Category: Reviews

1. How to afford Christmas without breaking the bank

   Posted on 10:24am Thursday 24th Nov 2016

   A month today is Christmas Eve ... how is that possible? 

   We are 11 months into the year and the children are keen to believe that the elves have been working hard all year, although I am still unsure as to how this actually works when the children only seem to write their lists in the last few weeks but I suppose that is all part of the magic isn't it?

   For many parents Christmas can be a mix of emotions from the excitement of sharing Christmas with the children to the stress of actually affording to pay for the gifts and festivities. 

   

   So how do you afford a magical and (financially) stress free Christmas? Here are our top tips.

   Make a list and check it twice.

   Having a plan is my top tip! This includes creating a list of everyone you need to buy for and setting a budget. You then know what you need and then don't deviate from it! If you can agree present budgets with friends and family that is even better because no one likes feeling awkward when your gift is significantly more expensive (or cheaper) than theirs.

   Budget, budget, budget

   I am not talking about finding a way to make your pay packet last all the way through December and I know it is easy to say now we are in November but putting away a little bit of money every month can make life a lot easier when it comes to present buying at Christmas time. I am acutely aware that a lot of families don't always have disposable income to put £50 in the savings account every month, especially when you get requests for school trips or the children need new shoes but there is always an option of playing a couple of pounds with games online. I was asked by Lottoland to take a look at their site and as I am usually a bit cynical about the lottery, I wanted to take a look. The interesting part is that you are not actually purchasing a lottery ticket, instead, you are betting on the outcome of the lottery. This was a totally new concept for me as it is a form of betting that gives you the opportunity to play along and bet on lotteries that are not normally accessible to us. There is the EuroMillions, Irish Lottery and Powerball which is the American lottery which had the £1 billion jackpot ealier this year! So even if you played this for £1 a week, the chances of adding more pennies to your Christmas savings pot definitely has better odds than sitting in your piggy bank.

   Shop online 

   Christmas shopping may be fun but it’s a lot more interesting and a lot less stressful when you don’t have to battle the crowds. Most people now shop online in order to obtain bargain prices on gifts but that’s not the only thing that can be purchased online. Stocking up on your entire Christmas food order online and having it delivered will definitely help eliminate the stress of Christmas supermarket shopping.

   Give an IOU to your other half or best friend

   Instead of paying December prices, offer to take your partner or best friend shopping in the January sales. It means that you get a day out together at a fraction of the pre-Christmas cost. This is an especially good idea if you wanted to buy a joint present for the house (this does not mean a vacuum, in case my husband is reading this!!)

   Get cashback

   Whatever you are buying, make sure that you are getting cashback whether this is through an online site (there are so many to choose from) or with your own bank account. It makes total sense toget cashback on the gifts you are buying and you can start to put this into your 2017 Christmas fund!

    

   What are your top tips on affording Christmas?

    

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2. Baby Annabell Bedroom Giveaway

   Posted on 9:53am Wednesday 26th Oct 2016

    

   Baby Annabell® is a pretty big deal in our house (according to the 5 year old anyway), so when Talk To Mums asked us to work with them and review the Baby Annabell® Bedroom, we knew that we couldn't resist. Talk To Mums mission is to make all mums a hero to someone they love and this is definitely going to improve our hero points with a certain little lady! If you haven't signed up with Talk To Mums, it is worth taking a look as they want to share with as many mums as possible by offering free products to trial to mums which is a big incentive for signing up plus their are lots of other opportunities distributing samples too

   So, based on this years Christmas list, we already knew that Baby Annabell® from Zapf Creations has a very fancy new bedroom but you can see from the pictures that from the outside it is designed like a real house. When you unfold the house and open both side parts, you get a gorgeous bedroom which includes a wardrobe that makes me envious with all its compartments, hooks and storage bags.  

   

   In addition to all the wardrobe space, the Baby Annabell® Bedroom includes a foldable bed with cover and cushion, mobile, mirror .... what more does a girl need? 

    

   You can unfold the bed, making sure that Baby Annabell® can sleep tightly underneath the cover and when it is closed up, it can be easily transported and stored. I have to admit that the bedroom is larger than I imagined but it is easier to store than I initially thought as everything folds back inside and it closes with a cute velcro heart to the side. Despite being quite sturdy, it is lightweight too, which is ideal for the little ones. 

   

   The Baby Annabell® lamb design is echoed throughout the bedroom, making it adorably cute and no question of whose room it is. There is no disputing the quality in the product, which is reflected in the £64.99 price tag but seeing how much she has played with it already (and the fact that it doubles up as storage for all the doll clothes and accessories), it is more than just a "toy", it is a great way to keep the 5 year olds bedroom a bit tidier too! 

   

   The Baby Annabell® bedroom is a modern twist on a traditional dolls house, I love that it comes with everything you would need (aside from its own baby doll) and being suitable for children aged 3 and upwards, I have no doubt that it will be one of the top toys on a lot of childrens Christmas lists this year. However we are VERY excited to be able to share the chance for you to win one for your Baby Annabell® fan this Christmas, all you need to do is enter below.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    

   Terms & Conditions

    

   The Prize: Baby Annabell® Bedroom RRP £64.99

   Talk to Mums will be responsible for the despatch of the prize.

   By entering this competition, you understand that your details may be retained 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 26/11/2016 at 12am

    

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3. Home is where your Wi-Fi connects automatically - Desenio prints review

   Posted on 4:31pm Tuesday 25th Oct 2016

    

   Home is where your Wi-Fi connects automatically. This is the saying of the teen generation. 

   If you see our Facebook page, you will know that we are big fans of a "funny saying" or inspirational quote and this is one of the reasons that we have found a love for Desenio, who are a Scandinavian company that has recently launched in the UK. Desenio is a Swedish-based business that was founded in 2010, and who now sell online throughout the Europe, Norway, Australia, Canada and the US but they want the UK audience to know a little more about their products and we are happy to shout about them. 

    

   At first glance, you might be fooled into thinking that they are cheap posters, with prices starting from £2.99 but all the posters are printed on 200g uncoated, FSC-certified and age resistant paper with a med matt finish, so you know that you are getting a quality product. We purposefully don't do many reviews on the Lilypad these days but we genuinely want to share the great designs and quality from this brand. 

   The site is really easy to navigate too and you can browse around the website either by categories including Geometric, Quotes, Animals etc or by Best Sellers.

   

   My eldest daughter sat adding poster after poster into the online basket and I am quite sure I could have covered two walls with her choices! As a teenager I remember covering my walls with the on trend "Athena" posters of the time (who remembers the man holding the baby?) but these prints are more classic and timeless and hopefully my daughter won't cringe when she remembers her selections in 20 years time.

   Desenio have an eclectic range of posters and once you have decided on the image, you are then able to select a reasonably priced picture frame to compliment your design if you wish. Again the frames start from a reasonably priced £2.99 and are packaged so securely that they arrive in perfect condition. You can take a look at the quality of the packing in an unboxing video from Emma Bradley here.

   

   This poster was my own personal selection (and nothing to do with the 11 year old), because this "&" sign is an image that we used throughout our wedding theme and as it is our anniversary today, it seems that it is only right to end with this poster. 

   So whether you want a token gift or really want to blow the budget with a theme of images, Desenio have something for every taste and purse, so like me today, you can be guaranteed of a shopping experience with a happy ever after.

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4. Pumpkin Week at Hatton World

   Posted on 5:04pm Monday 24th Oct 2016

   

   We make no secret of our love for Hatton World and we enjoyed their Water Wars over the summer so were delighted to be invited back for their annual Pumpkin Week in the run up to Halloween. Pumpkin Week runs from the 22nd to the 30th October 2016 and despite the weather turning colder, the constant stream of activities were enough to keep the chills away (unless you count the ghosts!)

   

   It was busy when we arrived so we would definitely advise to book in advance, not so much as the fact that you won't get in but more so that you don't have to queue with excited children who just want to go in search of "anything Halloween related".

   

   As usual, Hatton Adventure World go all out with their decorations and from the minute you step out of the car, you can see the pumpkin field and know that you are in for a good day. 

   The top activities are:

   • Agnes the Witch -  Join in with potion stirring and storytelling by Agnes the Witch - be sure to check the timetable for this though!
   • Haunted House - The thing we liked most about this is that they tailored it to age ranges .... making it a little scarier for the older children!
   • Jaspers Dilemma - We pre-booked our timeslot when we arrived and loved the magic show which is always sprinkled with a little bit of adult humour.
   • Free Pumpkin for every child - you just have to go through the field and find the perfect one.
   • Pumpkin carving

    

    

   

   We always have a range in ages in our party and this is the one thing that Hatton Adventure World is very good at, we managed to pet small animals but then keep the older girls amused (literally) by milking a cow. 

    

   We managed to squeeze in some of the other activities that we always enjoy at Hatton, such as the small fairground rides and the park but the girls were determined to seek out the best pumpkin and set about deciding how to go about it in a sea of pumpkins.

   

   Every child gets a pumpkin of their choice ....... be warned, apparently it can take aaaaaaaages to select the perfect one. You are given a green bag in which to carry your pumpkin, although we "may" have needed a replacement due to the sheer size of the pumpkin! We initially thought that the pumpkins had been placed there but we soon realised that we actually had to pick them ..... be careful as they can be a bit spiky!!

   

   We left our pumpkin selection till the end of the day and I am glad we did, I would not have fancied walking round the rest of the park with the weight of those pumpkins. Apparently I also now need to find a receipe for Pumpkin pie! (help me)

   

   Hatton Country World is a great family day out at any time of year but at Halloween it is really special. There is nothing better than getting out in a real pumpkin patch to choose your pumpkin. It is a day full of fun and fresh air. 

    

   As I said before, it really is better to book in advance as you not only get quicker entry but a better discount too. 

    

   Book 7 days in advance - 25% discount / Book 4 days  in advance - 17.5% discount / Book 1 day in advance - 7.5% discount

    

   Walk up tickets are available to purchase on the day from the admission kiosk at £15.95

   It is definitely a more fun way to get a pumpkin than popping to the supermarket. 

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