The kitchen of the future is in sight. Those post-modern off the wall, hyper-technological households thought of only by our culture’s greatest authors in sci-fi, may not be found only in the realms if fiction any more as we are met with some of the most technologically advanced home appliances yet.

One example of this home ware, technological revolution is the independently designed internet fridge, currently in the form of prototype in Japan. It uses V Sync Technology along with Nihon Silicon Graphics, Cray KK and Sharp. In terms of design it uses a PC mounted on the top of a refrigerator which is connected to the internet. The owner of the fridge of the future can then communicate with their technology using either a touch panel or through voice-recognition.

Network-ready appliances like the internet fridge will have the ability to scan product bar codes and if there has been an elapsed amount of time since the scanning of that particular code the fridge will then automatically send the item to a virtual shopping list. This list can then be uploaded to many e-commerce websites meaning your shopping will be done already by your refrigerator.

Most of this though, does seem a little excessive and perhaps, for the most part, out of the reach of those living within their means but there are some appliances that could become necessity, especially to the thriftier household. A Fridge Freezer from appliancesdirect.co.uk, for example can still be equipped with a digital display but does not have to necessarily be connected to the internet. One of the more appealing traits of a smart appliance is its energy efficiency and its ability to be self-sufficient in the strife towards saving you money on your utility bills.

A Washing Machine found at Appliances Direct would have the same home energy-saving technology to hand and everything about “smart” self-serviceable appliances has been designed specifically with energy conservation I mind.

Mark Kelly, from UK retailer Appliances Direct, is completely behind these technological improvements and said “anything that an everyday appliance can do to make people’s lives easier must be a good thing and it shows how new technologies and innovations can help improve existing pieces of household technology or equipment”

With family budgets increasingly squeezed, ideas for inexpensive evenings at home for mum and the whole family are always welcome.  And sometimes busy mums just need time for themselves to relax and re-energise.  So on those evenings when the rest of the family are out, watching TV, or the kids are doing their homework, how about planning that special evening of pure self-indulgence?  Make sure that your time to relax isn’t interrupted by cries of “Mum, where I can I find the ….?”  Tell the family that this time is yours and it’s sacred!

Set up the bathroom for a pamper evening, with a scented candle, and favourite tracks playing on the iPod.  Enjoy a wonderful relax in a deep bath with some special smellies, and a home-made face mask of honey, pumpkin pulp and cider vinegar to clarify and rejuvenate your skin.  Reward yourself with your favourite entertainment – a great game of online bingo with Jackpotjoy, with the excitement of big cash prizes to win, and friends to meet in the bingo chat rooms.  Or re-connect with the important people in your life who you’ve lost touch with, maybe because they are living far away.  Set up a free talk session on Skype, and enjoy an evening catching up with old friends, learning about their lives, and sharing news.

With mum thoroughly re-energised, now’s the time to plan for a family evening in together.  Parents always welcome the idea of inexpensive entertainment, but the kids might take more convincing.  If you suggest an entertaining evening at home, there are likely to be groans and exclamations of “That’s so boring!”  So here are a couple of ideas to get you started:

Create a restaurant at home.   It’s important to involve everyone from the start in planning a special family evening, as their input will be needed to decide on the menu (don’t worry if there are some whacky food combinations in there), table design and entertainment.  Delegate the creation of an entertainment piece to the kids, with suggestions for skits or a disco or even karaoke.  Involve them not only in menu decisions but also in the cooking, and if you can find some paper chef hats and aprons at a local store, even better, to add the finishing touch.  This makes for a wonderfully silly and fun evening with all the family involved.

Image courtesy of Bas Van Uyen

Family history evening.  Spend an evening creating an album for the whole family that can be added to from time to time, with each member choosing their favourite photos and then being asked to contribute any memories that they have of that time in their life.  Although there may be initial protests, kids secretly love looking at photos of their younger selves, and there are always great laughs to be had from baby pictures.   Photos of mum and dad’s wedding, or parents and grandparents in their youth often produce gasps of astonishment – “I can’t believe the length of your hair, dad!”  Add in other ideas, such as asking each family member to tell the story of the funniest/most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to them.

Image courtesy of Erwin Recinos