Blue-sky thinking: If you could have any one gadget or appliance for Mothers' Day, what would it be?

If you exist in the corporate world, you might have heard of the term “blue-sky thinking”. It’s where you gather with your colleagues and dream of what your business could achieve if you weren’t hamstrung by budget, deadlines and the daily grind.

As Mothers’ Day rapidly approaches – this year it falls on May 11 – ConnectedWomen decided to put a fresh twist on the concept of blue-sky thinking.

We invited mums across Australia to imagine a child-free, Saturday-afternoon wander through their local Harvey Norman, Retravision or The Good Guys store. Then we asked them to consider this: of all the products available to them, and if cost were no option, what one thing would they want as a gift for Mothers’ Day?

Their choices ranged from sweet and simple to purely extravagant, and some surprised even us. Here’s what Australian mums dreamed up for a blue-sky Mother’s Day:

“It probably sounds like a “blokey” thing to want, but I would love to receive a state-of-the-art home-theatre system. A few years ago, we bought a beautiful big flat-screen plasma television, but we’re still using the big, ugly speakers my husband has had since the 1980s. I’ve heard you can get systems with speakers as small as golf balls. Sounds good to me! I also like the idea of having something that would give us more quality family time together.”
- Therese C., Berowra Heights, NSW

Renae wants a cordless vacuum/dust buster to clean up after her molting Jack Russell terrier.

“Each Mothers’ Day, my husband tends to buy me the ideal gift/ gadget that he would want should he be on the receiving end.  Not that uncommon, from what I understand! But with two long-haired cats and a continually molting Jack Russell, combined with two levels of high-gloss polished timber floor, I've put in more than a few requests for an Ergorapido 2-in-1 cordless vacuum/dust buster.  Light enough to whiz around the house in minutes without needing to plug in or bend down to operate.  My dream!”
- Renae A., Coolum Beach, Queensland

“Recently I had a computer crisis. I tried to load some software onto it from a CD, and the PC completely lost its mind. It kept crashing and re-starting, crashing and re-starting, in a bizarre, uncontrollable loop. I wanted to eject it through the window. I rang my daughter, w ho is a computer whiz. She calmed me down, and then talked me through a repair. It’s working again now, but my daughter told me I should protect my files by backing them up to an external hard drive. So that’s what I want for Mothers’ Day.”
- Carol T., Greystanes, NSW

Susie's blue-sky Mothers' Day wish is for something pink.

“For Mothers’ Day, I would love a new Mixmaster with a stainless steel bowl to be able to whip up ingredients when my frequent need to bake arises. Right now, I use an old Mixmaster handed down from my Mum. It has the very same beaters that I licked as a small child. While I’m sentimentally attached to it, I find that it's just not practical. I have to persevere with bowls that are too small and too big, purchased from an op shop.
- Stacey T., Secret Harbour, Western Australia

“I’d like a pink iPod.”       - Susie G., Tallong, NSW

Lisa would like a voucher to print hard copies of digital photos of her new baby - "like we used to in the 'old' days".

“In February, my husband and I welcomed our second baby – a little brother for our first son. We are taking tonnes of digital photographs of the boys, but they never seem to make it beyond the camera or the computer. I don’t know if this actually exists, but my ideal Mothers’ Day gift would be a voucher to get all those photos printed out in hard copy – like we used to in the ‘old’ days.”
- Lisa P., Bathurst, NSW

“I would like a top-of-the-range hair styler. My friend bought one and she thinks it’s fantastic. I think they sell for around $300. Mothers’ Day is a good opportunity for my son to buy me one – I couldn’t really justify buying one for myself.”    
- Irma H., Hampton, Victoria

“We have two TVs in our house, but it’s hard to get face time with either of them, especially on the weekend. My two teenage girls watch DVDs on one, and on the other, my husband watches the eight hours of horse racing and five episodes of ‘Deal or No Deal’ that he has recorded during the week. My dream Mothers’ Day gift would be one of those TVs that is built into the end of your bed, and pops up and down with the use of a remote control. That would be my sanctuary. By the way, if they’re reading this, they better not give me a toaster.”
- Jennifer O., Taree, NSW 

In our next edition of ConnectedWomen, we’ll look at some of the best new products available for Mothers’ Day gifts this year. Stay tuned!