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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Category: Lifestyle

  1. Are women still losing out : International Women's Day

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    Today is International Women's Day.

    I have seen lots of posts on Facebook this morning from awareness raising to concrete action, organizations rally to pledge support to help forge gender parity on International Women’s Day (IWD) and beyond.

    International Womens Day#beboldforchange

    The World Economic Forum predicts the gender gap won't close entirely until 2186. Around the world, IWD can be an important catalyst and vehicle for driving greater change for women and moving closer to gender parity. Content marketing agency Axonn Media surveyed 108 parents on their working life and its seems that being a mum still presents greater professional challenges than being a Dad, even in 2017.

    I was shocked to read that research from its Gender in Marketing 2017 report reveals that 62% of Mums said that parenthood hampered their career, compared to just to 24% of Dads. 

     

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    As a woman who delights in working flexibly around my children, I am frustrated to read that 1 in 10 mums said parenthood has significantly had a negative effect on their career, when working mums are some of the most hardworking and dedicated colleagues I know. 

    So if you can do anything today, use International Women's Day (IWD) as an important opportunity to:

    • celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women because visibility and awareness help drive positive change for women
    • declare bold actions you'll take as an individual or organization to help progress the gender agenda because purposeful action can accelerate gender parity across the world

     #BeBoldForChange

     

  2. Why do we give things up for Lent?

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    My friend and I were discussing giving things up in March the other day and she was telling me that she was doing "DECHOX". DECHOX is a nationwide sponsored challenge to give up chocolate for March and raise money for life saving heart research, which is obviously a great charity to support. However, I simply replied that I was giving up chocolate for Lent and she asked why, so I thought that there must be so many people that say they are giving up things for Lent, without actually realising why we are doing it. 

    There is so much more to the religious celebration than ditching chocolate or other bad habits before Easter, but what exactly is Lent? After you have eaten your Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40 day fasting period (not including Sundays) before Easter. The 40 days of Lent are meant to represent the time that Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness ahead of his ministry.   

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    The season of Lent does not include Sundays but most believers will still stick to a humble lifestyle on Sundays during Lent.

    This year, Lent begins on Wednesday March 1 and ends of Saturday April 15, one day before Easter Sunday. It is worth noting that the dates are dictated by the lunar calendar and change every year.

    In the end, everyone makes their own choices regarding their faith but Lent is a chance for people to follow Jesus’ example and give up vices in a bid to grow closer to God as Easter approaches.

    Have you given up anything for Lent, Dechox or any other reason this month?

     

  3. Five Frugal Things I've Done This Week

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    I mentioned last week that I have been enjoying the Five Fabulously Frugal Things posts from Emma and 3 and I have become a little more conscious of our spending habits, even more so as this week has been half term. Keeping two girls of two different ages occupied and happy is no mean feat, especially when I am sure they simply believe that the money is delivered from the hole in the wall.

    Five Frugal Things Ive Done This Week

    1. Saved on Cinema Tickets by using my Taste Card. As part of my bank account, I get a Taste Card and it gives you money off meals but if you upgrade to the Taste Card Plus for just £7.99 you can make HUGE savings on days out, like 40% off Cinema or Warwick Castle tickets.

    2. Kids Eat for £1 at Harvester. Yes £1! So after our discounted cinema visit, we went and had lunch and for every adult meal we bought, we got a childs meal for £1. This was a half term offer but it is definitely worth checking out websites for venues prior to arriving.

    3. It is no secret that I LOVE shopping and I do 90% of it online but before I check anything out and pay for it, I always google discount codes for that website. This week I have managed to find 20% off codes for some of my daughters clothes which was a great saving.

    4. I bought uniform for next year! I know this sounds ridiculous but it appears that John Lewis are not longer stocking our school uniform so they are selling off all their stock at less than half price, I therefore "may" have purchased enough school logo cardigans and jumpers to last for the next school year, or so. 

    5. Theatre visit for FREE! Now I have to admit that this wasn't something I found but we were lucky enough to be offered tickets by some friends to go and see a traditional pantomine and it was amazing. (Oh no it wasn't ..... oh yes it WAS!)

    There are lots of things we want to save for this year and being a little more conscious week by week, will hopefully help us get those things a little sooner. 

    Have you done anything to save money this half term?

    I’m linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky  in this week’s ‘Five Fabulously Frugal things I’ve done this week linky.

     

  4. Why writing a will is important for your children

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    I was watching one of the those daytime TV programmes the other day (whilst taking a well deserved break from the laptop of course) and the subject of what happens to your children when you are gone was being debated. Although death is a part and parcel of life, it's not often talked about around the coffee table. As inevitable as getting out of bed in the morning, the question remains as to why we’re always planning what we’re having for dinner tonight instead of planning for what’s happening to the things we care about the most once we’re gone.

    Why writing a will is important for your children

    Taking the time to write a will, clearly defining your wishes is one of the most important things you can do, especially for your children. Wills aren’t just there as written expressions of how you want the family home, or assets divided up, but they also clearly define your intentions for who will look after your children in the event of your death. Writing a will is a decision that many of us find difficult but a will provides clarity for whom you are leaving responsible for your children’s well being, defining the person, or people, who will be guiding them into the future in your absence. 

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    A lack of planning now can result in even more distress and anxiety for your loved ones at a time when you’ll be unable to help. So make the time to write your will today, safeguarding and protecting your children for tomorrow. 

    Katie Price was a panelist on the daytime TV show I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post and much like her, I need to sort my will out to safeguard my girls futures ..... although I suspect my will may be a little less complex than hers!