5 Father's Day Gifts £20 & Under

Onfire Mens Messenger Bag Stone/Tan £19.99

Canvas 30 x 20 from Albelli £19.95

 Rugby Balls Chocolate £6.95

Dad's Cuppa Father's Day Gift from M&S £6

Father's Day Love Daddy Photoframe from Poundland £1

Last Minute Father's Day Gifts

There is only two days left until Father's Day, its a bit to late to order online but don't worry we have some last minute gift ideas for you!


Alcohol 


If your dad likes a nice glass of wine then why not treat him to a bottle. We have been testing some at home for you (its a hard life) and these are a few of our favourites.


Nottage Hill Cabernet Shiraz RRP£6.73

Nottage Hill Pinot Noir  RRP£6.73

Kumala Cabernet Shiraz  RRP£6.79

Kumala Sauvignon Blanc RRP£6.79

Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc RRP£6.99

Fish Hoek Shiraz  RRP£6.99 

My most favourite was the Fish Hoek Savignon Blanc and OH loved the Nottage Hill Pinot Noir.


All of them are under £7 so it won't break the bank. 


If your dad is a whisky man then pop to Sainsbury's and pick up a bottle of Isle Of Jura Malt Whisky. The 10 year old single malt is on offer at £18.99.

Apps


If your Dad has a smart phone then why not buy him an app.

Real Football 2011 - £1.99 from Blackberry App World 

his app is packed with new graphics, animations and players, with 245 teams to choose from nine different soccer leagues.  Real Football 2011 allows you to play with family and friends through Bluetooth with the ability to climb the RS league leader board.

Flickr App for Window 7 Phone - Free 

The new Flickr app is perfect for sharing those precious family moments whilst you’re out and about 

Men's Health Workouts - iphone £1.19


Does your Dad need a little exercise, well now he will have no excuse! This app has 23 pre loaded workouts and a new one is added every month.

On a Budget

Don't let lack of funds bring you down, visit your local Poundland. Now don't stick your nose up, they actually have some fantastic products available. 

Films 

Why not get your Dad one on the latest film releases.

Music 


If music is his thing then there are some great albums out at the minute

and if that doesn't help then you can't go wrong with a big Toblerone!

By Carol 

Interview: Tim Atkinson on Fatherhood: The Essential Guide

I have been very fortunate to have meet Tim Atkinson on many occasions, including a very long journey to Bognor Regis and back.

Tim is actually a hero of mine (just don’t tell him). When a creative writing course I was supposed to be taking was cancelled Tim jumped in ran a Creative Writing e course. This lead to my first short story  being published in an anthology called Tiny Acorns and that I will always be very grateful.

If you have not heard of Tim Atkinson then you are missing out. He writes the award winning blog Bringing Up Charlie and is author of Writing Therapy.

Tim’s new book is called Fatherhood: The Essential Guide.  It guides the reader from the very first stages of planning a family, through the nine months of pregnancy, labour and the birth itself. It then deals with the practicalities of caring for your baby from the first hours, days and months with the new arrival right through to the first three years of a child’s life.

I had the chance to ask Tim a few questions on writing, here are is answers.

 When did you start writing/Have you had anything published before?

When I was twelve I had a model railway – scenery, houses, landscape, the lot. In fact, it was a miniature model world; my pride and joy. I wrote a letter to ‘The Railway Modeller’ magazine asking if they’d like an article about it. They said ‘go ahead’ and so I sat down at the dining room table and began to write. I got paid £12, and I’ve been writing ever since!

 How long does it take you to write?

Writing Therapy – my first book - took the best part of five years from first ideas to completed manuscript. It was very stop-start at the beginning, because I knew what I wanted to do but didn’t have the confidence or skill to see it through. But it gets easier the more you do. I actually polished off ‘Fatherhood’ in about five months!

Can you say a little about your development as a writer?

Flushed with the success of my ‘Railway Modeller’ commission I did what all teenagers do and started writing poetry. I actually had a couple of things published in small arts magazines, and went to Hull University just to breathe the same air as Philip Larkin. When he stopped breathing (he died in my third year there – which had nothing to do with me, I hasten to add!) I started doing bits and pieces of freelance journalism, and was a regular contributor to a column called ‘This World of Ours’ on the Yorkshire Post. In fact, when I graduated I was going to be a journalist. But then I’d also quite fancied teaching, and someone said I’d better do a PGCE before Mrs Thatcher closed down all the teacher-training colleges. Twenty-one years later, I was still in the classroom. 

Any tips for people wanting to be published?

Buy a model railway! Seriously, there’s probably some connection between making model worlds and writing stories. I was once told by a teacher at school that my essay-writing technique resembled throwing as much muck as possible, in the hope that some of it would stick. And he added, ‘it seems to work’. I think that’s my philosophy of writing. Just do it, and – you never know – some of it might ‘stick’!

What are you currently reading?

I’ve just started ‘A Visit from the Goon Squad’ by Jennifer Egan. I like the idea of doing something ‘different’ with fiction. Why write a book if someone else (already published) could have done it, and probably done it better? That was certainly the idea behind ‘Writing Therapy’ and I like the fact that Egan combines all sorts of different types of writing into her novel – there’s even a chapter in the form of a PowerPoint Presentation!

Where can people get hold of ‘Fatherhood’?

It should be in your local bookstore. If it isn’t, ask them for it! It’s also on Amazon as well as on the publisher’s website and if you’re going to Cybermummy I’ll be signing copies of it there, together with some of my other books.   

I have copy of Fatherhood: The Essential Guide to giveaway to one lucky reader.

All you have to do is tell me what the best thing about your dad is.  

Closing Date Sunday 19^th June

Please leave a twitter ID if you have one.

Anyone posting as anon will not be entered into the giveaway. 

Father's Day - 25% Off Book at Love2Read

Looking for something for Dad? Have you seen Love2 Read?


You can create personalised photo books, here's a demo.

Its simple to do. 


I have a exclusive 25% discount code for you. Just enter MUMMYTIPS at the checkout. 


You have to be quick though it expires Sunday 12th June. 

Father's Day -10% Off all Football Books from Penwizard

I have a great last minute offer for you from Penwizard for Father's Day.


At www.penwizard.co.uk you can choose their personalised football book where dad is picked for his favourite team and scores the winning goal in the Cup Final! Choose any football team from premiership to local club by selecting the team colours and style for the strip. Add his name and personalise the picture to look like your dad, even add a beard and glasses, to see him in the story playing alongside his favourite players. There's even the option to add a team manager and a personal message on the inside page.

Save 10% off all Football books by entering the code 280509.

Last order date for Father’s Day delivery is 12.06.2011 so be quick! 

Tried & Tested Father's Day Gifts - Part 2

Product: Limited Edition “Team Toasties”

Price: £4.99

Available from: Toastabags 

Initial Reaction: Limited edition “Team Toasties” reusable toastabags containing 2 reuseable toastabags, recipe leaflet and free football and England Flag bread stamps

Pros:

• Great for a football crazy father’s day treat.
• Each bag can be used up to 100 times
• Makes delicious toasted sandwiches in your toaster
• Can stamp to bread with the toastie stamp either football or England flag for a personalised snack!
• Toastabags can be washed in warm soapy water or washed in the dishwasher and reused.
• Can even warm up pasties, burgers, pitta bread, hot dogs and pizza!

Cons:

• Possibly wouldn’t work so well in a small toaster or if you have an extra big filling in your sandwich.

Value for money? Yes, good value. Lots of use can be had out of the toastabags for a light snack.

Overall Reaction: Great! Delicious snacks can be rustled up in minutes. Great to keep at work for turning a boring sandwich into a tasty Panini or good for lazy days when you just want something quick and easy.

By Louise 

Product:  Bluebuck Trunks

Price:  £20

Available from:  Bluebuck

Initial Reaction:  They looked well made and felt soft.

Pros:

• Comfortable
• Wash Well
• Made in an eco-friendly way

Cons:  None

Value for money? Expensive for a pair of pants.

Overall Reaction:  Good pair of trunks

By Carol's Dad 

Product:  The Big Apple Candle

Price:  £25

Available from:  Sandy Bay London

Initial Reaction:  Looks really nice and smells great even before you have lit it.

Pros:

• Unisex scent
• Good burn time
• Looks stylish
• Comes in a glass holder

Cons:  None

Value for money? Average for this type of candle

Overall Reaction: Gives off a great scent and is a great present for both Men and Women. An indulgent gift.   

By Carol 

Product:  The Articulate Gallery - A4 Double Art Frame - £19.99 

Price:  £19.99

Available from:  The Articulate Gallery

Initial Reaction:  Fantastic idea, the frame is for putting your child’s art work in. You can change it really easily.

Pros:

• Swap pictures super quick
• Leaves your fridge free of pictures
• Protects their art work
• Looks great on the wall
• Well made
• Sturdy

Cons:  None

Value for money? I think this is really good value, you could have a different look every week or day even

Overall Reaction: Great product, such a simple idea. Great gift for Dads and Granddads

By Carol

Product:  Russian Standard Gold Vodka

Price:  £20

Available from:  all good supermarkets and liquor stores, as well as Selfridges and Harrods

Initial Reaction:  Comes in a great presentation box.

Pros:

• Smooth taste
• Presentation Box
• Good quality so could be drunk neat if that’s your thing
• Idea for cocktails

Cons:  None

Value for money?  Good

Overall Reaction: Great gift for all Vodka lovers. Looks and tastes good. 

By Carol

Product:  Kitchen Devils Lifestyle Knife Block Set, Kitchen Devils Control Starter Set, The Kitchen Devils Control Carving Set

Price:  £34.99, £16.99, £17.99

Available from:   Asda, Lakeland, Argos, Dunelm and independent kitchen and hardware stores or go to www.kitchendevils.com

Initial Reaction:  Quality sets. Ideal for foodie dads.

Pros:

• Good quality sets
• Durable
• Easy to use
• Comfortable handles
• 15 Year guarantee.   
• Light weight
• Dishwasher safe.

Cons:

• Packaging on the control sets are a nightmare to get into!

Value for money?  Great value for money, some items you have to invest in and good knifes are one of them

Overall Reaction: Fantastic knife sets. They are light weight and comfortable to use, which means less accidents (well for me). Love the soft grip handles on the control sets. Great gifts for Dads or even yourself. Makes a great addition to the kitchen. 

By Carol 

Product: My Dad Rocks CD

Price:  £3.99

Available from: Amazon  

Initial Reaction:  Great selection of tracks

Pros:

• Great mix of tracks
• Good quality sound

Cons:

• None

Value for money?  Great value for money.

Overall Reaction:  This CD is great for Dad’s that like a bit of Indie music.  Packed full of tracks from Primal Scream, Ocean Colour Scene, The Lightening Seeds and many more. 

By Carol 

Product:  Personalised I Heart My Daddy Mug

Price:  £8.99

Available from:  Find Me A Gift

Initial Reaction:  Looks great and good quality printing

Pros:

• Good size mug
• Printed well
• Looks great

Cons:

None

Value for money?  Good

Overall Reaction:  A lovely gift idea for Father’s Day. You can personalise the front and back. 

By Carol

Product:  Sennheiser MM 450 Travel Headphones

Price:  £219.99

Available from:  Amazon

Initial Reaction:  I have heard good things about Sennheiser so was keen to test them out.

Pros:

• Noise Reducing
• Has Bluetooth
• Use as hands free kit in the car
• Controls on the headset
• Padded ear-cushions
• Great sound quality
• Direct cable that includes adaptor for airplanes
• Comes with travel case

Cons:

• Takes a while to set it all up and work initially

Value for money?  It is a lot of money for pair headphones; however I listen to music a lot and travel quite a bit on trains and planes so these are perfect for this. I would get value for money out of these.

Overall Reaction: Great quality set of headphones that can be used for many things.

By Carol's Dad

Product:  100 Hits Dad CD

Price:  £6.99

Available from:  Amazon

Initial Reaction:  A huge collection of great tracks, something for every mood!

Pros:

• 5 CDs
• Split into different genres
• Good Sounds

Cons:

• None

Value for money?  Great value for money

Overall Reaction:  Great collection of music. A CD for every musical mood. 

By Carol's Dad 

Product:- Jabra Freeway

Price    Around £70                                       

  

Available from: Jabra.com.  Amazon                      

Initial Reaction:  I was immediately impressed with the features offered by the freeway, however there is a small price to pay for this, as the Freeway is larger than other speakerphones I have used (115mmx110mmx15mm)

Pros:                                                   

Easy to set up.

Can be paired to 2 devices

Calls can be made completely hands free.

Up to 14 hours talk time

Virtual surround sound.

Automatically turns on when you get in the car and off when you get out.

Cons:                                                  

Larger than some speaker phones

Misinterpreted some spoken commands

                                                               

Value for money? Good             

 

Overall Reaction:  The freeway offers many features, however due to it being larger than normal it could be a problem fitting on the smaller visors of small cars. There was only just enough space to fit it on my visor without obscuring the vanity mirror. I found it easy to set up and liked the fact that it can be paired to 2 devices.

The Freeway has worked very well to date, with good sound quality from the speakers and there being no issues with people not being able to understand me. Battery life has also been good.

Overall I would say the Freeway is good value for money.

By Sarah