Blog : Little Lilypad Co

 frog-facebook     frog-instagram   frog-pintrest  frog-twitter

 

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.
search engine by freefind advanced

 RSS Feed

Category: News

  1. Mumsclub Top 100 Mumprener Annual Business Awards

    Posted on

    This week has been pretty amazing, as you will (hopefully) be aware, all your amazing votes secured me a spot in the Top 100 Business Mums award!Top100 winner

    However, the (cheeky) Mums Club Award organizers have added a twist, which we need your help to succeed with! After being grouped into County based teams, the Top 100 mums have been challenged to see which county can bring the most media attention!

    The organizers of the awards have published a points system:

    • 1 Point for a Twitter or Facebook mention
    • 2 Points for a Local Free paper or magazine/blog/website (with more      than 1-19k readership per month) mention
    • 3 Points for Local Radio or Local paid for press
    • 4 Points for Regional newspaper article or national mention/Blog or      website (with readership of 20k plus per month)
    • 5 points for Local TV
    • 10 points for National Newspaper or magazine
    • 15 points for National Radio
    • 20 points for National TV

    To help, you could mention our award in a blog post, tweet about the win, post on Facebook about being included in the Top 100 or contact anyone who you think could help us. 

    Examples:

    Tweet – @littlelilypadco is a Top 100 Mums In Business Mums Club Award Winner #mctop100 @mumsclub please RT

    We would also like to congratulate the other Warwickshire winners who would also welcome your support:

    Dorothy & Theodore – www.dorothyandtheodore.com

    Julie Williams Business Support Services – www.juliewilliams.eu

    Learningearly.co.uk – www.learningearly.co.uk

    LHA Accountancy Services – www.lhaaccountancy.co.uk

    Teddy & me – http://teddyandme.co.uk/

    Spot-Less Professional Valeting Services (UK) Ltd – www.spotlessvaleting.com

    We’ll keep you posted on how we get on at the finals. Fingers crossed!!

  2. Mumsclub Mumpreneur Top 100 Awards

    Posted on

    This week has been a little dismal with all the rain, well that was until an email pinged into my inbox telling me that I had been nominated for the Mumsclub Top 100 Mumpreneurs for the Little Lilypad Blog.

    Receiving an email that says .....

    Congratulations you've been nominated for a
    Business Mum Award!     

    body>Business Mum Awards - Nominated 2012

     

     ..... is certainly one way to brighten my day!

    If you didnt know, this week is National Business Mum Week! Business Mum Week was created to inspire the growth of UK mum-owned enterprise.  The week was the idea of a fellow business mum and founder of MumsClub, Jane Hopkins MBE with the aim of creating local media interest in mum run businesses and to create more mum-owned businesses.

    So with the awards already causing a huge buzz through social media channels, I was completely gobsmacked to be nominated amongst some amazing women. You can vote by clicking through the badge above but I never like asking for votes as it feels a little like a popularity contest for who is the coolest kid in school ! Even back in my school days, I was always happy being me, doing what made me happy and celebrating my friends success, so lets celebrate all these fantastic women and the determination, success and family flexibility they demonstrate!

    As for winning .... what will be will be.

     

  3. How safe are our children?

    Posted on

    As a parent, keeping your child safe is your highest priority and with the media filled with news of child abduction and abuse, how safe are our children?

    According to Home Office figures there were 532 child abductions in England and Wales between 2011 and 2012. With about 500 children under 16 abducted each year - but the majority of these are parental abductions, according to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop). Has  the world become a darker and more dangerous place or do we simply hear about it more through the media we now have at our fingertips.

    There are always those people that will try and lay blame, whether it be at the parents, with the school or with anyone close enough to be considered but ultimately the people that are to blame are those that abduct or abuse these children. The very thought of someone taking my babies makes me feel physically sick and if I could, I would wrap them in cotton wool so nothing or no-one could ever hurt them but I can't do that if I want them to have adventures, to explore, to learn.

    Growing up, I was never allowed to "play out", my parents just simply wouldn't allow it and I sulked a lot because of it. I now find it very difficult to let my own daughter do the same. I want her close, where I can see her, where I can hear her chatting, laughing and even crying when she falls over. 

    Children will always be children, trusting, innocent and naive if we shield them from life. I was still trusting, innocent and naive well into my teens and sometimes I wonder if that was a good thing or not. I believed that there was good in everyone, you just had to find it. Years later (ahem) I find myself still believing and searching for the good in people but I am no longer naive enough to believe that it lives in everyone.

    So tonight, with my thoughts and prayers going out to the family of missing April Jones, I will hold my children a little tighter and kiss them goodnight more times than necessary because they are home with me, safe and for that I am beyond thankful.

     

  4. How do you make your baby's room more special

    Posted on

    News of a new baby is one of the most exciting events in any family’s life; it is only natural that there is a desire to create a truly special space within the home for the new arrival. This is a great way to welcome a new addition.

    The first step in creating such a space for the new baby is to take a look at the entire house. Items that can potentially harm an exploring infant need to be placed out of reach or removed. Parents should consider carrying out a complete sweep of the house before the baby is born. Once a baby enters the home, time and energy become difficult to come by, so consider every aspect of the new arrival’s requirements well in advance. For example, window-blind cords must be placed far out of reach of exploring hands and leather sofas should be considered, as they are far easier to clean than traditional fabric.

    Creating a special room for the new arrival does not need to be difficult or expensive. In fact, considering that an infant is small for a relatively short period of time, it is best to concentrate spending on items that will serve well into the toddler years, rather than purchasing furniture and toys that will be useful for only a few short months. Multi-functional furniture is one consideration, a crib that converts into a toddler bed, and later into a day bed, is a great investment that will serve for years to come.

    Second-hand furniture

    While second-hand furniture is appealingly affordable, new parents should check items over carefully for safety. For example, no opening should be greater than four inches or a child might get their head through and become trapped. Cot mattresses should fit snugly, with no gaps around the outside. Furniture should be sturdy and painted items need to be tested for lead or stripped and re-painted with a child-safe paint.

    Colour scheme

    Parents should also consider the colour scheme when decorating the nursery. Neutral colours, such as pale blues and green, yellow or beige will serve well as the child grows. Decals that cling to the wall, rather than being painted on, along with wallpapered nursery themes, are other items to consider. Decals can be removed without re-painting or re-papering an entire room when the nursery needs updating. For a splash of colour, consider throw rugs or choose bright curtains, which are easily replaced.

    Painting babies nursery

    Storage

    Small, sturdy, bookshelves can be a great storage solution in the nursery. Adding baskets gives parents storage space for nappies and other small items. As time goes by, the shelves will be handy for storing books and toys. Shelves that stand on the floor should be fastened to the wall to avoid the possibility of them tipping over onto an exploring toddler.

    Finally, new parents should consider putting any money saved on decorating the nursery into a separate bank account. It makes more sense to save as much as possible for the time when university fees or a first car are required, rather than spending excessively on gadgets and furniture that will be discarded after a few months as the baby grows into a toddler. By practicing frugality from the start, new parents can ensure their baby’s future security, while still creating a special place in their homes for their new arrival.

     

    Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post but we think its full of great information and sensible advice!