Blog : Little Lilypad Co

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The Little Lilypad is a lifestyle blog mostly written by a mum to two beautiful, cheeky and entertaining daughters. It is sometimes written by the Man on the Pad or by one of our baby bloggers. Occasionally we accept guest posts too. There is frequently talk of sustainable living, saving money, lifestyle and travel. It is hopefully helpful, sometimes funny and always honest.
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  1. Tips on keeping the house tidy this summer

    Posted on

    We are half way in to the school holidays and whilst I love having the children at home, keeping the endless craft or activities tidy is no mean feat, so here are our top tips on keeping the house tidy this summer.

    Stop buying things you don't need

    This is one that personally I struggle with, as I am a self confessed shopaholic but more "stuff" means more clutter. Get rid of what you don't use and stop buying things you don't need. And the next time the children want that cheap toy, get them an experience instead, go and feed the ducks rather than buy more rubber ducks for the bath. Give them memories not things.

    Rotate the toys

    If you can't bear to part with your little ones toys, put some away in a box in the loft and then do the same again in a months time. Bring down the old box and your little one will have renewed interest in the toy that they haven't seen for some time - failing that, if they had completely forgotten about it, maybe it is time to give it away.

    Floor free zone

    Nothing actually belongs on the floor. Make this a general rule, especially if you have luxury flooring and furnishings the last thing you want is someone scraping a piece of lego across it! Everyone in the family should be responsible for putting their ‘stuff’ away.

    Toys on the floor

    Clear tubs / bins

    These are the best type of containers for kids stuff, in general. Bins or baskets. The key is to make it easy for the kids (or you) to toss their stuff into the bins, making cleanup simple. If you can, label each bin with the type of stuff that goes there (building blocks, barbie dolls, stuffed animals, painful lego pieces). If your child can’t read, use picture labels or photos taped to the side.

    Allow them to be messy.

    No child is perfect and as a parent you have to concede that they will inevitably make a mess. You have to allow them to do this. Then, when they’re done, ask them to clean it up. It is a good life lesson!

    Eat outside

    Children are notoriously messy eaters and while there is warm weather, eating outside saves a lot of floor clean up later. Plus if the mess gets really bad you can at least just hose down the area, something I wish I could do in my house (and children) sometimes.

    Finally, any life that includes children is never going to be clean and clutter free, at least to some degree. I don't believe that you will ever get an absolute minimalist lifestyle with children and I’ve learned to accept that. Would you disagree?

    Tips on keeping the house tidy

  2. When is a woggle a noodle? Or a door jam?

    Posted on

    When the word "woggle" was mentioned after a Water Babies lesson, my mind immediately flew straight back to 1988 and my brother wearing a Beaver Scout neckerchief with the woggle holding it together but thankfully that it wasn't that kind that was used at swimming.

    The woggle or the noodle as it is also affectionately known is a swimming aid, it is less restrictive than arm bands, more flexible than a static float and more versatile than it is given credit for.

    I give it credit for allowing my daughter to swim confidently across the water on her own.

    I give it credit for creating a fun tunnel to swim through in our lessons.

    I give it credit for keeping her safe, in and out of the water, so I am adding it to our life cheats!

    So aside from the obvious, how else does it keep a toddler safe?

    Simply by ......

    Woggle

    Woggle 2

    This is just one of the parenting life hacks we love but there are loads on YouTube. 

    It scores me brownie points with my Mum for recycling and for me for a thrifty idea. Its a win win!!

    Do you have any alternative uses for a woggle / noodle??

  3. Parental Life Cheats #1 :

    Posted on

    Parental life cheats?

    Sound interesting?

    Well there are some things in life that are more difficult than they need to be, they are usually made even more difficult by a wriggling toddler or a stroppy tween, so am starting this series of "life cheats" to find the things that make parents lives just that little bit easier.

    The first one is "How to put on a swimming cap in less than 10 seconds"

    It is a bizarre one to start with but with regular swimming lessons in our family, it is a frequent battle. From the "should we put talc inside it" debate to wrestling with a mane of curly hair to fit inside it!

    So what is the cheat?

    You need to turn the cap inside out and fill it with water (it is getting more bizarre isn't it?)

    And then .......

    I have to admit that we *may* have tried this a few times till we had mastered it. Maybe I should put the "bloopers" on our You Tube channel.

    Do you have a life cheat you would like to share?