Category: Sleep

1. Slumbersac Giveaway

   Posted on 9:07pm Monday 23rd Mar 2015

   We love finding things our children love and this week we are loving the Slumbersac.

   We know many parents and children love baby sleeping bags but what about when the get old enough to walk and get out of bed, the sleeping bag isn't always so practical then for older children, so we loved the idea of the Slumbersac. As children grow and start to take their first steps, they need all the help they can get. Slumbersac sleeping bags with feet are great for helping your child as they learn to walk and explore their world for the first time! Toddlers can enjoy the comfort and security of their sleeping bag while still being able to move about freely.

   

   Slumbersac’s sleeping bags with feet are just like their normal sleep bags but with openings for feet so children can walk around while staying cosy in their bag! The innovative sleeping bags are designed so that your child's feet fit inside the sleeping bag when sleeping and when they wake up they can pop their feet through the openings and walk or crawl around in it!

    

   We love the idea that you can get your little one into their bag and ready for bed nice and early but they will still have the freedom to play until you’re ready to put them down! Likewise in the morning, they can run around happily in their bag until it’s time to get ready for the day.

   
   We received our first Slumbersac for the toddler this week and we can vouch for the exceptional high quality, they are made from soft 100% jersey cotton, lined with 100% cotton and are padded with soft quick-dry polyester fleece. The sleeping bag with feet comes in two prints and the option of name embroidery enables you to personalize the sleeping bag with your little one’s name.
   
   Sleeping bags with feet are available in four sizes from 12 months – 4 years. (The tween is disappointed that they don't make them for older children too).

    

   12 – 18 months / 80cm (measured from shoulder to the feet)
   18 – 24 months / 90cm (measured from shoulder to the feet)
   24 – 36  months / 110cm (measured from shoulder to the feet)
   3-4 years / 120 cm (measured from shoulder to the feet)

    

   

    

   Sleeping bags with feet are available in two weights:

   • Summer weight / approx. 1.0 tog. These bags are slightly padded and suitable for use in warmer rooms with temperatures between 19 and 24 degrees.
   • Standard weight / approx. 2.5 tog.These bags are padded and suitable for general year-round use in room temperatures between 15 and 21 degrees.

   Priced from £18.99 - £22.99

    

   You can view the full range at www.slumbersac.co.uk

    

   With a winning combination of quality, value, safety and comfort, Slumbersac is your number one choice for sleeping bags for babies and children! So on the subject of winning, we are thrilled to be able to give our Lilypad readers the chance to win one and all you need to do in enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

    

   Good luck.

    

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

   UK Entrants Only.
   The winner will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on Rafflecopter and notified within 5 working days by email
   Slumbersac will be responsible for the despatch of the prize.
   Slumbersac will make every effort to provide the gift set requested but this cannot be guaranteed
   By entering this competition, you understand that your details will be retained by Slumbersac for future mailings. You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.
   There is no monetary equivalent.
   Little Lilypad Co take no /responsibility for loss or damage in the despatch of prizes
   If the prize is unclaimed within 7 days we reserve the right to redraw the winner.
   End Date 04/04/2015 at 12am

    

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2. Fancy a trip down memory lane .... or to Bexley?

   Posted on 7:42pm Wednesday 18th Feb 2015

   When I was 7 years old, I met a friend on holiday in Spain. We chatted about everything and anything like most 7 year olds and at the end of the holiday we exchanged addresses and became pen pals. She lived in Bexley in London and I was in Birmingham in the West Midlands. It seemed like a million miles away from each other back then, in the days before email, texting and Facetime. We would write to each other every single week. She would hear about everything from my aspirations and exam woes to friendship squabbles and boyfriend drama.

   

   I couldn't wait for the letter to come through the letterbox each week to hear about her adventures "down south". Bexley seemed like a foreign land, so when our parents agreed for us to meet up, it was like having a mini holiday all over again. I remember us getting the train and tube into London and my pen pal laughing at me for being in awe of the tube, we went sight seeing around London and went to visit the Queen (although you couldn't get in past the gates in those days)

   

   Fast forward 30 years and our lines of communication have changed a little (along with our ability to travel without our parents).  I have held my driving licence since I was 17 although there is still some childlike thrill about taking a train or tube ride but rather than sleeping on her bedroom floor like we did as children, I can now choose to say at a local hotel, like 

   Holiday Inn Bexley

    

   

   She is one of my oldest friends but these days we now we tend to use Facebook and emails to stay in touch and arrange to meet up I love how instantly we can chat now but I do miss seeing the hand written envelope popping through the letter box and ripping it open to see what secrets we were sharing that week.

   This weekend she is coming up to Warwickshire, although I suspect that Warwick Castle may not quite match up to Buckingham Palace, so we will be planning another trip down south very soon and I plan on doing some real sightseeing around London. I may go and visit the Queen again but the London Eye is top of the list for me this time.

   Did you ever have a pen pal as a child? Did you ever go and visit them? 

   

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   This is a collaborative post.

3. Don't judge me on my parenting ....

   Posted on 6:13am Friday 16th Jan 2015

   Please don't judge me on my parenting. Not today. 

   We were having dinner with some friends and friends of theirs joined us, as the meals were served, I got out my phone and put it in front of the toddler to distract her while she ate. I held my breath slightly waiting for the disproving looks from everyone round the table to tell me silently that I should be teaching my child to eat properly without the need for distraction only to feel relived when another Mum looked over and simply said "I am so glad we are not the only ones that do that".

   It made me realise that people do make judgements every single day and we expect our parenting to be critised by anyone who has ever considered having a child, those that don't, let alone those who have been there and got the t-shirt. Somedays I feel like saying .....

   Please don't judge me today for letting my child have chocolate, you don't know that she has been unwell and hasn't eaten much. I am just glad that she is eating something.

   Please don't judge me today for using a Disney Princess umbrella on the school run today, honestly .... I have no clue where my umbrella is (it wasn't on today's priority list) and anyway the little one was delighted to be huddled up together under the pink brolly.

   Please don't judge me today for wearing a glittery clip in my hair ..... look at the fishtail plait in my oldest daughters hair or the miracle of two small pigtails in the toddlers hair .... they look super cute. Just don't look at me.

   Please don't judge me today for telling my daughter to play with her friends at soft play. I want to help her develop her social skills (and I would really like to drink a cup of hot chocolate while it is still hot). (oh and did I mention that I was at soft play, I deserve a wine!).

   Please don't judge me today for staying with my toddler until she falls asleep, she has asthma and controlled crying is not an option. (I also worked hard today and I sometimes just want to grab those extra minutes with her).

    

   So please don't judge me today. I am doing the best job I can.

   Do you feel judged today?

    

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4. New Season : New Projects : New Lifestyle

   Posted on 6:26am Monday 6th Oct 2014

   As the seasons are changing, there will be undoubtedly be more time spent indoors and the jobs that might have been "ignored" over the summer, now suddenly seem much more evident in the house. Just under 15 years ago I bought my first house, although in hindsight we bought half a house as we always had a grand design in mind for the property and doubled the size of it within 18 months. It was a mammoth project and not one that I would be inclined to repeat in a hurry but having lived in our current home for 5 years, I do have a niggling desire to create something new with our living space.

   Kitchen Island

   I have always coveted a centre island in the kitchen. I think it is a focal point and as most of our parties always end up in the kitchen, it is great for socialising too. Everyone can get round the island, stand or sit and relax. Unfortunately for me, I am not entirely sure that our kitchen would take the island that I would really like ...... or the bank balance for the kitchen of my dreams. 

   Bedroom

   Our bedroom is the one room that has not been decorated in the last 4 years and I need a fresh new look. Thankfully we have painted walls, so creating a new palette of colours shouldn't be an issue. We always seem to have a little person crawling into bed with us in the early hours of the morning so a bigger queen size bed would be perfect and in order to maximise the reduced space, we could look at building drawers into the angled wall space.

   

   Landing Light

   Our landing is a relatively big space but it is so dark without the lights on and even though I have recently changed the lighting, it is still not filled with the natural light I would like, so when a friend of mine recently started her own building project, I loved the VELUX sun tunnels  she used to maximise the natural light in her new bathroom. I was amazed to learn that the tunnel between the roof and the diffuser is 35cm in diameter and takes up minimal space in the loft, which is good for me because I have more storage boxes in the loft than insulation!

   

    

   Sometimes just a few changes can make a massive difference but if all of these things don't satisfy my lifestyle demands, I suppose in the New Year we could always look for a new house, although you know what they say? New house, new baby ...... but shhhh, just don't mention that to the Man on the Lilypad!