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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  1. Avoid a sleep deprived Christmas this year.

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    Avoid a sleep deprived Christmas 

    Sleep is a hot topic in our house and when we were asked to bring you this post in association with Bedstar, we knew avoiding sleep deprivation would be top of many parents Christmas lists this year.

    Nothing is guaranteed to cause over excitement and lack of sleep among the kids - and therefore the adults - of the house than Christmas. As soon as you put the tree up and start gathering the gifts, the countdown begins and excited eyes don’t want to close! Of course, the last thing anyone wants is a sleep deprived Christmas Day, particularly when there is inevitably a huge group of people to cook for and every tradition to keep going. Here’s some Lilypad tips to make sure everyone gets enough sleep during the most wonderful time of the year. 

    Stick to your normal routine 

    With young children it can be tempting to let them stay up later to enjoy the festive films, or play longer, but it’s most definitely wise to make sure they go to bed at their normal time, right up to and including Christmas Eve (especially if you need to wrap those last minute presents like me!)

    When it comes to the big night, don’t forget to remind them that they need to be asleep for Santa - otherwise he won’t come! Putting snacks out for the big man and his reindeers is a tradition that can help to get them keen to go to bed so that the next day comes quicker.

    Christmas

    If you’re sneaking gifts into their room or under the tree, wait until they are definitely asleep (you don’t want to ruin the magic) and set a rule the night before that nothing gets opened before 7am. It’s fairly unlikely they’ll stick to it but you never know - it could buy you some precious time in bed before you have to get up and start the Big Day itself. 

    Is everyone sleeping well? 

    If you find your children aren’t sleeping well or for long in general then it could be time to look at their environment a bit more closely. This is especially important during the exciting festive period, but will also stand you in good stead for the new year.

    If they have a plethora of electrical equipment (TVs, iPads, consoles) in their room, remove them. Make sure their bedroom is just for sleeping and reading. Encouraging your little ones to read (or be read to) for half an hour before lights out can be a great way to get them to properly relax. 

    Check their mattress - if it’s five years old or less then it’s most likely OK, but a lumpy or uncomfortable mattress can really impede anyone’s sleep time, including kids. It could be time to treat them to a new bed for Christmas, complete with brand new mattress to lull them into dreamland. And it doesn’t have to cost the earth - we all have enough expenses at this time of year without adding on any others! Have a look online and do some research. When you’ve decided on the kind of bed and mattress you’re after, buy from www.bedstar.co.uk to make sure you get the best deal and the best quality. They also have a fantastic range of character and themed beds that will make sure your kids are dying to get to bed. 

    Late nights or not?

    Depending on the age of your children, either make sure you stick with their normal routine on Christmas Day - there’s always time for a nap, even in the busiest of days. If they’re older then try making it a treat to stay up late can put the cherry on top of the Christmas cake, and mean some extra special family time.

  2. On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me ......

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    ........ a guest post from Cass Bailey.

    I'm Cass and I usually blog over at The Diary of a Frugal Family.  Anyone who knows me will tell you just how much I love Christmas, so much so that I even set up my own Christmas blog so I didn't annoy my regular readers mentioning the C word before December!
     
    I'm the annoying person who can tell you (thanks to the app on my phone) on any given day how many sleeps there are until Christmas and I get genuinely excited about most things Christmas related.  I'm done with my Christmas shopping by the end of November and as soon as the 1st of December hits we usually go into full Christmas mode.
     
    But this year's a bit different, mainly because I've been feeling under the weather for a few weeks now and even though antibiotics should have me better in the next few days, I just can't seem to get into the Christmas spirit.
     
    So, I've come up with a plan to get my Christmas mojo back this weekend and I thought I'd share it with anyone else who's struggling to find their Christmas spirit this year - it involves cake and hot chocolate so I'm pretty sure it's going to be a winner....
     
    First of all, on Saturday morning, I'm going to send my other half up to the loft to get down the Christmas decorations and we're going to get them up.  I imagine it's going to be difficult not to feel Christmassy when I'm surrounded in sparkle so this should go a good way to helping me get into the spirit!
     
    Christmas Decorations
     
    Next we're going to go ice skating to the outdoor ice skating rink in town (although just to be clear, by we, I mean the kids will ice skate while I watch) and then come home and the kids can have a hot chocolate while I enjoy a lovely glass of mulled wine.
     
    We're then going to watch a few Christmas films - I usually find it impossible to watch Elf and Santa Claus without feeling all warm and fluffy inside so they'll definitely be on the list for Saturday afternoon.
     
    Sunday's going to be more of the same with Fred Claus being top of our viewing list for the morning and crafting and baking planned in for the afternoon.  I think we'll make some decorations for the tree like these ones that we made last year just by gluing lolly sticks together in the shape of a tree:
     
    Baking wise, I think we'll make some after eight cupcakes because nothing says Christmas like a box of After Eights ;-)
     
    Add a little bit of the Michael Buble Christmas album and some present wrapping on Sunday night and I'm convinced that by Monday morning, I'll be filled with the joys of Christmas.
     
    What makes you feel festive?

     

  3. On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me .....

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    ... a guest post about a nativity so nutty!

    Donna is a slightly crazy Geordie, living in Scotland with her Lancastrian husband and their two sons who were born in Jersey. Confused? So is she most of the time. You can check out her ramblings at http://www.mummycentral.com
     
    Yes, it's that time of year again, when you pay for the privilege of seeing your own child, dressed as a donkey, sing Christmas carols out of tune and totally NOT in time with the music. But still we all roll up, oohing and ahhing, applauding overenthusiastically and trying to take pictures/footage before we get rugby-tackled by the paedophile police. (Because of course, every pervert's dream is an image of a five-year-old, draped in a sheet with a tea-towel on his head!)
     
    nativity (1)
     
    Don't you just love a nativity?
     
    I do and I'm not the only one. Asda announced last week it was giving its staff "nativity leave" over the festive season, so no parent had to miss their child's performance. Having experienced two playgroup shows, where both my boys were Wise Men, and two primary school shows, where my eldest was a donkey and a camel respectively (insert obvious "getting the hump" joke here), I have to say I'm warming to the tradition. And I've noticed certain similarities in all the nativities I've been to - not just in the Christmas story itself (obviously!), but in the types of people I've seen there.
     
    Maybe you've seen one or two yourself. Let me introduce you to them.
     
    Zombie child
    No matter how upbeat and encouraging the teachers are, and how hopeful the faces of the parents in the audience, there's always one kid who would rather chew off their right arm than stand on stage and perform. So they go through the motions, opening and closing their mouth to the music but not uttering the words, totally dead inside. Years from now, you imagine a therapist listening to this tortured individual saying "The feelings of complete and utter despair all started at my school's nativity show"
     
    The "I can do better" mum
    She goes that little bit further with her child's costume. Because she can do better - and quite frankly in her opinion, her child is better.
    All the other mums have put a teatowel on their child's head, secured with a rubber band, as requested by the school for the shepherds. But not this mum. She's stayed up all night, fashioning a head-dress from gold material, which makes her little darling look more like a rich Sheik than a poor sheep-herder. But she doesn't care, as she punches the air and whoops loudly, while other parents look on in wonder, rolling their eyes and blustering at the fact their little ones have been upstaged.
     
    The crying baby
    There’s always a crying baby/toddler in the audience, with a mum sporting a fixed grin and bobbing the infant up and down on her hip, pleading through clenched teeth for the noise to stop. She paid for her ticket too, and endured weeks of listening to her little one practising her songs. She's damned if she's going to miss her daughter's big debut as an angel, despite all the tuts and glares from the rest of the audience.
     
    Jazz hands
    Through countless football lessons, swimming clubs and karate demos, he's been looking for his niche - which he's finally found at the school nativity. While zombie kid tries to disappear in the back row, little Master Jazz Hands does all of the actions in an exaggerated fashion, enunciating his words to full effect. He may not be in a starring role, but he steals the show with his enthusiasm. It's like putting Pavarotti in a karaoke competition. He stands out like a sore thumb. While his mum fishes in her handbag for her iPhone, to look up the website for their nearest stage school, his father wonders if he can get his money back on the personalised Man Utd strip he's bought his son for Christmas.
     
    Screecher teacher
    She's put the kids through weeks of rehearsals, practised the songs until she's singing them in her dreams, and Goddammit she's going to have a perfect opening night - or she might just lose her shit and throw the baby Jesus doll through a window. You can see her rushing around in the background, teeth clenched into the fakest smile you've ever witnessed, screeching at the sound person, making sure the prompt cards are waved in the right direction, and hissing at the kids to start singing on cue. Just one mistake will tip this woman over the edge, and you can't help but pray that one of the kids messes up big style so you can watch the ensuing fireworks.
     
     
    Notice anyone familiar?

  4. Christmas giveaway with Serenata Flowers

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    Flowers are not just for Valentines and Birthdays but Christmas too but often they are overlooked as the perfect gift to send to someone you don't see very often, someone far away or simply .... just because you want to!

    serenata flowers

    We are delighted to have teamed up with the folk at Serenta Flowers to bring this giveaway to you. As an independent florist, Serenata cut out middlemen and offer cheaper flowers by buying flowers direct from the best growers and flower auctions around the world. We are told that their flowers are fresher than what you will find in traditional flower shops in the UK, since they buy flowers internationally delivered to the UK and shipped out via their Free flower delivery service the same day. 

    If you want to be in with a chance to win, simply enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and one lucky winner selected at random will win £35.00 to spend on flowers of their choice from the Serenata website! (Delivery to Mainland UK only)

    serenata flowers1

    Good luck!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Listed on Prizefinder.com