Fathers Day 2015

Fathers Day is upon us already next month, on the 21st June 2015 to be precise.

Doesn't time just seem to go by ever faster as you get older? I am sure Mothers Day was only a mere blink ago? With that in mind I thought that it would be great to share my favourite gift ideas for those special men in our lives, our own Dad's, our Granddads and of course, the Dad's who have helped us raise our little people.

Is it me or does it get harder each year to find that perfect Fathers Day Gift? I mean what do you by the man that has everything? I know it doesn't come down to that one day, and we should show those we care about each and every day of the year, but lets face it. It's nice to dedicate one whole day, just like you would a birthday.

Luke and I are pretty into our fitness these days, and we enjoy adding herbs for a bit of natural flavour to our meals. So when I saw the Desktop Herb Garden from Bluw, I thought it was a quirky but rather super idea. When I say desktop garden, that's exactly what I mean. You set it up on your desk, be it at home or in the office and there it sits, growing for your lunchtime necessities or even for a cup of herbal tea!

The Bluw Herb Garden retails at 12.99.

Is it me or do we all seem to misplace our keys? I for one have lost count of the times that I have tidied them away into the fridge... Left them on the roof of the car after trying to haul one to many bags of shopping into the house in one trip. Then there's my other half.. He is always losing his set. That's exactly where the Fetch My Keys Key Finder from Getting Personal comes in so handy. By simply whistling it sets off a beeper inside the dog shaped key ring.

It causes the dog's nose to flash and through the whistling and the flashing it helps guide you to the round about vicinity of where they are hiding! Great if you have dropped them down the side of the sofa, or you have...Accidentally placed them in the fridge! The Fetch My Keys Key Finder retails at £6.99 and will really make your Dad thankful this Fathers Day!

Many parents get a token gift from their little one before they are old enough to do so for themselves, and I thought that this next gift was a great idea. The Man Mug. It just screams out to be purchased for that Dad in your life who is either a big tea or coffee drinker. Now Leo's Daddy is both of those (although newly converted coffee drinker!) but an avid Green Tea consumer. 

It's a monster of a mug, and absolutely perfect to keep around the work site. As a carpenter this mug has certainly fitted in and makes the perfect 'builders brew'. It boasts a chunky saw-style handle with a built in spirit level (I actually LOVE this!) and even ruler measurements. Not to mention that the handle even has room to store the included pencil. What more could a Dad want!?

The Man mug retails at £11.99 from Getting Personal.

Now you have the perfect man mug, why not put it with their favourite coffee syrups so that they can enjoy their favourite flavours at home? The Monin Coffee Syrups are the flavourings you find in all of the tastiest Costa Coffee's, so even if you intentionally purchase them for 'him', you know that ultimately you will be helping to share them!

You can pick the miniature gift set up with 5 delicious flavourings:

- Caramel Syrup

- Vanilla Syrup

- Hazelnut Syrup

- Gingerbread Syrup

- Chocolate Cookie Syrup

The gift pack that retails at £6.95 from Tesco even comes with 2 limited edition coffee stencils. Imagine that in the other half's man mug!

While were on the beverage subject, why not treat Dad to some revolutionary beer? BREWDOG Beer to be exact. BREWDOG are on a mission to brew world class craft beer, and I have to admit that we really enjoyed the bottles that we were sent over to try. I am not usually a beer drinker, but they were a real treat. I did have to share them with Luke.. But that was only fair right?

You can view the headlining brews over on their website.

Of course if your other half's or Dad is anything like mine, you may have a adrenaline junkie on your hands in which case look no further than into the blue experience days! They have a great selection of experience days that would make the perfect gift for Fathers Day, from driving days such as Tank and Train driving to Monster Trucks and Segway. If driving isn't what you had in mind what about water sports? pampering or even flying!?

I may have to add an experience day in for Luke this Fathers Day, or maybe even his birthday!

In a day an age where everyone owns a smart phone, we are all looking for ways to keep them protected and looking their best. Luke is usually sporting a cracked screen after yet another unexpected moment where it either falls out of his pocket, or takes a leap of faith.. In fact over Christmas he must have got bored of dropping his iPhone 5, and decided to test out my shiny new 6+! I am sure you can imagine how I felt about my phone casualty so soon after the release! Barbour International have a very stylish range of phone cases available, and with Luke being a motorcycle fan, this is sure to score me some big brownie points! The cases have been crafted using Barbour Internationals very own prints, materials and trims in order to really add a touch of biker cool to your phones protection.

Luxury features of the biker inspired phone case:

- Barbour International iPhone 5S Covers in Dark Blue or Dark Brown Slimline Protective

- Soft microfibre lining for iPhone screen protection

- Deboss Barbour International logo

- Compatible with iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S

The Barbour International Slimline Protective Case retails at £24.95.

Having been nothing but a iPhone user for many years I was intrigued to put the Nokia Lumia 640 through it's paces. Opening up the box I was impressed by the size and impressive colour of the casing. Being a vibrant colour, it certainly let me know that the Lumia had now entered the room. It took me a few minutes to work out what I was doing, merely because it was so new to me. After I had signed in using my Microsoft account I was pretty much up and running. I took the time to install the apps that I use the most, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the likes so that I could get a real feel for the phone.

Once I got used to the interface I found it simple to operate and navigate around. I was particularly impressed by Cortana and just how efficient it (or should I say she!?) was to use, especially in direct comparison with Siri, who I don't tend to optimise on any level. Cortana even helped me personalise my likes and interests into the phone so that it could provide relevant news directly into my feed. Cortana can even call your friends, help you keep track of things that you need to do (my other half needs Cortana in his life for sure!), setting alarms and just being an overall useful assistant.

What I really love on the Lumia is the 8 megapixel camera paired with the LED flash, it's a great combination to get some great snaps. I have actually really enjoyed using the Lumia and this is based primarily on the camera. It has a handy editing function that allows you to crop, frame, add filters and really spruce your creations up.

The Key features of the Lumia 640 are:

5-inch HD display

8MP camera for great photos

4G connectivity for superfast internet browsing

The Lumia 640 can be purchased from Microsoft on Pay As You Go for £109.99 or Sim Free for £129.99. That's a whole lot of phone for the price tag. 

Nothing says thank you for all you do than gifting that special man in your life a new electric razor. The Braun Series 5 is a great example of the ultimate gift this Fathers Day. Retailing at £199.99 it's a luxury gift and one that is sure to make your Dad's day. 

The Series 5 is equipped with a unique combination of power and precision for uncompromising performance without sacrificing on skin comfort. While the FlexMotionTec delivers significantly more skin contact in problem areas for efficient shaving with less skin pressure, the PowerDrive supplies 20% more motor power than before, for high speed cutting even on dense hair meaning that this raazor promises a smooth ride from start to finish. 

Braun Series 5 Features:

-New FlexMotionTec of braun Series 5 electric shaver 5070cc delivers efficient shaving results with less pressure, minimizing skin irritation.

- Patented UltraActiveLift effectively lifts and cuts problem hairs in fewer strokes. 

- New PowerDrive with 20% more power for high speed cutting even on dense hair. 

- CrossHair blade captures stubborn hairs for outstanding closeness that lasts. 

- New design automatic Clean&Charge station, it cleans, charges and lubricates at the touch of a button--so your shaver feels like new every day.

Amazon currently have the Braun Series 5 available for £113.28 at the point of publishing this guide.

Happy gift hunting everyone!

Sent With A Loving Kiss

Sent With A Loving Kiss is the unique way to gift luxury chocolate. They are created in Hampshire by artisan chocolatiers using nothing but traditional methods and authentic ingredients. Belgian Cocoa, fresh milk and cream are the heart of this rich chocolate, that true chocolate lovers long for.

Each chocolate is crafted with care and always holds a personal touch for the recipient. Each Sent With A Loving Kiss gift is placed in a stainless silver tin with a personalised label printed on the front. You can have whatever you wish printed on this label to provide a truly personalised gift for someone special.

They make perfect gifts whatever the occasion, birthday's, anniversaries, thank yous, congratulations, new job, new home, new baby... Christmas!

We were recently sent the Santa Baby Chocolate Slab and I personally found the chocolate a great touch, I loved the tin in which it was presented in and the fact I could have it personalised to read whatever I wanted. I opted to have ‘Merry Christmas Luke & Leo’ but I sneakily didn’t tell them that this was the case so I didn’t have to share… Of course in typical Luke style he always knows when we have chocolate in the house. It is like he can smell it. So sooner rather than later, I ended up sharing.

I found the quality of the chocolate great, and even thought it was a nice thickness. I did wonder if there may be a few bars in there or how thick the chocolate was going to be when first seeing the depth of the box, but upon opening it I discovered that the chocolate is actually resting on shredded paper to keep it’s positioning at the top of the box.

The chocolate is really tasty and is perfect for sharing with friends and family (I say through gritted teeth) and I know that I will be keeping the tin for future goodies I bake up at home. The tin is definitely a really personal touch and something that you keep long after you have enjoyed the chocolate.

Disclaimer: I received the Sent With A Loving Kiss Chcoolate for the purpose of this review. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own. 

The Wahl Power 2000W Hair Dryer

Heading to the hair dressers or taking that time to get something done for me is sometimes one of those things that I simply put on hold. It is so easy to just get wrapped up in day to day life that you simply forget to do these things. In fact these days when I remember to get my hair done (those roots speak volumes!) I have a mobile hair dresser come to the house… I find that it is just easier this way and often cheaper.

But just because you don’t step foot in the salon… it does not mean you have to wave goodbye to the salon experience!?

Until recently I had been using the same battered old hair dryer for many years, in its hay day it was probably an alright model.. But these days it cuts out when it gets to hot and the power leaves a lot to be desired.

I was very recently sent the Wahl Power 2000W Hair Dryer to replace my older dryer that seriously needed to retire to the greener pastures of…the rubbish bin. One of the first things that I felt I needed the check out about this model was not the actual power of it, but to see how far the cord would reach. For me this is always an important aspect of research before buying an electrical product that I will be ultimately needing to use by the mirror. I am pleased to report that this model has a very generous amount of cord flex and didn’t disappoint at all in this department.

There are 2 different speed settings, and also 3 heat settings. I tend to use the hair dryer on a the highest setting for the power and a medium for the heat. I don’t like it to be too hot and I find that if I do put it on the top speed setting that I can occasionally tangle my hair up (My own doing I hasten to add).

It dries and styles my hair perfectly and I am not for one moment pretending that I spend hours styling my hair. My only real aim is to dry it so that it does not look like a beehive! I use a brush and simply brush it with one hand while using the hair dryer in the other to try and dry it from the root.

This is my hair after simply using the Wahl Power 2000 hair dryer, I have to admit that I was really impressed with the results. It dried it all very quickly because of how powerful it is and gave me a result that I didn’t really have to run the straighteners through if I didn’t wish too.

As far as it goes for what I think of this hair dryer. I LOVE IT! I would definitely make comparisons against a salon hair dryer, and I am really impressed with it.

It comes with three different accessories for different styling techniques, but for me I don't tend to get to adventurous. It is nice to know they are there if for any reason I did have a little longer than usual to do my hair. 

The Wahl Power 2000W Hair Dryer retails at £29.99 which is a really attractive price and is firmly within my price bracket. I don't tend to spend a fortune on hair dryers and I think this is a realistic price for a quality item.

Disclaimer: I was sent the Power 2000W Hair Dryer for the purpose of this review. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

The Fisher Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm Review

As a kid I used to spend a lot of time either playing with my play farm, or hassling my parents to buy a real farm and move us all to the countryside… You see then I would have been able to keep a horse, get that dog I have always dreamed of and continue my tom boy ways…

But sadly buying a farm never really ranked on my parent’s agenda… So I grew up and moved on, somewhere along the way I obviously decided that farm life wasn’t really for me. But boy did I love that play farm as a kid…

Leo has been sent his very own Fisher Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm, and it actually reminds me a little of the farm I once had as a little girl (this may be part of the reason I like it so much). Another reason I instantly liked this particular model is because it is part of the ever popular Little People range. Leo already has a selection of Little People toys and they are all very much loved and get daily play action, so this addition I knew would be very welcome.

This model is already very popular and I have heard fellow parents raving about how great it is, and upon it’s arrival and getting a hands on inspection I was soon inclined to agree with them. The farm is a really great size and comes complete with farm animals, and of course Eddie the farmer.

In terms of putting the farm together, there is minimal assembly required. It is simply a case of clicking the base of the farm into the body of the farm and making sure it is all in place. The ladder at the back of the farm needs a screw fitting at either end, but that is as labour intensive as it gets.

Inside the box you are supplied with everything you need to get playing, and this includes Farmer Eddie, a Horse, Cow and Sheep. What kind of farm would it be if there wasn’t fencing to keep the animals from straying? So of course Fisher Price have thought of this and included one for the future conscious farmers out there.

I really like to solid structure of this farm as it is built to stand up to toddlers who like to play hard, and play hard… Leo does. The fact it is built to last means that it is a toy that can be kept and passed down to any future children that come along.

Leo is loving his farm, he found the button to make noises in the hay shed instantly.. Of course being Leo he hasn’t just stuck to playing farms, or playing with the animals. Leo has brought cars into the barn and runs them up and down the chute like a ramp, and he has involved all of his tractors while he plays…

There are so many different opportunities to let his imagination run away with him, and he can do whatever he likes happen while he is playing. The rules are entirely his own, and because it is free play, Leo really does get the chance to get creative.

The farm is currently set up at Granny’s house for him to play with while he is at her house, but I will be bringing it back home very soon so I can set it up on his farm table with all of his other tractors. It is going to look super on the table with all of his other bits and pieces, and I know that he will really enjoy that.

There is a dial at the top of the farm that plays a number of different tunes depending on which setting you currently have selected. You can switch between two different settings (night and day) that will give you different animal sounds and tunes.

The farm is perfect for Leo who is now starting to use his imagination in play more, and it is lovely to watch him making the connections and playing with the animals. Poor farmer Eddie has taken more than a few tumbles through the hay chute.. But luckily he is quite resilient and Leo can always breathe the life back into him.

I think the Fisher Price play farm certainly lives up to expectation and in usual Little People style they have presented us with another big toddler hit. It certainly pleased the inner child in me!

With Christmas coming up I think this would make the perfect gift under the tree. It opens up the door to imaginative play and then the rest is down to the little one at the helm. All we can do is provide our children with the tools to play and learn, and watch as they dream up new scenarios to act out. That for me is exactly why I am such a big fan of Fisher Price.

The Fisher Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm retails at £39.99 which may sound a bit more expensive, but for the quality and the play value of a set that will last the toddler fumbles (which always happen) I would say it is worth every penny.

So with Christmas growing ever closer, and if you are looking for the perfect present for your little one. This may be the perfect gift for the avid farmer.

Disclaimer: I was sent the Fisher Price Little People Animal Sounds Farm for the purpose of this review. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

Thomas & Friends - All Around Sodor Interactive Train Set Review

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Now that Leo is a fully fledged toddler the toys have become so much more exciting. They move, make exciting sounds and do so much more than they once did…

A real love for Leo at this present time has to be trains, and one of his favourite trains has to be the famous Thomas the Tank Engine. Leo was in his element on a recent visit to Thomas Land at Drayton Manor, and so his love for the most useful blue engine grew some more.

With Christmas coming I have been having a look into some big hit toddler toys, and after having a personal play with the Fisher-Price Thomas and Friends, AllAround Sodor train set. I can hand on heart see why toddlers would love to see this under their Christmas Tree this year…

This Thomas Set is a great size and is pretty simple to put together, it even comes with a motorised Thomas train and cargo car. There are of course instructions included within the box but as usual… I liked to look at the images on the front of the box to see where they would all need to be positioned. Leo was interested as soon as I presented him with the box, and instantly he was drawn to the Thomas train that is strategically positioned in a presentation box within the main box. So of course this meant that I could not get everything set up quickly enough, and I knew then and there that this toy was going be treasured.

This is my 2 year olds very first motorised train set, unless of course you count the Fisher-Price Animal Train that he had for his first Christmas… But in terms of a grown up/big boy train set, this is his very first. As soon as Leo saw that Thomas could move around independently, that was enough to bring the biggest smile to his face and put that beautiful twinkle in his eyes.

This set has had such a playing with, it has simply not been left alone since it rocked up. Leo seems to just adore pushing the buttons on Thomas’s back, sitting down and just watching Thomas run all around the tracks. In fact it prompted Leo to start saying ‘tracks’ and pointing to them so he could tell me all about them.

Thomas goes around the tracks smoothly and hasn’t been de-railed on many occasions, unlike the Christmas train we have running around our Christmas Tree this year! Suffice to say that when this Christmas train de-rails himself… Leo is far from impressed. Thomas sticks nicely to the track and goes around when you press one of the two buttons on his back. Thomas’s face is also motorised, his eyes move from side to side, and he can even open his mouth!

What I really liked about this set, aside from the rather super motorised Thomas, was that he actually interacts with items as he passes them. When Thomas goes down the slope on the track he exclaims ‘weeeee’. This gives the set another level of play value for me, and definitely for Leo.

There are 7 pieces of track to clip together, and then you have the train sheds with a sticker of Thomas’s friends. Over on the other side of Sodor you will find Cranky the Crane where you can place one of the barrels into the loading station. You can even put another barrel into Thomas’s cargo car and really set him to work as he steams around Sodor!

There is no real assembly for this toy, everything comes ready to be clicked into place. Even the sticker on the train sheds is already in place. This is always good when you have an eager toddler who wants to play straight away, and of course is good for parents like me who seem to avoid instructions…

It is a easy toy to store and we have got a reasonably sized storage box now so that we can keep all of the pieces together when we put it away. You could always keep it in the original box, but I find it takes up to much room, so when it is not in use we tidy it away.

This set would be a hit even if your little one is not a serious Thomas fan, but for Leo he loves it that little bit more because of who the train is. Ultimately this set offers so many imaginative play scenarios, and I love watching Leo sit and enjoy this set.

The Fisher-Price Thomas and Friends, All Around Sodor retails at £39.99, but I have sourced it on Amazon for £34.99 at the point of writing this review. If you have a little Thomas fan, or a little one who simply loves trains, I would highly recommend this train set.

Disclaimer: We were sent the Thomas and Friends All Around Sodor Train Set for the purpose of this review. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.