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Mother’s day needn’t be a cliché, do something special on the 14th March!

Posted by: Emily   February 23rd 2010

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Mother’s Day (14th March in the UK) is traditionally a day when mums are supposed to hang-up their aprons (not that many wear them these days) and have a rest while their family treat them to lots of lovely gifts and surprises.

The surprise for mum on mothering Sunday though is generally that the family come to visit and instead of resting, mum spends the day in the kitchen preparing a feast for them all. Later mums day of rest is further hindered by clearing up after her guests once they have eaten.

You could avoid both these mothering Sunday disasters by taking your mum out for a meal in a restaurant, thus removing the need to cook and clear away afterwards. Remember to book well in advance though as Mothers day is always a busy time for restaurants.

Why not buy your mother a lasting gift this Mother's Day?

Chocolates, perfume and bath salts are very cliché, though flowers are always a firm favourite with mothers. You could make a more lasting gift, by instead buying a potted plant or better still a young tree. The benefit of this type of Mother's Day gift is that it can last years and is an ongoing reminder of your affection for your mum. If you can spare the time, plant the tree (in mums desired location) to avoid creating yet more work for your busy mother on her special day. Another benefit of buying a plant or a tree is that they are fairly inexpensive Mother's Day gifts.

Make Mother’s day extra special by booking a spa day

If you want to treat your mum to a special day sparing no expense, why not treat her to a night at the theatre, cinema tickets or a spa day. Spa days are very popular with busy women not just busy mums and can be a great way to relax and unwind far from the stresses of everyday life. Perhaps buy two tickets so your mother can take a companion.

Fun gifts for Mother's Day
Fun Mother's Day gifts that are a little unusual and unique might include things like these funky toed socks, or this lovely chocolate cake shaped candle.

At less than £5 you can’t go wrong. You just have to make sure she doesn’t eat it as it looks so realistic!

Meanwhile these massage socks are a great way to encourage your mothers partner to get into the spirit of Mother’s Day. They are cotton socks with the reflexology points printed on the soles. All dad has to do is rub!

Unusual gifts for Mother’s Day
Meanwhile for something unique and different you could arrange for your mother to star in a classic novel. For as little as £19.99, your mothers name can be substituted for that of a leading character in a number of well-known novels including Pride and Prejudice.

This is a unique gift most mothers won’t have and they can’t fail to be impressed.

If that isn’t unusual enough, how about naming a rose after your mum? This rose naming gift box allows you to do exactly that. The gift includes everything you need to grow your own rose, name it and have it officially entered in the International Rose Name Directory.

Give your mum a special gift this mothers day and most importantly don’t leave it until the last minute or else chocolates, flowers and perfume is what it will be for the tenth year running!



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How to buy gifts for men that don’t wind up at the car boot sale

Posted by: Emily   January 25th 2010

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Why do we women struggle so much when it comes to buying men gifts? Unlike multi-faceted, multi-tasking, multiple personality (at times) women, men are fairly simple creatures with fairly basic needs. Feed them, lavish them with affection, ensure they get enough exercise and they’ll remain loyal and content. But wouldn’t it be nice to surprise them with a really magnificent, unique present that let’s them know how special they are?

If you’re thinking of giving your man gifts of socks, underwear, aftershave or a new shaver again this year, you won’t be alone. These types of gifts form the bulk of the ‘gifts for men’ market. Given we are rarely satisfied with such unimaginative gifts (perfume, choccies, flowers, new toaster) why not think outside the box and put together a unique gift package for your man.

One thing you can’t do when buying gifts for men is ask them what they want as they’ll invariably say that they don’t want a gift. That or they say ‘just get me whatever’. The whole idea of gift buying baffles most men and as they have a hard enough time trying to decide what to buy their women, when it comes to them they’d simply rather not think about it.

Here for your convenience is a list of unusual, romantic and funny gift ideas that will surprise and amuse even the most present resistant male.

Shared gift experiences for men – weekend breaks and theatre tickets
How about taking your man to see a show at the theatre? Book tickets to see their favourite band etc. as a surprise. Perhaps book a romantic room in a nice hotel and make a weekend of it. Men rarely get treated like this as they are often the ones doing the ‘treating’ so this would be extra special and is a romantic and unusual gift that is sure to be appreciated by your man.

Romantic gifts for men
One of the mistakes women make is that while expecting their man to be romantic, they don’t expect that their man might appreciate some romance in return. Often it is the case that men love romantic gestures despite the odd feigned protest to the contrary. You can buy some lovely and very inexpensive romantic gifts for men which they are sure to enjoy.

Name a star after him!
What could be more eternal than naming a star after someone?

Love on toast
I wouldn’t give the toast design-kit to your man as a gift, but rather use it to make his toast with. Not only will he enjoy you making breakfast (if you don’t already) but having a love message on the toast is all the more romantic.

Love heart sweets
One of the simplest gifts I gave my man was a sherbet lollypop. He loved it because I’d remembered him telling me they were his favourite sweet as a child. This showed him I was listening! I gave it to him without warning while we were out walking in the hills. So you see, even something as cheap as a 20p lollypop can work as a romantic gift for a man. (Note this gift combines the food, affection and exercise need as mentioned in the first paragraph!)

Men want to feel special and know that we’re thinking of them just as much as we do re them.

Funny gifts for men
‘The Guide To Doing Me’ Book!
This is a very popular, funny gift for men not to mention quite useful! It is an instruction manual you put together yourself to let your man how to make love to you. ALL men would love to know what makes us tick in a graphical way rather than having to guess and read ambiguous visual clues. This funny, inexpensive, gag gift for your man is a sure winner.

I have some more great gift ideas for men coming soon, stay tuned!

Tags: Gifts for Men   romantic gifts for men   
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Wheelie bins trap UK home owners in their own homes

Posted by: Beaker   January 25th 2010

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The average household now has 3 wheelie bins. For terraced houses with little to no gardens this means they are virtually trapped inside their homes as the wheelie bins block the pavement and path.

Tags: wheelie bins   cartoon   humour   
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Sex Tips from 1894

Posted by: Beaker   January 20th 2010

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Oh my, but how times have changed. Glancing through genuine, well meaning advice written just over 100 years ago for young brides, you get a real sense of how social mores have changed.

The clear message that Ruth Smythers, wife of the Reverend L. D. Smythers wants to get across to young wives everywhere, is without doubt: 'Give little, give seldom, and above all, give grudgingly'.

Men, she asserts, are by nature perverted, and without her recommended range of behaviour-modifying techniques and ruthless browbeating, 'would engage in quite a variety of the most revolting practices'.

A brief but highly entertaining read, and without doubt, a fantastic hen night gift for a girl with a sense of humour!


Sex Tips for Husbands and Wives from 1894


Tags: humour   unusual book   sex tips   
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Global warming debate continues as snow brings the UK to a standstill

Posted by: Beaker   January 15th 2010

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Snow in the UK has brought traffic and businesses to a standstill.


Tags: global warming   snow   cartoon   
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Top Stocking Fillers

Posted by: Beaker   December 9th 2009

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When it comes to Stocking Fillers we know our satsuma from our walnut!  Here's the run down on this year's top Stocking Fillers, there's something for everyone!

Pac-Man Candy Sours Ghost - Cherry

Jelly Belly Lip Balm - Bubblegum

Monster Hands

Squishy Mesh Ball

Retro Sweets Pile

Marshmallow Fluff

Drinks Monitor Badge

MonKeys

Stripy Toe Socks

Top Gear Stig Keyring Torch

One Million Pound Note

Shower Cap - Frog

Jelly Belly Gum Balls

Train Set Jigsaw Puzzle

Snog Me Senseless Lip Balm

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Mr Men - do exactly what it says on the tin

Posted by: Beaker   November 3rd 2009

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If you grew up in the UK at some point during the last 30 years or so, then you've almost certainly encountered Mr Men. They're as much a part of childhood as bike stabilisers or those weirdly blunt scissors that were too safe to cut anything.

So ask anyone, and they've got a favourite Mr Man. There's quite a wide variety. Just asking the people around me right now, we've already identified Mr Strong, Mr Tickle, Mr Grumpy, Mr Silly and Mr Bump as being particularly memorable.

But ask why, and that's a bit more tricky to answer. 'Mr Strong, he's just really, strong, you know? And red...'.  For the same sort of reasons, people seem less fond of poor old Mr Happy. 'He's always so happy. Why does he have to be smiling all the time?'.

Mr Men are what they are. There's no hidden depths, what you see it what you get, and it's that simplicity that makes us remember them, whether we love them or hate them.

And the moral of the story is that  no-one loves the relentless cheerful guy.


Tags: mr men   little misses   
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Inflatable Zimmers - what's with the rush?

Posted by: Beaker   October 21st 2009

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We're somewhat flummoxed by the massive rush on Inflatable Zimmer Frames this week.

Apparently you guys just can't get enough of them!

We're a little concerned there may be a whole community out there of the Inflatable Elderly who haven't been able get down the shops for a while.

If we find out where they are, we'll lay on an inflatable bus for them.






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A Real Rock'n'Ruler?

Posted by: Beaker   October 21st 2009

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Queen's Crazy Little Thing Called Love accompanied as we've never seen it before, by ruler!



Proof yet again that if you're musically inclined then not even being stuck in the office is going to stop you making beautiful music.

There's some great twanging going on, and swapping to mini-ruler at the end for the guitar solo is sheer genius!

If you're feeling inspired, check out our Musical Ruler, and have a go yourself!


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What are you obsessed about?

Posted by: Emily   September 23rd 2009

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I’m obsessed about shoes, boots and coats. I have far too many of all these things. I’m just as interested in the rest of my outfit but as these are the part of the outfit that close the deal in terms of style they have to be right! A classy pair of shoes can dress up the drabbest of outfits and a chic coat can hide it all together.

I’m also obsessed with Star Trek. I mainly watch Voyager and New Generation and if I don’t get my daily fix (courtesy of Sky TV) I’m not a happy bunny. It helps me relax before bed and I often watch it to unwind. I’m not quite a Trekky though. I haven’t learned Klingon and I don’t go to Star Trek conventions. Yet!

My partner is obsessed with ‘how to load the dishwasher’. It has be loaded a particular way or he empties it and starts again loading it his way. I won’t elaborate on his other obsessions as he’s not here to defend himself.

I used to know a guy who was so obsessed with a tidy home that he would follow his girlfriend to the settee combing the carpet behind her as she went. He wanted the pile to all point in one direction and so had to straighten it obsessively as he moved around the room. Staying home with a good film and a bottle of wine was not an option when you can’t relax for fear of bending a single carpet strand.

I recall watching a daytime show where the male contestants were so obsessed with certain female pop stars that they specifically set out to find and date women that resembled them. Once married the men then encouraged the women to dress and act like their favourite stars. The show gave the wives professional makeovers to satisfy this obsession more completely. If it were me I’d have told my man, when he transforms himself into Jon Bon Jovi, I’ll transform myself into Cheryl Cole. It’s never going to happen!

I had an ex partner who was obsessed with checking he had everything before boarding or leaving public transport. He could have made this easier for himself by keeping all important documents (passports and tickets, wallet etc) in one easy to locate place. But he didn’t. All items would be randomly distributed amongst his luggage making the whole ‘checking’ procedure very long and complicated.

What are you obsessed about and why?



Tags: tv   obsession   star trek   
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