearly a year on, that gorgeous bub has just turned one!

Time and tide truly wait for no man/dog/queen, but at least in the intervening year we've finally found our answer: Chilli saying "gotta be done" was a shoutout to us! (Joe Brumm may have confirmed this under duress.)

Back with a new Bluey recap next week folks - it's not too late to say happy Easter, right?! In the meantime, hope all the Chillis/ Trixies/ Nannas/ Grannies have a beaut Mother's Day, you're all absolutely Queens!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

VINTAGE GOTTA BE DONE: The Beach (aka Skateboard Improbabilities - We Want Insta Proof!) Apr 30, 2021

Another break week for Gotta Be Done - what better place to have it than The Beach?!

(Full disclosure: we are not at the beach.)

It's the Bluey episode that went on to become 2020's Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year, and back in April 2019 The Beach had Mary and Kate talking girl power, growing kids' independence, and what sort of Insta influencers arrive at the beach on a skateboard?!

(Full disclosure: we still have never skateboarded to the beach.)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

VINTAGE GOTTA BE DONE: The Pool (aka Uncle Stripe's Criminal Connections) Apr 22, 2021

Kate and Mary said they were taking a break, and it's absolutely gotta be done!

But the break coincides with the earliest episodes of Gotta Be Done disappearing from Apple Podcasts and Spotify, HOW RUDE. We're trying to get that fixed - but if you need a revisit in the meantime, we can oblige!

Strap yourself in kids - it's the original theme music (we're nothing without our music man Ari Danaher-Flavell, it's true), surprisingly passable sound quality, and only goes for 12 minutes! (Honestly, were we even trying?!) Plus classic 4-month-old baby Cas sounds from the get-go - enjoy re-diving in The Pool!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Mr Monkeyjocks (aka The Potential or Theoretical Benefits of a Salt Lamp) Apr 16, 2021

We're knee-deep in toys, but who's really to blame for this outrageousness? As Mary and Kate ponder the usefulness of a salt lamp, coolness of a pair of Wayfarers, and treasureability of a baby gift, perhaps all-encompassing consumer culture is a little too close for comfort.

Mr Monkeyjocks also has us wondering if overwhelm is to blame for the "I'm bored" kid chorus? And if a box of toys gets "lost" in Mary's house move, is it unethical to blame the removalists?

And of course, all the reasons that Mr Monkeyjocks ends in tears. So special.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Double Babysitter (aka Don't Turn to The Crown for Your Romance Needs) Apr 09, 2021

It's Gotta Be Done's most-demanded recap - clearly we all want more romance in our lives!

And Double Babysitter has stars aligning for Mary and Kate, as they finally get to deep-dive Rad and Frisky's characters - knowing there's a wedding on the horizon!

Plus post-lockdown demand for happily ever afters and kids' birthday parties, and our favourite other podcasts right now - oh hai 60 Songs that Explain the 90s and How to Change a Life!

Oh, and our most belated "We Know that Now" yet - get ready to be blown away by Takeaway once again!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Joe Brumm in 2021!) Apr 02, 2021

It's nearly two years since Gotta Be Done first caught up with Joe Brumm, the incredible creator of Bluey.

Since then, the sheer perfection of Flat Pack and Sleepytime has happened. An Emmy happened (and a million more awards.) Bloody 2020 happened (and after this we'll never speak of it again.) Books and toys and Bluey's Big Play are still happening. And time and time again, Bluey has spoken to us/ saved us amidst it all.

So after all that, how many questions do Kate and Mary have for Joe now?

In the immortal words of Bingo, "THIS MANY!"

(Thanks Joe!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Dunny (aka Feel Like Royal Visits Are Pretty Well Pre-Advertised) Mar 25, 2021

So Mary and Kate are all for staying in bed longer in the mornings, but not sure the Heelers' hijinks quite capture the restful vibe we're after?

Dunny has us wondering which of the Queen's high standards we'd meet, vocabulary-based or otherwise. (Hint, not many!)

Plus, how many versions of Ten in the Bed/ Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes/ Jingle Bells, Batman Smells are the right number of versions?!

Squish-squash!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Bad Mood (aka The Episode that Divided the Internet) Mar 19, 2021

Neuroscience, vaguebooking, trashing the place and hitting the chocolate - a Bad Mood is a journey, and this Gotta Be Done is no exception!

Can our little people actually help their big (bad/naughty/cheeky?!) feelings? And if parents (in Viking helmets) can drive the bad mood, is it up to us to drive the good one too? Don't mention emotional labour!

Plus the world's most annoying song and its breakout moment - you're welcome!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Typewriter (aka Solving All of Literature's Problems and Most of Humanity's) Mar 12, 2021

From the yellow brick roads of Oz to the bamboo forests of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the lusty libraries of Bridgerton, this literary-quest episode takes us everywhere!

Typewriter also reveals that Kate used to own a typewriter and used to love Wizard of Oz, while Mary still owns a typewriter and is still terrified of Return to Oz.

Then, is Calypso just hiding a typewriter, or revealing the secret to the creative journey? Ira Glass has lots to say about that too.

Okay, we're out - it's a long way to the shop if you want a SAAAAAUSAAAAGE ROOOOOOOOLLLLL!!!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Bluey's Big Play!) Mar 05, 2021

Since December 2020, Bluey's Big Play has been wowing sold-out theatres - or as Rose Myers puts it, "thousands of screaming fans"!

The Artistic Director of Windmill Theatre Company jumps in the wagon with Mary, and shares some of the challenges taking our favourite "barrel-shaped" Heelers from screen to stage - and the sheer delight of it all coming together.

Plus, Grannies, bin chickens, lorikeets, and should we be looking for a long dog on stage??

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Library (aka Heroic Felines in the Blueyverse?) Feb 26, 2021

Sure the Library's nice, but have you seen Cat Squad?! Okay so technically Mary and Kate haven't met those pawfect pals (here for your puuurrtection!) but they're a great excuse to talk kids TV themes - good, bad and ugly. Hi, Kangaroo Beach!

Meanwhile, is it always the parents to blame for a "spoilt" kid, or can we handball that honour to human nature? We're gonna try!

And of course, Stripe's plush lifestyle needs further analysis - or would that get us in trouble with the law??

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Cafe (aka Dropping Bluey into Parent Patter to Find Potential Soul Mates) Feb 19, 2021

It's the first time in a year that Kate and Mary are on the same microphone! (And also one very vocal nine-month-old, how did that even happen?!)

Well, more easily than adult friendships, as we discover in Cafe - why was making friends so much easier in our pub crawl days?!

From the Latin roots of famous Fidos, to the mathematical impossibility of two kids that both sleep in, to what even is sleep anyway, this episode is as delirious as Bandit on a pre-dawn park trip. Can we get through to brekkie and save baby Joe from the many perils of Mary's loungeroom? It's gotta be done!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Burger Shop (aka Haven't Put My Kid in Any Death Matches Today) Feb 12, 2021

Surviving bath time's boredom, mislabeled brachiosauruses and code browns is always tough, so Mary and Kate are thrilled to see Bandit's looking for external guidance too. (Anything's better than adopting the Cobra Kai model, right?!)

Burger Shop has us wondering where one does source parenting wisdom (spoiler: mainly podcasts) and also money (Rich Uncle Pennybags is our best chance). Also, do kids actually make up games anymore, or just steal them all from Bluey?

Excuse us, gotta get back to writing our parenting book!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Barky Boats (aka Those People Who Need to Click Wikipedia's 'Donate Now' Button) Feb 05, 2021

It's 2021, school's back and so is Gotta Be Done - but is anyone ready for all the going-one-way-then-the-other-way growing up it requires?? Going by our torrents of tears in Barky Boats, Mary and Kate definitely are not!

At least some things never change, specifically schoolyard strategies for divining future marriages. (Bluey and Mackenzie sitting in a tree!)

Also in a tree, is it God's Eye or just lazy craft? Then fairy gardens put us on a cool Cucumber Quest, and the perfect (and chart-topping!) Bluey Album sends us to Creek heaven.

Kiss kiss kiss, hug hug HUG! (So rapt to be back!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Christmas Swim (aka A Christmas Treat and Schweppes Classic Catches) Dec 18, 2020

WE MADE IT TO CHRISTMAS! Or at least to Christmas Swim, which definitely meets the 2020 near-enough-is-good-enough standard for Mary and Kate.

And it's our second Heeler Christmas - is that too early to be demanding invites to weddings? (Looking at you, Rad and Frisky!) Plus we bear gifts: the true meaning of Bartleby, and the (world exclusive) solved mystery of the missing Bluey season two episode!

Now excuse us, we've got to follow a star that guides us to Thy Perfect Light/ proper gravy. (Happy Christmas to all the Gotta Be Done family, and may all your catches be classic!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Movies (aka The Great Sock Crisis of 2018) Dec 11, 2020

Gotta love a special guest appearance on the big screen, and Gotta Be Done does Movies with some serious cinematic assistance - writer and movie buff Cam Williams, thanks for getting in the wagon!

From our earliest celluloid experiences to the best way to get kids contained in the cinema, via Willow and "I want" songs and Seinfeld spin-offs and Dreamworks dance parties, it's a blockbuster. (Also, an exclusive extended cut of Joff Bush's Chunky Chimp soundtrack!)

This summer, get ready to BEE (listening to an extra long podcast episode) YOURSELF!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

The Quiet Game (aka Don't Ask Questions I'll Just Go Get the Cowbell) Dec 04, 2020

We know our kids never want to play the quiet game - but this episode is proof that team Gotta Be Done isn't so crash hot at it either. (More cowbell!)

Besides Mary's determination to ruin all Kate's noisy fun, we're both playing spot-the-Easter-egg in The Quiet Game - did we get them all?

Plus first days on the job, ponies and bronies, great Madges of Australian TV, and orchestra requirements for silent movies - look, you'll understand one day!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Circus (aka Never Had More Faith in the Democratic System) Nov 27, 2020

Has anyone else noticed a lot of democracy around lately? What better time to break bread and talk Circus!

This Bluey episode premiered on Queensland Election day, but Mary and Kate are finding more to talk about across the Pacific as they compare these playground politics with the real thing. And how do explain elections to little kids - when they only talk in goodies and baddies?

Plus, Kate wonders whether perfect politician Bluey has been reading How to Win Friends and Influence People? And when she is Prime Minister, any chance of a friendly state visit to Canada. Bonjour, Jean Luc!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Ice Cream (aka The Bougainvillea as Nature's Commentary) Nov 13, 2020

We all want life to be fairly fair, but can we really insist on VERY fair? Gotta Be Done does Ice Cream via childhood sharing techniques and Die Hard: With a Vengeance - it's (fairly) relevant!

Plus inspirational Fantasia, celebrity spotting on Brisbane's South Bank (hi Nick and Jazz!) and in future Bluey episodes (hi baby Croc Hunter!), and the importance of keeping buskers happy.

Awww go on give us a double-choc in a cup extra large!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Grandad (aka Do You Drink If It's True or If It's False?) Nov 06, 2020

Finally getting to meet Chilli's Dad in Grandad has got Gotta Be Done giddy - we don't even care he's not voiced by Russell Crowe!

There are movie references aplenty though, and Kate deep-dives the bluegrass in this episode, and gets a Handel on the ups and downs of Seesaw's score too.

Plus, our hot takes on what the Grandad message means for our hot mess world. Because couldn't it be up to us?

(Also, if you're listen while this is fresh, make sure you check out the extended Bluey theme song that's just dropped on your music player!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

BONUS (aka Our Queen and Yours, Chilli/ Melanie Zanetti!) Oct 30, 2020

New Bluey episodes always mean one thing - that supermama Chilli is finding new ways to win our hearts.

So what better time to chat to the lady who brings her to life, amazing Aussie actor Melanie Zanetti!

Melanie tells Kate and Mary the serendipitous story behind getting cast as Chilli, shares her close-to-home inspiration for the character, and lets us in on some of her favourite moments since Bluey's taken over the world!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Seesaw (aka Kids Just Want to Take Us Down) Oct 26, 2020

NEW EPISODES!! Fresh Bluey has landed on Australia's ABC TV, and Gotta Be Done is at the ready with a brand new recap (thanks ABC and Ludo Studio for the handy preview!)

The playground games of Seesaw are a palate cleanser after the highs of Sleepytime and Flat Pack says Kate, while Mary is seeing the tried and true "smallest character makes all the difference" trope.

Plus new characters on screen and Bluey royalty behind the scenes, hints about episodes to come, and Kate's got a good Handel on the score too. Hooray!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

BONUS (aka Brisbane's Beethoven, Melbourne's Mozart, Australia's Most Formidable Bluey Experts) Oct 21, 2020

We're back, baby!

Yep, just a few days out from new Bluey in Australia (trailer here!), and Gotta Be Done is diving deep into hints about what's to come.

There's chippy-lipped cakes (ahoy Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book!), mystery dogs (Uncle Rad?!) and even possible guest stars (another Rusty?!)

Plus, we relive Mary's Hard Quiz glory, get excited about Bluey music (album, stage show, everything!), and Kate asks Gotta Be Done music hero Ari Danaher-Flavell what he loves about Bluey, too.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Sleepytime (aka Keeping the Dream at Least Half Alive) Sep 25, 2020

Finally at the interplanetary pinnacle of the Blueyverse, and Gotta Be Done has gotta wonder - can words ever do justice to sublime Sleepytime?

Well, we hope so, because Kate and Mary have just rambled through an hour's worth!

We wax lyrical about bedtime (it's kind of a solar-system-sized deal) and the politics of parenting, share lunar theories about moon rabbits (they've got Saturn surrounded!), describe what we see when we look into the sun, and reveal which Bluey genius had the idea for the perfect Holst score.

Prepare for tears - not least because this is our final recap for the current season! Huge thanks to all the listeners old and new who have travelled with Gotta Be Done for the past 90 episodes and 78 recaps. (If you've missed any, what a great time to dive into the archive!)

Stay in touch on socials folks, and keep calm and watch Bluey. We're off to sleep in our own beds. (Well, hopefully!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Mum School (aka Not Wanting to Do Anything and Always Being Hungry) Sep 18, 2020

We all fail Mum School sometimes - but damn Mary and Kate are glad there are no adjudicators in our respective showers at the moment!

Get ready to deep-dive pedagogy, feel weird about balloons in baths, and hear a lot about unconditional love - what we're feeling, and the book Kate's reading too. Also, Kate sings!

Big love to all the people out there parenting, teaching, and wrangling every type of balloon/child. Hope we can all take Chilli's guide-on-the-side wisdom.

We might just go start again tomorrow.

(One non-failure and non-episode-relevant thing to get excited about: Mary is on Hard Quiz! No spoilers - except all over our socials! - but if you're in Oz watch here, and everyone else preview here!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Helicopter (aka The Marshmellow Chapter of Our Lives) Sep 11, 2020

"Things pop up that you can't control. You just have to go with it."

Yet another message for our times - or is locked-down Gotta Be Done just at the point of co-opting any encouragement we can get?

Beyond Chilli truth-bombs, Helicopter has Bluey at her steely-eyed best, and Mary and Kate are loving the parade of colourful characters reminding us of school life. Also, the delights of Longreach (including these amazing Bluey LEGO designs!), distant memories of bushfires (what year is it?) , and baby Joe playing a velociraptor!

Finally, discover the heights of Mary's rage when a childhood game is destroyed. (Looking at you, The Floor Is Lava.)

"Bye-eee!"

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Hairdressers (aka Swiping Left on Bert Handsome) Sep 04, 2020

Sooo, been up to much? Oh that's very interesting!

Gotta Be Done definitely hasn't been up to hair maintenance, so what better time to tackle Hairdressers? And also, whether Mary and Kate would let the kiddos touch our hair, or even hang us from a tree and rake us (don't worry, Bandit clearly consented!)

From judgey stylists to George of the Jungle and when parents need to find ears too, it's the full Gotta Be Done treatment! Plus, Mary can't remember the name of the movie with McLovin' (it's Superbad), Kate isn't sure why the music's familiar (tell us if you know!), and we share our new obsession with Bluey TV Tropes!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Rug Island (aka Lucky's Dad the God We're All Looking For) Aug 28, 2020

It may seem like the classic castaway-made-of-pens story, but Gotta Be Done is digging deeper on Rug Island, and Mary and Kate have an ocean of questions, including:

- What is pre-dawn?

- How do connector textas actually connect?

- WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO MAKE KIDS THINK THAT PADDLE BOARDS CAN GLIDE ALONG GRASS??

Plus Kate has a cracker theory about Rug Island's true meaning.

(Oh, and one for the Gotta Be Done folks listening before Saturday 12 September 2020 - move fast if you want to play Bluey trivia with us!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Flat Pack (aka So Much to Unpack) Aug 20, 2020

It's an episode 14 billion years in the making, but how far have we come really? Straight out of the box for this Flat Pack recap, Gotta Be Done eats the frog (dog) and addresses the dinosaurs in the room: there's still plenty more building to do.

So props Ludo Studio and ABC for making changes to Bluey that help make a better world for everyone.

Now that's dealt with - what IS the meaning of life? Kate and Mary muse Flat Pack's version, and find it pretty close to home.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Tickle Crabs (aka You Can Never Google Bluey Too Much) Aug 14, 2020

If you can't score an uninterrupted half hour on the couch, is hiding in the cupboard the next best option?? These are the philosophical questions locked down Kate and Mary are tackling as Gotta Be Done does Tickle Crabs.

There's reassurances for parents suffering a Bluey-inspired tickle crab infestation - it could have been worse! (Pinchy pinchy!) Ultimate parenting #lifehack, having an imaginary glue stick on hand pays dividends. And has Bluey gone full please-face stylist??

Plus Telemachus leads us (via the pantry) on a wild Greek goddess seagull chase. Obviously.

Leucothea ya later!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

BONUS EP (aka Cinematic Bluey) Aug 07, 2020

Strap yourselves in, kids - this is epic Gotta Be Done as we go full film special, thanks to some excellent guest expertise!

Podcast legend Blake Howard of One Heat Minute productions jumps in the wagon to share his grateful-dad love of Bluey, and cinema-conditioned eye for spotting silver screen homage.

Mary and Kate are reeling as Blake calls Joe Brumm's 2001: A Space Odyssey obsession (it goes beyond Sleepytime!), finds whole genres in Army and Work, and sees a post-apocalyptic classic bearing down in Escape.

Grab the jumbo popcorn and as many choctops as Nanna will hand over - this (almost-movie-length) episode is a joy! (Also, full of spoilers.)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Piggyback (aka Cool Scooter Mums Not Normal Mums) Jul 31, 2020

It's the journey of a thousand shiny distractions, but is Piggyback the quintessential road trip movie episode, or have we just been trapped in lockdown for too long?

From Kate's new scooter, to Bluey's ongoing exploration of second-tier Australian wildlife, and even a rare sighting of Ludo Studio art director Costa, it's a wild ride.

Plus, a how-to for tackling too-big problems that's definitely coming in handy right now - though honestly, we'd prefer a piggyback!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

The Show (aka Advice for the Ages) Jul 24, 2020

CONTENT WARNING: In this episode, Mary and Kate talk pregnancy loss, infertility, and grief. If you already know why, you've probably noticed what Gotta Be Done has noticed about The Show. If you don't - prepare for things to get heavy.

Bluey is known for tackling big issues - and there's more than a few little hints of a second storyline in The Show. (As usual, there's still plenty of hope, hilarity and happiness to take from this gorgeous episode too.) And in these overwhelming times, who doesn't need a helpful checklist on hand?

Plus even more happy, a trip down Aussie power pop memory lane, as we compare episode notes with Lenka's The Show!

(Thanks for sticking with a weightier episode of Gotta Be Done. It was a tough one to record - but as usual and of course, the show must go on.)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Fancy Restaurant (aka McFlourished Me Guts Up) Jul 17, 2020

It's a smorgasbord of squeamishness as Gotta Be Done does Fancy Restaurant - but is it food we're off, or feelings?

With plenty of their own romantical shortcomings to confess, Mary and Kate have Asparagus-level aversion to Bluey and Bingo's feral feast - and the keytar isn't helping!

Plus long dogs, old mate Antonio, It's a Date, and the most very romance words a parent can hear. It's McFlourishing!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Favourite Thing (aka Tomato Sauce on T-bones and Vegemite in Fridges) Jul 10, 2020

The second episode in our didn't-save-the-first-time-around double, and Mary and Kate aren't feeling philosophical about their tribulations - but does Favourite Thing deserve their rage?

This inscrutable Bluey episode has us wondering we're meant to be grateful for, traumatised by past playground encounters with "what's your name?", and struggling with the Heelers' weirder food habits.

Or, is it just our fixer tendencies at breaking point? And can Jetpack Bingo save the day? Jeremy, no!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Bingo (aka So Nice We Did It Twice) Jul 03, 2020

Get ready to go orange - finally, it's Bingo's turn to win musical statues! (Which is what they're playing in the Bluey titles, just in case you didn't know!)

So is this Bingo episode of Bluey/Bingo a make-good on last year's Bingo shortage, or are there bigger problems at play?

Plus, a potted history of Kiwi comedy and/or mockery, a weird detour into an unnamed Lonely Island offering, and the practicalities of island-shaped snacks.

And finally, we know that now with dings, chings, jings - chin chin!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Trains (aka A Real Piece of Poo) Jun 26, 2020

Sleep, sleep, sleep - oh sleep! Bingo's perfect little life in Trains has just one downside, and we have the same problem (and also, so many problems!)

Gotta Be Done is on the rails as we do the second in this public transport double - but won't somebody think of the floorboards?!

Plus, triple (quadruple?!) threat Chilli doing heavy theatrical lifting, Bandit's classic cartoon injuries, and what's the connection between all-in-character episodes and The Grannies? Hope the Golden Girls is the next step Rita! Me too Madge!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Bus (aka A Whole Lot of Bullock Going On) Jun 19, 2020

Get ready for rush hour, this meandering people-mover is a movie-reference-a-minute!

Kate and Mary get on the Bus and immediately notice a Sandra Bullock theme - or are we just revealing our decidedly 1990s tastes? (Marry us, Bill Pullman!)

And who hasn't made a horror bus journey - or a haphazard attempt at a love-lorn happy ending?

Oh, and joy of joys, here comes the (Grannies) leitmotif - just in time for the figurines, too!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Queens (aka Lorikeets Are Quite Nice Birds Really) Jun 12, 2020

We don't mind claiming a royal title now and then, but is Queens also bestowing a sly crown on Gotta Be Done? Or is Team Bluey calling us poo-scrubbers?? It's just another case of fantasy versus reality in this rags to riches game of thrones!

Mary and Kate go head to head on the monarchy debate (can you guess who has the royal biccie tin collection?), wonder about the influence of Netflix bingefest The Crown on this episode, and even spot a future Ludo offering on the horizon (stay tuned for Nibling!)

Plus, it's the first episode with baby Joe in the wagon (and the return of cute baby gurgles in the background!) Pretty damn adorable, by Toutatis!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Escape (aka Personal Life Troubled, Alcoholism, Oh Well) Jun 05, 2020

To understand this escapade movie of a Gotta Be Done episode, you probably need to know one of Mary's boys is named Bonaventure.

Now that's dealt with, strap yourselves in kids - it's Escape! Inspired by the offbeat art in this adrenaline-charged Heeler family chase, Mary and Kate compare other kid-drawing-style cartoons. And how good is an "educational" excuse to pop the poppets in front of them!

Meanwhile, how do the Barbie Dream Houses of our collective childhoods drive our current-day commitment to consumerism and/or pink spa baths?

But mainly, can us long-suffering and lockdown-weary parents organise an escape yet?? Coconut-with-umbrella-drink chink!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Daddy Dropoff (aka Are You There Jesus? It's Me, Marjorie) May 29, 2020

We haven't had to do it in a while, but has the morning rush out the door ever failed to chill the blood of the responsible parent? Daddy Dropoff is no different - and the trauma is rushing back!

But are endless games the only things holding us up? Or is it just the constant rushing that's the problem? (In Mary's case, the games/phone calls/kisses definitely aren't helping.)

And of course, Bluey's emotional highs leave us a mess - and Kate wondering how to pick the moments that will change the kids' lives forever. No pressure! (Lila and Bingo forever!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Stumpfest (aka Quintessential Festival Girl Who Goes Too Hard Too Early) May 22, 2020

We've called it, Stumpfest is the Coachella of the Blueyverse - but really, lockdown life means any excuse to get day drunk would feel like Coachella right now!

Gotta Be Done's gender wars are back (is Nail Salon a girls' game? Do blokes need a manly excuse to talk feelings?), there's prehistoric community-building, and is Bandit chanelling the Working Dog types over at Utopia? Oh, and as usual we're living for Myf Warhurst's transcendent one-liners.

Oh, and the tunes! With a lineup including Johann Sebastian, 80s hair metal, Suzanne Vega, Nelly and schoolyard hand clapping, this is a festival you don't want to miss!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

BONUS EP (The Musical Wisdom of Wade) May 15, 2020

There's three in the wagon for this symphony of sounds (and season two spoilers!), as long-time Gotta Be Done music correspondent Wade Gregory gets on the mic - and he's brought his melodica!

A former Brisbanite and Queensland Conservatorium grad (alongside Bluey composer Joff Bush!), Wade brings a maestro's take to every tiny tune and massive movement.

Get ready hear Bluey with fresh ears, as we deep dive original melodies, all the classicals (really, every single one), the meaning of the word "Joffify", and so many more musical delights. Thanks Wade for getting on board Gotta Be Done!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Dad Baby (If You're Listening to This Now, We Have a Baby) May 08, 2020

Welcome to the world, little Joseph Robert, and go mama Kate! (And please note when you are old enough, just how organised we have been with this perfectly-themed Bluey episode for your arrival!)

Of course, birth can be a drawn-out affair, and this Dad Baby recap takes the long way. There's cravings, Vegemite-based Ozzest 100 conspiracies, the Croc Hunter's Crocoseum funeral - and of course, how bloody amazing are mums?? (Happy Mother's Day, all you Chillis!)

Plus long dogs, episode cross-overs, Mary's persistent new puppy theories, and more!

Look out, we might have to go through the sun roof!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Army (aka The Only Memorable Feature of 1987's Predator) May 01, 2020

It's a Gotta Be Done episode as long as War and Peace (more or less) - it's Army of course!

Mary and Kate salute with good dog/soldier Rusty and his suspiciously weapon-free war games, wonder if Jack Russell's family are unsympathetic or merely driving narrative, and revel in some mighty military drumming.

Plus, there's plenty of long dogs in our sights, good intel on a Classical Bluey playlist, and even tips for keeping kids occupied amidst lockdown. Forward march!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon, Twitter at @blueypodcast, or Facebook at @blueypod.

Sticky Gecko (aka Never Shoot the Bolognese Bringer) Apr 24, 2020

At a time when no one's leaving the house, isn't it great that Sticky Gecko reminds us it's impossible anyway!

Get ready for deep truths about time (a construct), friends (don't have judgey ones), and lasagna (you can have too much), as Mary and Kate take on Chilli's spectacular turn at Take Away.

With bonus Bluey armed forces theories, you don't have to hurry up and wait for this SNAFU of an episode!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Squash (aka Overrun with Vines and Wild Goats) Apr 17, 2020

It's an epic grudge match, and Squash inspires an epic episode from Gotta Be Done!

Wide-ranging from formative squash court memories, to lack of games consoles in our households, magic and/or positive thinking and/or sports psychology, sportsball shortages, and even the feral inhabitants of Great Keppel Island, all welcome to whatever the hell is going on.

So crank your 80s synths and put on your best montage face, this is some yellow-dot-ball level analysis!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Charades (aka Negotiating with Terrorists) Apr 10, 2020

(After one glorious episode using our new mics, this week they didn't work - Skype crackle is back!)

Happily, Charades means gorgeous Nanna Heeler is also back - cue nationwide tears as we all miss our grans! Kate gets reminiscent about visits to her grandparents as a littlie... then staying at Mary's grandparents as a not-so-littlie!

But are there also nationwide culture wars between parents and grandparents, and who's wrecking the kids more? Mary has outrage to share.

Finally, an epic rabbit hole as we ask the question everyone wants to know: who is the mystery Heeler??

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Featherwand (aka There's More than One Movie with a Wizard?) Apr 03, 2020

Life feels a bit heavy right now - what better time for a Featherwand? And Bluey and Bingo are as magical as ever!

But what's magic, and what's just mayhem? Hard to tell, especially when Lucky's Dad gets involved.

Of course we go into the Hall of the Mountain King, and spin-offs soundtracks from Inspector Gadget to the Winklevoss twins. Also, how Greig felt about his most famous piece, and why composer types have such cool names (Edvard, Wolfgang, Ludwig, Joff... and of course Ari!)

Plus, Mary shows off her dismal dearth of pop culture wizardry, and that's not the only wizards she's confusing (sorry Beth Harvey and Beth Durack!) But who's not a bit confused right now? At least we know for sure that Bluey got her Emmy - hugest congrats Ludo Studio, never in doubt!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Hammerbarn (aka Single-handedly Trying to Kickstart the Economy) Mar 27, 2020

We're getting in quick while its still open - Gotta Be Done goes to Hammerbarn/Bunnings!

Back on Skype amidst the self-isolating and social distancing, Mary is taking topical life lessons from this Bluey instructional, while Kate's belting out the Hallelujah Chorus (and not just because Lucky's Dad is back!)

Plus, our new segment "We Know that Now" takes up half the episode as we make amends for all our big misses in Dance Mode. (Let us know what we've stuffed up with Hammerbarn!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Dance Mode (aka We Would Have Said Yes/No for Free) Mar 20, 2020

Bluey is back, and just in bloody time - what a shining light for some pretty grim days.

Gotta Be Done's coming from the immuno-compromised/baby-growing home fortress for Kate, and the socially-distant work-from-home warzone for Mary - but never fear, we've still been playing Dance Mode non-stop since this episode dropped!

From managing public meltdowns to the going price for a nicked chip, Bluey's long-awaited return has everything we hoped! We detour via Upper Middle Bogan and some Zac Efron movie that Kate didn't finish, and seriously lose our way in downtown Brisbane, but mainly we're just so happy for new Bluey! So strap yourselves in kids - and please make sure the harness is age-appropriate!

(Oh, and do you like our new music?? Big thanks to Bluey fan and Gotta Be Done listener Ari Danaher Flavell for playing up a storm - what a Joff!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Magic Xylophone (aka Not Wearing 'Genius at Work' Tshirts) Mar 16, 2020

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! We will now play for you... the absolutely very final Gotta Be Done episode for Bluey season one! Yep, with season two just hours away, we're going back to where it all began - it's Magic Xylophone!

And it wouldn't be Gotta Be Done without some extreme and far-fetched conspiracy theories. This time, we're tracing episode origins right back to some The Simpsons circa 1997! Or is it just Mary going crazy? (Ahem, I withdraw my question.)

Plus a deep-dive on Wolfgang Amadeus, Bandit-Chilli romance theories, season two excitement, and whether it's really plausible that Bingo could track down the xylophone dinger that rapidly??

Basically, there's so much to pack in before season two starts - can you tell we're a bit excited?!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Trampoline (aka Prepared to Eat Wet Lettuce) Mar 16, 2020

Our penultimate take on Bluey season one, and it's a tale of trampolines past, present and future on Gotta Be Done: their relative safety checklists, and tolerance for sprinklers and firecrackers. (Speaking of cautious behaviour, here's the video of the burning piano song by episode music man Pluto Jonze!)

Mary is wowed by Bluey's big-picture talent for game invention (and has a bone to pick with Bingo and her insect-affinity), while Kate's not convinced on the average kitchen's requirement for a salad spinner, and feeling Bandit's struggle to make a clean escape to work.

Oh, and we FINALLY take on the archaeologist vs paleontologist debate raging around Bandit's true career - you'll dig it!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Hospital (aka Questionable Medico-Legal Decisions) Mar 13, 2020

Is there a doctor in the house? Well, we've got one in the wagon at least, and not for any epidemic reasons, thankfully - it's Dr Michael Toon of the life-changing Instagram account @bluey_locations!

Dad, anesthetist and eagle-eyed Brisbanite Michael has been finding and sharing for-real-life Brisbane destinations that feature in Bluey since 2018, and now he's joining us to discuss his close-to-home favourite episode, Hospital.

Get ready to compare Bluey and Bingo's bedside manners, relive those dreamy 80s days were (Australian) life revolved around The Afternoon Show (the Telemachus-inspiring show Mary can't remember the name of is Ulysses 31), and establish whether you can use a party hat for anesthetic purposes.

Plus, background noise of a small child shouting, and hints of impending investigation results for Bluey Locations (eeep, Heeler house!!) Thanks for joining us Michael, and can't wait for the Bluey tour of Brisbane!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Hotel (aka Red Heelers Under the Bed) Mar 13, 2020

Hotels hold plenty of secrets behind the doors, and this Gotta Be Done is no different - from Mary's infrequent sheet-changing habits to Kate's yearning for a full morning of grooming, prepare for overshare!

Plus, the perfection of the kids/no kids game, British comedies that dad make us watch, and our ongoing inability to use Shazam.

And finally, is there a militant message to take from little (red) Bingo? There is power in a union, folks!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

The Dump (aka Robots Need to Help at the Dump) Mar 09, 2020

It's a long weekend at Gotta Be Done HQ, so we're taking our lead from Bandit and throwing out some... more episodes!

The Dump has us trash-talking - from suspicious recycling processes, to cathartic car-jumping, and how best to "file" the kids' art.

Plus, tales of less-than-ideal parenting, and the importance of admitting our stuff-ups - even though they will probably be used against us. Ah, we love the dump!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

The Weekend (aka Recording a Podcast and Jogging at the Time) Mar 06, 2020

It's finally here! Yes, The Weekend (and any weekend really) is cause for celebration, especially as the first-ever Bluey episode created. Like, wow.

But first, we take a step back to the pilot version and spot some crucial differences - all hail Chilli and her casual running ways! But what's a Bandit if not a Bandit?

Plus parenting toilet habits (and we make excellent podcast Sh*tting with the Door Open sound way worse than it is), cricket WAGs, the fabled existence of walking leaves, and more. And best of all, there sure is more weekend tomorrow, phew!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Horsey Ride (aka Who Could Possibly Have the Kids??) Mar 04, 2020

Married life was never meant to be smooth, and this wedding coverage starts with a slight hiccup - but don't worry Tim, we're not here to play the blame game!

Horsey Wedding has us on our high horses as we talk about normalising dads sharing parenting duties - can Bluey finally end the "dad's babysitting" narrative? Even/especially when it comes to footballers?

Then, so many questions! Is Socks teething? Do we really need back-ups of our kids' favourite toys? And is starting a whole-of-family entertainment empire actually as fun as it sounds?

Finally, we try to build the suspense around Anthony Wiggle's possible role as Rusty's dad in Season 2 - but just-to-hand facts kind of undermine our efforts, full story here!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Shadowlands (aka People That Categorise People and People That Don't) Feb 28, 2020

Remember the days in the old school yard, we used to talk about crocs a lot. Well, that's how we recall it, as we get misty-eyed about primary school games in this Shadowlands recap. But does everyone have the same fond memories?

Bluey vs Coco gets Kate thinking about Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies (Upholders, Questioners, Obligers and Rebels, obvs - take the quiz!) But Mary has no time for categorising humans (or books about the topic, apparently!) The bigger question though - is Bluey all about rule-following, or rule-breaking?

Plus Lydian Mode delivers a magical musical interlude, mystery origins of What's the Time Mr/Mrs Wolf, gaslighting your children (well, Mary's child) and school hat fashion statements - and we're double-parking cupcakes on the sprint to finish S1!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Daddy Robot (aka Does This Feel Familiar? Totally Don't Recall) Feb 26, 2020

Gonna be totally up front - this Gotta Be Done recap of does not mention Total Recall. Not the Martian moonscape, not the dream kiss. Mary maybe (??) gets in the right universe when she wonders if robot-fixing-genius Chilli is channeling Sarah Connor, but then again, wasn't every movie an Arnie blockbuster back then?

And yet, even as we miss this classic 90s allusion, there's still plenty of big Bluey moments in this box office hit. From fridge-door-food-shovelling and indoor plant care, to never-ending toy clean-ups, and when parents can sneak in a bit of romance, Daddy Robot delivers life-hacks aplenty.

Plus, we chat new Bluey merch, slightly odd Bluey reviews, and the prospects for Bluey hitting a dance floor near you! Cheese and crackers!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Before Bluey Was Our Lives' Obsession, Roller Derby Was Our Lives' Obsession!) Feb 24, 2020

We've said we're not recapping the first-ever Bluey ep The Magic Xylophone until we've gotten through the rest of S1 - but if you can't wait that long, this Gotta Be Done bonus is for you!

Mary catches up with fellow Bluey obsessive (and former roller derby team mate) Dotti, who had the whole family waiting with bated breath in front of the telly when that first episode aired back in October 2018. Dotti shares the highlights of that first viewing for her family, and where Bluey has taken them since.

From knowing where to start with your kids' musical education, to channeling Chilli and going for a run, it's a wide-ranging ride with one of the original Gotta Be Done fans - you'll need your skates on to keep up!

(Also, Dotti's fella JF did our amazing Mary-and-Kate-in-the-Blueyverse artwork! You can find more of his stuff at his Insta, or listen to his art-meets-dad-life podcast Robot Head and Spook!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Mount Mumandad (aka Every Theme Park Is Essentially Crazy World) Feb 21, 2020

Ready or not, we're headed up Mount Mumandad!

It's the go-to metaphor of every earnest Insta #inspo, but is climbing mountains really that relatable? Mary thinks the standard comparison should be getting a whole household out the door on a work day - props to all the fellow climbers facing that monster!

We talk mountaineering history, looming theme parks (is Bluey going to Dreamworld??), and old Hollywood themes with some help a new music correspondent (thanks Wade!)

Plus, are we Blueys or Bingos when it comes to packing? Or can we just get chopped down instead? Yes please!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Kids (aka Little Trolleys Already a Traumatic Premise) Feb 17, 2020

Is Kids the most divisive Bluey episode, or are parents made to sit in toilet paper chairs just out to get revenge?

Hard to believe a grocery run with the kids could get more traumatic, but like the Heelers, Mary and Kate are yet to take the extreme step of Click and Collect.

Also, is this episode a sneaky look at Chilli and Bandit's secret #parentfails? Mary reckons so - we can all take some hope for our parenting if the Heelers are dropping the occasional exasperated "do you think I'm made of money?!" Plus an exploration of minor characters, who remembers reusable bags, and moments of instant parenting regret.

Oh, and yep, this is an extra Gotta Be Done ep this week, as we gun to finish season one recaps before season two drops (March 17 on ABC TV!) - like a cheeky toddler with a celery paddle!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Season Two So Very Soon!) Feb 15, 2020

IT'S NEARLY HERE! No, not Kate's bub (although he's pretty imminent too) - it's BLUEY SEASON TWO!!

Enjoy this bonus ep of us mainly hyperventilating at the thought of new Bluey eps, FINALLY hitting ABC TV and iView from Tuesday 17 March! That is just over a month away, and you can watch the S2 trailer on Facebook right now.

Meanwhile, Gotta Be Done still has ELEVEN eps of S1 to smash through - can we get there before S2 drops?? Where should we start? What are you still desperately waiting for us to deep dive? And what are you most excited about for S2??

So many questions, such exciting times. It's Gotta Be Done!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Daddy Putdown (aka Babies Do Love Onesies) Feb 14, 2020

The Heeler home has never looked so heavenly in Daddy Putdown, but hell awaits a parent who tries to mess with a kid's routine! We wonder what is with our offsprings' parental preferences - but is it just small humans who hate change??

Outrage continues as we tackle Mary's workplace training modules, Kate's mixed feelings about baby showers, and clothing companies that underestimate demand for Bluey onesies (WHY?!)

But it's not all fury - we're also flummoxed by Follow the Leader music, and Mary delivers Kate a hospital hand pass with the pronunciation of Prokofiev (sorry Kate!)

Speaking of delivering, stay tuned for a bundle of the best kind of news - for real life!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Butterflies (aka Searching the Word 'Bluey' to Cheer Ourselves Up) Feb 07, 2020

Another friend in the wagon/ fabric swing today - podcast aficionado Peter Wells! Pete found Gotta Be Done soon after we launched, and won our hearts when he featured us in this Age/SMH podcast column in 2019 - now he's joining us for the ultimate heartbreaker Bluey ep, Butterflies!

Are Judo and mum Wendy the 'baddies' of the Blueyverse? Or is Judo just the latest victim of ye olde tv trope Only Child Syndrome - or worse, Bad Mother Effect?! We've had fan mail on that very topic from WhiteChoclatte - and strap yourself in, it goes deep!

Plus Pete brings a new perspective to Heeler house dimensions, and we all get a bit teary about "Poor Little Bug on the Wall" (ting ching!) - and reveal its pre-Bluey campfire history.

(Also, how embarrassment, we do have tech difficulties in the recording - but bear with us, our sound will emerge as a beautiful butterfly one of these days!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Neighbours (aka Inserting Our Own Laugh Track) Jan 31, 2020

We know everybody needs good Neighbours, but can you construct a cubby without couch cushions? Mary thinks not, and this episode of Bluey has prompted some big (housing) developments in her lounge room!

Meanwhile, Kate's gone down a 90s sitcom rabbit hole, and there's tons of TVs most annoying neighbours at the bottom. But Mary's going into bat for Bandit's stereotype - is it really true that nobody likes a bogan/her?

And finally, can a good hard stare save the day, or was it Chilli's peace lily that really fixed the feng shui on Mulberry St? It's no more far-fetched than the average Ramsay St resolution - lucky we brought our own laugh track!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Zoo (aka The Art of Todder Distraction) Jan 24, 2020

Lots of animals live in the Zoo, but how has it taken 36/37 years and this episode of Bluey to enlighten Kate and Mary on the existence of pademelons?!

We're also wondering when Bandit last got through his weekend newspaper - and should we persist with ours? More importantly, will we ever be as good on the up-sell as Bluey? Her zoo keeper character is one cool capitalist, but Kate suspects the skills started elsewhere.

Then there's speculation about the Bluey live show (how will they talk?!), reminiscing about Arthur the Aardvark, and a menagerie of weird moments.

Thanks so much for dropping by our zoo (especially all the new listeners who found us via Mary's ABC Life piece!) - please do exit via the gift shop!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Spy Game (aka There Is No Kisser, Consent Is Everything) Jan 17, 2020

From shoveling food into our children to it coming out the other end, Spy Game is the Bluey episode tackling all the issues close to our heart/daily horrors.

We consider an international incident sizzling over trans-Tasman sausage skills, and all the features of New Farm Park in Brisbane that make this episode so very @bluey_locations friendly. Mary remembers a childhood full of useful passwords, and Kate needs a horticultural expert - are the jacarandas ever not blooming in that beautiful city??

Finally, we debate the origin of man - well, the origin of the one man who went to mow, at any rate. Wuff!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Keepy Uppy (aka Unqualified to Parent with Ceiling Fans) Jan 10, 2020

It's a new year, it's a fresh start - and dammit, we're not letting the 12 Days of Bluey go! Enjoy as we splutter our way through a recap of Australia's most favourite Bluey episodes as voted by you - and the fact that small children don't exactly share our excellent taste (RIP Bike).

But the upside - an excuse for Keepy Uppy, which came in at #6 (not to get all mathematical on you, but that's practically top five).

We consider all the different ways that balloon use can distribute bodily fluids around the house, and Mary gets conspiracy-theorist about how Big Plastic dreamed up balloon arches (what are they for?!)

Plus so much Kate love for the true hero of this epic (and perhaps the true reason for the #6 spot?!), Lucky's Dad! It's great to be back!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Masterful Musical Bluey!) Dec 20, 2019

So we're meant to be on a break (it's Gotta Be Done!), but Mary couldn't resist the chance to chat all things Bluey music, and hear a seriously smart takes on why it sings to us all.

Dr Liz Giuffre is an expert in music and sound design in film and tv, and the University of Technology Sydney senior lecturer reckons she could write a whole book about the music in Bluey. (Please do!) She's also a mum who found Bluey through her daughter's tv habits, and is hanging on for dear life amidst a sea of truly terrible toddler viewing.

Liz recently launched Bluey into academia with her paper about how the show uses music to help hook an adult audience, presented at the Children's Media Symposium on the Sunny Coast. Get ready to grapple with diegetic and non-diegetic music, leitmotifs and more - basically, a behind-the-scenes on how and why the Bluey score works on so many levels.

Okay, now we're really on a break - see you all in the new year! (Which happens to be when large Bingo plushies are finally dropping - Jan 24 people!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Verandah Santa (aka And to All a Good Night!) Dec 12, 2019

SPOILER ALERT! We know every episode of Gotta Be Done is spoilers galore, but there's high risk you haven't actually seen Verandah Santa yet BECAUSE IT JUST DROPPED AT 6AM TODAY! (In Australia, that is - get ye to ABC iView, Aussies!) But if you have already done the early wake-up and delighted in this long-awaited Bluey Christmas episode, we invite you to strap yourselves in, kids!

It's the most wonderful time of the year - but if we're honest, Verandah Santa feels like a bit of a lone festive highlight amidst the shopping centre madness, packed schedules, and constant Santa-based threats we're doling out to our kids.

Yep, the true meaning of Christmas can be hard to find, but of course Bandit and Chilli have a learning moment for all of us - even if we're struggling to see past their extreme seasonal decorating efforts.

Hope the season is a kind one for all our beautiful Gotta Be Done family, with minimal hits to the balls, and plenty of pavlova to go around! (Oh, and that the tunes are as good as Verandah Santa's Joff Bush-Emma Dean-Joe Twist-Jazz D'Arcy medly of perfection, too!) We'll be back to recapping in 2020, thanks for all the love and listens this year, and can't wait dive back in from January!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Fairies (aka A 6ft1 Fairy Named Gareth) Dec 06, 2019

There's a new chaotic force on Gotta Be Done - but are fairies really to blame?? Gareth from Celtic Punkcast joins us in the wagon, and shares his Fairies wisdom on everything from building a fairy ring and knocking on wood, to Irish dancing, tunes, and more!

Not sure it reduces the confusion though - for Mary, this Bluey episode is up there with Donnie Darko for creepy unresolved plotlines, while Kate's spotting equally confounding chemistry between Heeler neighbours Wendy and Lucky's Dad!

The first of a few new voices to be getting on Gotta Be Done (even though taking turns can be difficult!), thanks for the fun Gareth - are you not entertained?!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Blue Mountains (aka Googly Eyes the Peak of Parenting Organisation) Nov 29, 2019

Okay, seriously. Has anyone ever organised a family event to the extent that they are up a mountain, with a picnic, and a picnic blanket, AND there's googly eyes and felt-tip pens for post-lunch games? We ask ourselves the question (the answer will shock you!)

Yep, it's Blue Mountains, and yet again, Chilli is over-delivering on both game-play and life-lessons. Can we ever compete?! (Luckily it's not a competition, unless the competition is to sneak Dad-insults into the narrative. In which case, game on!)

Plus, Mary shares some terrible parenting (lollies from a stranger, anyone?), Kate wonders if fairytale characters used to be a bit more black and white, and we appreciate the baddy-redemption narrative, despite the implications for stranger danger. It's a jungle/blue mountains range out there!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Teasing (aka Peekaboo As Your Child's Worst Nightmare) Nov 22, 2019

After a start that's more confusing than the name Sharalanda, we're away with some Teasing - or as Kate sees it, easy-games-to-play-with-kids 101!

But when is it okay to tease your (our) kids, and when is it too much? Mary analyses the child development theory (or pop-psychology clickbait, you decide), and we wonder whether kids know what sarcasm is (duh, nooooooo!) Can Bluey-style teasing can actually build resilience? And, what are parents being belted for this week - being under-involved in kids' sporting activities, or over-involved? (Spoiler: we can't win!)

Plus, get on board in Kate's new obsession with Joe Brumm's hometown of Winton, via Total Control on ABC.

Oh, and we completely forget to mention the score for this ep got Joff Bush nominated for an APRA-AGSC Screen Music Award. And it's awesome. Volume knobs up, people!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Bob Bilby (aka The Hunt for Bingo Heeler) Nov 15, 2019

Is Bob Bilby the most Bingo episode of Bluey so far? And why is it so hard to find a bloody Bingo on the toy shelves?? And why would schools think us parents want to spend a high-pressured weekend setting up snapshots of a bleeping puppet when we can barely get our kids to look good in a photo?! Especially when we've got five different Kmarts to visit looking for Bingo!

We're asking all the tough questions for this too-cute tale of screen-time perils (don't think we haven't noticed that you're making us watch it on a screen, Ludo!) - even the Heelers laundry layout is lined up for interrogation.

Plus, why daycare drop-off has us forgetting our own names (in poetry form), where to find for-real-life Bob Bilby, and finally a piece of music-plus-animation that rivals Bluey for brilliance! (Well, technically it is Bluey - with some creative assistance from listener and genius Tim.) Enjoy!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Plushies and Cookies and Books, Oh My!) Nov 08, 2019

Like any great party, this episode is all over the place.

You're going to be shouting "what did you say?" over the noise. (Sorry, new mics are on our Christmas wish list!)

There's a couple of really amazing outfits. (Hi Bluey, hi Bingo!)

Some random guy keeps relating everything back to movies. (The world of Bluey is just like Hurt Locker, Terminator, and Gremlins, according to Ludo Studio co-founder Daley Pearson.)

And when it's all done, there's always one annoying person who won't stop talking about it. (The party is the Bluey toys and books launch event, and that annoying person is Mary.)

So, fill your glass as we take you into the throes of Bluey-mania at this Sydney soiree, and please be prepared for screaming. (Thanks for having us, Ludo Studio, BBC and ABC, Penguin Books and Moose Toys - and for chatting above the chaos, Daley and Charlie!)

(Also, here's the ABC Sydney program with James Valentine interviewing Joe Brumm. Enjoy the pristine sound quality!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

The Adventure (aka Ooh, Ahh, I Lost My... Mainstream Education) Nov 01, 2019

Everyone loves a good adventure, but have you ever been on one that involved Beyonce, Wonder Woman, and getting pulled out of grade three because of schoolyard rhymes? Well strap yourselves in kids, Gotta Be Done's take on The Adventure has it all!

Mary starts with a detour for Megan Washington worship (Take 5 episode and TEDx Talk included!) while Kate opens up about past tales of heroism (Raymond the Champion Farter, anyone?) We both wonder if the new generation of girl power fairytales are changing games in the playground, and can't believe Chloe's Dad's rookie drive-home mistake.

It's great to be back after the week break, thanks for the week off folks - those damn electricity bills keep coming!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka All Our Children Are Our Favourites!) Oct 23, 2019

One dedicated listener has done it, but can we?? And more importantly, will you?!

A quick Gotta Be Done ramble inspired by super-fan Nathan, and his effort to rank his favourite Bluey episodes - ALL 51 OF THEM.

And now, we have a helpful Surveymonkey to help you! So, be like Nathan (thank you Nathan!) and RANK YOUR FAVOURITES HERE! (Or at least a top ten - we'll be back with the results eventually!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

The Creek (aka A New Zealand Cultural Renaissance) Oct 18, 2019

We're ditching the playground and heading for The Creek - but first, a few more branches on the family tree! Is cousin Rusty's family on the outer with the Heelers, we wonder, or is there another reason they never get invited to family events?

Then who's more scared of the creatures of the creek - is it our kids, or Kate? Snakes are a real and present danger... just like drop-bears, right Bandit?! (Jks, our international listener friends, please come visit!)

Finally, welcome to all the new New Zealanders discovering Bluey now she's on TVNZ - our favourite Kiwi (and Mary's pick for future Bluey romances) Mackenzie will show you around, choice az bro! (Taika Waititi for Mackenzie's dad in S2, please Ludo!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Copycat (aka A Hair's Breadth Away from Expletives) Oct 11, 2019

Nothing's certain but death, and kids really taxing your patience. But while Copycat delves into serious subjects, our take certainly finds peculiar purgatories - collectible tea-towels and biscuit tins, anyone? Just don't put a corpse in there, or you'll be dead to Kate!

We wonder how pets actually work in Bluey's anthropomorphic world (a certain pig sneaks in, again), hope Bandit hasn't overstepped with Wendy, and appreciate an empathetic vet nurse (oh hai, Stephanie Hex Bendixsen!)

Finally, companion viewing recommendation: Play School's Beginnings and Endings. Oh, and can you stop your kids horrifying their grandparents by asking if they're nearly dead? (It's out of our hands!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Shaun (aka The Redemption of the Recorder) Oct 04, 2019

Oh, Shaun's back. But enough about him - is Bandit-with-the-emu-hand the ultimate (or any kind of) "thirst trap"? We weigh up Clementine Ford's assessment of our favourite Blue Heeler dad - right after we rush to Urban Dictionary to look up thirst trap!

Also, it's the music that makes the emu, as they say - but even if it's from a recorder?? Joff Bush gives us a bit of behind-the-scenes on this Bluey score (created with Steve Peach), and we're pretty excited.

But stay calm and controlled folks, this is all about parental tactics for wearing out the kids - and tell you what, it's exhausting!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta It's at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BBQ (aka The Undeniable Evolution of Salad) Sep 27, 2019

It's BBQ time, and the gender wars are sizzling! Mary wants to know why a barbie always sends both blokes and sheilas scrambling to the stereotypes, while Kate's more interested in where Socks fits - he, she, or pet puppy? Even capsicums can't avoid our efforts to assign binary labels, but your salads and stirfrys will thank us!

Speaking of salads, we have opinions on those too! Plus Mary's big reveal about sausages, and a challenge to start the feel-good Bluey soundtrack of the summer - from Bach to Custard! We'll get round to it just as soon as we get through our to-do lists - and by the way, what the hell is a relaxing chair??

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta It's at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (Bluey Tattoo!) Sep 23, 2019

It's what it says on the packet, folks - we have Bluey tattoos! Well, "we" being Mary and great mate of Gotta Be Done Alana (Kate's take: "looks awesome, I remain unmoved". Fair enough!)

So what happens when two mamas get some kid-free time under the (tattoo) gun? Well, we talk Bluey, of course - including at what age your big kids might still watch a bit of Bluey, whether you can play Shadowlands indoors, and where the Heelers would head if they visited Rockhampton (which is where we are!) What a buzz - and if this inspires some new ink for you, make sure you share pics too!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

The Doctor (aka Medical Disaster Relevant Toys) Sep 20, 2019

The first "play date" for Mary and Kate since the Queensland holiday, and we're counting the kids running in and out of scene for The Doctor - play dates, unsurprisingly, are next level at the Heelers' place!

The chaos unfolds a bit like that classic crocodile attack ad ("my leg went that way, and my head went that way!"), and Kate's got theories about triage frustration, while Mary's wondering about equitable lollipop distribution.

But killer hippos and expensive band-aids and hypochondriac relatives aside, this Gotta Be Done ep all comes back to how to be a kind friend, even in the midst of real pickles.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Chickenrat (aka Sauerkraut Is High in Histamines) Sep 13, 2019

They promised us that they'd never betray the Aussie accents - but Ludo never said anything about bodily functions. Um, what?

Prepare to get mind-boggled and bewildered as we dive into Bluey's most confusing episode, but there's more to Chickenrat's intrigues than we ever suspected! Mary wonders if sneezing doesn't exist in America, Kate is confident that she, at least, has sneezed there.

Plus Kate discovers "overboots" (or in Bandit's case, over-paws?), we wonder how many occasions Brahms Lullaby can adapt to, and Mary admits that she, like Bandit, doesn't mind getting stuck into Rupert Murdoch's favourite broadsheet (but in singing Trent Dalton's praises, forgets to actually name his brilliantly Brisbane book, Boy Swallows Universe).

Basically, it's chaos - and that's with a chronological plot structure! Poor Chickenrat never had a chance.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Bumpy and the Wise Old Wolfhound (aka We Need to Hug This Out) Sep 06, 2019

Take a deep breath, folks - this one's a biggie! Kate's spent more time in hospitals than most, and Bumpy and the Wise Old Wolfhound is a window to get real and raw.

You really just have to listen to understand - but once you have (and once you've got whatever it is out of your eye), if you want to check out the organisations Kate mentions, they're Syndromes Without a Name Australia, and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. And for more about why Kate and co have spent so much time in hospitals, Kate shares here.

When we interviewed Joe Brumm he told us that Bumpy was really personally special to him. Well, us too - thanks to Joe and the whole Ludo Studio team for making it so very perfect.

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Work (aka Casualisation of Work and the Futility of the Capitalist System) Aug 30, 2019

Gotta Be Done gets socio-political - but Bluey went there first! Or is that just Mary reading too much into this drama of drudgery, drainpipes and dance?

We talk side hustles and monetising your passion (and/or your podcast), and teaching your children well and feeding them on your dreams (the one they pick's the one you'll know by, etc.)

Plus, who's the prima ballet fan in the Heeler household? And did the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games actually happen? And what's the Mexican Hat Dance got to do with anything? You'll be dancing to keep up!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Yoga Ball (aka Too Many Opportunities to Take on Nazis) Aug 23, 2019

As we bounce around Yoga Ball, we really hope our bosses aren't tuning in - this is not a good sell for working from home!

But even with distractions we get there eventually - via the many alternate identities of Bingo, the confusing Heeler house layout, and whether it was dino bones or Nazis battles that made 80s archaeology more appealing.

Like a resilient second-born child, it's the episode that keeps on going - hope you can too!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Markets (aka Toffee Apples Disappointing Post-Peter Combe Generations) Aug 16, 2019

We're off to the Markets, and what must be some of the most quotable moments to come from the Blueyverse... do we hear "FIVE BUCKS?!"

This Gotta Be Done ep has everything, from the role Myf Warhurst was made to play, to toffee apple skepticism, the existence of unicorn ponyrides and who needs them, wild German sausage theories, and the greatest Christmas movie ever made.

A bit like a good market, if you look hard enough you'll find something you really wanted - or at least come away with a sparklingly cleansed aura!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Hide and Seek (aka Where Do We Get a Dog-Gnome-Buddha?) Aug 09, 2019

We've given up on our own destroyed attention spans, but what are the chances of imparting mindfulness on our munchkins? And do we need a dog-gnome-buddha to make it happen?

As we tackle Hide and Seek, we explore napping in yoga classes and games of dead fish, to 1990s toy craze Furbies and how the hell you shut them up. Also, why do any toys have accessories - and will Kate's toy-tub life hack fix the problem?

And of course, the one piece of advice we can all take to the bank - when you're hiding, don't forget your phone!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Asparagus (aka Victim Blaming and Our Convict Past) Aug 02, 2019

At long last, an episode of children's television for all the parents who want dinner to be a more drawn-out and hysterical affair. Oddly, that's not Mary and Kate - and when it comes to Asparagus, we're not eating it.

Of course, we are quick to note some great moments, and pay serious homage to the creativity of the animators in turning phone-shaped Blue Heelers into a cast of other zoological wonders.

But still, these curmudgeons are (apologetically) not apologising - we are not into Asparagus and its chaos-inducing horrors. What is this, a show for kids?!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Backpackers (aka Rivers of the Opposite of Gold) Jul 26, 2019

We've darkened many a dodgy backpackers' doorway, but those days were before our little darlings - lucky the Heelers' realistic re-eneactments can refresh our recollections!

We debate the benefits of guide books, our abilities at haggling, and whether every couple on the road face the same relationship dynamics as Bandit and Chilli... or just us?!

Also, will our kids ever appreciate our travel tales from days of yore? Or should we just bundle them up and create new ones? Suddenly home (and/or our Sunny Coast holiday) has never felt more comfortable - to quote a wise Blue Heeler, this place is alright!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Joe Brumm (aka The Interview) Jul 19, 2019

When Bluey creator Joe Brumm offered us a hand "if you're ever stumped with a question" - we were never going to stop at just one!

We had the longest list of things we wanted (needed!) to know, and Joe had thoughtful and generous answers for all of them.

From the challenges of writing new episodes for the millions of fans, to childhood inspiration from across the ditch, and the earliest versions of Bluey (R-rated Peppa Pig, anyone??) - Joe shares plenty of backstories, and takes us behind-the-scenes of new season production.

And we get super excited about Bluey the Movie, a Wiggly endorsement, and most importantly MERCH! (There's laws about how sharp a toy's ears can be, don't you know?!)

Of course, there's a few secrets that Joe isn't willing to give away. "You'll have to watch the next season," he says. Um, YES WE THINK WE JUST MIGHT!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Grannies (aka Please Don't Say Solid Number Two) Jul 12, 2019

Determined to deflect public outrage about our never-ending holiday, we give the people what they want: Grannies! But is this the most popular Bluey ep so far? Kate suggests it's a particular variety of number two, and suddenly we're flush with toilet humour!

We also ponder dance trends (or in the case of flossing, "dance" trends), boomer technology uptake, and what exactly Bandit is constantly hanging on the washing line??

Finally, we get excited about hints of a Bluey soundtrack release, and release our own theories about Heeler family history. Nice episode Rita! Thanks Janet!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka When in Brisbane, Visit Bluey!) Jul 10, 2019

Without getting too "what I did on my holidays" on everyone, thought you might like to know - WE WENT TO LUDO STUDIO! The exciting destination is a well-kept secret that far outstrips anything that Dreamworld/Movie World/Australia Zoo has to offer, and even better - we left the kids at home!

Not only did we see where the Bluey magic happens, we also recorded a whole Gotta Be Done ep with creator Joe Brumm, who had heaps of Bluey backstories and behind-the-scenes stuff to share. And while we haven't had time to actually edit the interview (HAVE WE MENTIONED WE'RE ON HOLIDAYS?!), this bonus ep is a bit of a preview of our time in those hallowed halls.

Also, we can't remember what animatics are called (animaniacs, anyone?!), we accidentally traumatise the production team when we're surprised they have no season two eps in the can, and of course baby Caspian makes a dramatic entrance. Even on holidays, some things never change!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

The Claw (aka Lessons in Disappointment Only Two Dollars) Jul 05, 2019

Still in Queensland, Kate gets a for-real-life Bluey moment as she takes on a claw machine at the RSL/surf club - and disappointment swiftly becomes the theme of the episode.

Which is fitting, Mary reckons, for any attempt to take your kids out for a feed - is the theoretical convenience ever worth the suffering?

We also celebrate nicknames (and our podcast heroes over at Chat 10 Looks 3), trashed backseat zones (there's no point trying to clean up, right?), and Chilli's "neither of those things are happening" zinger - realistic parenting for the win!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

BONUS EP (aka Bluey at the Logies!) Jul 02, 2019

UPDATE: Our first post of this ep cut it off at 8.25 (Oscars-style technical error, whoops!) - but you can now listen to the full and glorious 13.30. Sorry about that, but rest assured, that final five minutes is worth it!

We can't wait til Friday folks - Bluey's got a Logie, and we're too bloody excited! (Well, we were once we finally got out of bed.)

This cheap and cheerful bonus ep sees us in Queensland, just as Bluey grabs the gong for Most Outstanding Children's Program. And Mary is sure there's plenty more on the horizon - like, Hi-5 have won the thing multiple times, clearly the sector was crying out for some quality content!

Also, Kate is issuing childhood clarifications after feedback from her Dad, Mary is cranking out some classic tunes ("dashing and daring, courageous and caring", sing along if you know the words!) and not-so-classic ones, and we're just rapt to be in Bluey-land as she takes her rightful place on the throne. (Winning a Logie does make you supreme ruler of your home state, yes?)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Bike (aka A Water Fountain of Our Tears) Jun 28, 2019

It's THE favourite episode for both of us, and Bike presents our ultimate podcasting challenge - can we make it through without a flood of tears??

We worship Bluey musical genius Joff Bush (and Beethoven also gets a mention), aspire to Bandit's hands-off approach to persistence, and wonder how our determination (or lack thereof) in childhood shaped our adult lives.

It's a free-wheeling episode through big Mary's church, little Kate's next-door paddock, and across a series of bitumen surfaces good for learner cyclists - come along for the ride!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Takeaway (aka Mysterious Contents of Spring Rolls) Jun 21, 2019

Sure Scorsese and Seinfeld tell a decent story, but have you people seen Takeaway?? There's so many reasons this episode is a masterpiece - we hope we can remember to mention them all! (And Mary does remember to mention Aussie film of the nearly-same-name Take Away - has anyone ever seen this?? Should we bother?!)

Plus we debate the merits of spring rolls, wonder what "Chutney Chimp" might be referring to, and question whether we can be "yes parents" without civilisation crumbling around us.

Anyway, praise be that UberEats hasn't muscled out this our little takeaway joint just yet - or this epic tale might never have been told.

Finally, big welcome to new listeners who have found us via this week's Green Guide story - big thanks to fellow Bluey fan (and Gotta Be Done listener!) Peter Wells for the chat!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

The Sleepover (aka To Absent Drunk Friends) Jun 14, 2019

We've all been there (but some more recently than others, go Kate!) - managing that drunk friend drunkenly on a drunken night out. Yet again, wrangling toddlers is not so different to your carefree 20s - and The Sleepover is cross-over proof!

Underslept Muffin has (equally underslept?!) Mary and Kate stumbling down memory lane, while hoping our little people never drop their day sleep. Plenty of coping mechanisms in this episode though - we've both been putting Chilli's "no you won't!" to work!

Plus, classic hits of the 80s, 90s and the baroque period, how to dump your kids on unsuspecting family members, and more! (insert Bingo-bloke voice) Gotta Be Done, babe!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Mums and Dads (aka Division of Household Labour and Also Affairs) Jun 07, 2019

It takes us a while to get to the actual episode this week, because damn, talking about equitable division of household labour is hard! And that's pretty much what Mums and Dads is about, Mary reckons (and with her bloke succumbed to man flu for the past five weeks, don't even get her started...)

Kate has a different perspective though - is this ep actually about stepping out on your spouse? (And does that make Calypso whoever it is that hosts Wife Swap Australia??) Luckily Indy and Rusty are set to discover the grass isn't always greener - but the plastic at the bottom of the sandpit might be!

Plus we rejoice in the revelations from Bluey creator Joe Brumm's public letter, wonder if Bluey should get a guernsey in the Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book, and tell it straight to grandparents obsessed with predicting their grandkids' careers. So much going on - can it be the weekend now, please?!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Early Baby (aka A Brene Brown Companion Piece) May 31, 2019

The lessons continue as we're back at Calypso's school for Early Baby - a chance to relive our own more marathon-like labour ward experiences (wish we'd gone to Dr Bluey!), and revel in the fact that even Steiner school kids fight sometimes (phew!)

Also, is #bravery trending right now? Mary's seeing it on tshirts everywhere, but wants it distributed equally between the boys and the girls - just like this episode does! (Also, a bonus DIY for guerrilla parenting for equality a la Clementine Ford.) And what does Brene Brown have to do with it? Kate can make it all fit together!

Then, how exactly do you get kids to listen long enough to understand different viewpoints? And can storytelling help? (Although Mary wants to hear the sausage dog/dragon's point of view - like this Sesame Street clip that extends to dragon feelings!)

Finally, we can't work out from re-watching the episode if Indi's "for real life" early baby is her little sister or her little niece - so if Joe Brumm could clarify that in his next public letter, much appreciated!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Calypso (aka We Need to Talk About Gnomes) May 24, 2019

School's in, and Mary's been researching for the occasion. Or at least, furiously Googling "steiner school + gnomes" - and it's turned up some fascinating facts about what seems to be the education model at Bluey's school, and why there are so many gnomes everywhere.

Small spirits aside, we're both in awe of how all-wise Calypso brings out the best selves of all the kids, with the lightest touch - can you believe we both struggle to take a back seat in play?!

And we congratulate Megan Washington (who plays Calypso) on becoming a mum last year, and wonder whether Dave McCormack (Bandit) actually has kids - surely, right?! (Literally a week after we recorded this, this great interview in The Guardian confirmed it for us. We knew it!)

(Also after we recorded this, amazing Bluey creator Joe Brumm revealed that Calypso was his favourite episode. Argh, pressure! Hope you like this ep too, Joe!)

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Fruitbat (aka Did We Mention We Don't Get Much Sleep?) May 17, 2019

High-flying Fruitbat inspires Mary and Kate to compare notes on how end of daylight savings is impacting kids' sleep patterns (or lack thereof) - Panadol and warm milk anyone? (Please note, Kate is not a medical professional.)

Then there's how we maintain identity as a parent, and who gives up what to have kids: shout outs to rugby dads, soccer vs hockey mums, roller derby mums, and of course podcast mums - um, podcasting is a sport, right?!

Finally, we forget to mention the pop-up Croc Dundee game the Heelers are playing at the start - can someone invent this game for real life, stat please?!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Shops (aka The Absolute Dichotomy Between Bluey and Mackenzie) May 10, 2019

Um, did we just use "dichotomy" in a sentence? Well, Mary did - but Kate is name-dropping Jacques Offenbach and Ludwig van Beethoven by the end of this very musical episode, so perhaps we're both getting a bit pretentious??

Don't worry! We're also sitting in a backyard with an under-groomed Schnoodle and a cranky baby, and confess we're now calling cash "dollar-bucks" in all our financial transactions - so fancy!

We also compare the play styles of boys and girls - is there a difference? And we wonder what sort of school the kids all go to, with convenient on-site bush clearings and pure play curriculum. Hope there's no looming NAPLAN!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Camping (aka A Few Cases of Mistaken Identity) May 03, 2019

Okay, a couple of confessions up front.

We recorded this episode before Mary's bloke Adge helpfully pointed out that Jean-Luc was French CANADIAN. (In fact, we're still dubious - don't those Quebecois all speak English?? And surely some French people are partial to maple syrup?! Are we overthinking this a bit?!?) But if we've incorrectly stereotyped this (handsome!) Canuck dog as a Frog, apologies!

And that leads us to the second error contained within (and this one's entirely down to Mary's weird brain): on Neighbours, Delta and Irish Connor were never a thing. He is definitely Irish though.

What on earth are we talking about? Camping! Extended exposure to the great outdoors makes everyone go a bit barking mad - you'll just have to listen to find out how much!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Wagonride (aka When a Sequel Isn't Really a Sequel) Apr 26, 2019

Following last week's new-episodes high, we roll back into old favourites, and analyse different creative play styles with Wagonride.

(Like distracted mums, we also forget to shout out to the most romantic exchange in recorded history:

Kids: Monkey bars??

Bandit: Argh, Chilli!

Chilli: Asleep!

Bandit: Okay, let's do this!

Us: Swoon!)

Mary appreciates a little old lady-dog's approval (or any approval she can get, really), while the attention to scenery detail has Kate dreaming of Brisbane.

Also, are the new Blueys getting a bit, ahem, "cinematic"?? We almost get technical with talk of soundtracks and "camera angles" - um, cartoons do use cameras, right??

Finally, we get a bit excited about hearing from Bluey art directors Catriona and Costa - and discovering bit of treasure hidden in the new eps, check out our Insta @blueypod to start hunting too!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Pirates (aka Serious Analysis of Bandit's Character Development) Apr 19, 2019

New Bluey episodes have dropped - excuse us while we hyperventilate!

And first up the mainsail, Pirates! With new stories comes new character directions - but are we right to feel just a little bit betrayed?? (We still love you, Bandit-perfect-husband-dog-of-our-dreams!)

When it comes to park antics turning awkward, we've got a tan-bark-load of stories (it is edible, right??), and some pretty good reasons to lose the attitude and embrace the crazy!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

The Beach (aka Skateboard Improbabilities - We Want Insta Proof!) Apr 12, 2019

We need a day at the beach after this session - prepare for vomit explosions, peeing pippies, menacing waterfowl and more!

Join us to celebrate a celebrity cameo, cry foul at the Heelers' easy-breezy transportation choices, and take the podcast to new literary heights as we discuss Tim Winton's The Swimming Chair. Why? Why not?!

The Beach is even an excuse to reveal our winter holiday plans - Bluey, we're coming your way!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Taxi (aka Swivel Chairs and Other Killers) Apr 05, 2019

Academy Awards are free-flowing as Kate and Mary rate theatrical performances in Taxi - seriously, does Bandit have a secret past at NIDA??

As free-ranging as Bluey's driving (or Chilli's navigating), this episode sees us let fly on unachievable Play School craft, unsympathetic frequent flyers, and anyone else who gets in the way. And we get there in the end - but where are we going again??

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

The Pool (aka Uncle Stripe's Criminal Connections) Mar 31, 2019

First deep dive into a Bluey episode - and how appropriate, it's in The Pool!

Kate and Mary compare their childhood water-based games, ask tough questions about Uncle Stripe's Bali-hopping lifestyle, and demand to know why THE BAG is always Mum's responsibility!

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Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta at @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast - and use #blueypod to join in.

Introducing Gotta Be Done - the Bluey podcast! Mar 29, 2019

Ever watched so much of a show you need to debrief? We're there - with Bluey!

ABC TV's adorable family of blue heelers is haunting our dreams, and putting our parenting to shame - so we're taking our obsession to the podcast-waves.

Gotta Be Done is ex-journos and Melbourne mums Kate McMahon and Mary Bolling, as we deep-dive on every Bluey episode, with plenty of detours into mama life, childhood memories, and everything else we're bingeing, too!

Follow us on Insta: @blueypod @marytbolling @katejmcmahon or on Twitter at @blueypodcast and use #blueypod to join in.

PS - We talk Bluey from a parent perspective - but don't panic! We keep it clean so little ears can overhear (and yep, it's definitely a challenge!)

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