A few of his favorite things

With Father’s Day coming up, I was recently invited to share a few of Chris’ favorite things over at “Or So She Says” in hopes of helping others to get their gift-giving-juices flowing. What a fun idea, right? I can’t wait to see what great ideas I can steal from everyone else (she’ll be having others share all week)! If you’re stopping by from Or So She Says, welcome! Make yourself at home and feel free to say hello with a comment. I promise I won’t bite.

Curious as to what exactly I listed as some of his favorites?

For my DIY husband:

1. Cordless hedge trimmer Under $100

One of our first purchases when we moved to our new home was a Black and Decker cordless hedge trimmer. Chris loves yard work (good thing ’cause we have a lot of it around here) and with this tool, he can get more done faster without dealing with extension cords or getting tired of carrying it. The lithium battery is sure to please any hubby.

2. Cordless leaf blower

Right along with the hedge trimmer, we got the Black and Decker . I’ll be honest, I rolled my eyes at this one. We already had one. Yes, it had a cord, but what was the big deal? Then I tried it. This thing is awesome. Nice and light weight, but plenty of power to blow away the pine needles or leaves. My husband is a bit of a neat freak so he immediately saw the need for this to clear out our carport/breezeway. I didn’t think there was a problem until we used this once. We had it completely cleared in a couple of minutes and I realized just how much cleaner the area looked. Every yardwork-loving husband needs this and you’ll love how nice and clean your yard looks when he has used it!

For my busy executive husband:

3. Personal blender under $15

My husband is not a breakfast eater. I could get up at the crack of dawn and make pancakes with bacon (not that I ever would, I need every second of sleep, people) and he would tell me “I just can’t eat this early.” With his hectic work schedule, he will often skip lunch as well. Not good. I’ve learned over the past 10 years that he will gladly take a smoothie any time of day which leads us to his next favorite thing: The Hamilton Personal Blender. You can get more expensive versions and brands of this baby, but this one does the trick just fine, making multiple smoothies a day at our house. Throw in a banana, a little yogurt and milk with a scoop of peanut butter and you’ve got a protein-packed-breakfast-in-a-cup! Now I know that at a minimum, he is starting the day off right.

4. Saving brush under $50

This past Christmas I was trying to find something unique for him, but something classy that he could keep a long time. I decided on a razor set from The Art of Shaving. I was nervous as he opened it, since he had never once mentioned wanting a nice razor and accessories, but it was a huge hit! I think his exact words were “This is the best gift I never knew I wanted.” He loves the fancy-smancy shave cream and after shave, but said his favorite is the saving brush. It allows him to apply a smooth, even layer of cream. Don’t tell him I told you, but I know it also makes him feel like Don Draper.

For my water sports loving husband:

5. kids water ski Under $120

Judging by the family photos, Chris has been waterskiing since he came out of the womb. It was assumed, that his boys would do the same. But alas, he married me. My mother will gladly share the story of me, age six, standing on the steps of the pool with floaties and inner tube, refusing to go any deeper than my waist. To me, it was no surprise that our oldest hates water (he IS half me), but I really wanted him to learn to enjoy all the water activities that Daddy loves so much. When we found the O’Brien Le Trainer Inflatable Water skis, I knew we had a shot. This pulls right behind a boat and even has waterski-like boots to simulate waterskiing.

The boys can sit or stand based on their comfort level and it would be near impossible to flip. They stay dry and get to enjoy one of Daddy’s favorite activities. Want to see it in action? Here is Coen last summer when he was 2 1/2.

For my gadget guy

6. Wireless headphones ~~priceless~~ under $100

One of his favorite things is technology in general. He loves gadgets and gizmos. Our set of wireless headphones is one of his favorite items he has ever given me. err… himself. So here is how it went down. Many evenings he likes to wind down while watching a television show in our bed. I like to sleep. Problem. So, for Christmas, he decided to get me wireless headphones so that he could watch his show and I could sleep. So technically, these are my headphones, I think, but we love them.

7. Milk frother under $10

This last item might be one of his favorites simply because it saves us money by keeping me from Starbucks. It froths milk in seconds and makes your hot chocolate nice and creamy! We also use it to mix our energy drinks and whatnot. Fast, easy and cheap.