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: Swimming

  1. My Reverse Resolutions 2012 - 2013

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    Best quote of the year : "Dont be the person who could juggle but just didnt have the balls"

    Last year I decided that rather than start a list of New Years Resolutions, that would probably be broken by the second week in January, I would do a reverse list of all the things I have achieved in the last 12 months.  2011 was an amazing year and it made me realise that I dont need a list to aspire to but I just need to aspire to be the best I can be, whether that is mum, daughter, friend, business associate (or indeed juggler).

    So on reflection, here are my reverse resolutions for 2012. 

    1. I was nominated and subsequently named one fo the Top 100 Mumpreneurs by the national network, Mumsclub.

    2. The Lilypad Blog was nominated and a finalist in the first Women Inspiring Women awards.

    3. The Lilypad Blog has developed its own identity this year and has been a great platform to work with amazing brands like Fisher Price, Plum Baby and Groupon.

    4. I have been able to give both daughters a new life skill through swimming. The eldest can now swim competently and the little one is enjoying the water with Water Babies classes. As you can imagine, bath time is hugely amusing in our house with neither of them being afraid of being splashed and dunked!

    5. My love of blogging and addiction to social media has resulted in new opportunities and the start of some exciting new working partnerships.

     

    The start of the year was a haze of breastfeeding and nappies, so I was probably wasnt focused enough to make any achievable resolutions but on reflection, the girl did good!

    Watch out 2013, I have the balls and I am ready for some juggling!

    Top100 winner

  2. A new term : New friends?

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    As a woman and a mum, I talk alot (and sometimes blog) about relationsips and friendships and their importance in life. Before I get shot down, I am quite sure that there are some grouchy people out there who will insist that they dont need friends but I am a firm believer in making friends and keeping them.

    My mom always told me "make new friends but treasure the old, one is like silver, the other gold". To be perfectly honest, my mom has a saying for pretty much every situation but with friends she is right. I have friends that I have known since I was a baby, I have friends from infant, junior and senior school. I have work friends, college friends and my very best friends. They are people that have come in and out of my life at different times and whether I speak to them every week or once a year, they are all part of my life.

    I hope the same goes for my own daughters and I wonder which of the friends they are making now will still feature in their lives when they are in (ahem) thirty something.

    The little one is now in her second term of Water Babies and there are alot of little ones that have carried on from the beginner course (which is obviously a testament to the Water Babies team) and as our little fishes learn to swim together, I often wonder if this journey will bond them together to carry on their journey's as they grow. The lessons with Water Babies are really sociable and encourage parents (and Nanny) to make new friends which creates that bond through sharing an exciting adventure with the little ones. This week saw lots of underwater swimming (with Nanny going under too), so she has had lots of baby swimming stories to share this week.

    Another of moms great sayings is "A good friend knows all of your stories but your best friend lived them with you". Nanny always has a great story to tell of the little fish's adventures in the water and I hope that as the little one grows older and more confident, she can look back and tell those stories with her own friends.

  3. Am I a pushy parent?

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    Today I joked about my little water baby being a future Olympian. It was a joke obviously but am I saying that it didnt cross my mind for a single second that, one day, my water loving baby might go on to swim for her club, her county, her country? I can't say that.

    As a parent, I think we all have desires and aspirations for our children, whether it be a doctor, lawyer, following in our footsteps or following their own dreams, so how do you strike the balance between being a supportive parent to being a pushy one?

    I remember dancing three times a week until I was 16, I was the first in my class to do pointe ballet and I always had a dream to dance on the Royal Variety Performance. At 16, I went to college, got a job and a life that didnt fit in with my dancing disciplines, so I gave it up and with it, I gave up my dream. Looking back, do I wish that my parents had pushed me? Absolutely. Would I have listened? Probably not.

    My daughters however are not 16 and are not old enough to make those choices, so I will continue to make them for them. My eldest has already given up dancing at the ripe old age of 7 but I refuse to let her give up swimming. This isnt to say that I do genuinely think she will be a future Olympian because she can be anything she wants to be, although if the moaning about weekly swimming lessons are anything to go by, I suspect this *may not* be the case.

    The little one has started a new course with Water Babies this week and they have been encouraged to lie on their back and kick their legs, which after a little encouragement was met with many chuckles. She is super comfortable in the water and whilst the kicking and splashing isnt quite Olympic quality just yet, maybe it will be one day and maybe, just maybe I am that pushy parent after all.

  4. Injecting some enthusiasm into our swimming

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    The little fish was returning to the water this week, after half term, so Nanny was excited that she was finally going to get to use her goggles and see the little one swim under water. Unfortunately the little fish has had her MMR injections and has not been amused ever since. As most parents know, the MMR is three separate vaccines, and each one can exhibit different side effects which can then occur at different times. We are always reassured that side effects are mild and from a parents perspective, I am always mindful that the side effects are milder than the potential complications of measles, mumps and rubella. The side effect in our house however has been general grouchiness!!

    So did we go swimming ....? Of course we did!

    We checked with Water Babies and they say that as long as the doctor is fine with it, so are they. They tell us that they "have had many babies who’ve done doctors in the morning, swimming in the afternoon, with no problems whatsoever. In fact it could even be a bonus, with the warm water acting as a tonic should their arm or leg be feeling a little stiff by then".

    Unfortunately the only worry that Nanny had with regards to arms or legs was them being wrapped around her so tightly that there was more clinging than swimming this week. As usual the Water Babies instructor was fabulous but in the end agreed that the little fish was too fractious to swim underwater during this session (much to Nanny's dismay).

    So with all the crying and drama, due to injections rather than swimming this week, I think Nanny needed ear plugs rather than goggles!! Maybe next week Mum!!