June 21st is Father's Day! Men can be difficult to buy for frugally. Their favorite toys are electronic and powerful in nature, which usually translates to expensive. On the other hand, most men value one thing over all else, and it is free to give — Respect! To compile this list for you, I asked a variety of father's what would make them feel really honored and valued. Not one of them mentioned a tie, lol! Here's what they did mention:
- Boys Night Out–set the date, invite his friends, center it around viewing sports (or whatever his interest is), make fabulous snacks, and then leave the house to the guys.
- If you are handy sew a laptop case in manly fabrics with this great free tutorial: http://tipnut.com/laptop-sleeves-cases/ (Okay… the boys didn't mention this, but my DH could really use one.)
- Make him a bucket of homemade cookie dough in his favorite flavor to cook at his leisure. Or if he'd prefer, make him a plate of his favorite cookies.
- Massages were mentioned several times as a welcomed gesture. A foot massage or back massage is quite a treat for a hardworking man. Use peppermint lotion to help his muscles relax (a great choice is here: http://www.marykay.com/angelacoffman/spabody/bodycare/10014096/10014096/default.aspx ) or olive oil with essential oils (sandalwood, lavander, orange, or peppermint are nice manly choices)
- Breakfast in bed: To be honest, I rarely cook a hot breakfast in time for my husband to eat it before he has to go to work. It is one of the things about my homemaking skills that bothers me a lot. But once a year, I think I could get it done–wink. Here are a couple of fabulous recipes tp make your early morning surprise easy. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Toast-Casserole/Detail.aspx ,
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Amish-Breakfast-Casserole/Detail.aspx
- Make a Homemade Card with your own version of the top ten list: Top 10 reasons why you are a great dad
- Take snacks to his work for all the staff with a sign to honor the BEST DAD!
- Make a huge honey-do list and give it to him the night before to be accomplished the following day. Then arrange for his friends to kidnap him early in the morning for a fishing trip (or any other activity that he would really enjoy). Pack a picnic lunch for the group and tuck in a note telling him why you honor him and encourage him to enjoy his day.
- Give dad permission to avoid household tasks guilt free for one day!
- Take him "Window" shopping at a sporting goods store. Don't complain that he is taking too long or make him look at girly stuff. If you have children, make arrangements to leave them with a family member so you can put all your attention on him.
- Men value an audience. Just having a woman near that they care about gives them a boost of energy. Unfortunately most women get frustrated when their man asks them to "help" with some task and they end up just standing there. For one day, be willing to hang out with him, not requiring conversation or activity, but just be there.
- Fathers like having photos of their family to brag about. Make him a tasteful display of snap shots for his office.
- Does your father live far away? If you can't visit this year, borrow a camcorder and make a DVD of your family giving greetings, kids singing or playing instruments, maybe even a family skit to send him.
- Does your husband like golf? Use some plastic cups and household items to turn your backyard into a temporary mini-putting range. Here are some websites with ideas to help you: http://www.wikihow.com/Build-Your-Own-Putt-Putt-Course-in-Your-Backyard , http://boyslife.org/hobbies-projects/projects/718/fore/ , http://www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/make-your-own-mini-golf!-craft/ , http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=homemade+mini+golf+course&aq=1&oq=homemade+mini+go
- If your father is too far to visit, use Skype's free services to talk via the internet. If he is not technically savvy, arrange for a neighbor to help him set it up.
- Plan a family game night. Give him permission to unwind and then invite him to join the family for snacks and some fun board games.
- Clean his room! It seems that I can get the rest of my house clean, but my own bedroom takes the leftovers. I know it bother's my husband though he rarely complains. What a grand surprise it would be to have a beautiful clean and romantic bedroom with fresh sheets, rose petals from the garden sprinkled about, a hot bath, chocolate, and an attractively dressed spouse. Happy Father's Day!
