It’s that time of year again. The time when I run out to the driveway with my sponge and some Dove and scrub the tires of my car like a woman with a purpose. It’s Father’s Day. And nothing makes my father happier than his reflection in my shiny Hyundai rims. But I love my Dad for that.  He has really taught me to stay responsible, even if it means getting a little dirt in my fingernails. Along with keeping my car clean as a whistle, I’ve learned a lot of things from my Daddy.  And Fathers Day is a perfect time to give a grand salute to all of the things he’s taught me.

However, keep in mind, fatherly advice is different from motherly advice.  While mothers dish the advice directly and constantly, fathers stick little golden nuggets of advice under the surface.  Think about it, dudes never have been the ones to express their feelings and yack people’s ears off.  They are simple beings.  And my Dad is the simplest human being I know. That’s why I wanted to share five lessons I’ve learned from him.

1. Collecting coupons and saving your money is key to an stress-free life.

If there is anyone who is money savvy — it’s my father.  He’s taught me so many valuable lessons about spending. He doesn’t understand those weird purchases I make and instead tries to convince me to collect coupons and stash money away in envelopes for loans and paying off my car payments.  I’m smart with money because of my Dad.  I second guess buying that cuticle cream I’ll never need because of my Dad. I don’t live in a box because of my Dad.

2. A clean car makes for a clear mind.

I don’t know about other dads, but mine takes a lot of pride in the cars he drives. He always preaches to me; “Brittany, I don’t hire anyone with a messy car.  You can tell the type of person you are by how messy the inside of your car is.” And now that I think about it, that’s totally true.  When the inside of my car looks like a twister went through it, I feel disorganized and unprofessional. But when it’s cleaner than an operation table, I feel . . . kind of fabulous.

3. You’re never going to find someone as good as me.

Ok, this sounds bad at first. Because I know I’m going to find someone as great as my dad, and he knows it too.  But he always tells me this with a little laugh.  He is a fabulous and kind-hearted person.  He wants me to raise the bar and find someone who really cares about me as much as he does.  And I shouldn’t settle for anything less than that.

4. The grass is greener where you water it.

I think it’s a guy thing, but my Dad takes pride in a well-kept lawn. He’ll spend hours on end perfecting which portions of the grass the sprinklers hit and which direction he pushes the lawn mower. What have I learned from this? It shows when I take care of things.  If I don’t work my butt off, tell people how I feel, and water the grass where it’s getting a little brown — things aren’t going to turn out as pretty. Literally and figuratively. He has taught me that I really have to put a strong effort into anything I really want in life.

5. You have a lot of good stuff.

Lastly, my Dad has taught me to be grateful. It’s really an easy feat. Take advantage of everything I have in life – even if I’ve earned it. He’s taught me to continue to work hard for what I truly deserve, respect what I make happen, and keep working hard to make it better.

Happy Father’s Day to all the great Dads out there!  Go ahead, what sweet things has your Dad taught you?

Do you have a picture of your Dad chugging a Natty Ice and wearing a lax pinnie? Wearing a tank top and aviators?  Or better yet, do you have a photo of your pops indulging in Edward Crown Royal Hands?  If you answered yes to all of these questions, or if your Daddy is just plain bro, it’s time to take his bro-ness public.

Why, you ask?  Our frenemies over at Brobible.com are putting down their lacrosse sticks and Jager Bombs to publish “My Dad is Bro,” a bro-blication that will go on sale nationwide in May, 2011.

In order to make that happen, the bros are looking for picture documentation of bro-daddies everywhere. Yes, you supply a pic and your dad could go down in bro infamy! In case that’s not intriguing enough, if your papa is printed in the book, the editors of BroBible will send you a free copy for Father’s Day!  I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty amazing (and free!) gift to fork over to your father instead of a car wash and Pine Forest car air fresheners. Read More »

Every year, right around Father’s Day I always scramble around trying to find a unique, personalized, yet cheap gift idea to give to my pops. I window shop, Google, ask friends – everything! Yet year after year I come across the same old lame gift suggestions. I’d name a few, but I’m afraid some of you reading this may have already succumbed to these terrible, banal ideas… and I wouldn’t want to offend. Nevertheless, I am here to help!

Unlike the rest of the world, apparently, we here at CollegeCandy realize there are many more types of dads than just the golf-loving dad or techie dad that are often the only ones represented in the usual generic gift guides. And how do we know that? Because we see them on TV every week. If you’re looking for the best gift money can buy for the best dad out there…but have no idea what to get him because you spend more time with TV dads than you do with him, perhaps our handy little guide can help you.

Just pick the TV dad most like your real life dad and – bing, bang, boom – you’ve got yourself the perfect Father’s Day gift.

Read More »

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, TFLN…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Covet, Any Clip, and Live Mocha) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

Ah, summer. There’s something about this time of year that brings back memories of the beach, county fairs, baseball, and, of course, family vacations.  Although at times, my family drove me crazy on those trips and I’d much rather have been anywhere else than with them, there are still tons of great memories of all those long drives to see relatives, camping trips, and visits to amusement parks that filled my summer vacations growing up.

So in honor of both summer (which officially starts next Monday) and Father’s Day this Sunday, I give you: Dads on Vacation. Read More »

Shopping for a man who constantly tells you to stop shopping is a really tough job.  Father’s Day is right around the corner and I can’t help but feel the tie/socks/homemade tchotchke trifecta is a little overplayed, but what do you get for the man who thinks Teva sandals and pleated khakis are socially acceptable?

Well, I’ve got a few ideas of what he’ll love, as well as a few hints at what to stay away from.

Good Idea: A gift to sponsor a child from Africa
Bad Idea: A positive pregnancy test to sponsor your lovechild.
He’ll feel culturally aware and very on-trend now that Sandra Bullock has joined the club of adoptive parents helping kids in need.  Just make sure it’s not your kid that’s needing the charity.

Good Idea: A subscription to a magazine about on one of his hobbies
Bad Idea: A year’s worth of Playboy.
Cameras, cars, home restoration, and wildlife?  All acceptable.  Bush and boobs?  Not so much. Read More »

Even Lilo’s assistant can’t handle her.

The women of the World Cup.

7 ways to improve your diet without starving yourself.

Twilight fans get one more movie.

‘Bourne’ without Matt Damon? Is that possible?

Need a gift for dad? Enter to win a Nautica gift card!

Every year, by the time the second week in June rolls around, two things happen to me. 1) I start obsessively checking my calendar to make sure that Father’s Day isn’t this Sunday and 2) I start freaking out about what to get David for his birthday.

I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like the longer our relationship goes on, the greater the pressure there is to give him a seriously kick ass gift. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s “the thought that counts” and yes, David would be equally happy with an iPod or a 3 day cruise (speaking from experience…unless he was just faking his excitement to make me feel better). I just love the process of finding the perfect gift for my perfect boyfriend. (I feel the same way about gift giving in general. It takes me a solid 2 months to Christmas shop.) And after 2 and a half years, I’ve built a pretty impressive record for gift giving.

Of course there are the times when I get it totally wrong (I thought getting him a sex toy for graduation was both hilarious and practical- he did not agree), and those are the gifts that haunt my memory while I try to find his 23^rd birthday present.

It can be hard shopping for your boyfriend. You know him so well, you should be able to spot from a mile away the thing or experience he’d love most. But, unfortunately it’s not always that easy. So whether you’ve got a boyfriend with a summer birthday, your anniversary is coming up, or you just want to surprise him with a little something, I’ve compiled a go-to boyfriend gift guide. Happy shopping! Read More »

I’m a self-proclaimed Daddy’s girl. From the second I was born, I was always clinging to my dad and driving him crazy. I love my pops so much I just wanna squeeze him! Maybe I’m a little biased, but I think  Father’s Day is extremely important and totally deserved for dads everywhere. Dads are often taken for granted, so let’s reflect on why they deserve this day:

They love their daughters, no matter what. Basically, I’ve put my dad through hell and back, and I’m well-deserved to be blamed for his heart problems. My dad is the father of two girls, both in college. Despite all we’ve put him through – from going through private education, “borrowing” the credit card, bringing home boys with less than ideal traits, throwing a two hundred person rager when left alone with the house, accidentally drunk dialing him, and subjecting him to The Hills and Gossip Girl every Monday night – he still totally loves me. And it takes a lot.

Dads protect their little girls from everything. Though he never pulled out his shotgun and cleaned it in front of any of my potential suitors, my dad has done whatever he could to protect me from a broken heart. And broken bones. And scary boogey men. He’s kept me safe and I love him for it.

When I was younger, my family moved around a lot. I mean, A LOT. I moved to a new state about every two years, and even though I adapted fairly quickly to my new schools, I would occasionally get very anxious in the evening about my upcoming day at school and the potential monsters under my bed and in my closet. After thoroughly scoping out my room for any bad guys, my dad would promise me every night, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because today is the day you worried about yesterday.” Kind of corny, but it help me feel safe and reassured and it’s a phrase that still protects me to this day. Read More »

Happy (almost) Father’s Day! We know you guys aren’t dads (and if there are any dads reading this, well, that’s just sorta icky), but you are most likely celebrating one. Just because you’re showering your dad with gifts of bacon and neckties, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a little somethin’ somethin’ for yourself.

So we’re bringing you the hottest celebrity dads around. Because while it may be gross to think of your dad as a hottie (OMG…can’t….get…that…image….out…of….my….head….), it’s totally fine to celebrate the hotness that is the Celebrity DILF.

What we wouldn’t give to have these guys bounce us on their knee for a few. Come to mama!
[Click images to see them in all their daddy glory!]
Read More »

Father’s Day is only 2 days away! (Need a gift? You have, like, 5 minutes to get any of these!) Most of us don’t give our fathers the recognition they deserve year round, so it’s time to honor our dads and show them what they mean to us.

And what’s the best (and cheapest) way to do that? Why, to tell them why you love them, of course! Yes, our dads may make really bad jokes when our friends are around or constantly regale us with their stories from Woodstock, but that’s what makes them so damn loveable, right?

This week the CollegeCandy writers shared why they love their dads, despite the ridiculous/gross/embarrassing things that they do.

Abby – Syracuse University: My dad still thinks that Hungry Man frozen dinners are a nutritious and delicious dinner option…

Sara C- Fordham: My dad insists on watching golf on television (ew) with the volume really loud, but he always invariably falls asleep 10 minutes after sitting down. Of course, as soon as I try to turn the channel he snaps out of la-la land and goes, “Hey! I was watching that!” Oh, Dad.

Kathryn – University of Wisconsin-Madison – Even though my dad constantly nags me about finding a “real person” job and appreciating the value of money (as if I don’t understand the concept of paying bills), I still totes magotes love him!

Kari – Florida State: My dad is incredibly hairy with an aversion to pants.

Lauren – University of Michigan: My dad passed on his finest genes to me: really bushy eyebrows and horribly ugly feet. Somehow, despite my weekly waxes and inability to wear sandals, I still heart him.

Alex – Lakehead: My dad sings top 40 music and completely changes the lyrics, but I still love him. Read More »