Diary of the Dad - An award-winning UK dad blog

Review: Snugg Samsung Galaxy S3 case

Mar 102014

I was really impressed by the Snugg Nexus 7 case I reviewed last year and it’s still going strong and doing its job despite Xander’s best efforts at destroying the tablet that it keeps safe and, erm, ‘snugg’. I was more than happy, therefore, to hear from them again recently asking if I’d like to put something else from their range through its paces. I have a relatively new phone which I hadn’t yet got a new case for – I like to live on the edge – so I chose the Snugg Samsung Galaxy S3 case; no prizes for guessing which phone I have then.

I tend to keep my phone in my pocket, so I wanted a thin cover and this one is just right. As you can see from the picture below, it’s very slimline in design, but it’s made out of a tough, non-scratch material and has so far done its job admirably. It clipped onto my phone quickly and easily and has stayed in place. It has been well machined – all of the holes to allow access to buttons and ports and for the camera and speakers to work properly are spot on.

The case is also advertised as being non-slip and I can back this up too – my phone has yet to escape my grasp since I started using it, whereas I was always dropping it before. It looks good and is nice and tactile too, so that’s all the boxes ticked. I’m very happy with it.

The Snugg Samsung Galaxy S3 case is available for £9.99 and there are plenty of options available for most popular smartphone models.

Silent Sunday #29

Uncategorized 12 Responses »

Mar 092014

Peppa Pig: The case against

behaviour, Peppa Pig 6 Responses »

Mar 052014

A pig with a red dress that has been added in Photoshop

A copyright-safe image of said pig

“All that I know most surely about morality and obligations, I owe to football”
- Albert Camus

“All that we know most surely about brattishness and insubordination, we owe to Peppa Pig”
- Dylan and Xander

I’m only a week and a bit into my inter-job existence and there’s something that’s already starting to grind. It’s not the fact that people hardly ever respond to those who apply for jobs; I take that as an unfortunate given in this day and age. Neither is it the worry about being able to feed the family and keep a roof over our heads; it’s okay, I’ve got this! Nope, it’s an anthropomorphic porcine. In other words, I’m sick to the back teeth of Peppa Pig.

All the little things that ired me about this brattish little oik when I didn’t have to see it as often have been amplified ten fold. The fact that Daddy Pig – and a good number of the other adult male characters, actually – is a feckless figure of fun annoys me, the irritating jolliness of the theme tune is getting on my nerves and there are only actually about two hours a day in which it isn’t on. But the thing that’s most bothersome are some of the things that Dylan and Xander have picked up from watching it.

I know that kids are kids and are inevitably going to learn bad habits somewhere or other – including from me – but it has to be said that, more than most irritating cartoon characters, Peppa is a little shit. Here are four things that my two have learned from her:

Answering back
She can’t help herself – she’s always talking down to her parents. So are Dylan and Xander now.

Saying things were “a bit funny”
No, Dylan. If I stub my toe and hop about on the spot in agony, it’s not fucking funny.

Jumping in muddy puddles
Okay, Xander, first time was cute, but you and I are both running out of clean trousers now.

Bouncing on my stomach
Both of you; I’m not a bouncy castle and Daddy Pig is a complete dickhead for letting his kids and all their friends do this to him. Ruptured spleens are so over rated.

I’ll have my revenge – we’re having sausages for dinner tonight…

Andrex Washlets Challenge

words No Responses »

Feb 272014

I’ve always liked word games and, having made a respectable career out of wordsmithery – yes, I’m counting that as a word, so there – like to think I’m pretty good with them. So when I was asked to take part in a contest to see who were the best communicators – women or men, as represented by mum and dad bloggers – I was happy to say yes.

The mums and dads were divided into pairs. Each player and had one minute to describe a list of primary words to their opponent without using any of the related secondary words. I was up against Penny from Being Mrs C and you can see how we fared in the video below.

The game was part of a promotion for Andrex Washlets and was based on a survey of 2,000 British adults to analyse their conversation. It found that a whopping 47% of us Brits uphold the stiff upper lip stereotype and shy away from discussing tricky subjects – more of us dodge talking about bathroom habits than mental health issues and sex, apparently. The survey also found that women are generally much better at broaching difficult or embarrassing topics.

So were the results of this word game consistent with those findings? You’ll just have to watch to find out! By the way, if you’re worried about how to bring up the awkward subject of my rather overgrown appearance, there’s no need – the beard has gone and I’ve had my hair cut. Phew!

I’m going to BritMums Live!

BritMums Live 4 Responses »

Feb 252014

Yep, this blog post does pretty much what it says in the title. In a few months’ time I’m off to BritMums Live and, having thoroughly enjoyed the last two, am really looking forward to it.

I’ve already got it all planned out in my head. I’ll be boarding a train with Maxïmo Park blasting in my ears – via an MP4 player, that is, my favourite band don’t actually reside in my aural canals – and an overpriced coffee as I follow the same pre-conference ritual of the last couple of years. I’ll then be propping up the bar at All Bar One for a cheeky pint or two, before venturing in to the venue and being a little less nervous due to the strategically-imbibed alcohol. Not that I’m a creature of habit or anything.

I’m looking forward to seeing the friends I’ve made at the last couple of conferences and also to meeting some other bloggers I admire but who I haven’t met yet. I’m also eagerly anticipating taking to the stage as one of the speakers at this year’s event. Especially as it’ll be alongside my friends Darren, Lewis and John from the Love All Dads Podcast. We’re going to be doing a live version of our weekly show as well as giving tips on how to go about producing a podcast. I’ll mostly be trying not to swear or call Darren Mary Poppins – we’ll see how that goes on the day though.

I was lucky enough to be on the dads’ panel a couple of years ago and, although it was fun to be part of, the number of people who turned up to the session was quite low. I think we were up against advanced WordPress, which was always going to be a tough opponent, but it would be great to see a few more people smiling back at us this time.

If you’re going for the first time this year, my best piece of advice is to just not worry about whether you’re giving off the impression of being as socially skilled as Mr Bean. I’m sure that, like me, everyone was a bit nervous about meeting people they’ve only spoken to online before – and, by the way, none of them speak like him, although I sadly do – but none of them showed it and everyone is so friendly and approachable.

Plus there’s plenty of drinking on Friday night as well as the promise of an uninterrupted night’s sleep afterwards, so what’s not to like?

See you there!

A new dawn

jobs, Lake You 9 Responses »

Feb 222014

A new dawn over Lake You: yesterday

“It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me, and I’m feeling good,” sang someone once. I could find out who on Google, but I can’t be bothered. Muse covered it though, I know that much. Anyway, I’m surprised and pleased to report that those lyrics are resonating with me today. I genuinely thought my soundtrack for the next week was going to be The Smiths’ Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, so this is good news!

Thursday was my last day in a job I’ve really loved. I’ve made some good friends there and also feel like I’ve helped make a difference. It was great, but the contract’s up, the role’s being discontinued and that’s that. I felt horribly sad about the prospect of going in, but it was a nice day and I got a good send off from my awesome colleagues. I didn’t have time to trip over my bottom lip and it was a day characterised by smiles and cake. I’m also now the proud owner of a cool compact keyboard for my tablet so I can blog on the go, as well as several bottles of beer better off. There was a bottle of wine too, but Kate and I may have polished that off already. Haven’t I done well? Thank you, guys!

So a new chapter begins and I’m strangely excited about it. Of course, there’s the prospect of a potentially long, frustrating slog to finding the right job, but I’ve got time on my hands now and it feels amazing. I’m going to spend more time with the family, of course, and am looking forward to the little things like not falling asleep on the sofa the minute Kate and I sit down at the end of the day, collecting Dylan from pre school and enjoying conversations with Xander now he can string sentences together.

I can also get round to doing all the odd jobs I’ve been putting off for ages – we’ve already put down new lino in the kitchen and unblocked a drain, oh yes! – so that’s a result too. There’s going to be more blogging and Xbox time as well and that’s an added bonus. I haven’t had more than a week off in over a year, so I’m going to treat this as a bit of a holiday and really bloody enjoy it. I’m back off to Lake You. So there!

I’d spent the previous two months consumed by stress and anxiety and it turns out that it was the actual act of leaving that I was worried about rather than the uncertainty afterwards. As well as being a great relief, this tells me that I’m not worried about finding a new job. I know I’m going to find one soon enough and we’ll more than survive until then, so I’m relaxed.

How long will this last?!

Dithering Dylan

behaviour 2 Responses »

Feb 142014

A clock ticking ominously towards the start of the working day

Tick… tick… tick…

Like many families with young children, we often go right to the wire with getting out of the house when we’re foolishly attempting to go somewhere. Admittedly, this is partly down to me and Kate being easily distracted by the internet and my propensity to do random chores at inconvenient times in the first instance, but it has to be said that Dylan is a major factor too. The boy is an incredible ditherer.

It never ceases to amaze me at how he manages to string things out. We can be almost ready with 20 minutes to spare and still end up dashing out the door at the last moment. It’s strange really, as it’s at odds with his obsession with routine; you’d have thought that, as he won’t accept things being done in a different order, he’d expect them to happen by certain deadlines. Strangely not.

Mealtimes are the worst. I don’t know how he does it, but he can make a slice of toast last for 45 minutes. It’s like in football when a team defending a precious one-goal lead takes the ball into the farthest corner of the pitch. No amount of chivvying or mild threats regarding the removal of a second course from the menu will work. When he eventually puts food in his mouth, he chews it for ages; I often wonder whether it has biodegraded by the time he actually gets round to thinking about swallowing it. I also wonder where he disappears to in his head when he’s dithering – he must be daydreaming, but he doesn’t give anything away.

Then there’s tidying up. It’s part of the boys’ daily routine to put away their toys before dinner time. Being a merciless eating machine, Xander grabs armfuls of Duplo and rapidly deposits it in the bag we keep it in, lest his meal get cold but his big brother will pick up one piece at a time, slowly and deliberately examining each one before grudgingly putting it away. I was a very meticulous little lad, so maybe it’s payback, but I’m sure I wasn’t nearly as skilled at holding things up.

I think it must all be one last power struggle of the stroppy toddler phase – he’ll only do things on his terms and when he’s ready. In his defence, we’re never late for anything – he just humours us by allowing us to be on time at the last possible minute – but it’s really annoying and it’s definitely a battle he’s winning at the moment. Yesterday, for example, he decided that I wasn’t going to leave for work until he’d had his say – it was comedy gold though. It went something like this:

Him: Daddy, I don’t want you to go to work
Me: Well, the good news for you is that, after next week, I won’t have a job so I’ll be here for a little while.
Him: What’s the bad news?

I had to run to the station instead of enjoying my usual leisurely stroll, but at least it gave me something to laugh about on the way!

The hotel where you can bond with baby – without Dad

#DadsAreParentsToo, Dads, parenting 6 Responses »

Feb 122014

I love being a dad. Being a dad is all kinds of awesome. Lots of men love being dads, in fact, and are really rather vocal about it. As a result of all this, society’s perception of those of us who a) have children and b) have a Y chromosome too has gradually improved to the point that people don’t puke up a lung in shock at the sight of a father proudly guiding a pushchair about town. Yay, society! Sadly every now and then, however, marketing messages get it wrong. Badly wrong, in some cases. So it was that one such message arrived in my inbox this morning. Here it is, word for word – I’ve only omitted the eye-watering prices:

Gentle affection between mother and baby at the Hôtel Ermitage!
In the enchanting, revitalising setting of the Hôtel Ermitage in Evian, the Spa Quatre Terres offers a timeless break away with baby. A programme at a gentle pace so that mother can look after herself while enjoying discovery activities and bonding with baby.

The Spa Quatre Terres has created 3 and 5-day programmes which include a series of tailored treatments for mother and relaxation workshops for mother & baby. Delicate moments of emotion with the aim of making the mother-baby relationship even more special. While mother enjoys her treatments in total peace of mind, baby is pampered at the Baby Resort, which truly is an oasis of happiness reserved exclusively for little ones, under the watchful eye of qualified childcare professionals.

Guest rooms offer a cosy nest complete with all the necessary childcare equipment: fully equipped cot, recliner, baby bath, changing mat or table, bottle warmer, cold water steriliser, etc… Pushchair and baby monitor on request.

And for true moments of relaxation, carefully chosen babysitters look after baby.

And so that this experience can be shared with a partner or loved one, the Spa Quatre Terres also offers a relaxation programme for accompanying persons.

A tailored programme to relax, revitalise, regain energy and slim down one’s figure while enjoying moments of total bliss with baby!

Where to start eh? Well the implied pressure for new mums to adapt to being parents by removing themselves from the comfort of the home environment as well as to “slim down” are alarming enough. As is the thought of leaving a new baby with a stranger – however professional, qualified and trustworthy they may be. But it’s the lack of reference to male parents that is the subject of this particular rant.

There’s no explicit mention of dads in the ‘bonding programme’ that this purports to be. And while “a partner or a loved one” is grudgingly left to the penultimate sentence, the underlying message seems to be ‘Leave him at home; if you have to bring somebody else along, you could bring your mum instead’. They actually suggest leaving babies with strangers ahead of their fathers! I’m astounded that they seem to think that bonding with a baby is a mum-exclusive thing.

It’s nothing of the sort.

If anything, dads are already at something of a disadvantage when it comes to forging a bond with their new son or daughter due to the obvious anatomical stuff. Sure, we can talk to the bump every day beforehand, but that’s no substitute for holding your newborn baby, skin-to-skin contact and good old fashioned quality time. So to suggest that a mum naffs off to the continent for a few days leaving the father of her child behind during what could be a defining point in the parent-child relationship is ludicrous.

I know it’s only a cynical attempt at cashing in on new mothers’ insecurities, but the way in which they promote their programme is just as bad. There sadly seem to be those still out there who think that dads are somehow second-class parents whose importance and feelings don’t need to be considered. Marketing messages shouldn’t shape people’s attitudes, but they do contribute to them – and if you hear something often enough, it’s easy to start believing it.

I realise that making an example of one organisation which hasn’t considered dads as equal parties in the wonderful journey that is parenthood isn’t going to change much and is probably the same thing as shouting down a well, but we can’t do nothing either. So I’m calling on all parents to fly in the face of those who get it so horribly wrong. These misconceptions can be damaging and should be challenged.

Let’s remind them that dads are parents too.

I’ve joined The Great British Budget

budget No Responses »

Feb 032014

We could all do with saving a bit of money and, with the most depressing month of the year now firmly behind us, now is a good time to look at what we can do to tighten the proverbial purse strings. I’ve been invited by the friendly folk at yourwealth.co.uk to join the panel on The Great British Budget so, during February, I’ll be taking part in a money-saving challenge. This will be especially testing for me as, unless I get a new job in time, I’ll only have three weeks’ pay to budget with. Wahey! A very good time for me to take part, methinks!

As part of the challenge, I’ve been encouraged to set a target to work towards. My goal is to have some money left over at the end of the month to put towards an overnight family trip to a well-known theme park for Xander’s birthday in March. We normally manage to save a little each month and are really rather boring with our expenditure – although we could do with being a lot more so as far as splashing the cash on wine is concerned – so I’m hoping that we’ll still manage to put some money aside.

The Great British Budget campaign is open to anyone to join in and people are actively encouraged to give it a go. And why not eh? Apparently, two thirds of people in the UK don’t budget and, if you consider that 18% of us are said to be feeling the strain of household debt, it’s difficult to come up with an argument against knuckling down and keeping control of your finances.

We’ve always been ultra-dull and kept a spreadsheet of our monthly bills to keep an eye on things, but another option is Your Wealth’s Money Hub app. There’s a free version as well as a premium one – which lets you securely pull in live expenditure data from your bank account. I’ve used the free one and can vouch for how simple but helpful it is. It allows you to plot your finances, set goals and keep track of them. It’s very nifty and a lot less faff than flicking between online bank statements and Excel.

You can join in with the campaign by signing up here. It doesn’t cost anything, but could ultimately save you money, so I reckon it’s well worth a go. Why not give it a crack yourself?

An open letter to potential employers on transfer deadline day

football, jobs 6 Responses »

Jan 312014

A goal being scored with no players anywhere in sight

Well you can guess what my goal is…

Dear potential employers,

I know I only wrote to you last week, but as it’s transfer deadline day and because my Dad always explained everything to me via the medium of football analogies when I was young, I thought I’d try combining these two facts and try to turn them to my advantage.

Three weeks from today, I’ll be out of contract, but can probably be acquired on a free transfer before then, so you don’t need to wait to make your move if you feel I would be a good signing.

I’m a creative attacker with bags of flair as well as pace to burn. I can play anywhere in an advanced position or pulling the strings from the middle of the park. I link well with team mates, but am also capable of virtuoso solo efforts. I can negotiate tricky opponents with skill and grace, have the vision to intercept threats to my team and possess strong tactical awareness.

I’m happy to play out of position for the good of the team too. For example, I once deputised ‘between the sticks’ for a media team during a PR crisis that the tabloids were having a field day with and, despite some testing attempts from close quarters and one absolute piledriver from range, kept a clean sheet.

I have an impeccable disciplinary record and seldom miss fixtures through injury. If European competition is on the cards, I can hold my own particularly well against French- and German-speaking teams.

I have won two trophies in my career to date and claimed two top ten finishes. I’ve also been called up alongside some of my fellow countrymen for a rather big international event this summer.

I’m quick on my feet, hardworking, dedicated and loyal and believe I could be the signing of the season for the right team.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Kind regards,

Tom

P.S. If you have a work football team, I’m not bad at that either.