Not the usual Fathers Day Gift ideas 2009

Every year I struggle with what to give my Grandfather for Father’s Day. I know that most people don’t give Fathers Day gifts to their Grandfather, but I started when I stayed with them when I went to College. The problem I have always had is that my Grandfather is one of those people who buys what he likes so he already has everything. This year I found a web site that has just changed it from desperately trying to find something he will like that my budget can survive to having to pare down what I would like to give him to one that I give him this year and earmark the rest for next year. Though it is more the matter of picking which one do I give him for Father’s Day, then his Birthday and Christmas this year.

It is nice to have to spend more time deciding what gift to give him then trying to find one he might like.

There are two gift baskets for him I am trying to pick from: Gourmet Delights and the Hamper Gift for Him. Both have a nice selection of things he would like. I know he would enjoy the wine and the specialty foods. I am more drawn to the Hamper Gift for Him simply because the snacks are something I know he would enjoy, and with the Gourmet Delights I just think he would like but I am not a 100% he would like as much as the Hamper Gift for Him.

I know he loves Chocolate but I never thought to give it to him for Father’s Day. It always seemed to be a gift for Mothers day. The packaging never looked right to give to my Grandfather. Now I have 4 different Chocolate gifts I would love to give him: Jessica Walker Chocolate Tower, the Chocolate Heaven Gift Box, Guylian Chocolate Hamper or the Chocolate Pyramid gift box. I know my Grandfather would love any of these but I like the box the pyramid one comes in. I am sure he would love the Guylian Chocolate Hamper because it has a nice variety of chocolates. I just know if I send it to his office it would never make it home.

I am going to have to take some time to think this one over. Though there is one gift basket that stands out for me: the Ale and Cheese Gift Basket. Cheese is an addiction for my Grandfather, and I think he would enjoy the ale. It seems to have the perfect combination for him. The more I think about it the more sure I am that this is the right one for this Fathers Day.

Single Mom’s Fathers Day dilemma

So what do you do when you are a single Mom and Fathers day comes along? Things are fine if the Dad still has consistent positive contact with their kids. Unfortunately this is not always the case.

As a child I had limited contact with my Dad. My Mother never had me do anything for Fathers day. Eventually I chose to make and send my Dad Fathers day gifts. I made that decision on my own. It was my way to reach out to my Dad. It did not change a thing and eventually I stopped, again my decision. It could not have been easy for my Mother to let me do this year after year only to be let down by my Dad yet again.

I have several friends who are single Mothers having to deal with difficult Fathers day decisions. The fathers are either absent, abusive or not reliable; i.e. say they will show up and don’t.

The ones with the absent or abusive Dads cannot let their kids see their Dads for obvious reasons. With the unreliable Dads do you make plans for your kids to spend Fathers day with him? You know that there is a higher chance of him canceling or just not showing up then there is of him actually spending time with his kids. Is it better to have no contact or to not make planes or live with the possibility of him rejecting and hurting your kids again?

This is an incredibly difficult situation to be in. If your child wants to do something for Fathers day let them, even if you know that Dad is not going to respond. The truth is that at this point it is not for the Dad but for the child. Let them be just like their friends, making something for Dad. It is also a good way to let kids express themselves and deal with their feelings.

As a parent it can be heartbreaking to see your child reaching out to someone who is just not there. Kids are not stupid. They figure it out eventually. They will make cards that ask, “Why don’t you play with me, like me, love me?” Let them say what they want. No matter what you will still have to find a way to be there for your kids and let them know that it is not them, their Dad is the one with the problem.

How to deal with it? Don’t force your kids to make Fathers day anything and don’t stop them if they want to. Then make the day about them, not their Dad.

Fathers Day Gifts for the BBQ king

A brand new top of the line BBQ with all the bells and whistles would be the best gift for the king of BBQ. There are lots of new BBQ’s out this year so it should be easy to find one that fits your budget, and his back yard.

A portable BBQ is also a great gift, this way he can be the BBQ king whereever he goes. There are some outstanding new portable BBQ’s out this year, both in the propane or charcoal styles. It is just a matter of shopping around and finding the right one for your father.

Propane and BBQ accessories such as a rotisserie add on for his current BBQ can also be good gifts. I did find some interesting accessories on line. I found two different companies that make personalized branding irons for the BBQ. This way he can put his mark on anything he BBQ’S. I thought that it would make an unusual gift, but a fun one. I also found a wireless talking BBQ and oven thermometer. This is a useful and cool gift for the dad who likes having the newest techno gadget out and loves to BBQ.

I am sure the branding iron and thermometer can be found at lots of places here are the links for where I found them. I think it may be someone’s affiliate link to the different sites because they were on a page of ads. It still gets you to site though so you can see what I am talking about.

Barbecue Branding Iron
Personalized Branding Iron for the Grillmaster
wireless talking bbq + oven thermometer

A BBQ or grilling tool set also makes a nice gift. There is lots of grilling tool sets available at almost any store so it should be easy to find one for any budget. There are some quite elaborate sets to simple basic ones. I found all kinds of sets online, some with things I had no idea what they were used for, but my husband thought they were grate and wanted them all.

The BBQ gift basket is always winner. I have to admit that this is what I would give my Grandfather every year. I had a lot of fun with it. We have some local specialty shops that carry every type of sauce and spice you can think of from hot and spicy to sweet and sticky and every combination known to man. I would go grab a couple of different bottles of BBQ sauce and marinades for him to try out. I always put in new BBQ mitts as he always in need of those. If a funky new BBQ lighter out I would put it in. One year I did not use a basket but got him this great carrying/serving tray and put it all on that. It was big and he used it all the time after that. I would also look for fun theme plates, cups or BBQ accessories to add in. He ended up with some of the strangest things, but he liked it and I had fun getting it all. Every year was different, and what he got depended on my budget but it was always fun.

10 Fathers Day gifts for the Dad who is positively medieval

This is for those guys who love castles, knights, siege weapons and anything else medieval. This is what my husband loves, so of course I have been shopping around. I have created a list of things I found for others who are also looking for medieval gift ideas for Fathers Day. It is nice to find unusual gifts and I like shopping, and I don’t mind sharing what I find.

Please note that this is just a list of with the sites and prices I found. I am sure that these or similar items can be found on other website.

Working Wood Siege Tower. This is a little siege tower is a1/18th scale replica of a 13th century war engine. It actually shoots a clay ball over 10 feet. It is a kit so it has to be made, but that is half the fun. The kit comes with rolling wheels; lowering drawbridge and firing catapult and includes some modeling clay for projectiles. Requires scissors and white glue. I found this at x-tremegeek for $39.95.
R/C Jousting Knights. This one just made me laugh. Each set comes with two horses, nights and lances. I can see my husband and son having mini jousting tournaments. Each one trying to knock off the others knight from the remote controlled horse. This just looks like to much fun. I found this at Think Geek for $24.99.

Monty Python Mini Bobble Heads. This will work for anyone who is a Monty Python fan. There is the Black Knight or a Knight of NI to pick from. They are definitely different but fun. I found them at Think Geek for $6.99 each.
Wooden War Engine Kits. I found two kits here, one for a catapult and one for a trebuchet. You have to put them together and will need a cutting tool and glue. The catapult is perfect for chucking balls of paper and other small objects over cubicle walls. The trebuchet is better for long-range targets. I can just see getting this and the working wood siege tower and end up having a mini war on my hands. I think it would be a lot of fun for everyone. I just don’t think it would just be paper balls being used. Get some of the guys together and I don’t want to think what they will send flying into the air. These I found at Think Geek for $19.99 up to $34.99.

Lifesize Office Warrior Weapons. This set has useable (people sized) sword, axe, and shield made of expertly painted foam latex. So they look cool on a wall and you can have fun with them well. Though I think it would be a good idea to get two sets. This does give new meaning to dealing with a conflict at the office though. I know that if I got these they would never make it to a wall. I would actually have to get 4 sets, one for each of us. I already learned that when I got the foam swards from the dollar store. These would get used in my home. I could get some great pictures of my husband having to defend himself from the kids. I found these at Think Geek for $49.99 and $59.99.

Hand Crafted Leather Shield. This is an actual hand made one-of-a-kind leather and wax shield with a Celtic cross design burned into it. This is great for on the wall or just to show off. Definitely for the guy who is into shields and armour. This is at Medieval Magic for $250.00

Handcrafted Leather bracers. These are very unusual handmade leather bracers with Celtic horse design burned into them. These are art. They would look great displayed, but can actually be put on as part of a costume. Though they can be used for SCA combat. This is at Medieval Magic for $100.00.

Celtic War Sword. This is a simple sword that is made of stainless steel and has a leather scabbard. It looks nice, easy to wall mount or have as a costume. This one was nice to look at. However I have to admit that with any sword I would not actually buy one for my husband, as he is very picky about them. He loves to collect them, but he has to pick them. I found this one at Brothers Smith-Sword for $27.95.


Functional Great Claymore Sword. Now this is a sword that stands out. It is huge. It would look great on a wall, however the site indicates that it is a functional sword. I think that means that it will take an edge were the Celtic war sword would probably not. This is for the sword connoisseur. I found it at Brothers Smith-Sword for $249.95. I know that if my husband were to pick he would get this one over the smaller Celtic war sword.





Spangenheim Helmet. Who does not want a suit of armour? Well that can be very expensive and take up a lot of room. However a knight’s helmet I can fit into my home, and display it. I found some interesting helmets that can be used as a display, or costume, at Brothers Smith-Sword . This one was $79.95. However I found some amazing handcrafted custom helmets at Golden Boar Armoury like this Phygian Style Shovel Face Helm. I could not find out a price because each piece is custom made, so prices will depend on a lot of things.

5 Unusual Fathers Day gift ideas

A card or a tie seems to be the only traditional Fathers Day gifts. There is no safe fall back gift if you have no idea what to get your dad. Sometimes it can be hard to find the right gift or find the one that shows how you feel. Other times it is just nice to find something that is unusual and fun to give. Here are some unusual Fathers Day gifts for dads of all ages.

Please note that I am listing the website that I found them on and the price listed on it. I am in no way connected to these websites and I am sure these items can be found in retail stores or other online shops.

Survival Kit in a Sardine Can. This is great for the guys who like to camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, or long road trips. It made me think of my Step Dad who works in the woods as a forest ranger, but I think other people will like it just because it is so odd but useful. It is an actual sardine can filled with 25 survival items: non-aspirin pain reliever, adhesive bandage, alcohol prep pad, antibiotic ointment, book of matches, compass, chewing gum, sugar, salt, energy nugget, duct tape, fire starter cube, first aid instructions, fish hook & line, note paper, pencil, razor blade, safety pin, reflective signal surface, tea bag, waterproof bag, whistle, and wire clip. I found this at http://www.thinkgeek.com/ for $12.99.

USB Memory Watch. This is for the guy who has to be connected all the time, or just likes spy gadgets. It is a watch that can be used to store 2 GB or 4 GB of data. I like this because it can be useful, you don’t need to carry around a disk or something, just upload info, MP3 files, pictures, or whatever into your watch. There is less chance of forgetting it or loosing it, which I tend to do. On top of that it actually is a nice looking watch. For an external data storage and watch the price was pretty good. I found this at http://www.thinkgeek.com/ for $34.99 and $54.99.

Working Wood Siege Tower. This is for those guys who love castles, knights, and siege weapons. This is a little siege tower is a 1/18th scale replica of a 13th century war engine. It actually shoots a clay ball over 10 feet. It is a kit so it has to be made, but that is half the fun. I actually know quite a few men who would love to spend an afternoon building siege towers and then using them to battle each other, or at lest see who’s is the best or shoots the furthest. I know they built catapults out of Popsicle sticks and spent the afternoon trying to be the one to hit the most targets in a cardboard castle. I have a list of people for this one, even if it was designed for age 9 and up. The kit comes with rolling wheels; lowering drawbridge and firing catapult and includes some modeling clay for projectiles. Requires scissors and white glue. I found this at http://www.x-tremegeek.com/ for $39.95. I can think of the trouble I would get into with this on my desk. Just picture it, low cubical walls all around, “Where did that come from!” would be the cry.

Stainless Steel Wallet. I know that wallets are not that unusual, but this one is. It has the texture of silk but is actually woven from micro fibers of stainless steel. It makes me think of the duct tape wallet that was so popular a few years ago. I found this at http://www.thinkgeek.com/ for $79.99.

USB Rocket Launcher. My husband has this one on top of his wish list for Fathers Day gifts. He loves it because you operate it using your computer. I think this is the gift our 5 year old is going to give him. I will never get the two of them off the computer with this. They will play with this for hours and never get tired. Though I did see one with a web camera that lets you see what you are aiming at. It is the USB Webcam Rocket Launcher will shoot up to 15 feet. If two people have them then they can take over each other’s remotely and fire on each other. Sound like a lot of fun. I found both of these on http://www.thinkgeek.com/ for $29.99 and $59.99.