A Modern Mother -- Reviews

The Isle of Wight: a trip into the past (free wi-fi included)

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The Isle of Wight's Tourist Board is promoting the Island as a family friendly destination and asked if the modern family would please visit and report back. Who could refuse that? I had no idea though, that on the 55-minute car ferry from Southhampton to East Cowes that I would be transported back in time. 

A local we met on the ferry put it all into perspective: "Everyone thinks we're 30 years behind, but we like it that way," he said, as he checked the football scores on his iPhone (courtesy of the ferry's free Wi-Fi). Just the fact that we were having this conversation on a ferry was telling. "We've been against a bridge for ages -- all those day trippers would change the feel of the island," he said and I wondered just exactly what we were letting ourselves in for. 

Our verdict: A mixture of old and new, the Isle of Wight is a fabulous destination for families, even in the rain. It's a living history lesson where kids can experience everything from dinosaurs to castles to Victorian England. I'm already planning our next trip. Below are some highlights:

The launch of Super Savvy Me and a morning to remember

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I should have known when I was woken at 3 am by our five-year-old's face in mine saying she was too hot to sleep. I sort of remember feeling her forehead and sending her back to bed and telling her to take the covers off if she was hot. Please note: If you are a new parent, please do not take that as an example of what you should do when your child has a temperature.

Then as I was getting out of the shower at 6.30 am she told me she was going to throw up. So I gave her the nearest thing, my bath towel and yup she threw up...

It was then I realised my plans for the day weren't going to materialise. I was due to go into London for the launch of www.supersavvyme.com, Procter and Gamble's new site aimed at mums (of which I'm a contributor). It was lunch at a swanky hotel and I was finally going to meet Who's The Mummy, Bringing up Charlie, Single Parent Dad, Rosie Scribbe, Dulwich Divorcee and Sticky Fingers, and oh, well, maybe next time.

Then hubby got up and said he wasn't feeling well and wasn't going to do any work today. Perfect! He could stay home with Alexandra and I could have a nice lunch in London...

Four towels later and I was ready to catch the train. The plan was to drive 30 minutes to a main station, park the car and train in. Oh, forgot to tell you this part. We went to Center Parcs on the weekend. This is important because the  luggage box was still on top of the car. I zipped away only to arrive at the car park and realise that me and my TALL luggage box would not get through the barrier. This was also true of the outdoor car park. So I did what any irate wife would do -- I called hubby to express my ill feelings.

He didn't answer and I got voicemail. I decided for the sake of our marriage not to leave a message. Instead I screamed at the top of my lungs in the car, using every explicative I could remember. Feeling slightly better I put my iPhone back in it's case and noticed I hadn't disconnected the call -- the display read: three minutes and 32 seconds. Opppps.

I finally did make it into London to meet the www.supersavvyme.com folks and was pleased that Jo Beaufoix and Potty Mummywere there too. It was just like a regular online morning for me -- all my favourite bloggers -- but in person. Funny we still had lots to say to each other even though we know way too much about each other's lives...

So thanks to Super Savvy Me and Procter and Gamble for arranging one of the more memorable mornings I've had in a long time.

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Is Blu-ray better?

I did it, I'm a Disney Bly-ray Ambassador. With more rain and shorter days on the horizon, the lure of new Disney flicks in the new high definition Blu-ray format was just too much to ignore.

My daughters were so excited when I told them they were official "Disney Blu-ray Ambassadors" they invited half their class over for popcorn and to watch "Hannah Montana on Blu-ray". Of course they had no idea what this meant.

To be honest, neither did I. After some research I discovered that basically the technology can fit way more data on a little disc than a DVD -- which means sharper sound and a higher quality picture. There is also the capability for more interactive features which combined can provide the "ultimate entertainment experience".

So is it better? I'm happy to report that the initial experience is phenomenal. You really do feel like you are in a home cinema. Compared to our soon-to-be extinct analog television, it's like putting on contacts and cleaning out your ears. However, you do get used to it after a while and the affect fades as your eyes and ears get used to the higher standards.

The players do need to be tweaked a bit -- there is a lagged loading time and it makes a strange violin-tuning sound -- but I guess that's the player unloading all those information packets.

With my Blu-ray player in one hand, and Disney videos in the other, I feel like I am ready to look those long dark winter afternoons squarely in the eye.

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