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!

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!!

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This week is International Baby Wearing Week. Saying that in itself is a bit of a strange concept to me as seven and a half years ago when I had my eldest daughter I dont recall anyone talking about "baby wearing" and I am sure that I would have possibly looked at them in a strange way if they did.

Fast forward to having my youngest daughter and having a sling, baby carrier or wrap (not the tortilla variety before my OH suggests it) is a fantastic way to continue to build the bond with you little one and in my case, reclaim the use of my hands!

The International Baby Wearing website summaries it as "baby wearing simply means carrying or holding a baby or a young child using a cloth carrier".

As a new but allegedly experienced mum, I was surprised by the terminology at first. Anyone that knows me well will know that I love to accessorise anything but "baby wearing" sounded more like a fashion statement than something that would build a bond with my youngest daughter and I.

Anyone that has had a baby will know that in those first few months you either dont want to put the baby down or baby is too comfortable and doesnt want to be anywhere else except with you. This can make it difficult for dad to bond too though and babywearing can help dad put a fussy newborn to sleep but it allows mums like me to reclaim my hands, so I can wash up once in a while. (That dishwasher is still on my Christmas list).

So off I went on my voyage of discovery into the world of slings, wraps and carriers and what I found was certainly not a "one size fits all policy". Baby wearing, like parenting, is a very personal thing and what suits one person, may not suit another.

There is a whole array of baby carriers available to buy and to be honest is can all be a bit overwhelming, but I was determined to find one that suited me and my bambino. I was lucky enough to have a great support network and there is a local sling meet where you can go and meet other mums and try different styles. This was a huge help to me as a novice "baby wearer". Baby wearing needs the support just like breastfeeding, as it would be so easy to give up if you dont have a peer group or support around you. Thats why I am supporting International Baby Wearing week with many amazing bloggers.

Check out Simply Hayley for more baby wearing information and dont forget to check back here later in the week for my continuing journey!

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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! 

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 ..... 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.

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