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Friday 19 June 2015

Is romance dead? Some dads seem to think so

BRITISH dads would rather spend every moment of their spare time with their children than have an evening in with their partners.

Swapping romantic alone time for a kick around in the park with their kids, a study has found a quarter of British men would rather be with their children, favouring it to time with their wives or girlfriends. 

A study showed 26 per cent of men aimed to spend up to 10 hours a day with their children, with just five per cent of men opting for one-on-one time with their ladies. 

Research conducted by leading bed makers Silentnight discovered more than a quarter of dads surveyed valued family time so much they saw sitting down together at meal times as daily goal - aiming to dine with their kids at least once a day.

Interestingly in comparison to their parents generation, more than 25 per cent of men surveyed claimed to spend less time with their wives and girlfriends than their mums and dads.

Juggling the family balance 30 per cent of dads also believed they slept less and spent less time with their friends than their parents.

A quarter of dads claimed they spent more time with their children than their dads, with busy dads today sacrificing (27 per cent) sleep and hobbies to spend time with their kids.

Keen to be involved in day-to-day family rigmarole, Dads said a ‘good ingredient’ to a top day with the kids was planning leisure activities (32 per cent).

However despite being more hands on than ever, the poll of 1,461 UK parents lifted the lid on why dads are avoiding their better halves - in a bid to duck out of the housework.

While they may like being with the kids, shockingly only 14 per cent of men said getting the housework done was an achievement - while more than double the amount of women (37 per cent) made it one of their daily milestones. 

Instead dads were reluctant to avoid other family tasks, with 28 per cent enjoying taking their children to hobbies and only two per cent opting to duck out of the school run if they were having a busy day.

A spokesman for Silentnight, Nick Booth, said: “What is really interesting from the research is almost a third of dads said having a good nights sleep in preparation for the next day, improved time spent with their children.

“As a parent we are constantly juggling routines, social lives and work pressures, so sleep is very important to maximise time with our families.

“British dads are more hands on than ever, so it is more important we look after ourselves and make time for ourselves - which can be something as simple as a good nights sleep.”


Tuesday 9 June 2015

10 gifts to buy your boyfriend


Guys can be so difficult to buy presents for. 

However, don’t worry if your man doesn’t have an Amazon wishlist as there are lots of cute gifts you can buy him and the best part is- many of them won’t break the bank.

So if you want to buy the love of your life a present for Valentine’s Day, his birthday or Christmas, then check out these ideas:

Sweets with your name on them: 

Online there are lots of websites where you can personalise your confectionery. I really like the love heart sweets where you can pop your name on the wrapper and inside each candy has cute message already on them.  Marshmallow company boomf.com is also awesome as they will pop your photos on their sweets. 

Make him ‘Love’ vouchers:

Buy some multi-coloured index cards and on each one write a “service” you’ll provide him. Some can be romantic like a hug, kiss or massage or you can be a little bit naughty. Others can give a service like picking up his dry cleaning or walking his dog. 

Teddy Bear with a Message:

You can get an ordinary teddy bear and tie a message to its neck or you can order a personalised teddy bear from the Build a Bear shop. Teddy bears are one of the most cute boyfriend gift ideas. 

Create a Scrap Book: 

You probably have lots of pictures of the two of you. If you have paper mementos from dates – ticket stubs, concert programmes, etc., you can include them as well. He’ll appreciate that you went to all of the work to memorialise your relationship. 

Matching Jerseys: 

If he has a favourite player on a favourite sports team, get both of you jerseys to match. Include a note that you can wear them the next time you watch a game. He’ll appreciate the sentiment of the jerseys and he’ll also appreciate that you are eager to spend time with him while he’s watching the game. 

Message in a Bottle:

Write him a love letter and place it in a bottle. You can make it a romantic note filled with your hopes for the pair of you in the future or you can make it sexy. It’s a romantic and unique thing to do. 

Inscribed Watch

Over the years I’ve found men love watches- many actually like to build up a collection. If you save up to buy your man this type of gift then make sure you get a lovely message from yourself inscribed onto the back of his watch. An engraved watch is a classic gift and one he will cherish forever.

Mouse Pad:

Take a photo of yourself in a somewhat racy pose and then have it made into a mouse pad. That way, when he’s playing World of Warcraft or Grand Theft Auto, he’s thinking of you.

Recordable key chain:

Go to Amazon or an electronics store and get a recordable keyring. Then leave a romantic or sexy message on it. In my case my fiancĂ© says he loves my little catchphrases, so I bought him one with them all on it. He says he has 'Lindsey in his pocket'  And let’s face it, your man has got to keep his keys close – and that means he’ll keep you close too. 

Cook him his favourite meal

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and I totally agree. Guys love a woman who cooks for them and makes a fuss over them. So dim down the lights, cook him his favourite foods and get your sexy lingerie looked out as you will no doubt become dessert.