New baby tags and carrying bags

This week something strange has happened! I have been surprised! This may not seem strange but considering I am generally a control freak and need to know everything, I have been surprised no less than 3 times this week! I felt the need to share it with you.


Last weekend I wasnt well, not tired or feverish, just unable to keep any food down, not pleasant and fairly exhausting, so when Mr Lilypad suggested going to my parents on Sunday, I wasnt entirely enthusiastic. He convinced me to shower and get ready but I didnt really have the energy but I went and walked in to find family and friends had conspired to organise a baby shower for me! There were games, gifts and lots of giggles and it certainly made me feel better. So that was Surprise Number One!

Being a working mum, sometimes means that there is alot of time you are working on your own and building up to "maternity leave" seems to have created an uphill struggle of more, not less, work. So being buried under a pile of work this week, I was delighted to be completely surprised with gifts from some colleagues. Again a total shock! So that was Surprise Number Two!

And my final surprise this week has genuinely restored my faith in human nature. I decided yesterday that I should actually buy some nappies and essential baby items, so bambino wasnt a complete "second hand rose" so I went off shopping.

I firstly went to Boots (in my head this was a good idea) and they had their 3 for 2 deals on, which is heaven to a shopaholic like me and I got nappies, clothes, baby toiletries, muslin squares and a few bits for 6yo too (sssh). I "obviously" had a trolley and when I got to the till, the assistant offered to hold onto my bags while I carried on around the shops. A refreshing change (albeit she possibly thought I may topple over if I tried to carry them), so I took advantage of this offer and went shopping. Upon my return to Boots, I purchased some food and a bottle of water and again the assistant at the till offered to help with my shopping. I declined as I was a little embarressed but upon collecting my earlier shopping the assistants looked a little worried and insisted on carrying my bags back to my car. In the end, there were two assistants practically demanding that I stop carrying my bags.

I admit that I am now 37 weeks pregnant, I admit that the bags were a handful and I have to admit that the staff in Boots have completely restored my faith in human kindness. My feet were swollen, the bags were heavy and when all you hear in the news is rioting, violence and despair, I feel genuinely blessed to be able to share that this week, I have been surrounded by kind, generous and selfless people.

37 weeks pregnant has been a good week!

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The difference between men and women

Sometimes you read an email, digest and discard. Sometimes it needs action and sometimes it is simply a gift of vintage comedy that you have to share. I had this in an email this week and it made me smile ..... I hope you do too??


It takes your food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach.

One human hair can support 6.6 pounds.

The average man's penis is two times the length of his thumb.

Human thighbones are stronger than concrete.

A woman's heart beats faster than a man's.

There are about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet.

Women blink twice as often as men.

The average person's skin weighs twice as much as the brain.

Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself when you are standing still

If saliva cannot dissolve something, you cannot taste it.



Women will be finished reading this by now.



Men are still busy checking their thumbs.


Are you smiling yet???


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Guilty

Guilty

I am guilty, I hold my hands up and confess because I am guilty of alot of things. This does sound a little like confessional but I promise that there will be nothing here that I wouldnt say to my mother, so it is safe to continue reading (although in saying that, you dont know my mother).

I am guilty of being a working mom and part of the job description is guilt. Its not a great emotion and over compensation does kick in most weekends, where you will find me trying to fit everything into the two days we should actually all be relaxing and enjoying each others company! A reality check every once in a while means that some weekends a complete PJ day takes over! My daughter loves this and this has become very apparent over the summer holidays. She has lots of beautiful toys but never seems to have the time to play with them because we are dashing here or going there, so we are also now guilty of a little self indulgence.

I am guilty of being a perfectionist, of wanting everything right, right now! I am guilty right this minute, trying to make this blog entertaining and interesting to read! (How am I doing so far?)

Mothering Magazine asked last week how to make life simpler and my honest answer to this was to stop trying to be everything for everyone. Be yourself and enjoy doing it, but again I am the main culprit for trying to be mother, wifey, daughter, grandaughter, friend, sister, colleague, cook, cleaner and entertainements manager ..... simple would be nice but who wants it any other way??

But the thing I am most guilty of today is being a year older!! It is my birthday, so please feel free to hop onto the Little Lilypad and wish me a happy birthday or share a funny birthday story.

And for the record, I am actually not older ......merely wiser!!

From the Man on the Pad

From the Man on the Pad

To blog or not to blog? That is the question..well I thought it was time to say hello. My name's Andy and i'm the other half of the LittleLilypad! Now despite being the silent half of the partnership it is actually a fact that I am the brains and the creative driving force behind the whole business...ah who am I kidding? Id like to say that was true but it is infact my lovely lady that is responsible for the delightful website so many people are now visiting to find the gifts they need.

This is infact a whole new world to me. With the introduction of the 'mumpreneur' phenom to my life, a woman posessed and a house full of lovely baby and children's gifts I find myself now mainly needed to carry the numerous (heavy) boxes of stock around and cast my eye over the stock and the site (im sure purely to make me feel included!) before things go live on there.

Well apparently these things are meant to be short so I had better go and inspect some fantastic, quirky and handmade little treats and then watch some sport to address the balance!

Being a working mom

Being a working mom:

"'Mummy' why do you have lines on your head?

When I heard the words 'mummy, why do you have lines on your forehead', I could have quite easily buried my head under the Lilypad! Instead, I smiled sweetly and told my darling daughter that they were laughter lines from the happy and fun life I lead.

I suspect however that those lines on my head are more to do with being a busy working mom, frowning .... and maybe more than a little laughter.

I do frown, I frown when I am confused, cross, perplexed and even when I am happy - I think it maybe a habit passed down from my mother but it is one I cant shift!

I did momentarily wonder whether we should therefore be stocking anti wrinkle creams or collagen fillers in our 'gifts for grown up's' and began scouring the country for suppliers but this is not what our customers really want (although the smooth, line free skin is appealing).

Our website has been designed by a parent for parents and we all know that children do lovingly place a few additional lines and grey hairs to our collection but beauty products are not our forte!

I think that despite my initial horror of my daughter comments, they were sugar coated a little, when she followed it up with 'mummy, how do I get those lines because I want to be just like you'

Maybe those lines aren't all that bad after all!"