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. Holding onto the apron strings

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    Sometimes we review on our blog, occasionally we promote and quite frequently we talk about life. This is one of those times!
     
    Our schools finished for half term last week and given that mommy frog maybe *too* pregnant to go anywhere in the summer holidays, there was a last minute decision to go away for bank holiday weekend, so that 6 year old had a little holiday.
     
    I am quite sure that I expect too much of myself, almost all of the time but sometimes when I want to take on the world, I sit and have a conversation with my little princess and remember that she is my world, so this break was all about her!
     
    After browsing through countless web pages and holiday brochure books, we decided on a good old fashioned holiday park. We looked at the "designer" holidays, the "quirky" alternative breaks but at the end of the day, all children want is to play and spend time with you. So we packed up our bags (and some friends too) and off we went.
     
    The weekend has been filled with laughter and despite the lure of the arcade games, it was the classic dancing like a lunatic to vintage party tunes that amused us the most.
     
    Little lady wanted to be independant and I have to accept that she is not a baby anymore and even with another one on the way, she will always be a baby to me. I try to be the best parent I can and I know that I cant protect her from everything but I will give it a damn good do! (what was that I said about not expecting too much of myself?)
     
    I used to curse my own mother for holding onto the apron strings too long with my brother and I but we are still a close knit family and no matter how long or short the apron strings, thats all that matters isnt it?

  2. What a week!

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    This week has not been what you would consider a "normal" week. I could try "unique", "amazing", "classic" or truly "amazing", but normal definately doesnt cover it.
     
    It started last Sunday, when I began to receive countless emails saying that we had new followers. At first I thought that Twitter had got a backlog of notifications but then it dawned on me that we had sent a small business Sunday (#sbs) tweet to Theo Paphitis. Lo and behold, there it was .....
     

    Twitter pic

    The messages, twitter mentions and it seemed our complete inbox just went bonkers! (bonkers is a technical term you understand).
     
    By Monday morning we had countless emails offering to work with us, new opportunities and exciting partnerships. The order levels on the Lilypad saw a significant rise and due to unprecedented demand, we ended up with some products going out of stock!
     
    The Little Lilypad Co has always had a small boutique appeal for those quirky gifts but with a larger audience, we clearly appeal to a wider spectrum than anticipated.
     
    Due to the increased workload, there have not been many evenings where sleep has come before midnight but we are certainly not complaining (tired but not complaining). Its amazing the power of a small tweet by a "Dragon" but we are extremely grateful for this recognition.
     
    We have spent most of the weekend at the NEC Baby Show with www.mumsclub.co.uk, helping to support other mums in business and meeting many of our great twitter friends! Did we see you?
     
    So all in all, what a week - its been "toadally" brilliant!!
     
    How about you?

  3. Pass the Biscuits

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    I received an email today, you know the type, with words of wisdom and the suggestion that you should pass it on. Normally I would delete this kind of mailing but this one struck a cord with me. If I could credit the author, I would, but there was a constant stream of email addresses but no author to credit.
     
    I would therefore like to share this with you now:
     
    "When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then.  And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.  On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad.  I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!  Yet all my dad did was reach for his Biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school.
     
     I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits.  And I'll never forget what he said:  "Honey, I love burned biscuits."
      
     Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned.  He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your momma put in a long hard day at work today and she's real tired.   And besides... a burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!"
      
     You know, life is full of imperfect things... and imperfect people.   I'm not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else.  What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults and choosing to celebrate each others differences, is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship    " 
      
     
    On the Lilypad, we can help you find the perfect gift, an unusual present or some unique personalisation but we cant help you to be perfect. Perfect is an opinion or an aspiration and who wants to be perfect anyway??
     

    So...please pass me a biscuit. And yes, the burned one will do just fine!  

  4. A reason to celebrate

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    Today marks the day of the Royal Wedding, Prince William and Katherine Middleton get married. This may seem an odd thing for us to blog about on the Lilypad but its an amazing event and everyone loves a wedding dont they?
     
    The Royal Family are one of the only British traditions that remain in our multicultural society and during a time when it can be frowned upon to be patriotic, it is refreshing to find the whole country enjoying the festivities and celebrations.
     
    The government deemed today as a bank holiday which caused some controvosy within the working world, like how would this effect small businesses and should there be another short working week? Lets be honest, most people wont complain about the day off and you cant help but be swept up in the euphoria of this unique event.
     
    We havent marketed wedding memorabilia on the Lilypad, there are so many amazing hand crafted options out there, together with mass produced replica gifts, that we thought we should stay with what we do best!
     
    This post isnt about causing controvosy or dividing opinion its about celebrating true love. We all feel and demonstrate love differently and I suspect that I will be weeping into a tissue as we watch the ceremony today. My daughter and other half will roll their eyes at me but family is at the centre of what matters.
     
    So whether your family are the Windsors or more like the Royal Family TV characters, remember to celebrate what matters to you today .... as well as that other event!!