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. In a time BC (before children) there were many things I said repeatedly, such as "what are we doing on Friday night"  or "shall buy this top in both colours" but now in AD, (after dilation), my seemingly most common phrase at the moment is "Dont eat the cat biscuits" or "Get your hands out of the toilet".

    I have to admit at some point in my distant past, I *may* have tasted a cat biscuit and let me assure those of you that havent tried them, they are awful. I am sure that they are considered delicious to our feline friends who usually have mouse on the menu but to human beings, this is certainly not a delicacy of choice!

    Now ever since we found crawling a few months ago, the littlest daughter has decided she has a penchant for the cat biscuits in the kitchen and it really doesnt matter what flavour. At first I thought she may try them and spit them out but oh no, she scuttles across the floor like she is on a military mission and dives on the cat bowl. She is not a frail baby girl and definately not underfed, so her desire to gobble the cat biscuits remains a mystery!

    Now on the subject of mysteries, what delights could the toilet bowl hold that simply grips the facination of an 11 month old baby? My love of bleach has had to go on hold for the moment, through sheer fear of her dipping her hands in the toilet but am still baffled as to what is so intriguing. Thankfully everyone now remembers to put the toilet seat down ..... so maybe the little one's facination with the toilet does have its advantages after all!

     

  2. We were supposed to be going on a picnic today but typically the rain stops play! Normally a little bit of rain wouldnt bother me too much but I really didnt fancy sitting on the wet grass and trying to amuse the 11 month old whilst the 7 year old ran around in the puddles. I cant actually say this is my idea of fun.

    So what do we do?

    Before 10am, the 7 year old had already watched a movie with snacks on the sofa but I didnt want her staring at the TV screen all day, so we decided to go through some old birthday cards. I have somehow inherited my mums incessant need to keep birthday cards for every single, birthday, christmas, valentines, new home ...... you get the picture and I realised that the majority of these cards would probably be better served as crafts for my eldest daughter. So we have a pile of cards and have been cutting out the cute pictures and details so that she can make some pictures and cards for the family!

    Apparently later on we shall still be having our picnic, on the lounge floor .... accompanied by some dolls and bears for a teddy bears picnic ( I am a little worried that I dont have enough food to feed all the dolls and bears ) so that should be fun! The baby loves to "wrestle" with her sisters toys, so I will probably be playing referee for a while too!

    But I dont think I should worry too much about a food shortage as rice krispie cakes are next on the agenda, then there is all the board games we have in our cupboards and apparently I need to get off the computer so that my eldest can check her Moshi Monster Zoo???

    So my main worry about things to do in the rain, is that we actually have too much to do .... so I really dont mind if it rains tomorrow!

    (disclaimer - would ACTUALLY prefer sunshine).

    When rain stops play! 

     

    On the flip side, if you really dont want the rain to stop the play for the children, then the range of cute waterproof kids jackets from muddy puddles will help your day to not be ruined.
  3. Regular readers will know that we have a tiny terror who loves nothing more than sneezing food on me whilst feeding and I kid you not when I tell you that I have been covered in a multitude or porride, purees and mashed up food! Now the little one is already expressing preferences for food (although she will pretty much try anything) but the range available from organic baby food brand, Plum does appear to be a particular favourite! We are therefore excited to tell you about some news direct from Plum themselves!

    Plum_Cookery School Baby Chef

    Back in June,  Plum, ran a competition to win a sought after place at the first ever Plum Cookery School. Five lucky mums were invited down to Buckinghamshire where the Cookery School opened its doors to reveal some of the tasty secrets behind Plum’s recipes and offered expert advice to support parents through the weaning process. (any mum will know that this is never an easy time)  The cookery school was made extra exciting with two special guests, celebrity chef Rachel Allen and child nutrition expert, Beverley Glock, who were both absolutely fabulous as you will see in the new weaning videos.

    Plum’s new weaning videos are designed to ensure that other mums can take advantage of Rachel and Beverley’s advice whilst learning lots of cooking tips, eating fabulous food and having many of their weaning worries resolved. Click below to see the Plum Cookery School action in the third of Plum’s weaning videos. This video covers stage three of weaning, where Beverley Glock cooks up two tasty dishes, including a Beef Stroganoff that the whole family can enjoy.

     

    And, if this video has got tummies rumbling and you can’t wait to learn more, all you need to do is head on over to Plum’s You Tube channel (www.youtube.com/plumbaby ) where you can watch all four episodes!

    If you haven’t yet tried Plum products I’d urge you to do it, they taste amazing (even for mums licking the spoon too - purely for research purposes of course) . Plus, with a free coupon available to download on Plum’s Facebook Page, now is your perfect time to introduce baby to Plum! They are going thick and fast though and they only have 10,000 to give away, so do hurry! www.facebook.com/plumbaby 

    Go do it now .....Plum Baby Cookery_School_logoDisclaimer: This is a sponsored post for which I received compensation .... but we love Plum enough and would have shared anyway!

  4. It goes without saying that a new baby means major change – and preparing the space needed for a new arrival, can be stressful. Where do you put everything – not only the crib and other furniture, but also the gifts and toys from well-wishers, including that very odd looking cot mobile your Aunt sent? With over 61% of people in a Big Yellow survey admitting to hoarding useless items around the house and just under a third (26%) of us having a whole room in our home filled with junk, you're not alone if the thought of decluttering a room to create a nursery fills you with dread. But the good news is, it doesn't have to be a nightmare. Here are our top tips:

    The first step is to decide what needs to be kept, stored or removed for good. Before deciding this, however, assess your storage. If all your cupboards are already heaving, it's a good idea to consider other storage possibilities – unused space that can be harnessed in a garage for example, enclosed staircases or in an attic. Remember that damp and pests can damage your stored things so invest in making the storage space sound and make sure to regularly check items once stored. A wardrobe – with its small footprint, is excellent for storing soft items allowing you to hang, fold and stack effectively. Think laterally when it comes to storage – a lot of unused space is either at our feet or above our heads (note: when going vertical: make sure not to store heavy things too high, and don't store anything you regularly use above your eye-line). Also remember that your storage will be subject to small, inquisitive fingers shortly, so make sure everything can be locked away or is outside of reach.

    Terry from www.prestigedoors.co.uk said: ‘Finding storage room in an already full house can be difficult, one simple solution is to use an open garage as a storage room as well as parking, all it needs is the addition of a garage door.’

    Now you've organised your storage space, you can start to fill it:

    Storing Books

    Books can be surprisingly heavy if too many of them are stacked together so the best way to pack these is to use small boxes for efficient use of the self storage space. Stack smaller books over larger books and make sure that they’re arranged horizontally (never vertically) because it can damage the spine.

    Storing Clothing

    Clothing should be stored in wardrobe boxes, on hangers, to retain their original shapes. Keep out of season clothes accessible, as you may need to store your clothing for longer than anticipated. Finally, place some moth balls inside the boxes where you store your clothes to prevent any damage.

    Storing Mattresses

    If you're turning your spare bedroom into a nursery, you may want to store a mattress or two. Wrap your mattresses in the special bags available at self storage facilities like Big Yellow and DIY stores. These not only prevent them from losing shape but protect them from absorbing moisture as well. If you store it for longer than a year, change the plastic covering once annually.

    Furniture

    A thorough waxing with wood varnish will protect your wooden furniture from moisture, while dismantling flat packed items will prolong their life. Avoid scratches to the components by placing cloth or old carpet between them. Sofas with hard wearing upholstery such as leather or micro-fibre can be stored upright – saving on floorspace – however those finished in delicate materials will be safer stored horizontally. Wrapping your sofa in plastic sheeting will give it extra protection.

    Writing on all sides

    Write down what each box contains and to what kind of room it belongs. Don’t just write it on one side, as sometimes it may be stacked in such a way that your label will be hidden from view.

     

    This guest post was provided by Drew Davies who writes for Big Yellow Self Storage. To help declutter a room to turn into a nursery, Big Yellow has a range or storage rooms or lockers (from as small as 9 sq ft) that will help create the space you need.

     

    Disclaimer: Financial compensation was received for this post