Paradise Park Cornwall ~ Birthday Treat Part 1!

Hi Cupcakes!

Yesterday we commenced phase 1 of Little A's birthday (which is in 2 days time...6 eek!) We decided to go to a place we have been many a time and is a favourite attraction of ours in Cornwall: Paradise Park!

We have celebrated at least 4 birthdays here in different years, the children just don't seem to tire of it! I actually really love visiting too. We were going by A's plan this time as he is much older than the last time we visited as a family and it was his treat after all. He wanted to play in the Jungle Barn before doing anything else. Normally we make a big thing of doing things in such an order but do you know what? Why do we!? The children must have spent 2 hours in the Jungle Barn then were more than happy to go and look at the animals. They enjoyed it more because they did things their way and I am going to take this approach again in the future!

Midge went around following the fairy and pirate treasure hunt and she enjoyed it. I'm usually the one doing it as we go around because they're more interested in rushing around to get to the play area! Here are some photos I took of just a selection of the parks beautiful birds:

Flamingos. Their colour is simply beautiful

Northern White Faced Owls So fluffy and cute but they'll nip ya!

Buffon's Macaw. He was so, so beautiful

Red Squirrel 

We looked at all the different birds, the owls were a big hit this year even with me. We saw the red pandas who were hiding away ignoring people (I don't blame them) and then we went to the farm area where we hung out on the play equipment, stroked a giant rabbit and said hello to the sheep.

A on the Tractor!

Oh yes...We found some dinosaurs again!

After lunch which was a nice little picnic from home and a few treats from the shop, we hopped aboard the little train that runs round part of the park. It takes you around twice and only cost us £1 each. I got a few nice snaps as we went around:

We had such a lovely day. Midge said she loved the whole park and couldn't possibly pick a favourite part. Little A loved the Jungle Barn, the train and posing with the dinosaurs and I loved chilling out with my children, taking photos of some truly wonderful birds and seeing a flamingo egg! Mr B was feeling rotten but didn't let that spoil his fun either. He enjoyed the train that took us around and watching the Mini Cupcakes run around the Jungle Barn.

Right now I'm preparing an Iron Man themed party so be sure to come back and find out how much fun preparing and hosting a party for 10 children was!

Cupcake Mumma

Family-Money-Me ~ February

FAMILY:

Celebrate Little A's birthday 

Celebrate pancake day

Have a nice Valentines day

MONEY:

Budget for February

Look into interest free cards

Set up a separate account for the dog (instead of using a useless pet plan/insurance company!)

Complete month 2 of savings jar

ME:

Get everything in place for next months big birthday bash

Plenty of self care

Get some regular exercise

Get some letters written and posted

January was a long month wasn't it? I sorted a good budget, celebrated both Mr B's and Midge's birthday with great success but failed to lose any weight (in fact, I put a lot more on!) I managed 4 books in January so I hope I can continue to read more this month. Both of the children's school trips are now paid. Little A has already had his trip to Plymouth Aquarium and Midge's isn't until May but now I don't have to worry about it. Finally, I completed my savings jar for the first month and paid £30 more towards my little woods account.

Goodluck with any family, money and me goals you may have set this month!

Cupcake Mumma

January at The Cupcakes

I can't be the only one who felt January was never going to end? It was such a long month! I started the month by planning Midges birthday party. She wanted a sleepover so we sourced some invites from the internet and wrote those out. There wasn't much to do until the day of the sleepover. 

I got to go on my first trip of the year with year 1 which included Little A. We set off just after school started for Plymouth and had a good journey. First we visited Plymouth Aquarium which was a huge success as predicted. We then went to the pantomime to see Snow White (featuring Duncan James!) and we all had a Pizza Hut dinner (well I didn't, I left my purse on the bus but I was glad because I hate eating in front of people!) I had loads of lovely happy mail in January and read some good books. I also treated myself to new shoes and slippers!

Lots of new year happy mail//Invites//Shattered Little A//Jelly fish//Crabs//Reading//Sending out happy mail//New unicorn slippers!//New shoes!

Then things took a turn. We got the news my uncle wasn't well, then we got the news he was really unwell and then we got the news he was dying. It was quick and it wasn't easy. I said goodbye on the phone and sent him photos of the children. It's been a very emotional month. I printed some photos off of him and bought a special candle which really helped me.

I had a few days of self care, long hot showers, reading my new books, walking and napping in the day. That took me to Midges birthday with her chocolate covered cake and lovely gifts from everyone. Then we had the very busy but wonderful sleepover!

New mail from a new pen pal//Uncle M's photo ad candle//Uncle M in hospital// New book//Bath time fun//Chocolate birthday cake//Birthday girl!// Party time!//My nieces and I

I've kept up my weekly visits to see my Grandma and Aunt which I started before Christmas. Penzance has been looking lovely recently, even in the stormy weather I've enjoyed being there. Sadly my Aunts dog passed at the end of January, I was just glad to be there to support her. We had a small lunch and some vegan cake I had brought along with me in between talking about happy memories.

I discovered binoculars in my Grans glove compartment!//Ticket to Penzance//Little A not sleeping..//Midge the gymnast//They bridge has gone in town and it looked weird but lovely!

Midge has been doing well at gymnastics and our new sleeping arrangements are working out better for all of us. I also started my volunteering at school which has been going well.

January's posts

2016 at The Cupcakes

Reasons to be Cheerful #1

Midge's birthday sleepover!

Plymouth Aquarium

How am I supposed to feel

Reasons to be Cheerful #2

When kids just won't share a room!

2016 at The Cupcakes

2016 has come to an end and like many other's I'm feeling reflective. I've been writing this blog for 5 years now and every year I enjoy looking back on the year just gone. It would be more than fair to say that there has been so much tragedy this year, almost more than other years it feels; none of it personal for which I am so grateful for but I do know people who have lost close family and my heart hurt for those friends.

2016 may be a year a lot would prefer to forget and although we've struggled through a good part of this year due to many things, mostly it was good and I have some memories from each month (I think!)

January

I always look forward to January. I like the energy it brings to me. It's Midges birthday first on the 17th and last year she turned 8. She had a party, my friends visited, she got a new bike and had a Frozen cake. Mr B also has his birthday in January but both of our birthdays are low key. We went to Plymouth as a treat for Midges birthday but tied it in with Mr B's too!

 Birthday tea

 Family Selfie

Frozen birthday cake

February

Little A turned 5 in February. He had just started to get really into all the superheroes so his cake was a mix of his favourite heroes plus The Joker.

 Birthday boy 

Topper of Little Mans cake

March

It was probably March that was my worst month because it was consumed by my teeth and the pain they caused! I ended up having a tooth extraction and then finding a new dentist. There was good in March of course. I had a lovely Mothers Day with homemade gifts, I spent time with Midge, read a lot, had a good parents evening and saw my sister who visited for her birthday.

April

Again April was dominated by tooth ache but was so much better and my mood lifted this month. I traveled to Bath for 3 days to see my friend and her children, we pretty much just chilled out. Trevithick day was a good day again last year, we actually got into it more than previous years and a trip to my parents house was just what I needed at the beginning of the month with my little ones.

A at the beach

May

We had fun discovering a few walks in May and one walk in particular must've taken us over 2 hours where we picked flowers, paddled in a stream, squelched in mud and made friends with horses. We really embraced getting outdoors even just in the garden doing messy play and taking nature photos. Half term was spent bike riding and visiting the Sea Life Sanctuary.

 A met some horses on our walk

 Peppa dog went for a paddle

Pops, A, Grandma and Midge at the Seal Sanctuary

June

I started my counselling for my anxiety which has gone really well. Mr B and I had some quality time together when the children were at school but not much else happened this month.

July

Before the holidays there was a very fun and successful sports day and Mum and I did the race for life in memory of my friends mum who lost her battle just weeks before. We took in a homemade cake to say goodbye to reception before the holidays.

 Me and Race for Life

Goodbye for the final year of reception

August

There was a trip to my Mums to celebrate her birthday, we visited Marazion with the family, had some back garden picnics and BBQs plus we saw the amazing Man Engine which toured Cornwall to honor our mining heritage which was just amazing.

 Me with the T-Rex at Paradise Park

 BBq at home with the cousins

 The Man Engine

 Midge and A at The Man Engine event

 A and Auntie Issy at the beach

 Grandma with the mini cupcakes

 Little Man at Marazion beach

 Midge after a summer party

Little A enjoying his pasty in town

September

My little ones returned to school as a year 4 and a year 1! It was quite emotional actually but I always love watching them start another chapter of their school year. It was a quiet blogging month after getting news that we needed to move house.

October

We moved into our new place early October and settled in fairly quick, although we still miss the space and the road we lived. Halloween was good fun as always with school discos, trick or treating and decorating the house. I had a lovely birthday at the end of the month too and great fun at the hotel with Mr B for a night on the 30th.

First cake made in the new house by Midge!

November

We celebrated dads birthday at his house by having a roast dinner, cake and board games. The beginning of the month was mostly dominated by tonsillitis for me, then a bug and lots of antibiotics! I thought I'd never be back to normal! Thankfully I was after a couple of weeks and I started Christmas shopping.

December

We had a lovely Christmas. We did all our traditional things on Christmas Eve, opened our stockings then gifts together on Christmas morning then travelled to mums where we had a delicious dinner cooked by my sister and her boyfriend. A was poorly overnight but we all managed Boxing Day at my Gran and Aunts for more food and gift giving. A was unwell again and then Midge came down with sickness so Mr B and I were tired. Luckily, everyone was better after a chill out day so we headed for a buffet with Mr B's mum and sisters as well as seeing the little ones. Breakfast with my father in law the next morning was so nice. The children loved seeing their Grandad and we all waved him off on his train to Plymouth to catch his ferry.

A in his new onesie//Midge looking pretty for Christmas//Midge and A//Peppa waiting for her gifts//Me and A//A at dinner//Pops and Mr B//Mum and Dad at dinner

Midge helped decorate Grandma's tree

So that's our 2016 rounded up very nicely. There are many smaller moments I've missed out but they are all on the blog for us all to look back on. To all my family, my friends, fellow bloggers and lovely followers, may you have a wonderful 2017. Happy new year.

Hannah

Aka

Cupcake Mumma x

Our Top 10 Budget Friendly Summer Activities

With the summer holidays only just around the corner (I know!) I've been panicking slightly and wondering what to do with my little ones this year. Last year was such a good holiday I think we'll struggle to make it even better but I'm willing to give it a go! Here are 10 budget friendly summer activities the children and I have come up with for this year...

1) Farm Days.

Everyone will have a local farm that opens their gates to plenty of visitors during the year. It's usually free to enter the farm days and the children love petting the animals and spotting some new arrivals. We personally enjoy Trevaskis Farm which is always a great day out for all the children. The only thing that will cost you money is the fruit picking (which will depend on how much you pick) and if you decide to eat in the cafe or purchase from the local shop which has lots of tasty, organic items. I personally take a picnic for us all to enjoy to stay budget friendly!

 2) Picnics!

Speaking of picnics, how many of us still venture out for this simple yet wonderful treat? We have done picnics whilst out to make the trip cheaper, picnics in the garden and even when the weather lets us down, picnics on the front room floor! A lot of fun and so simple.

3) Beach Fun.

The beaches are free and we should all make the most of them! Sandwiches full of sand, flip flips full of sand, seaweed throwing and paddling make a really fun, typically British day out. Sometimes we buy fish and chips but usually we bring our own food with us. Beach art is good fun as is good old sandcastle building! Here are the top 10 beaches to visit in Cornwall: http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/top_ten/beaches.htm Our favourites are Marazion and Church Cove near Helston.

4) Scavenger Hunts.

A wonderfully free and fun idea is scavenger hunting. You can create your own list or hunt on Pinterest for a free printable. You all head out with your sheets of paper and tick off (or collect) the items you're looking for. You could visit a woods and look for specific leaves, twigs and woodland animals or you could look for different signs in the town, colours of cars or different shops. The possibilities are endless and the children really enjoy doing this.

5) A trip to a Museum.

 The Royal Cornwall Museum is host to a lot of Cornwall's fascinating heritage as well as being host to Egyptian, Greek and many other historical time periods. There is a lot for children to do with plenty of activity areas including: puzzles, dress up, colouring and taking a closer look at some of natures smallest wildlife. Entry is free for children and for adults entry is £5, brilliant when that is an annual pass. You can find your local museums with a quick online search which are usually free entry, donation or a similar charge to the above. 

6) Arts and Crafts Day

Having a day or even half a day of arts and craft is incredibly fun and a wonderful family activity. You could all think of a subject to focus on or you could all let your inner artist flow! We like to blow paint, dip our feet in paint and step onto a big piece of paper outside, chalk the garden path or front steps with pictures and messages plus making things out of our recycling. Crafting can be really budget friendly if you have bits hanging around at home, but popping to your local Poundland or 99p Store is a great way to save money on paints, giant chalk and paper.

7) Go Camping

Camping doesn't have to be expensive. We haven't actually ever been to a camping site to camp! We clear the back garden, pop up our 4 man tent, fill it with sleeping bags (and duvets, teddies, pillows and so on...) and have a great time! We've even camped in an awful downpour, but  didn't even consider running for the house, we just embraced the camping spirit! Camping can be as pricey as you want it or need it to be but for us, it's a really fun and budget friendly way of spending a day or more in summer. If you don't fancy the outdoors, you could even bring the bedding downstairs and enjoy an indoor family camp out on the floors and sofas!

8) Get on your Bikes

We've finally all got bikes and are really enjoying some family bike rides. So get those helmets on and enjoy your local community! We've cycled out of the town and found some wonderful back roads with fields and horses so it almost feels like I'm home again.

9) Pebble Painting

I love pebble painting but haven't done it for years. This year the children and I are going to find some pebbles and decorate them however we want. We want to keep some to decorate our garden with but also paint some happy pictures or words of kindness and leave them on walls, steps etc for people to find.

10) Visit Budget Friendly Attractions

As above, in Cornwall you can visit the museums for fairly cheap, local farms such as Trevaskis Farm and Roskillys which are great places to go for walks and to see plenty of animals. You only spend money if you choose to. We love the Seal Life Sanctuary in Gweek but make sure as with most attractions you book online because it's always cheaper, that goes for anywhere in the country! Check your local newspapers and check your children's book bags, twice we've had vouchers which entitle the children to free entry or cheap entry to Seal Life, Legoland and some other attractions. If you Google 'cheap/free attractions' and your county you'll be pleased to see plenty to do I'm sure of it! Another great place to visit if you're holidaying on Cornwall is Cornish Camels; free entry and lots of fun! 

I'd love to know if anyone else has any plans for the summer holidays? It's only a few weeks away here and although excited, we still a large chunk of the calendar to fill! 

Cupcake Mumma

*This post was inspired by Provident's Schools out for summer campaign. Links in this post are not paid links just recommendations of places we love to visit as a family!