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. Super Savings for parents with Casabu daily deals site

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    On the Lilypad we are very family focused and as a mum to two little ladies, getting great quality at a good deal is top of my priority list! So we were very excited to learn about a new daily deals website called Casabu, which features high quality ranges of fashionable baby and children's clothing, designer toys, essential nursery equipment, must-have furniture and stylish maternity wear from brands such as Their Nibs, Babymoov and Koo-diat unbelievable savings of up to 70%. 

    Casabu is the smart, modern way for parents to save money on some of their favourite brand names as well as discover and fall in love with new ones. The free-to-join online private sales boutique works very simply; once signed-up, you will receive a daily email or mobile alert bringing you five exclusive sales, each sale lasting for three days. You then simply browse, buy and sit back and wait for your beautifully packaged items to arrive at your door.

     

    With two girls at home, they are both developing a penchant for gorgeous clothes, so Casabu truly is a perfect one-stop shop providing everything a mum needs from pregnancy, throughout childhood and up to pre-teen.

     

    Members can access Casabu.com via their computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone and can also keep track of the daily sales by downloading the Cassabu app for iPhone/android or by following the site on Twitter @ #casabu_tweets .

     

    To become part of the latest shopping phenomenon sign up at www.casabu.com now to have a sneak preview and find out about these amazing deals. Membership is free and if you sign up before the mid April launch you will automatically receive £10 off your first purchase over £30.

     

     

    Follow Casabu on Twitter

    Like Casabu on Facebook

     

    P.S We havent been paid, nor are we affiliated with Casabu - we just simply wanted to share some great deals with our Lilypad friends!

     

  2. How parents and children can learn together

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    We are delighted to have a guest post from Carlo Pandian abut how parents and children can learn together (we particularly like the part about food as this is highly topical for us on the Lilypad at the moment with a weaning baby!)
     
    All parents want the best for their youngsters and will try to do everything they can to give them the life they deserve.
    Learning starts from a young age as children learn to distinguish the difference between mum and dad, as well as learning to walk and later developing numeracy skills.
     
    Children are naturally curious and inquisitive as they learn about the world they live in and parents should try to encourage this in all aspects of their child’s life.  During the early years, children form attitudes towards learning which will last a lifetime. Their explorations could bring pleasure and success as they become more creative, adventurous and decisive.
     
    Children also start making their own choices, which instinctively bring them satisfaction. Whether this involves choosing which t-shirt to wear or toy to play with or what food they want to eat, children are motivated by their instinct. They are also motivated by others around them and highly influenced by what adults tell them or make them do in an effort to please another party. These motivations come from rewards, which are provided by someone else.
     
    Nursery can be a great starting point for a child as it can help them learn about what motivates them and develop decision-making skills as well as social skills. There are a wide number of nursery resources available for adults who wish to harness the inquisitive mind of a child.
     
    Arts and craft activities, for example, could be an excellent source of inspiration for parents and those working in the education sector looking to help children develop their skills. Painting and colouring helps children to express themselves and there are a number of researchers who have found a connection between colour and mood.  By using colours, children can translate how they feel and their emotions. Children could gain more self-confidence by being able to choose the colours they wish to paint or draw with. In addition to expressing their feelings, children can learn to distinguish between colours and shades.
     
    Children can also take this skill outside of the nursery and use it in everyday life. From the green leaves on a tree to the white clouds in the sky, children can quickly learn to distinguish between colours. The numerous early years resources stretch far beyond painting and colours. Another helpful learning source which children see every day is food.
     
    As children learn about food they also digest information about tastes, textures and smells. From a young age, children can identify what foods they like and do not like. Initially, the majority of babies start off eating soft foods and liquids which are easy to swallow and digest. As they grow older they might become more adventurous, trying harder foods with different textures.
     
    Learning about eating habits is important for children, as they will carry this throughout their life. Learning about different foods is also good for children so they can learn about health and the difference between why some foods are considered good for you and others bad

  3. The cost of a love note ...

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    It has been reported this week that the Royal Mail are increasing the rates of first and second class postage stamps. Moya Greene, head of Royal Mail, this week announced a whacking 30 per cent increase in the price of a first-class stamp from 46p to 60p.  Second-class stamps will rise by even more, from 36p to 50p.

    Now the cynical amongst us may comment that Miss Greene, whose £500,000 a year salary makes her one of our highest-paid public employees, made her price-rise decision with brisk unsentimentality and this coupled with her reference to the fact that this is less than the price of most chocolate bars is difficult to swallow (unlike said chocolate bar). I happened to comment on Twitter that most small businesses dont buy countless chocolate bars a day but they do despatch countless orders by Royal Mail. (This was subsequently supported by a number of fellow small businesses).

    This wont only affect small businesses but think about families at Christmas time, will you still send cards to all your relatives around the country if the cost of a couple of book of stamps is the difference between your children having snacks that week or not? In a tough economic climate, where families struggle to make ends meet, I think less and less people will use the service, despite the Royal Mail reporting that it is still the best value service in Europe.

    In an era where email is already taking over the age old handwritten letter, these price rises dont inspire use of our Royal Mail system. There is something about a letter, they have an intimacy, you can hold them, smell them and in your temper burn or shred them if you so wish ...... hitting a delete button on a computer just doesnt have the same effect.

     

     

  4. Time for a Spring Clean?

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    With all this beautiful weather, spring has definately sprung! So do you throw open your windows and start your spring clean or with a million other jobs, is a spring clean far down your list? We have teamed up with our friends at Rug Doctor and they have shared some interesting facts (some to make your skin crawl) and some great spring cleaning tips!

    Did you know the average family of four sheds up to 3lbs of skin per year? Or that your carpet can hold up to 2lbs of dirt per square foot? Surprisingly, despite these shocking facts over 80 per cent of homeowners have never washed their carpets! As well as this, 45 per cent of homeowners don’t remove their shoes before walking on their carpets and worryingly, four out of ten people eat food which has been dropped on the floor.  With a rise in a hectic lifestyle and the onset of the economic downturn, the traditional Spring Clean is no longer a top priority which is why many of us rarely spend time or money deep cleaning our carpets.

    Which is why Rug Doctor, the carpet cleaning experts have come up with some top tips for spring cleaning that won’t burden your finances or your time!

    1. Take it one room at a time

    Make sure you plan ahead and choose where to begin, make a list of the areas you want to target and tackle them one step at a time. Be sure to budget time for distractions too-unexpected visitors and phone calls are inevitable!

    2. Declutter before your clean

    Always declutter before a polish, make sure your area is good to go before you don your gloves and spray.

    3. Deep clean those carpets

    Nothing refreshes a room more than a clean carpet, and hiring a Rug Doctor can have your carpets looking, feeling and smelling as good as new in no time.

    4. Make your vases blooming lovely

    What better way to freshen up your home than with a bunch of sweet-smelling blooms. Handpick some flowers from your garden for a sweet smelling aroma.

    5. Add a splash of vinegar to make those windows shine

    A top tip for making those windows squeaky clean is to add some vinegar to water and spray onto the glass, then simply wipe clean with a dust free cloth.

    Rug Doctor - Spring_Clean

    6. Care for your curtains

    Are your curtains looking drab? Well take them down, remove the hooks and give them a quick cycle in the dryer with a wet towel to rid the dust.

    7. Revamp your wardrobe

    Empty your wardrobe of all your clothes and give it a good scrub, you never know you might find a couple of items you’d forgotten about too.

    8. Open the windows for fresh air

    Winter is over so open up those windows and let the good fresh air billow through your home.

    9. Start from the top and work your way down

    With each room start at the ceiling and get rid of the cobwebs before working your way down walls and finishing with the floor.

    10. Get the kids to lend a hand

    Share the workload with your loved ones, even the most unwilling helper can make a big difference in the work load.

    For more information on Rug Doctor please go to http://www.rugdoctor.co.uk/