Gotta Be Done - A Bluey Podcast

Latest Episodes:

BONUS EP (Bluey Tattoo!) Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

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!

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

Show notes

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.

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

Show notes

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.

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

Show notes

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.

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

Show notes

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!

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

Show notes

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!

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

Show notes

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!

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

Show notes

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!

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

Show notes

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?!

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

Show notes

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!

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