A Modern Mother

On Gordon Brown and the "bigoted woman" gaffe

Have five minutes? Please watch this video ... and hang in to the end, that's the interesting part. Hat tip: Wife in the North and Potty Mummy.

Yes, this interaction topped yesterday's election news. This is very sad as British political campaigns only last a mere few weeks. I can see this happening in the US, where elections last a lifetime, but come on... surely there are better topics to headline?

It wasn't one of Gordon Brown's most brilliant moments. Wife in the North points out that despite being dubbed a cybermum election, women are not shining this time round. Gordon is not being sexist... unfortunately I could just as easily imagine him leaving the mic on and making off the cuff comments about a male pensioner.

I'm more interested in the gaffe. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Our co-star Gillian Duffy is allowed to wonder about  "all these Eastern Europeans coming in" and the availability of public services for "those that really need them" (American conservatives will recognise this). And Gordon Brown can form his own opinions too. It's just not in his best interest to broadcast them. Especially if they seem out of touch with his constituents.

Oh dear. I wonder if "Sue" still has her job?

What to wear to CyberMummy?

This is a sponsored post

Many of you may know that I'm helping to organise CyberMummy 2010, the UK's first mum blogger conference. There will more than 100 of my online mum chums there, and we'll be talking shop, sipping wine and nibbling munchies. It's all the buzz on Twitter (#cybermummy) and the BIG question is ... what to wear?

I really hadn't given this much thought. My usual uniform is Gap Curvy jeans and a T-Shirt. Perhaps, however, given my role as one of the organisers (along with Jen and Sian) I should branch out a bit. Make a good impression and all that.

When stuck in California ... play with an iPad

What do you do when an ash cloud has you stuck in California?

Go to the Apple Store and play with the iPads!

Our local store has 25 demo iPads and last week there was a bit of a scrum to get your hands on one.

It's really just an iTouch, with a fantastically huge screen. I spend a lot of time trying to read emails and web pages on my iPhone, so the larger screen is like, WOW, who turned on the lights!

You do not NEED one of these, and it will not replace a laptop. But you will WANT one. I think  sit this out and wait for the second generation though.

PS -- hope we are home soon. Meanwhile, we'll try to bear it.

I bet you didn't know...

1. I'm one of those weird people that actually likes brussel sprouts.
2. I was a cheerleader in high school. Head cheerleader, nonetheless.
3. My very first job was as a lifeguard.
4. Jobs 2 - 10 were waitressing.
5. My current job wears me out (wait, you probably already know that).
6. I'm in the midst of a battle with my hair and the grey team is winning.
7. Most of what I earn on my blogging network goes to charity (and Cafe Nero).

Thanks to Mummy Tips, Mommy Has a Headache, and Utterly Scrummy for the tags!

You're tagged: Living with Kids, Wife in the North, Belgravia Wives, Frazzled Daddy, Sugar Mouse, Super Single Mum, Thank You For the Days and anyone else who is bored and wants to do this!

PS - apologies to any normal people reading this, it's all bloggy speak.

Photo credit: free4mkatia

My California garden

I have two lives, my English one and my California one. I also have two gardens.

These are California poppies, the state flower. They self seed and volunteer their services everywhere.

Barbie meet Ken

I couldn't resist posting this just-released clip from Toy Story 3. It's the scene where Barbie meets Ken for the first time. Ken is one of my favourite new characters from the film ... and he never quite figures out he's just an accessory for Babs! Enjoy.

Quiz Night: what is this?

So, can you guess what this is?  And where this is? My clues are:

1. Likeable fiasco ruins

2. Somewhere over the rainbow ...

3. Rarely spotted in the UK

4. A Scottish Isle

You get extra credit if you tell me what the black lines are. 

PS - pop by next week for the next quiz night installment!
  

My day at Pixar Studios (and I'm not telling if Andy takes Woody to college)

 
About 25 bloggers from around the world were at Pixar Studios last week to get a sneak peak at Toy Story 3 and find out more about how the studios' iconic animated films are made. Wow. This place is super cool; it's like a cross between a computer, a college campus and a very large movie theatre. Former Pixar CEO Steve Jobs designed it to be a place to share ideas and you can see them bouncing off the walls and landing in the frothy lattes and machiatos, then sipped by 30-somethings wearing frayed jeans and trendy tweed caps. You walk into an open area the size of a football field, framed by open brick and stainless steel beams. Lurking in every corner are characters from the films .... a larger than life fuzzy blue Sully (Monsters Inc), a curvy McQueen and his gang from Cars, and of course, the beloved Woody and Buzz from Toy Story. There is a restaurant, coffee bar and company store. The preferred mode of transport seems to be rollerblades and scooters. Small clusters of coffee tables, sofas and chairs dot the area ... and if you squint you can just imagine employees discussing the plot of the Bear and the Bow (2011). I personally am very excited about this one: it's set in Scotland and will feature the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson.