With Christmas on the horizon, we are frequently telling our girls to make sure that they are "good" as Santa is watching and they don't want to be on the naughty list this year. 

Apparently my girls names are not top of the good list but children named Anna and Harry are most likely to be at the top of Santa’s ‘nice list’ this Christmas. Research by School Stickers, leaders in school rewards, has revealed that children with these names are the most likely to be well behaved. Whereas girls called Leah and boys called Joseph appear to be more prone to naughtiness, however as this is only the ‘draft’ list kids still have a month to improve their behaviour!

It is funny how traditions like this go through the ages, as I can remember my parents using the same tactics on me for making sure that my behaviour was impeccable in the run up to Christmas but the list of "must have gifts" changes as you get older, although looking at what my husband wants, I am sure he is still a big kid! 

I have obviously been a very good girl this year, although my name strangely doesn't appear on Santa's good list just yet, so here is my Christmas wish list for a 30 (ahem) something mum of two!

1. A good book. As a child, I loved to read but I just don't seem to get the time these days. Unlike blog posts and news articles, sitting down with a book takes more focus and concentration and when I am fully engaged in a book I can close off the outside world and indulge myself completely in the story.

2. To have control of the remote or music options for one WHOLE day. Get Well Soon or Paw Patrol can just get the tiniest bit repetitive.

3. I know that in years gone by I would have asked for a spa day to help me unwind (although this was in days before children so not entirely sure what I was unwinding from back then) but now I would like a DIY day. Not necessarily for me to indulge in some painting or decorating but for someone to come in to my house, to build the loft extension that I crave, with a spiral staircase, quirky angled roof, soft furnishings, and my husbands request for black out VELUX window blinds to create a relaxing haven to sleep in (or a bat cave as he calls it .... I told you he was a big kid).

4. I always tell my girls that Christmas is a time of giving and we shouldn't be so self indulgent as there are so many families that are not as lucky as them. I don't mean in terms of presents under the tree but there are those that don't have a proper roof over their head and so on my Christmas list this year, I would like to include a Good Gift to provide practical help, that goes directly to those in need and in some cases to help them take the first step out of poverty

Oh and my final request ......

5. An extra hour in the day please Santa!

What is on your list?

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For many of us, winter isn’t the favourite season. While there are some highlights such as Christmas and New Year to look forward to, there’s also the prospect of cold and dreary weather, and a feeling that all you want to do is hide away until the spring comes around. Feeling down during the winter is not uncommon, but it can be hard to shake off those winter blues.

 

The secret is to keep busy and make sure you don’t have too much time to dwell. Here are just a few suggestions of how to keep the winter blues at bay.

Get some fresh air

 

The thought of exercising in the winter might not fill you with enthusiasm, but actually, exercise will help improve your mood as it triggers the release of endorphins (also known as happy hormones). You don’t have to play a team sport or go running – a brisk walk through the countryside can be just as effective. If you’re not motivated to do this by yourself, make a regular date with a friend and go on walks together. Wear plenty of layers so you can adjust your temperature as you go.

Enjoy the benefits of meditation

Winter somehow encourages us to go in on ourselves and focus on our worries. When it’s summer and the skies are blue, it’s somehow easier to push worries to the back of our minds and focus on the positives. The cold and dark of the winter months seems to have the opposite effect. While meditation won’t make your worries disappear on a permanent basis, it’s certainly a good habit to get into when you want to give yourself a break from anxious thoughts.

For anyone who’s a novice at meditation, trying some simple meditation exercises is a good place to start. There are plenty of guides to meditation online. Many people feel like giving up almost as soon as they’ve started with meditation, as they don’t instantly achieve the ability to push all those day to day thoughts out of the way and achieve a clear state of mind. It takes practice to become good at meditating, but don’t be disheartened if your mind wanders in all directions when you first begin the process. When you do find you’re being distracted by thoughts, a simple technique is to return your focus to your breathing, simply visualising the flow of breath in and out of your body. As you improve your meditation skills, so you’ll benefit from being able to take time out at any time during the day.

Discover a new hobby

Winter’s not all doom and gloom, and the run-up to Christmas is an ideal time to get creative. You could try something like jewellery-making or follow some tutorials online for making Christmas decorations online. If you’re not confident about learning a new skill by yourself, you could join an evening class –  and don’t think you’ve missed the boat by not signing up in September. Plenty more classes will begin in January. Focusing on something that’s creative will occupy you and distract you from feeling down, but also leave you with tangible results that you can be proud of.

Give in to the cold and indulge in laziness

  

Whatever you do, you can’t change the weather. If it’s going to be one of those cold and wet days, there’s no point in fighting it. Give in to it now and then and have a self-indulgent day on the sofa instead. Find a perfect staying-in movie, take the duvet downstairs and furnish you and whoever’s watching with you with a range of snacks to nibble on as you enjoy doing nothing for a couple of hours.

Don’t dread the winter because it brings you down; take a stand and decide to enjoy winter this year – simply adopting a positive approach about it is a great place to start.

It's November now so I am officially allowed to mention Christmas and with Christmas come all the festive fragrances but in the words of NV Candles, a candle’s not just for winter, it’s for life! They have created a collection of candles to cater for all seasons and all tastes. So whether you choose Spiced Fruitcake, Sloe Berry, or Brandy Butter, NV Candles have got a candle for all occasions.

All the candles in the NV Candles collections are individually hand made in the UK and contain only two ingredients: eco-soy wax sourced from sustainable supplies which is environmentally friendly with no additives, and the finest quality essential or fragrance oils from the UK’s leading perfumers, nothing else.

So we teamed up with NV Candles earlier this year and are delighted to be able to offer you the chance to win this festive trio just in time for Christmas. All you have to do is enter below.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! 

Terms and Conditions;

The Prize: Trio of Festive Candles from NV Candles

UK Entrants Only
The winner will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on Rafflecopter and notified within 7 working days by email
NV Candles will make every effort to provide the candles detailed here but this cannot be guaranteed
By entering this competition, you understand that your details may be retained for future mailings. You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.
There is no monetary equivalent.
Little Lilypad Co take no /responsibility for loss or damage in the despatch of prizes
If the prize is unclaimed within 7 days we reserve the right to redraw the winner.
End Date 30/11/2015 at 12am

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Do you and your children embrace Halloween? It has become a big celebration in the past few years but many of us are fairly clueless about what Halloween is all about. In fact most people don't know that famous magician Harry Houdini died on the 31st October and 71 per cent were unaware that the original Jack O’Lanterns were made from turnips rather than pumpkins like today.

There are many people around the world who have a phobia of Halloween, but only 24 per cent of Brits were able to identify this condition as “Samhainophobia”. Only one in seven adults have been either ghost hunting or on a ghost walk during their lives and one in five believe you’re more likely to experience something paranormal in the country instead of the city.

So do your children think Halloween is scary or just an excuse to get dressed up, go trick or treating and carve pumpkins?

Pumpkin carving is simple to do and retail sales of Halloween products in the UK are expected to reach £240m this year, a 4% growth from last year’s £230m. Whether you’re demonstrating your own artist flare or nurturing your children’s, pumpkins are one of the easiest ways to partake in the Halloween spirit. So here are our top tips for carving the perfect pumpkin!

 

• Make an adventure of going to "pick" your pumpkin. Let the children select their own and they will become invested in its creation.
• Pick a good fresh pumpkin with no bruises (and one that has a flat bottom so it won't roll off anywhere).
• Cut out the lid on an angle, not straight up and down. This way the lid won't drop inside the pumpkin when you replace it on top.
• Scoop out all the pulp ..... and then some. You can roast the pumpkin seeds if you are so inclined but usually I can't wait to get rid of them and the mess the pulp makes!
• Hug the pumpkin in your lap when it's time to carve the features. It's easier to carve when the face is gazing up at you and it is even easier if you have a pumpkin stencil. It is *not* cheating, it is being resourceful!!
• A carved pumpkin can go soggy very quickly so don't make your creation too far in advance! To try and keep your pumpkin fresh spread something like Vaseline on the cut edges to seal in moisture. 
• While a real candle is lovely, an LED candle is a much safer, cost effective and longer lasting way of keeping the light flickering!

 

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