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I jokingly spent a large part of last weekend telling everyone that I wasn't a "real" blogger, that I kind of fell into blogging by accident. When the Lilypad first started, I was told by an SEO expert that I needed to write a blog as Google would like the fresh content and it would help my SEO but what I didn't realise was that it would also help the frustrated writer inside me and give me a forum to diarise part of my children's memories.

So going to BritmumsLive was a massive step outside of my comfort zone (let alone actually wearing a top that wasn't black ... my mother was so proud), so I took a deep breath and some of those imaginary brave pills and I got on the train to London. I am not sure really what I expected about the conference, I was looking forward to learning some new skills, meeting new people and finding some reassurance about whether I was doing it "right".

I put my best (heeled) foot forward and actually found that I didn't need to be brave. There were a collection of amazing women, without agenda or hierachy, that were willing to say hello, have a chat and in some cases, envelope me in a bear hug. (Emma this is you - but you probably knew that already).

I could relive the seminars I attended, or the brands that I met and chatted with but for me, BritmumsLive was about the people. The real, honest, open and friendly people that squealed when they realised that I wasn't actually a frog (like my twitter avatar) and those that wanted to share a cheeky vino or two with me till after midnight (yes Laura and Rebecca, that is you).

There were absolutely things I learnt about other people such as, I never knew that one person could be so enthused about Mooncups (go and google it, I dare you) and Pink Oddy is an amazing ambassador for them! I didn't realise how openly emotional and supportive a room full of people can be about a strangers story (Katie Piper is a true inspiration) and I still cannot comprehend why Soda Stream have never thought to put gin in a Cherry drink before! (Alice you should definately try and patent this!)

So at the end of the weekend, when my high heeled feet could simply walk no more, I asked myself the question as to whether I am a fraud. I write about the things that matter to me, whether that is one of my daughters achievements, a charity campaign or simply my love of shopping and shoes. If being honest, being part of a community and enjoying writing makes me a fraudulent blogger then I hold my hands up. I tell my girls every day that they can be whatever they want to be and a weekend fuelled by inspirational women has made sure that I remember that too!

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I love the internet. There I said it. There is no doubting the internet has opened up a whole new world to an enormous number of people (including my Nan), made communicating with friends and strangers far easier and simplifying the exchange of information. When Virgin Media asked us to look at how our family uses the internet, we had to agree that there is no denying the advantages of easy internet access, there are also a number of associated dangers, particularly for increasingly computer literate young children, especially my two daughters.

My eldest daughter loves to Face time her friends and the speed that my youngest daughter can swipe through the icons on the screen is alarming but it is important not to become too worried about the dangers of the internet, although safety should never be overlooked. With this in mind, we decided to take a look at the different ways in which you can help make sure your child remains safe while making full use of the internet. 

The first and probably most important safety measure to take with children is to talk about the internet with them and set boundaries of use. Though this may difficult with very young children but it is important that you begin to have conversations with your child about internet usage and what they should, and shouldn’t, be doing.

It is also important to remember that children will often take a lead from their parents, so make sure you don’t break your own rules in front of them or that there’s unsuitable material on the system.

While such preventative measures are important, it is also a good idea to have practical, software-based safeguards in use as well. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) including Virgin Media will utilise features that allow parents to block certain pages or types of content and it’s important that you make the most of these. Blocking pages should prevent your children from viewing any dangerous or inappropriate websites. 

It is worth reading up on what you can control as a parent and a good resource for Virgin Media’s services, including their parental control facilities, you can go straight to their website.

Sometimes, children can be at risk from anonymous users elsewhere in the world. Children should understand that they are never to give out personal information online or contact or reply to strangers. This is a worry for me with my nieces, godchildren and as they get older, my own daughters too and they are constantly reminded not to talk to strangers on or offline!

With Facebook, Twitter apps and instant messaging available on our phones and on the move, it can be difficult to keep an eye on what is going on but talking to your children and being “in the know” can keep you one step ahead in protecting your children electronically, emotionally and practically.

Photo courtesy of Clairee Bloomfield through http://www.freedigitalphotos.net Disclaimer: We have received compensation for this post, however we never knowingly provide any recommendations or links that we haven't used personally and would naturally recommend.

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I was having a conversation with my beautiful sister in law a week or so ago about finding great maternity clothes. We are both very similar in our love of fashion and our "habit" for regularly buying clothes but as mums (or mums to be) know, that babies and children are expensive little things so finding the best deals around becomes a mothers quest!

If you have a conversation with my gorgeous other half, he would tell you that I have an incessant need to buy clothes for myself and the children, whether we need them or not. My wardrobe is bulging with "essential" clothing and shoe purchases (and there are some other cupboards that "may" also hold a secret stash of necessary handbag purchases). Obviously the children need new clothes as they are growing little girls but I think my feet stopped growing quite a few years back so I need a good deal to justify yet another pair of shoes.

When I was pregnant, finding stylish, affordable maternity clothes was not only another excuse to buy clothes but a mission in itself and don't get me started on maternity swimwear (thank goodness for New Look online is all I can say). I am not particularly a fan of high street changing rooms, especially when you are trying to negotiate your way in to them with a pushchair, so shopping online suits me on lots of levels. Whether it is for designer shoes or school pumps you can get anything online but do you get the best deals too? (apparently someone once bought a bucket of fresh air on a well known auction site but I digress).

As mums, we are usually have to find a way to juggle the family budget whilst having to put clothes on our children's back, shoes on their feet .... when maintaining a perfectly immaculate yummy mummy look ourselves. So what do we do? Mums do what they do best, they get savvy! You can shop online to get the very best deal and you can use voucher sites such as NetVoucherCodes for high street stores such as New Look to get the best promotions. I have used lots of different discount sites to get the best products at the best deals and it is definately the way forward, I don't buy anything without searching for a discount code for it first.

As for being savvy, the money you save using the discount codes on your children's clothes ..... can always go towards buying more shoes for you! 

 

Disclaimer : Whilst we were approached and paid to write this post about NetVoucherCodes, having previously used the site we are happy to make this natural recommendation.

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We are all about providing natural solutions on the Lilypad blog but as parents, we are realists too. With my eldest daughter, I remember cooking, steaming, pureeing food till it was packed into every possible container and space in my fridge and freezer as I wanted her to have the most natural, organic food choices but when my youngest daughter arrived, I realised that becoming a frenzied cook, this wasn't always practical and I found Plum Baby!

I have loved the ease of their foods, how natural they are and ultimately how much my daughter loved them. So I was a little sad as we went through our baby led weaning stages that we moved away from these foods but delighted when Plum asked us to review their new range of products the "Little Foodies" range!

The sales blurb tells us that; "When Plum polled more than 2,000 of their Plum parents online, they found  that 65% of them were concerned about the impact of early-years eating on a child's future health, and no wonder - studies have shown that what we feed little ones in the first few years can have a real impact on their eating habits for life. That's one big reason they decided to offer these super-nutritious meals for older tots, complete with at least two of a toddlers daily portions of vegetables - because the sooner our kids learn to appreciate the wonderful flavours of veg, the healthier their choices will tend to be later on. The Little Foodies meals are full of exciting flavours, from savoury ragu to tangy tagine, and are carefully crafted to encourage little ones to love their food. They come in convenient, easy-to-serve dishes to encourage tots aged 1-3 years to feed themselves, and the chunky texture (including chewy bits like whole raisins and peas) will help them develop the jaw and tongue muscles they need for good language development".

So what did our tiny tester think?

Well she definately has her Dad's taste buds for good flavour and has never been huge fan of bland foods, so the Little Foodies range has been a huge hit. The stronger the flavour the better. She generally turns her nose up at "baby food", much prefering to eat the same as her big sister, which ultimately goes towards helping her co-ordinatinon (and cleaning of the kitchen floor 3 times a day).

There are four delicious flavours in the range but our tiny tester adores the Vegetable Biryani with Wholegrain Rice. You don't need to be meat free to enjoy it but it is perfect for young vegetarians as it is a gorgeous mixture of spinach, tomatoes, onions, raisins and chickpeas, flavoured with coconut and mild Indian spices. The good news for busy mums is that it also contains 3 of your toddler's 5-a-day portions of fruit and veg!

The texture of the Little Foodies range means that the little one thinks she is eating "grown up" food and we have definately not had the plate pushed away once during our reviews. (this is a big achievement, trust me) and we have had shout for "more".

Mums like me want food that is healthy, natural, not full of preservatives, quick and easy to make but full of goodness for our children. It seems like a tall order .... but sometimes it is about being "Little".

The Little Foodies range get a big thumbs up from this mum and my tiny tester!