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. Do not pass go, do not collect £200

    Posted on

    Isn't it funny how things can change so dramatically in a generation? I was telling my eldest daughter to go to bed the other night and she was doing her usual trick of using every delaying tactic in the book and I said, "go to bed, do not pass go, do not collect £200". She simply looked at me with a confused face and asked me what I meant. Only a few days later, when I was delirious with exhaustion, a friend told me to "go to bed, do not pass go and do not collect £200". I smiled. 

    My daughter had no idea that the phrase I used was from Monopoly, especially when in the modern game the monetary values are multiplied by 10,000, so instead of £200 it is £2,000,000 and all payments are made by card. Admitedly, I very rarely carry cash with me, so the use of the card is much more relevant to our household but it still makes me a little sad that "old fashioned" games cannot just stay the way they are.

    I remember my grandad teaching me how to play chess and we would sit there for hours on end working out the next move. I cannot imagine my daughters sitting still for that long ..... unless there was a touch screen and interactive prompts.

    Chess

    Technology is very much part of our household and our daily life (clearly evident by our online boutique and blog) but it would be lovely to switch it off and just go back to basics. We still love to draw (with real pens and pencils), we craft and we make daisy chains but the girls have TV programmes on demand, technology at their fingertips and computer skills better than my mum!

    In reality I know that life moves on and things change but wouldn't it be nice to play solitaire with real cards or a game of chess without the hints and tips? Or should I simply accept that I cannot pass go, I cannot collect £200 and I cannot go back?

    Do you miss the simplicity of your childhood or am I wearing rose tinted glasses?

    Image courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net.

  2. Planning for a family day out : Top Tips

    Posted on

    Does the thought of a family day out fill you with excitement or dread? I love planning activities for the family and usually the most stressful part of it is actually getting out of the front door with the right number of children, car games, phones, bags, nappies, wipes, snacks .... you name it, if I haven't got it, the children want it!

    As parents, finding the perfect day out that suits everyone is sometimes no mean feat, especially if like our family you have varying ages with the children, so what suits one child may not be suitable for another. We love a picnic in the park (weather permitting of course) and we can take activities that are age appropriate for everyone .... including the grown ups! Bike rides, a game of rounders, frisbee and football are fabulous entertainment for all the family but I have to admit that we are all slight adrenalin junkies in our house, so are huge fans of theme parks. Now I have to say that after an incident, circa 1991, I shall never ever set foot on a waltzer or any other ride that spins round but I love the thrill of a roller coaster. My girls take a little bit of convincing but the cost of a day out at a theme park can be expensive for a family of four ... or more!

    Rollercoaster

    So as ever, I am always on the hunt for a good deal or a bargain, it is a running joke with my family that I never want to pay full price for anything. It isn't because I begrudge paying it but if I can save money on that, it means more money to spend on other things *insert shoes here*. Regular readers will know that I am a fan of the MyFamilyClub website and its money savings tips for parents and I found some great ideas for saving money on tickets for Thorpe Park and Legoland.

    My only fear of theme parks is the vast size of them, in comparison to my tiny children, so when I went to BritmumsLive last weekend, I was super impressed to receive a sample of a Kattoo in my goody bag. They are a fabulous little invention for children who are old enough to walk (and walk off) but not old enough to remember their parents phone number. So you can pop a Kattoo (a temporary tattoo) on their arms, write your phone number with the special pen and voila!

    So I am now armed with excitement, great discounts for entry and kattoo's (just incase) .... I just need to convince the children now!

    Photo credit to foto76 from Freedigitalphoto

  3. Keeping children safe on the internet

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    I love the internet. There I said it. There is no doubting the internet has opened up a whole new world to an enormous number of people (including my Nan), made communicating with friends and strangers far easier and simplifying the exchange of information. When Virgin Media asked us to look at how our family uses the internet, we had to agree that there is no denying the advantages of easy internet access, there are also a number of associated dangers, particularly for increasingly computer literate young children, especially my two daughters.

    My eldest daughter loves to Face time her friends and the speed that my youngest daughter can swipe through the icons on the screen is alarming but it is important not to become too worried about the dangers of the internet, although safety should never be overlooked. With this in mind, we decided to take a look at the different ways in which you can help make sure your child remains safe while making full use of the internet. 

    The first and probably most important safety measure to take with children is to talk about the internet with them and set boundaries of use. Though this may difficult with very young children but it is important that you begin to have conversations with your child about internet usage and what they should, and shouldn’t, be doing.

    Child on Computer

    It is also important to remember that children will often take a lead from their parents, so make sure you don’t break your own rules in front of them or that there’s unsuitable material on the system.

    While such preventative measures are important, it is also a good idea to have practical, software-based safeguards in use as well. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) including Virgin Media will utilise features that allow parents to block certain pages or types of content and it’s important that you make the most of these. Blocking pages should prevent your children from viewing any dangerous or inappropriate websites. 

    It is worth reading up on what you can control as a parent and a good resource for Virgin Media’s services, including their parental control facilities, you can go straight to their website.

    Sometimes, children can be at risk from anonymous users elsewhere in the world. Children should understand that they are never to give out personal information online or contact or reply to strangers. This is a worry for me with my nieces, godchildren and as they get older, my own daughters too and they are constantly reminded not to talk to strangers on or offline!

    With Facebook, Twitter apps and instant messaging available on our phones and on the move, it can be difficult to keep an eye on what is going on but talking to your children and being “in the know” can keep you one step ahead in protecting your children electronically, emotionally and practically.

    Photo courtesy of Clairee Bloomfield through http://www.freedigitalphotos.net Disclaimer: We have received compensation for this post, however we never knowingly provide any recommendations or links that we haven't used personally and would naturally recommend.

  4. Shopping Tricks for Savvy Mums

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    I was having a conversation with my beautiful sister in law a week or so ago about finding great maternity clothes. We are both very similar in our love of fashion and our "habit" for regularly buying clothes but as mums (or mums to be) know, that babies and children are expensive little things so finding the best deals around becomes a mothers quest!

    If you have a conversation with my gorgeous other half, he would tell you that I have an incessant need to buy clothes for myself and the children, whether we need them or not. My wardrobe is bulging with "essential" clothing and shoe purchases (and there are some other cupboards that "may" also hold a secret stash of necessary handbag purchases). Obviously the children need new clothes as they are growing little girls but I think my feet stopped growing quite a few years back so I need a good deal to justify yet another pair of shoes.

    When I was pregnant, finding stylish, affordable maternity clothes was not only another excuse to buy clothes but a mission in itself and don't get me started on maternity swimwear (thank goodness for New Look online is all I can say). I am not particularly a fan of high street changing rooms, especially when you are trying to negotiate your way in to them with a pushchair, so shopping online suits me on lots of levels. Whether it is for designer shoes or school pumps you can get anything online but do you get the best deals too? (apparently someone once bought a bucket of fresh air on a well known auction site but I digress).

    As mums, we are usually have to find a way to juggle the family budget whilst having to put clothes on our children's back, shoes on their feet .... when maintaining a perfectly immaculate yummy mummy look ourselves. So what do we do? Mums do what they do best, they get savvy! You can shop online to get the very best deal and you can use voucher sites such as NetVoucherCodes for high street stores such as New Look to get the best promotions. I have used lots of different discount sites to get the best products at the best deals and it is definately the way forward, I don't buy anything without searching for a discount code for it first.

    As for being savvy, the money you save using the discount codes on your children's clothes ..... can always go towards buying more shoes for you! 

     

    Disclaimer : Whilst we were approached and paid to write this post about NetVoucherCodes, having previously used the site we are happy to make this natural recommendation.