Father’s Day will soon be upon us and of course, one of the best feelings in the world is showering loved ones with gifts of appreciation, but there are other ways to show we care.

This Father’s Day, for my children, myself, and all the other mums out there, I propose that we all go back to basics and find inventive ways to show Dads some love. 

Show some interest in his hobbies

OK, they may be boring, but have you ever actually shown given any attention to Dad’s interests? From stereotypical football fanatics, to golf, motors, fishing and everything in between, Father’s Day is an opportunity to set some time aside and get involved. Dads are sure to love spending time with the children, painting model aeroplanes, uprooting home grown veg from the allotment, or cosying up on the sofa to watch some old-time TV classics.

Cook him up a tasty treat

Whether Dad loves steak and chips, Indian cuisine, or fish and chips, ditch the takeaway and spend an afternoon preparing a culinary delight for Sunday night. Is there really anything better than a home cooked meal, made from the heart?

Sort out a radio shout out

If your Dad still sticks on breakfast shows as he showers in the morning, why not call in to his favourite station and arrange a shout out? Get the kids together and come up with something short, but personal, and ask for it to be read out to the nation over the radio waves.

Get him something that he really wants

My husband is always telling me that I need to buy things that the recipiant will like, not just what I like and he is right. Making time time to find out about something your Dad really wants means that he doesn't have an unecessary amount of aftershave or socks.

The folk at Mainline Menswear very kindly sent us this Ted Baker Jonnys Core Mini Card Leather Wallet In Black, which is brilliantly priced at just £37.00 and is definitely something that my husband wants! He has been talking about getting a new wallet for ages, so I know that this gorgeous soft leather wallet will be perfect for Fathers Day from the girls.

Go on a family adventure

Forget costly tickets and absurd admission prices. That’s not what this is about. Days out with Dad can simply be family dog walks across the countryside, day trips to the beach, or a picnic at the park – with football nets nearby, of course.

Togetherness is key when you have the best Dad ever. (he is mine by the way but I will agree to disagree with you on this one)

So if you were as taken by the Ted Baker wallet as we were, we are thrilled to be able to give you the chance to win one. All you need to do is enter below. Be quick though .... it's not long until Fathers Day!!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Good luck!

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The Prize: Ted Baker Jonnys Mini Wallet - RRP £37
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End Date 14/06/2017 at 12am

We have just returned from a family holiday in Futerventura and I have actively encouraged my eldest daughter to use the Spanish she learns in language class at school while we have been away. Aside from this being good for her studies, I was a little horrified to learn that when the average Brit heads off abroad on their summer holidays, able to speak just eight words of the local language, according to a new research.

The study, commissioned by Holiday Autos found that French is the language Brits are most familiar with, with the average UK adult being able to rattle off up to 15 words. I learnt both French and Spanish at school but chose French at GCSE. In hindsight, I wish I had thought about this more as Spanish is more widely spoken across the world, especially as despite millions of Brits travelling to Spain this summer, the average holidaymaker knows just eight Spanish words.

 'Hello’, ‘yes’ and ‘goodbye’ are the most common words Brits know how to say in a foreign language, followed by ‘thanks’, ‘no’ and ‘good morning’. Three in ten of Brits can ask where the bathroom is and over a third can competently ask for a beer .... or prosecco in my case. 

The research showed that of the 1,500 respondents surveyed 23 percent said they holiday in popular resorts so there was no need to make an effort and speak the local language, which in my opinion is more than a little ignorant of us, even if it is true.

Hilariously though, being so limited with the local language has landed one in ten adults in hot water with problems occurring when ordering food and drinks, following directions and settling a bill.  In fact, the average holidaymaker has experienced three ‘lost in translation’ moments when on holiday. 

According to the poll .....

• One man asked for directions and kept being told the price of a chicken. 

• A holidaymaker thought he was asking a waiter where the toilet was, but was actually repeatedly asking where the man’s wife was. 

• Another asked for egg on his pancake and got a raw egg. 

• One respondent asked for a lemonade and ended up buying a newspaper. 

• Another respondent regularly got the French words for rabbit and bread around the wrong way. 

• A gentleman got a surprise in France when he asked for jam to go with his croissant and got a condom. 

• One respondent ended up with a slap around the face. To this day he doesn’t know what he said! 

Have you ever said anything that you were unsure of?

So I shall finish off by saying Au Revoir, Adios and Tchau. (thankfully I know what they all mean!!)

It is no secret that I love fashion and my husband may say that I am slightly obsessed with shopping but being fashionable isn't always about style. My husband also "may" have commented recently that I was too classy to wear a certain style of jeans (I won't comment which ones) but it really got me thinking about style and class.

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Outside the business world, we are constantly worrying about whether we are dressed in style. Or, have we fallen out of style completely and is it time to refresh our wardrobes? The same fear is not often apparent when you get dressed to head into the office Monday through Friday. Many people simply pick an outfit that looks somewhat conservative and formal from the wardrobe and then heads off on their merry way. 

But this is a mistake because style does matter, even in business. From the very beginning, business owners and employers are looking for candidates who are well dressed and well presented. Don’t forget, that an employee always represents the firm and business owners constantly have this in mind when conducting interviews.

Of course, style is important later on too. At a certain stage in business, you won’t just be providing a service to clients. It will be your job to win new customers and ensure that they want to sign on that dotted line. Believe it or not, people will be more likely to do this if you dress and look the part.

Without further ado then, let’s explore some of the possibilities that you should consider when choosing your office style.

The Right Accessories

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Well, first, you can think about buying the right accessory for the job. Women can look into getting a handbag or brief case while men, should probably just stick with the briefcase. A lot of office workers these days carry a rucksack, and this looks a tad ridiculous with a suit and tie. You should always aim to be a little more formal. As far as other accessories go, you may want to keep them to a minimum. You certainly shouldn’t walk into the office looking like you just robbed a jewelry store.

Suits, Skirts, And Shirts

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Men really don’t have that many options when choosing how to dress for the office. It’s a suit or nothing. In some companies, you can get away with an open-collared look without the blazer. As for women, we have a range of choices. We can opt for the skirt, pants, a fitted shirt or blouse matched with a blazer. In some businesses, you can even wear a stunning dress to work. Don’t forget to finish off your office outfit with the right shoes. The right shoes will complete any formal outfit and ensure that you look stunning in business or on the street.

Styled To Stun

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Finally, you should think about your hairstyle. You should certainly consider using a professional stylist for your hair, and you might even want to flick through Vogue to find the right choice for you. Weirdly enough, the style of your hair does say a lot about you. Or rather, people think it does. So, if you have a pixie cut, people might assume you are bold and edgy. And if you opt for long flowing locks, they might assume you are quite an elegant person. It really just depends on what type of impression you want to convey.

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The dread of the looming summer break is a long-standing quip between school run mums. Social media sees parents counting down the days, as children become bored and unoccupied, ‘ready to go back to school’. You know, swinging from the lightshades and dragging their siblings around by the ear.

I just know I’m not alone here. I’m surely not the only parent that can’t wait for the six week break to begin. Once May is out of the way, I find myself counting down the days until the end of term, when I can spend quality time with the kids. After all, blink and these years are gone. Gushing aside, there’s plenty more to celebrate about the upcoming end of term.

1. No more school runs

It’s not even as though you’ll get a lie in. We all know that those are a thing of the past. But, just imagine six whole weeks where it’s perfectly possible to stay in your PJs after 8am. No more screaming over unfound socks and shoes. No more school run traffic or compulsory morning walks. 

2. A break from hellish homework

Reading stories with infants can be cute. Pythagoras theorem with teens? Not so much. In fact, anything beyond finding fractions is simply out of the equation. How do children know this stuff? Did we know this stuff? Summer is a break for the brain.

3. Lunch is made at lunchtime

Is there anything worse than dragging yourself out of bed at 6:30am, only to prepare a packed lunch every single weekday morning. Yes, the better routine is to make it in the evening and pop it in the fridge. Does anyone actually stick to this, though? Summer shows us that sandwiches for lunch can be made at lunchtime. Who knew!? 

4. No school, no afterschool activities

We all want the best for our children, but I challenge you to find me any parent whose patience hasn’t been tried by afterschool club schedules. Music tuition, swimming lessons, Brownies, the list goes on. Oh and on, and on. And on. How splendid it will be come summertime, when beans-on-toast-Tuesdays and even whack-it-down-your-throat-Wednesdays are temporarily replaced by relaxed evening meals.

5. It’s not quite the end…

And of course, if you really are dreading the six weeks holidays, perhaps the best thing about a looming end of term is that we’re not quite there yet! Relax. There remains a few more weeks of child-free nine-while-threes. 

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