Tweet

Dear Daughter,

I hear myself saying "I wish you would tidy up after yourself" or "I wish you would think what you are doing" but you are a child and you have no real concept of why I want you to do those things, I am just that nagging noise in your ears, encroaching on your fun. I am the one that reminds you about your manners, I am the one that makes you go to bed, I am the one that wishes you would grow up and keep your innocence all at the same time but what do I really wish? What do I wish for you ......

I wish that you will grow and learn to understand that happiness cannot be bought, it is felt, shared and found.

I wish that you find your prince (or indeed princess) charming, who loves you like you will always rule their world.

I wish that as you grow, you understand humility, strength and honour and will use them wisely.

I wish that you will always have the courage to stand up for what you believe in and not to just assume he who shouts the loudest is always right.

I wish that you choose your friends wisely but know that they do not define you.

I wish that you will always have time to spend with your family and never be too old for a hug.

I wish that you realise that your sister will always be your best friend.

 

I wish that you find adventure and want to travel the world.

I wish that you always want to find your way home. 

And when that day comes and you say to your own children "I wish you would tidy up" ...... I wish I will be there to catch your eye and know you understand. 

Tweet

Featured Post.

I vividly remember a friend once saying that if you waited till you could afford to have a baby, then you would probably never have one but there are things you can do to make your family budget go a little further. So here are our top tips for baby proofing your finances.

For the first few months, the baby won't need alot aisde from milk, nappies, love and a few bits of clothing. If you can help it (and we know it is difficult), don't spend the entire 9 months of your pregnancy buying cute outfits, or little shoes or even an adorable rain mac (yes seriously) and if good friends and family offer you things for free - take them! 

If you do need to buy expensive items such as the cot or travel system, use money saving websites like MyFamilyClub, and forums to find the best price before you buy and then it might be a good idea to use a credit card with rewards.

Whilst you are pregnant, it is also worthwhile checking your household expenses. It is easy to continue paying the same service provider for your phone, electricity and gas, so use a comparison site and if you have credit cards, it is probably worthwhile taking time to compare credit cards to make sure you are getting the best rewards and benefits.

If you have countless subscriptions to Sky or the gym, it maybe a good time to look at what you actually watch / use. For the first few months you may possibly be too exhausted to watch any one of your 135 channels and as for the gym, pushing a travel system and lifting it in and out of the car will be more than enough exercise for you!

Now those of you that don't have any children yet, I would like to share with you that they poo. Alot. So take advantage of the special baby events at supermarkets where they discount bulk buys on items like nappies and wipes; you’ll be sure to use them, no matter how much bulk you buy!

Now when baby arrives, there will be a time once the baby fuelled conversations die down and you want to get back out as a couple. Unfortunately paying out for a babysitter is an added cost to a night out but you will also find many firnds will be in the same position as you, so why not start a babysitting circle? You can then take it in turns to babysit and it leaves you to go out on your own, with a normal sized handbag and smelling of something other than baby milk.

Having a baby is amazing, exhausting, empowering but it doesn't have to break the bank.

Would you add anything to the list?

Image credit : Freedigitalphotos.net

Tweet

On the Lilypad, we love unique and unusual gifts and every once in a while a truly revolutionary product hits the market and the incredible Magic Mitten is one such example. This ingenious product is set to help parents across the world instantly settle distressed babies and regain precious sleep!

The patented Magic Mitten is the first ever handheld baby calming aid that plays settling white noise sounds that only your baby can hear. The specially designed sounds have a swiftly calming effect that will soothe your baby whenever it’s distressed. Even babies with colic are gently soothed into a calm state, removing a stressful burden from sleep deprived mums and dads.

The clever design allows you to securely and easily hold your baby while holding the Magic Mitten to your baby’s ear so it can be used by anyone, at anytime, at home or out and about. Simply pop it in your baby bag wherever you and baby go.

Features:

•   Fixed volume providing safe decibel level               
•   Automatically switches off after 10 minutes use for safety & prolonged battery                                                                              
•   Three sound options, including mother's heartbeat, ocean waves and rain on a tin roof
•   Triple layered comfort pad for cushioning and sound diffusion
•   Removable comfort pad for easy cleaning
•   Rechargeable via AC/DC charger or USB connection included 

 

The Magic Mitten is set to hit the UK this month and will be available for £39.99 from www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk as well as a number of carefully selected retailers. 

The Magic Mitten Story

The Magic Mitten was created in New Zealand by father Mark Hubble to help soothe his new daughter Lily. When Lily got herself in a state she was very difficult to settle and Mark and his wife exasperated themselves trying all kinds of things to calm her; dummies, pacing, rocking, singing, driving around in the car...the list goes on. Mark believed there must be a better way. So he began researching the calming effects of white noise and vowed to create a product that brought together the perfect sounds at the perfect pitch.

Mark began designing an effective, safe and portable settling aid, that could be operated while holding a baby, and that didn’t drive everyone in the vicinity crazy. Mark's initial prototype was so successful at calming his daughter Lily that he knew he was onto something. The results were like magic!

Together with friends Simon and Dean, Mark developed, patented and began selling the Magic Mitten, which is now being distributed all over the world.

To find out more about Magic Mitten you can visit www.magicmitten.com but to be in with a chance to win one, you can enter below!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 This competition is also listed on Prize Finder

Tweet

After weeks of glorious sunshine, over the past few days the rain fell. And fell. And fell. So after almost surfing through the country lanes that surround our local villages at the weekend, it was no surprise to find that many of the roads were closed this morning due to the rivers breaking their banks and the lanes being flooded. We certainly dont live in the middle of nowhere but apparently close enough to lakes and rivers for them to affect our ability to get anywhere easily and as neither of us want to sit in a car in the floods, stuck in the same position for hours and wondering who to make an arm injury claim from when we end up with tennis elbow!

So the man on the Lilypad decided to work from home today, rather than risk his car floating away down the Blythe River. This was a novelty for the little one and I as we have our routine of eating, playing, sleeping (her, not me) cleaning (me, not her) and working (again me, not her), so it was strange having someone else in the mix.

Having a one year old around isnt really condusive with making sales calls, well any calls really unless she is asleep, so he had to lock himself away while she was awake. I got asked not to put the washing machine on because it is too noisy and I kept chuckling to myself at how "different" our working from home theory is. Dont get me wrong, it was really lovely to have him at home and the little one kept peering round the door saying "da da da da da"  but I had to smile to myself over the amount of times its been said "its easy to work from home isnt it?"  when being at home with the children can be the hardest job in the world, even if it is the most rewarding.

There are lots of work from home opportunities in the UK, with a huge increase in direct marketing and whilst staying at home with your children is definately a life choice, it isnt always the easiest one, no matter what anyone else says ..... just ask my other half!