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: Views & Ramblings

  1. Alternative Christmas gifts

    Posted on

    It's just a few days away now, but there's still time to spoil your loved ones this Christmas. If you don't want to resort to a boring old pair of socks for Dad or an impersonal bath set for mum, there are a few alternative Christmas gift ideas that you could consider this festive season. Here are some I've given and received over the years that have always been a hit.

    A personalised dinner set

    A new dining set is always a gift gratefully received, particularly for newlyweds – but you can deliver yours with a twist. Today you can now purchase dinner sets which come complete with names inscribed on plates, cutlery and more. These are perfect for couples, who will appreciate the 'his n hers' theme, or even better for families – consider putting nicknames on each plate to raise a few laughs.

    A new bed set

    It's one of those essentials that we often neglect, but there's no reason not to pamper ourselves with a new bed set if we're given one for Christmas! Again, the perfect gift for newlyweds, or perhaps even those with a new baby, a new bed set shows that you care about your loved ones' comfort – with so much to choose from online, such as those at bedstar.co.uk, this one will delight all audiences.

    A moon estate

    This one is perfect for all those weird and wacky friends you have. Did you know it's actually possible to purchase a piece of land on the moon? Thanks to the folks at Moon Estates, your loved one can receive the deeds to areas of land on the moon, and now, more recently, Mars and Venus. The recipient will be given an official deed to the land – it's the visiting their new home that's the hard part!

    Moon

    A lesson in a new activity

    Has your loved one expressed an interest in learning to cook, play a musical instrument, or finally booking those driving lessons? Purchasing him or her lessons in their chosen field will give them the push they need to finally achieve their dream. There are countless musicians, for example, who say their career began when their parents bought them a new guitar – the same could happen for your significant other!

    A historical collectible

    Perhaps your loved one is something of a history buff – so why not get them something they'll really enjoy which is also highly valuable? NYT Store has a huge range of collectibles from vintage books to microphones, coins and even newspapers.

    So maybe if you have someone who hasn't written that all important list to Santa, these might be some alternative options for you!

  2. On the twelfth day of Christmas .....

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    my true love gave to me ...... the hope for another year of believing.

    We hear a lot about the magic of Christmas but I didn't really appreciate the magic until I saw the total belief and excitment for the anticipation of Father Christmas. It sounds like a terrible cliche about the wonder in a child's eyes but the toddler is suddenly very aware of Christmas this year and every day asks if it is Christmas yet. She doesn't understand that she will get a ridiculous amount of presents, she just loves the twinkling lights of the tree, the Christmas carols and the excitement that her big sister encourages as they open their advent calendars every morning.

    The tween is 9 years old. This is apparently way past the age when children no longer believe in Father Christmas.

    Christmas

    I read a study recently that said parents across the UK are pulling the plug on the high-tech age in an attempt to keep things traditional when it comes to giving their children the type of Christmas that that they remember.

    Customs such as writing letters to children from Santa and singing carols are on the up along with getting the whole family cooking together, a new survey from the Enid Blyton Estate reveals. In fact, despite the evidence that children are getting wiser to the fact that Santa may not exist, earlier on in their childhood, this is not affecting the light and hope that Christmas brings. (which is something at least)

    The study – commissioned to mark the launch of Enid Blyton’s Christmas Stories, The Famous Five Annual and The Magic Faraway Tree 75thAnniversary Edition (I loved the Faraway Tree as a child) – found that children, on average, stopped believing in Father Christmas two years earlier than their parents did. The average age for children to stop believing is now six years old, whilst for their parents,  it was eight years old.

    However, almost half of the children surveyed in the UK aged 7-11,  still believe in Father Christmas thanks to the fact that 90% of adults are going to great lengths to keep children believing in the magic of Christmas.

    I don't remember when I stopped believing in Father Christmas.

    I don't want my girls to ever stop believing in the magic.

    I know that they "have" to.

    I know they will be ridiculed in Senior school if they are still believing at 13.

    But for now, I would like to keep disappointment at bay and want another year of believing. 

    Can I ask Father Christmas for that please??

  3. On the first day of Christmas .....

    Posted on

    ..... my true love gave to me, a beautiful guest post from the very awesome Mary Key of Keynko. We always celebrate Christmas with some fabulous posts from our blogging friends and this year is about memories. .....

     

    I was brought up in a house that was full of Christmas spirit. My mum was the most excited person in the house in the run up to the big day and always the first one out of bed that morning shaking people awake to open presents.
     
    So the first Christmas without her was very very hard. She passed away at the beginning of November and it seemed wrong in some way to be getting ready without her, I just couldn't bring myself to sort anything out. My dad made the decision to go off to America that first year to stay with my brother and waving him goodbye only made it worse. 
     
    But for the sake of my own children I needed to get in the mood and try our best to have as much fun as we could. With that in mind we decided that we needed a complete new set of Christmas decorations that year, new broom and all that, and I hoped maybe hunting for new tinsel would make me feel festive. The first shop we went into yielded the perfect tree topper which everything else was then matched to  
     
    first day of xmas
     
     
    My mum loved peacocks and this little bird was sat on a shelf all on it's own looking lonely, I mean we had no choice but to take him home and make him feel welcome.
     
    I love my little birdy, and in fact because he now reminds me so much of my mum he is never packed away and lives all year round on the mantelpiece in the living room. 
     
    And his little glass nest? well that first year my Dad, god bless him, bought little stocking fillers for everyone before he went away and this was mine. A very simple glass candle stick with a little card, 
     
    "my darling girl, I hope that this will help to lighten your life - a little" 
     
    And it did, just a little.
     
    8 years down the line we obviously still miss her, but we work hard to enjoy the holidays with our loved ones, we can raise a glass to her memory and laugh about happy times in the past.
     
    So please do the same - raise a glass to those people who can't be with you this year, remember the good times you had with them and enjoy the time with your loved ones, squeeze them tight and have another mince pie in memory of my darling mum! 
     
    Happy Christmas everyone! x x x x x x 
     

  4. St Andrews Day : Buyahipflask.com Review

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    You may know that on November 30th the world celebrates St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day. There will undoubtedly be parties galore in Scotland, events around the world and maybe a few wee drams to warm the cockles, given the cold November we are having.

    As I am now married to a Scotsman, this holiday is somehow now more prevalent in our calendar and he is very proud of his heritage. According to Scotland.org "Saint Andrew (who is believed to have later preached around the shores of the Black Sea), was an agile and hardy Galilean fisherman whose name means Strong and who also had good social skills. He brought the first foreigners to meet Jesus and shamed a large crowd of people into sharing their food with the people beside them. Today we might describe him as the Patron Saint of Social Networking!"

    It was through the power of social networking that I came across Buyahipflask.com. I have to admit that I *may* have historically thought that a hipflask was more suited to the older generation but after seeing a fellow blogger at an event with an uber cool hipflask, I suspected I should re-evaluate my opinon.

    Given the chance to review a hipflask, I spent ages browsing round the site and whilst I was tempted by a very cool one for myself, I knew that really I should get one for my very own Scotsman. I know it sounds ridiculous but I love that Buyahipflask are based in Scotland and even more so that their hipflasks are made in the UK.

    Hip Flask St Andrews

    I chose the 6oz Tartan Round Flask  which retails at a very affordable £27.00 and you get the chance to personalise many of the flasks too. There are so many to choose from that it becomes a little mind boggling but I loved the stylish simplicity of this flask, whilst being a little different to the standard hip flask shape.

    Hip Flask St Andrews 1

    All their hip flasks are made from 100% Pewter, which keeps its shine with minimal effort, perfect for me who has minimal time to polish the silverware. (word of warning don't put it next to an emery board in your handbag, as this *may* scuff your shiny flask ..... just a small suggestion). On the subject of my handbag, did I also mention that it fits perfectly in a handbag for a cheeky tipple on a night out?

    Hip Flask St Andrews 2

    So what is our verdict?

    What we love:

    • The extensive range of designs
    • The quality
    • The fact they are made in the UK
    • The ease of the site.

     

    What we don't like:

    • That the Scotsman has a hipflask in MY handbag .... I may just fill it with Pinot Grigio instead!
    • !