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A few weeks ago, during half term, my eldest daughter got the opportunity to go to see her baby sister in her Water Babies swimming lessons. This was quite a novelty for her, especially as it is usually the little one watching her every week.

So whilst sitting on the side of the pool playing on her iPod, she decided to take some videos of Nanny and the little fish in the water. It was fantastic for me to get home and watch them enjoying the water and I have loved seeing her start to learn to actually kick her feet in the water.

I have agonised over sharing these videos, as it is genuinely lovely to see all the little ones enjoying the lesson and I really want to share it with you so you could see what I have been going on about for all these weeks. But unfortunately it is not just Nanny and little fish in the video. There are other babies in the background and I know how I would feel if someone was sharing my daughters images through social networks, without my permission.

I remember when I was young, my parents took pictures of me in the bath or running through the water sprinkler in the garden for no other reason than for their memories. Unfortunately today, in an age when every aspect of our lives is shared through social media, I am still very reluctant to share images or videos of my children.

Ultimately, I am not skilled enough with video editing to manage to isolate the little fish and Nanny in the video, so you will just have to take my word for it that is it great. It just makes me a little sad that we are now so cautious and that protection of our children's safety means sharing our memories is no longer acceptable.

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We have talked quite alot about finances on the Lilypad lately but this is important to growing families, with ever reducing budgets due to the rising cost of living. So can changing bank accounts save you money and how easy can it be to change?

I have changed utility providers before and have always used online comparison sites but I think sometimes we open a bank account and never look to see if it continues to provide us with the best deal and options for our money. (I am guilty of this, as I still have the bank account that gave money boxes for savings goals as a child!)

We don't claim to be financial experts but in the words of Martin Lewis "Switching CAN make you £100s. While banking is 'free', this only applies if you're in credit. Most banks pay a pitiful 0.1% interest on your money then loan it out as overdrafts at 20%. So, even if you like the service, if it's so good, are you willing to pay £100s in lost benefit?"

There are lots of options available and we are not here to suggest anyone in particular but to serve as a reminder that changing your bank account or indeed loan or mortgage could save you hundreds of pounds. Using a comparison site or budgeting tool, like the one we found on family friendly site MyFamilyClub definately helps to reduce the search. 

Budgeting for a family can be a juggling act, whether you are living day to day or saving money for your children's future, so it's great to know that we can save money by using a simple budgeting tool to make simple changes. At this point, I usually make a comment about saving money means I can buy more shoes but the rate my daughters are growing, I think it will be more shoes for them instead!

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We were inspired by a discussion on our Facebook page about the choices of having more children, so when Halifax asked us about parents managing their finances responsibly, it made us consider how careful parents need to be.

I vividly remember a friend once telling me that if you waited till you could afford children, then you would probably never have them. I always thought babies were expensive, with the cost of nappies, wipes and clothes that they grow out of every 3 months .... that was until I had a 7 year old. When the children are little, you have control over their expenditure but as they grow up, the outside influences tend to have an influence on your bank account too. When children reach school age there are the limitless requests for money for this activity or that school trip, not to mention all the after school clubs and birthday parties that ensue.

So our Facebook discussion asked about "how many children is enough" and interestingly alot of responses were more than the average 2.4 children. So many of our followers had 3 or more, with one lady having an amazing 7 children (I was totally in awe) but there was a general consensus that parenting is a hard job on its own without the pressure of providing for more and more children. However, the ultimate response was if you can provide for them (and cope with them), then you should have as many as you like!

Juggling your finances in the current economic climate can be difficult and there is no doubt that no matter how careful we all are, there will always be that surprise cost that comes just when the money has run out. My mum always taught us that if you can't afford it, then you shouldn't have it but if you are responsible, there are some great interest free Halifax credit cards. I am not advocating running up huge credit bills but with 0% interest rates available, it gives you time to repay the card, without additional cost to your family.

I have had a Halifax bank account for years and unlike some banking establishments, they have always provided a great service and been totally transparent, which is what you need from a bank. Having the ability to apply for services online always appeals to me and being able to manage it online is an added bonus for busy parents who don't have the time to physically pop into a bank. Parents are generally busy folk and making sure that we all make the right choices for our family is paramount, whether that is deciding on something simple like a credit card or one of those life changing decisions about having another baby! 

 

Disclaimer: Whilst Halifax approached us to write this post, I personally held an account with Halifax for over 10 years and have used their credit card services, so this post is from a personal perspectivie, not a comercial one.

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If there wasn't enough going on over Easter, what with trips to the coast, Easter Egg hunts and the challenge of eating copious amounts of chocolate, it was also the birthday of the man on the pad, unfortunately I had not got him a birthday cake. Anyone with children will know that this is an essential part of any birthday celebration and whilst the "birthday boy" in question is in his (ahem) thirties, the children still expect cakes and candles ...... so step in Baker Days to the rescue!

I love that the Baker Days website give you the option to order before 2pm and they will deliver your cake the  next working day, almost anywhere in the UK.  All their cakes are handmade and  in their words, "no cheap alternatives, no preservatives and no funny stuff", so it is like a homemade cake, perfectly presented (without the crispy edges and dodgy icing - in my case anyway).

Despite being slightly panicked that I didn't have much time to choose the right cake, the website was easy to navigate and I soon found the motorcycle design, which was just perfect for my gorgeous man. I was delighted (and a little alarmed) to find the box on the mat the following morning, upon my return from the school run and wanted to check that it had survived the journey through the Royal Mail postal system. I was genuinely amazed that it was not only intact but came with candles too! As I said earlier, despite the "birthday boy" being a little older than the number of candles supplied (we didn't want to start a fire now did we?) they made my birthday cake "rescue" even better!

The cake wasn't gooey or too sweet, it was just a delicious and light treat on his birthday .... and it also saved my reputation for being ridiculously organised in everything I do!

So Baker Days get a huge thumbs up from all at the Lilypad ..... but shhh, just don't tell the man on the pad ..... it's our little secret!

 

Disclaimer : Baker Days offered us this cake to review but the review is an honest and natural one. We have no hesitation in recommending the cakes and service offered by Baker Days and provide this review for our friends and followers as a genuine recommendation.