A Modern Mother

Posh fish fingers

My latest lot of fish appeared from Delish Fish in Scotland. This time we opened the suprisingly not-so-smelly package to reveal wild haddock and wild cod fillets, all caught in the North Sea. I'm particpating in the Fish is the Dish campaign to help show that fish is easy to prepare (cue if I can do it, so can you).

Bedruthan Steps: Sustainable tourism, young families and a cracking good breakfast!

Review post

The Bedruthan Steps kindly asked the Modern Family to spend the weekend in Cornwall at their family eco hotel. Perched on the cliffs between Padtsow and Newquay, the four-star hotel is a beautifully renovated 60s-style building and a tribute to sustainable tourism. It has long been known for being innovative, including being one of the first to use grass roofs to improve views (and insulate rooms). The green theme is evident everywhere, including the locally produced handmade organic soap and shampoo bars and fairtrade coffee/tea/hot chocolate in the guest rooms. You are reminded to only ask for clean towels/linens when you need them and the electrics are based on the key system – to ensure lights are left off when you vacate the room.

*This is a pic of Mawgan Porth Beach, which is right below the hotel

Thank you Avis for trying harder

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Our car is in the blink. The electrics conk out after a few hours on the road. A big thank you goes to Avis for loaning me this French beauty to use for the week. The Peugot 308 nipped down the M4 to Cornwall with style and it wasn't one bit surly.

I usually dread the whole car rental thing (think at an airport after a long haul flight), and was pleasantly surprised at how easily this one happened. My main tip: opt for a home delivery!

Thank you Avis, you do try harder.

Disney Magical Moments Festival: Star in your own adventure!

Press trip

 
Wednesday marks the launch of the Disneyland Paris Magical Moments Festival, where you can step into the spotlight of your favourite Disney classic. Here's a pic of me entering the set of Monsters Inc. Scream Academy. #youwouldnotbelievewhatwasbehindthedoor!

A Modern Mother goes to Center Parcs and loves it!

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I love the concept of Center Parcs: Abandon your car, adopt bicycles and do lots of stuff outdoors with the family. Fabulous. Sign me up please.

Center Parcs kindly asked the Modern Family to try out their park at Longleat Forest. I've outlined our experience below and put together a few tips for packing and getting the most out of your trip. Net is we loved it and would go back again (and again, and again and again).

Longleat Forest open in 1994 and is located in Wiltshire, about 1/2 hour south of Bath. It took us less than two hours to get there, which is a huge plus for a weekend getaway. I was surprised that of the park's nearly 800 units were occupied on the brisk March weekend we visited, but apparently winter breaks are popular because of the off-season prices.We had lots of family time, loys of ourdoor time and really felt like we had a break from our regular routine. 

What we thought of Disney's #Tangled

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One of the best things about being a mum blogger is getting a sneak peak at films before they are released. Sometimes I even get to go on press junkets, and meet the talent behind the films and ask all sort of mum-type questions. I love it!

The girls and I recently saw Disney's 50th animated film, Tangled. It is the story of Rapunzel. You know the one, where a gorgeous girl with long hair is stuck in a tower and is rescued by a handsome prince?

It sounds terribly twee and predictable, doesn't it?

It's not! Disney turned this tale on its head. Yes it has the signature princess, but it is much more. The film touches on issues as such child abduction, a mother's love, growing up and there are even some spiritual tones.

Love Story on Stage Review

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Where shall I begin? I first saw Love Story when I was about 10. It flickered on our 12-inch black and white Sony TV, while I snuggled warmly into our worn honey-coloured sofa. I felt very grown up. My parents let me stay up to 11 pm to watch the end, having previously debated whether or not I was too young for the content (plot spoiler: the main character dies of leukaemia). By the end of the evening, I remember hiding my face behind a cushion, trying very hard not to let my older brothers see my tears. I think that was the first time I had such a strong emotional reaction to a film.

The Disneyland Resort California

 
My first visit to Disneyland was when I was two. We drove seven hours on Interstate 5 from the Bay Area to Anaheim in a Ford station waggon (that's an estate for you Brits). Being only two, I don't remember much about that trip, but it left its mark. Mention Disney to me, and from the back of my psyche images of Tinker Bell casting her wand upon Sleeping Beauty Castle magically appear. During my childhood, we made several more trips to Disneyland as a family, and as teen, I looked forward to grad night, when graduating seniors were granted exclusive use of the park. I went to “Cal State Disneyland,” the nickname given to CSUF because of it's proximity to the park. Disney has always been part of my life, and I've always associated it with wholesome fun.

Kids bored this summer? Try these tried and tested recommendations

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Summer is always a challenge with kids. Lack of routine, changeable weather and lots of free time can take its toll. Sure there are lots of places to go, but many are expensive and it can be hit and miss finding a winner. Recommendations are always appreciated. When supersavvyme.com first contacted me about their idea of creating a summer guide where mums would contribute their most economical and fun tips to keep kids entertained during the summer, I knew it would be a huge success.

Chocolate what?

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Wholegrain Weetabix is a breakfast staple in the modern family and we couldn't resist the offer to test the new Chocolate Weetabix. The girls couldn't believe their luck. We were told it has half the sugar of other chocolate-flavoured cereals and is low in salt and free from artificial colours. But would the girls actually like it? Two out of three loved it, but our youngest said she would stick with the "reg-lar" one. Out of the mouth of babes.

Photo credit: lokate366

Review: The Citroen C4 Picasso Does Normandy!

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The PR folks over at Citroen asked if the modern family would try out one of their cars for a week. What serendipity! Driving a French car on our halfterm holiday in France might actually get us more street cred. We needed a vehicle that could accommodate six people, so we picked the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso, a 7-seater MPV. This sleek black version arrived on our doorstep. Don't you just want to pet her?

Review: Keycamp Houlgate

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About a year ago, the lovely PR folks over at Keycamp asked if we might like to try out one of their caravans in France. As most of our holidays are at my parents house in California, we gladly accepted. Then came the long process of picking a destination! We finally settled on Houlgate, on the coast in Normandy near the D-Day beaches. With the girls still on the young side (5, 6 and 8) we didn't want to spend the entire holiday driving south. Houlgate is just a 3 hour drive from Calais, or 40 minutes from Caen.

First impressions:

Houlgate is a lovely beachside town, and the La Vallee campsite is not too far from the town centre (a 20-minute walk). The facilities are squeaky clean and include four swimming pools, a games room, laundry room, and playparks. We had never stayed in a caravan previously, and while space is tight, it is functional. If you think of it as high end camping, it's downright luxurious.

I really wanted to like Motherhood

I wanted to like the film/DVD Motherhood. I really did. All the elements were there -- a hassled mum with a seemingly slacker hubby, Uma Thurman AND Minnie Driver. And the main character is a mum blogger. A mum blogger! I should have loved it.

Well, I didn't and neither did the three other mums who watched it with me.

The overriding theme -- how much mums give up when they ditch work in order to stay home with the kids -- fell flat. It was a bit contrived and not very funny. Even Uma Thurman couldn't save this film. None of us could identify with the main character. 

The Christmas Lectures: It's hard not to be interested in science when...

Disclosure: we got free tickets to see this event.

Wow. I can tell the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures made a lasting impression on my nearly eight-year-old daughter. They made a lasting impression on me. And my husband. Syringes armed with harmful histamines, seeds seeped with deadly nerve poisons: Who knew plants were so vicious?

The Christmas Lectures are special. Given nearly continuously since 1825, their aim is to share science's latest discoveries with young people. They are now televised each year and a Christmas tradition with many families. We were lucky enough to be invited this year to hear Professor Sue Hartley of Sussex University talk about "The 300 Million Years War" between plants and animals. My daughter's exact words after seeing the engaging Professor Hartley were "It was WAY better than I thought it was going to be" and when explaining it to her four-year-old sister: "You don't know how FUN it was." I thought it was fantastic having a woman role model in a male dominated discipline (Professor Hartley is only the fourth female lecturer in 184 years).

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. 

Head on over to my review blog to read the rest...

How much salt is too much?

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The Food Standards Agency has a big push on right now to get all Britain's to reduce their salt intake to 6 grams a day. Apparently we eat too much salt, and we aren't even aware of it. Most of it (75%) is already in the food we buy.

Why cut down on salt? Because it can raise your blood pressure and triple your chance of stroke and heart disease.

But exactly how much is 6 grams of salt and how are we supposed to know we're consuming it if it's hidden in the bread and breakfast cereals we eat every day? To help out, the FSA has put together a helpful list here in case you want to know which foods are typically high in salt...

Is Blu-ray better?

I did it, I'm a 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 "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.

Continue reading "Is Blu-ray better?"

Want to know how a middle class family got on at (the new) Butlins?

 

So exactly how did a middle class family get on at the new Ocean Hotel and Spa at Butlins Bognor Regis? Read on to find out...  and if you don't want to follow the blow by blow events ... skip to the end for the net ...

Chuggington – the New Thomas the Tank?!

I’m not a big fan of television. There’s not much worth watching. When it comes to a mediocre television drama or sleep – I’ll pick sleep every time.

Children’s television is different. Though parents don’t want to admit it, we often use TV as a type of babysitter, a way to keep the kids quiet while we steal away a few minutes to cook dinner, make an important phone call, or in my case, write a blog post.

The people who make kid’s programmes are very clever and have figured out that if they create something entertaining that will keep a child's attention, but also make it educational, parents won't feel so guilty about letting them watch it.