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Finding a gift for my Dad’s birthday is something I struggle with year after year and I know I’m not alone. I mean finding a gift for the guy that literally has it all, can seem impossible. Now, normally I usually stick to what I know, purchasing him a preppy outfit and a Vineyard Vines bathing suit to boot, but not this year! This year I decided to switch things up when I received an email from Blink! 

If you don’t know what Blink is it’s an affordable, discreet, wire-free and functional video-first, home security product for inside and outside your home. My dad is honestly impossible to shop for, so when Blink reached out about partnering up, I realized I finally found a gift my dad would actually appreciate and not just another pair of preppy critter shorts. 

At first, I was a little nervous about installing the system, as my siblings and I decided to install the cameras ourselves while my Dad was out on the boat, so time was of the essence. I wasn’t sure if I’d have to charge the devices or purchase batteries but thank goodness for Blink’s easy step-by-step DIY setup. Whoever wrote the directions is a saint, they are very simple to follow and include numbered step by step instructions, it’s basically foolproof. I’d say we installed all three cameras within an hour and wrapped the boxes for him to unwrap when he got back. Oh but the best part is the systems come with two AA lithium batteries, which was lucky for us because we had just run out of the batteries we would have needed.

Now, like many parents, my Dad isn’t a hundred percent tech-savvy so I was ecstatic when I saw that it’s as easy as downloading an app on his phone to keep him in the now. Another plus to their user system is that you can opt-in to set up push notifications straight to your phone when your device detects motion, which my dad plans on activating while we’re away on our upcoming trip. 

Oh, have I told you yet? Matt, I and my entire family are leaving for a trip to Barcelona and Italy this week! We’ll be in Barcelona for a few days and then taking a cruise up the coast of Italy and hitting some of my favorite Italian places like Sorrento, Rome, Florence and a quick hit to Monte Carlo. Whenever we travel for long periods of time, like our upcoming two week trip to Europe, my parents constantly have people coming in and out of our home to watch our pets, but on more than one occasion a sitter has set off an alarm or left an outside door wide open, so my dad is ecstatic to turn on his Blink Live Mode to supervise the comings and goings and of course check up on our sometimes haphazardness cats. 

Okay, now while this was a gift for my Dad, my Mom might be enjoying the system way more. She has a long-standing beef with a chipmunk at our back door and she’s set on ordering more Blink XT weatherproof outdoor cameras to watch the little guy. He’s dug up her potted pansies twice now and she’s set on catching him red-handed. Overall exciting times at the Yandow house, and honestly such a good gift for your parents. Whether it’s a holiday or birthday, this gift is perfect because it’s easy to install and best of all actually affordable. 

Anyway, I’m off to pack for our trip and I’ll make sure to update you all with live feed of the chipmunk if my mom catches him in the act. 

+Thank you, Blink for collaborating with and sponsoring this post! As always all opinions are my own