Father’s Day Gifts for Music Loving Dads

As a mum, one of the many things I do it help facilitate the buying of suitable Father’s Day gifts. In the past we’ve given socks, or hampers of goodies, but as my son is getting older, father and son are spending more and more time listening to music together. It’s nice that they can spend time together enjoying this shared interest, so it makes sense to find a gift they can enjoy together. Here are some ideas for Father’s Day gifts for music loving Dads.

Father’s Day Gifts for Music Loving Dads

Slipmats and retro record prints

Gail Myerscough is a renowned surface pattern designer and illustrator. Her mid-century inspired designs are utterly beautiful and would look amazing in any home. Gail’s recent collaboration with Tim Burgess, lead singer of The Charlatans brought her work to a whole new audience, together they created some exiting record prints and a gorgeous and highly collectable turntable. Her online shop features a number of gifts suitable for music loving Dads, including this colourful slipmat. Slipmats are the best way to customise your turntable setup, and this turntable upgrade is available for just £15.

If you liked the look of that, she has a whole collection of record inspired products, including prints, cushions, phone cases and notebooks.

Get him some gig tickets

Live music is always a bit of a treat. Is one of his favourite bands touring? There are thousands of venues, large and small, up and down the UK who have live music on, there’s bound to be something which will appeal. Here in Manchester we have an annual tribute festival, featuring loads of brilliant tribute acts at a fraction of the price of seeing the real deal. If you’re local to Manchester, you need to check out Festwich 2023!

Upgrade his headphones

Dad’s music isn’t always appreciated by everyone in the house, so treating him to a decent set of headphones for him to listen to his favourite tunes on, is a great idea. Beats headphones are some of the most popular headphones on the market, available in a range of colours with lots of different features to choose from, there are headphones to fit all budgets. We liked these Studio 3 Wireless Over Ear Headphones, which are a bit top of the range, but worth it if you wear headphones a lot. They’re designed for comfort, have a long lasting battery life and deliver a really clear, high quality sound.

Father's Day Gifts for Music Loving Dads

Big up the band t-shirt

Every self respecting music loving Dad has at least a couple of band t-shirts lurking in their wardrobe. Whether they’re the originals from the 90’s, or more recent purchases, there’s always room for another t-shirt. Band t-shirts are widely available, but if you’re looking for something a little different, Etsy has a good and varied collection to choose from.

Music mugs

The Manchester Bee Company make all kinds of great things, but their collection of music mugs could be just what your music loving man needs in his life. Choose from; Northern Soul, Music Snob, Put the needle on the record, or my personal favourite, Choose Vinyl. They also have a selection of music inspired keyrings available to order too!

Records from the local record store

Despite all the promises in the 90s that CDs were the future and vinyl records just needed putting on a bonfire, vinyl has gone from strength to strength. There’s a brisk trade in original vinyl records, re-issues and newly pressed records. If your Dad loves a bit of vinyl, I’d encourage you to seek out your local record store and either take him on a shopping trip, or buy him a voucher so he can choose what he wants in his own time. My local record store is (Mr) Sifters Records, you might have heard of him?

Is a smart speaker a smart choice?

It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but a smart speaker is an easy way to listen to music. We have a couple of Alexa smart speakers around the house. We find them handy to have for when we want to listen to something quickly, without having to search for the CD or record in the house.

Whatever you choose to give the music loving Dad in your life this Father’s Day, I’m sure he will love it.

Review: CarGoSeat a booster seat & suitcase for kids

AD – we were sent a CarGoSeat for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

With the holiday season upon us, we’ve been busy planning a summer of gadding about. Sure, we won’t be flying off on a world tour anytime soon, but we have a couple of short breaks booked which we hope to go on. The first of which is a trip to Ribby Hall in Lancashire, which seems the perfect time to put our new CarGoSeat through its paces.

Review: CarGoSeat a booster seat & suitcase for kids

The CarGoSeat is a great new car seat which combines a group 3 booster seat with a suitcase. The CarGoSeats have 10L of storage capacity, which is great for kids who want to pack their own case for a getaway. The case itself is lightweight which means kids can easily wheel it along with them on their travels.

The CarGoSeat is fully tested to the highest EU safety regulations (ECE R44/04 regulation safety standards) and has been rigorously crash tested. It also comes with a 12 month warranty. It is available in a range of colours, blue, green, purple or pink. We went for the blue which was popular with the boy; and it’s just the thing to take some books and toys away in for our little holidays this summer. It costs £49.99 and would be a good thing to have to save on car seat hire on holidays abroad.

Review: CarGoSeat a booster seat & suitcase for kids

It is really easy to fit and if you open the case there is an instruction booklet if you get stuck. It’s really well designed and you can tuck the seat-belts away inside the case when you’re using it as a suitcase. The seat is padded and comfortable and is suitable for children who are 125cm or taller and weigh 22-36kg. The seat pad is washable and the rest of the CarGoSeat is made of plastic; so it’s great for wiping down any spills you get in transit.

Review: CarGoSeat a booster seat & suitcase for kids

What I liked about this is it’s well built but lightweight; so it’s ideal as a spare booster seat if we are taking extra kids out for the day. I thought it was excellent value for money. The boy was thrilled and wanted to start packing for our next getaway (in a month, he’s excited).

We really liked the CarGoSeat. It’s ideal for short breaks and getaways. My son is really excited about having his own luggage; and he thought the seat was comfortable and pretty cool too. I liked the bright colour and how lightweight it was. I feel a bit more ready for my holiday now, just need to pack some suncream!

Review: CarGoSeat a booster seat & suitcase for kids

For more information about the CarGoSeat or to buy your own, visit their website.

Remembering the good times with My-Picture.co.uk

During these long lockdown days we’ve been trying to slow down a bit and spend more time together as a family. Naturally my camera has been working overtime. Whilst some families have been making scrapbooks or time capsules, I have been taking lots of photos and squirrelling away some of his drawings to make into a photo book of our time in lockdown together.

Remembering the good times with My-Picture.co.uk

This really feels like a once in a lifetime situation, and I hope it is. Despite all the fun we’ve had together, there’s a lot of stress too. My boy has had three months off school and that’s the longest he’s been at home since he was a tiny baby. We have tried to make the most of that extra time together. We’ve camped in the garden and done all kinds of crafts and fun things together. We have the makings of a brilliant photo book and some new canvas prints for around the place too.

I have an idea to take photos of some of his drawings and make them into a big photo collage for the kitchen; which I think will look fab. I’ve discovered My-Picture.co.uk which is a website which prints all kinds of photo gifts, from canvas prints, to mugs and cushions, and you can even get a custom face mask which is just the thing if you’re venturing out again and need to do so safely and importantly, fashionably.

Remembering the good times with My-Picture.co.uk

Over the years I’ve become the family photographer, documenting all of our fun times and first times; our holidays and adventures. Never did I think I would be documenting three months or more of working and studying from home. There have been a lot of things I’d like to forget; but the gift of being at home full time with my son is one I want to remember forever; not to mention all the good times and fun times we’ve had together.

It’s been really helpful to be able to order prints and photo gifts to send to family who we haven’t been able to see for a while too.

Remembering the good times with My-Picture.co.uk

Whether you’re making a scrapbook, a time capsule or like me, putting together a photo book; these are times we need to make the most of and times we need to remember forever. It’s been a real gift to be able to slow down and spend time with my boy. I’m so glad I’ve been able to capture and remember those times on camera. Memories, good memories which will stay with us forever.

HODGEPODGE10– Using this code you will be able to get an additional 10% off all purchases from the www.my-picture.co.uk website.

You can find My-Picture.co.uk on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Five things you could get your Dad for Father’s Day

Dad’s are easy to buy for aren’t they? A snazzy pair of socks and some beer and they’re happy. But surely we can do a bit better than that? Dad’s are brilliant and if you can’t treat them on Father’s Day, when can you? I’ve got a few nice ideas for things that aren’t socks to give your dad this Father’s Day.

If Dad is a fan of Star Wars, then he might like everyone’s favourite wingman, Chewbacca as a present. Posh Paws have recently released their Chewbacca range, featuring lots of our favourite characters from Star Wars.

Star Wars Toys: Posh Paws Chewbacca Collection

If Star Wars isn’t this thing, then Hallmark have a really huge selection of Itty Bittys to choose from. Last year the boy painted a Superman mug for his Dad and we put a Superman Itty Bitty in it. They’ve got Marvel Itty Bittys, as well as Disney, Star Wars, DC Comics, Super Hero Girls, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Wizard of Oz, Peanuts and Wedding itty bittys.

Five things you could get your Dad for Father's Day

We got one of these brilliant MANCUNIAN t-shirts for my other half last year. It was by far his favourite present of the year. From The Manchester Bee Company, this t-shirt is just £15 and is about the coolest thing a Manc can wear. They also have loads of other Manchester Bee themed gifts and t-shirts for Proper Mancs.

Five things you could get your Dad for Father's Day

We love making memories, so a Merlin Annual Pass would make fora brilliant Father’s Day present. Whether you fancy the thrills and spills of Alton Towers or Chessington World of Adventures. Or if you love a bit of LEGOLAND or spending time at a SEA LIFE Centre, the Merlin Annual Pass is just the thing to help you and your family make memories.

Merlin Annual Pass launches its BIG January sale

If your Dad is more of a foodie, what about a nice hamper? A foodie treat always goes down well in our house. This hamper from hamper.com is a lovely celebration of Australian food and drink, it was a real Father’s Day treat for my better half. Plus it’s just the thing to get delivered if you’re not going to see Dad on Father’s Day.

Father's Day Gifts: A hamper fit for a barbecue king!

Lastly, don’t forget to buy your Dad a card. Hallmark have some lovely Father’s Day cards this year, something for every Dad, whatever he’s interested in. Personally the boy has plumped for the card with the badge on, because cards with badges are the best kind of cards!

Five things you could get your Dad for Father's Day

What will you be buying the Dads in your life for Father’s Day? Have you got any exciting ideas planned?

Father’s Day Gifts: A hamper fit for a barbecue king!

With Father’s Day being in June, it’s a bit of a tradition for us to mark the occasion with a barbecue in the sunshine. The whole family come together, grill some meat, eat huge salads and just hang out together. It’s a lovely relaxed way to spend the day in celebration of the Dads in the family. This year, in a nod to family tradition I’ve ordered an Australian Indulgence hamper for my other half.

The Australian Indulgence hamper is described as “the ultimate hamper for Aussie food lovers”; or just a great thing to bring along to a barbecue. The hamper includes all the things you’d associate with Australia – a jar of Vegemite, a packet of Tim Tams, some Australian Red and White Wine, Bundaberg drinks, a Cherry Ripe bar, Arnotts barbecue shapes, caramelised onion chutney, and of course a bottle of barbecue Sauce.

Father's Day Gifts: A hamper fit for a barbecue king!

The hamper comes in an open wicker gift basket which is a handy thing to have once you’ve finished all the goodies inside. Delivery was free and you can choose next or named day delivery too. I always like it when I can choose the delivery date. You can add a gift message too.

We’ve ordered ours early and it’s been put away ready for Father’s Day. The boy will be making a nice gift card of his own to go with it and I need to pop to the butchers and order some sausages; but otherwise that’s Father’s Day pretty much sorted in one lovely hamper!

The products in this Australian Indulgence Hamper are really recognisable; especially if you’ve been brought up on a TV diet of Home and Away and Neighbours.

Father's Day Gifts: A hamper fit for a barbecue king!

We’ve had a few different hampers before, what I liked about this was it was most definitely a hamper and not just a cardboard box of stuff. Everything was well chosen and I know he will really enjoy the contents. My other half literally has everything he could ever want or need. These days we tend to buy food and drink gifts for him and this really hits the mark.

This hamper cost £79 but hamper.com have a really good range of Father”s Day hampers from £25 and to suit all kinds of tastes. Personally I’d be very happy with the whisky and cheese hamper, but I guess I’ll have to drop some hints closer to my birthday.

I know this Australian Indulgence Hamper will go down a storm at our Father’s Day barbecue; with wine and Tim Tams for pudding how could it not?

What are you doing for Father’s Day? What kid of hamper would your Dad enjoy?

Disclosure: We were sent this hamper for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

Treads School Shoes – Are they indestructible?

We were sent a pair of Treads school shoes for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

I’m not sure what my 7 year old son does with his school shoes. Within a day or two of wearing them, they are usually scuffed and fraying. I constantly despair that I spend around £50 a time on something which within 48 hours of first wear look like they’ve been run over by a truck. Treads are a new kind of shoe. They come with a one year guarantee and are said to be indestructible. But can they cope with the treatment my son routinely dishes out to his footwear?

We chose the Madrid style, which is the style of show he usually wears for school. They have velcro straps to fasten them and are comfortable, trainer style shoes, but smart enough to pass a uniform inspection. They are £45 (but are currently just £35 – a bargain!).

Treads School Shoes - Are they indestructible?

These Madrid school shoes are designed for active children. They’re made with soft permair leather and the tough, durable sole is moulded to the upper, so no glue. They have reinforced heels, reinforced seams, they’re scuff proof and have a shock absorbing insole. They appear to be very well-made. My son tends to wear the toes of his shoes quicker than anything else, so it was good to see that the toe area has been reinforced.

Treads School Shoes - Are they indestructible?

These school shoes are fitted with ‘dual fit’ technology which means there is a padded and shaped insole inside which you can remove if you need a wider fit for the shoe. I think this is a great idea, I know the width of my son’s feet seems to change each time we get him measured.

Treads School Shoes - Are they indestructible?

Treads currently have eight different styles of shoe to choose from and the Madrid style we have chosen are perfect for my son. They’re easy to get on and have the easy velcro strap fastener, so he can have them on and be off running within a moment.

The Treads school shoes arrived during the Easter holidays; so although he’s not worn them to school yet, he has worn them for several days to break them in. He’s worn them to an adventure playground and to a local farm; so I feel he’s given them a good work out.

He’s told me that they’re very comfortable, or in his words “like my slippers”. The soles have really good grips and he’s walked over slippy surfaces at the farm in them with no problems. The adventure playground was full of things he could and should have scuffed them on; but apart from some mud splatters they look as good as new.

I am absolutely delighted with them. We’ve tried rough, tough “indestructible” shoes before from leading brands; but they’ve all come home after a few days looking battered and bruised. I have incredibly high hopes for these Treads school shoes. I think, I really really do think these might actually be genuinely indestructible. Even if they’re not, they do have a one year guarantee.

There are several different styles of school shoes on the Treads website, with a girls range planned for next year. If your children have a habit of destroying their school shoes; then I’d say it was well worth having a look at TREADS to see if they are the answer.

Treads School Shoes - Are they indestructible?

Update: Feb 2022. Regrettably Treads ceased trading in 2021, which is a shame because we were big fans and always bought their shoes for school.

Chocolate-Free Alternative Easter Gifts for Kids

When I was a child (about a million years ago) we got one chocolate Easter Egg at Easter, if we were lucky. These days my son gets so many chocolate eggs that it takes him weeks to eat his way through them all. A couple of years ago we decided that we would just get him one egg and one or two little Easter Gifts on the side.

Don’t get me wrong, Easter in our house is mostly about giving, receiving and hunting for chocolate eggs. At Easter he gets more chocolate than he can cope with, so giving him something different as Easter gifts makes sense. I’ve picked out some simple and inexpensive ideas for alternative Easter gifts for kids.

What's on in Manchester this Easter?

Hatching Dinosaur Eggs

You can get these absolutely everywhere these days and they’re really fun to hatch. Soak your dino egg in water for 24-48 hours and the egg will crack open and a dinosaur will emerge. We’ve had cheap ones from the pound shop and more expensive ones for around £5. The quality of the dino figure was MUCH better in the £5 egg, so choose wisely. A cracking little Easter present!

LEGO Easter Bunny Hut 5005249

For LEGO fans, what better gift than the new LEGO Seasonal Iconic Easter Minifigure (5005249). Every Easter LEGO brings out a seasonal collectible minifigure and this year’s Easter Bunny is super-cute! This highly sought after LEGO collectible will probably be snapped up quickly, so if you see it, buy it. I believe it is currently available in Sainsbury’s for £4, but will probably sell out fast!

Easter Craft Kits

Easter is a time which is ripe for crafting. There are so many Easter and spring themed crafts you can do with the kids, but we like to buy a couple of Easter Craft Kits and do a few different crafty things over the Easter break. Baker Ross make lots of really colourful and fun craft kits, they usually contain everything you need to make the craft so they’re easy to throw on the table and do with no lengthy set up. We always add a craft kit or two to his Easter bag of goodies.

Tiddlytubbies Board Book

Say eh-oh to the Tiddlytubbies in this bright and colourful board storybook for toddlers! The Teletubbies love to visit their friends the Tiddlytubbies. Now you can visit them too in a storybook that’s ideal for reading and sharing together, not to mention, a really lovely chocolate-free gift for woddlers and toddlers!

Chocolate-Free Alternative Easter Gifts for Kids

The Teletubbies are a great way to introduce little ones to early learning concepts such as colours, counting and numbers. The colourful world of Teletubby land is especially designed to capture little imaginations. These books are perfect for babies and toddlers aged 1+, cost just £4.99 and are widely available.

Playmobil Easter Eggs

Playmobil have really upped their game this Easter. They’ve been making eggs for a number of years now, but this year the range seems to be bigger and brighter than ever. Choose from Dragon Warrior; Kite Surfer; Queen Moonbeam; Tightrope Walker; Vet with Foals; Fairies with Magic Cauldron; Girl with Dino Egg and many, many more! They cost around £6.99 and are a great alternative to standard Easter Eggs.

Easter Treats - Make and Melt Chocolate Egg Heads

Choc On Choc Make and Melt Chocolate Egg Heads kit

Ok, I did promise you a chocolate-free list of alternative Easter gifts, but I had to include this one. The Choc On Choc Make and Melt Chocolate Egg Heads kit contains everything you will need to make and decorate some chocolate eggs. We reviewed it a few weeks ago and whilst everything didn’t go entirely to plan, it was the most fun. It combined three of our favourite things – cooking, crafting and eating chocolate. The kit costs £12 and is a brilliant way to spend an afternoon with the kids. There may be fights over who gets to lick the spoon though!

Cool Customised T-Shirts?

What about a cool customised t-shirt? Printsome are a small company who specialise in printing t-shirts. You could get one of your child’s drawings printed onto a t-shirt, or a photo of their cat, or anything your wild and wonderful imagination can come up with. These t-shirts are also great for groups or to wear for parties. How about matching t-shirts for the whole family this Easter?

What do you think of my alternative Easter gifts? What, if anything will you be giving the kids this Easter?

This blog post contains affiliate links.

Five Gorgeous Unicorn Gifts for under £10

If 2017 could be defined by a mythical creature, it would be the unicorn. This noble beast is so popular this year that I know Father Christmas will be stuffing his stockings with these magical horned horses. Everyone is into unicorns right? Right. So whether you’re buying for a small unicorn loving child, or the unicorn-crazy woman you got in the office Secret Santa, I’ve picked out five gorgeous unicorn gifts for under a tenner. You can’t say fairer than that!

Unicorn Gifts – One

This unicorn badge set (£7.50) contains not one, not two but three stylish unicorn badges. These are made with embroidery thread, stitched in bright colours and come with a gold badge pin. Pin them to your bag, coat or jumper, however you wear them you’ll make a real splash!

Unicorn Gifts – Two

For the girl (or boy) who thinks they have everything, it turns out they don’t. What they really need is a unicorn tape dispenser (£10) which comes complete with a roll of rainbow sticky tape. We’ve reached peak unicorn and I’m happy here.

Unicorn Gifts – Three

If a unicorn tape dispenser isn’t enough (what is wrong with you?), then the matching unicorn rainbow pencil set (£10) must surely hit the spot. Together these make up the unicorn stationery dream team. Don’t they? They must, surely.

Unicorn Gifts – Four

If you’re getting ready for a night out and you’re not wearing unicorn nail varnish (£7) are you even ready? This unicorn nail polish is full of rainbow sparkles confetti and promises give your nails the unicorn magic they need. All nails need unicorn magic don’t they?

Unicorn Gifts – Five

Lastly, if you’re taking notes in a meeting and you need people to respect you for the unicorn lover that you are, then you need this unicorn pencil and topper (£3.95). This cute white unicorn pencil topper complete with golden horn, fluffy pink tail and mane. Using this will ensure your work stands out while you scribble, sketch and scribe.

Please note these unicorn gifts are also suitable for children, but do you really want to share them?

Sleep tips & Phil Spencer at the Silentnight flagship showroom

Over the Bank Holiday weekend I went along to the opening of the new Silentnight flagship showroom at Barton Square in the intu Trafford Centre near Manchester. Sleeping or thinking about sleeping is one of my favourite things to do, I was keen to have a look around and have a bounce on some of their beds.