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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Category: Views & Ramblings

  1. Should we encourage our children to work from a young age?

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    I had a job when I was 14,  I worked in a hairdressers every Saturday and it was something that my parents actively encouraged me to do. I loved having my own money to spend how I liked, we never really had pocket money as Mom and Dad tended to buy us things when we needed them so my £10 (no minimum wage back then) was all mine and I loved it! Times change and with so many more legislative requirements on employers, should we still be encouraging our children to work from a young age?

    Should we encourage our children to work from a young age-

    Research reveals that young employees (aged 16-29) among the British workforce are most likely to suffer injuries while on the job. In fact, they are more at risk of an injury and illness than any other age group! 

    A frightening 71% of workers between 16-29 years old claim their work place to be a health hazard, suggesting many businesses are putting the lives of their employees in danger. Almost half of the same age group said that they have had an accident at work and more than one in five ended up in hospital because the injury was so bad. For me, I think the worst that could happen in the salon was getting a bit of shampoo in my eyes or slipping on the floor but I was also very sensible (puts on my halo) and I think that there has to be an element of common sense too. 

    My girls do jobs at home and I am quite sure that they think it is a health hazard (or a reason to get out of doing jobs around the house) but it seems that going to work can damage young workers health, especially as they are not aware of their legal rights.

    I have worked in HR for many years and have seen a number of employees make compensation claims (both legitimately and not so much) but it is useful to see a company such as Hayward Baker launch a free to use interactive injury compensation calculator.

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    Do you encourage your children to work? Does it worry you that they are safe in the workplace?

  2. Five Frugal Things I've Done This Week (no April Fools)

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    Every week I read the Five Fabulously Frugal Things I've Done linky and it always inspires me to look at my spending habits. My love of shopping is well known but that doesn't mean I can't be savvy with it.

    LLP - Five Frugal Things Ive done this week

    So here are the fabulously frugal things I have managed this week. 

    1. Last weekend was Mothers Day and rather than buy my Mum something generic, I wanted a really personal gift but it was certainly more expensive than a bunch of flowers (not really the ethos of being frugal). So I spoke with my brother and we agreed to share the cost. Mum got a stunning personalised necklace with the names of all her grandchildren on it (that made her cry), we got brownie points for an original gift AND I saved money doing it

    2. On the subject of Mothers Day, I told my husband that I didn't want him sending expensive flowers from the florists. Every year he buys me a gorgeous bunch of flowers made up of favourite flowers but having them from the florist and delivered to me at home means that whilst they are gorgeous, they are not cheap. He popped out the day before Mothers Day and came home with two extra large bouquets of flowers from the supermarket. They came with flower food and were less than half the price of the ones he usually buys and no less beautiful.  

    3. Rather than taking my car to have it valeted, I have taken to vaccuming it out every week (and teaching my girls to take their rubbish with them when they get out of the car)

    4. My eldest daughter is turning into a shopaholic (I have no idea where she gets it from) and she asked if she can have a set amount of pocket money each month. Now usually she gets money if she wants to go out or if she has helped around the house and I am always buying new clothes for her, so we have agreed that she will get a set amount each month and she has to manage that herself. I have said that I won't be subsiding it and I think that overall I am going to be better off and she learns how to manage her money.

    5. I am glad that it is the 1st of April today as I have finished my "shopping" ban for March. My husband always implies that I have a shopping addiction and challenged me to stop shopping for the whole of March (this was only on clothes for myself) and I refrained from buying for the whole month. I daresant admit how much I saved over the month but it has certainly made me think that I should do it again later in the year?

    Have you managed to do anything frugal this week?

  3. How to find the positive in every day.

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    “Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows.” This is a really famous quote from Helen Keller and I am a big fan of her mindset. Helen Keller, left blind and mute after an illness at the age of nineteen months, proves that attitude, and a refusal to accept life in "the shadows" can change challenges into inspiring achievement.

    Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows

    It is well known that I gave birth to my youngest daughter at home, on the sofa, by using hypnnobirthing techniques and a positive mindset but not everyone is able to do that. We had so many people say "what if this happened" or "what if that happened" but I never once chose to dwell on the potential negative elements of our birth choice and always strive to find the positive in every situation.

    So how can you stay positive all of the time? It is sometimes just about the little things. Here are our 5 top tips.

    1. Share positive vibes with someone else as what you send out you tend to get back from the world and the people in it. I have a friend who openly says she comes round to my house for a cuppa and a dose of positivity, so it does work.

    2 . In the words of Helen Keller, "keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows", embrace natural light and allow more light into your home. A dark room can bring a mood down, so adding aVELUX to a room can improve the natural lighting and uplift your mood. 

    3. Learn to accept criticsm for your own personal development, rather than taking it as a negative. (this one is easier said than done).

    4. Start your day in a good way. Prepare what you can the evening before as if you start your day rushing around then your stress levels can increase and this lets negative thoughts in.

    5. Accentuate the Positive. Do you remember that scene in The Jungle Book where Baloo breaks into a song about staying positive?

    You’ve got to accentuate the positive
    Eliminate the negative
    And latch on to the affirmative
    Don’t mess with Mister In-Between

    He was a wise old bear!

    Life will continue to present us with negative situations because well, that is life. It is up to you as to how you choose to react to them.

    What are your top tips for keeping your face to the sun?

  4. Why do we give things up for Lent?

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    My friend and I were discussing giving things up in March the other day and she was telling me that she was doing "DECHOX". DECHOX is a nationwide sponsored challenge to give up chocolate for March and raise money for life saving heart research, which is obviously a great charity to support. However, I simply replied that I was giving up chocolate for Lent and she asked why, so I thought that there must be so many people that say they are giving up things for Lent, without actually realising why we are doing it. 

    There is so much more to the religious celebration than ditching chocolate or other bad habits before Easter, but what exactly is Lent? After you have eaten your Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40 day fasting period (not including Sundays) before Easter. The 40 days of Lent are meant to represent the time that Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness ahead of his ministry.   

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    The season of Lent does not include Sundays but most believers will still stick to a humble lifestyle on Sundays during Lent.

    This year, Lent begins on Wednesday March 1 and ends of Saturday April 15, one day before Easter Sunday. It is worth noting that the dates are dictated by the lunar calendar and change every year.

    In the end, everyone makes their own choices regarding their faith but Lent is a chance for people to follow Jesus’ example and give up vices in a bid to grow closer to God as Easter approaches.

    Have you given up anything for Lent, Dechox or any other reason this month?