December Goals

I think I did most of my November goals and although I'm a little behind I have set up some goals for December which hopefully I'll get to complete. It's such a busy month isn't it? And although we know Christmas is no surprise, the speed at which it has once again come has left me with a few things that need doing in the final days leading up to the big day itself! 

December Goals

Family

• See my aunt and Gran before Boxing Day
• Do something with just Midge
• Enjoy a lovely family Christmas!

Money

• Try out the finance app my sister goes on about
• Pay off and towards both school trips
• Do a meal plan

Me

• To enjoy Christmas with my family
• Enjoy some baking
• Send out ALL my Christmas cards this year
• Do some extra acts of kindness at what can be a difficult time of year for some
• Be up to date with my letter writing

Cupcake Mumma

Having some fun and getting festive with JD Williams

AD

I'm so excited it's now officially December! My tree finally went up yesterday and we have decorated the mantle piece nicely too. To help me get into the Christmas spirit, JD Williams sent me some lovely items to review, one in particular I absolutely adore. It's a very large throw, wonderfully festive and comes with 2 pillowcases too. I really wanted to make my front room feel more cosy so I decided to keep the pillowcases back and use the throw on our biggest sofa which is old and tired.

It's gorgeous! Everyone who has come into the house has loved the throw, from the design to the feel, it's made my old sofa feel so much more comfy to sit on! It's so big it wouldn't have actually fitted my bed because our bed is quite small. It's perfect for this chilly weather if you want to wrap yourself up and save the heating costs!

Next is making my room a bit more festive. I don't know about anyone else but my Christmas decorations tend to stay downstairs and mainly in the front room so upstairs doesn't look very exciting. You can solve that problem by making your bed look Christmassy! There was quite a variety of bedding to choose from on the website from traditionally festive to rather funny duvet sets. We went with this one:

It looks so nice on our bed and brings a bit of festive cheer to upstairs. It makes me want to bring some tinsel up actually!

Finally, something a little different. Although Christmas is the main thing on everyones' mind right now, Little A had no intention of going festive when he chose his new duvet cover for the recently purchased bunk bed. The duvet set Little A chose just proves what a variety of sets there are to purchase for different ages and themes. I give you...super cool giraffes:

I think it's fair to say we are all pleased with our JD Williams items. I love how my front room feels so different and it's all because of festive bed spreads and some bedding sets! 

Cupcake Mumma

Our Christmas 2015

So Christmas came and went as it always seems to do. Ten days prior to all the festivities our dog Peppa fell ill, in the end we caught everything just in time and although very poorly, she made it through her emergency surgery and is now back to full health; our greatest Christmas present really!

When all of the the drama was over we were all much more relaxed and started to organise those last few bits that had escaped us whilst being so busy with everything else! The children made some reindeer dust with me and we sprinkled it outside our house. We laid out carrots, milk and plenty of cookies then it was time for bed.

As usual we sat down to wrap gifts on Christmas Eve with some nibbles and nervous glances around the corner to make sure no little feet were creeping down the stairs! We got everything wrapped and under the tree, we fixed up Little A's train table and found a few sheets to hide it under. Finally we filled the stockings, did the annual snowy footprints from the front door and nibbled a cookie left out by the children. 

Little A on Christmas morning// Santas treats// Christmas Eve breakfast with my sister// Lots of gifts wrapped// Mr B losing the plot!

New train table!// Midge with her toys// Cider and black current// Christmas dinner say Family!// Roast// Mince Pies for pudding! 

Christmas morning was great. I had slept on the sofa because Peppa was still under observation but it was okay, the tree lights came on early, I could hear the children waking up and then running around after finding their stockings. Then everyone came down and we all opened our gifts from Father Christmas. The children read their letters and got excited seeing all the gifts under the tree. Little A's face was a picture when we revealed the train table. Both children were over the moon with their gifts this year.

I got some lovely new shoes and some nice stocking fillers. I also had a big pink mug with a tub of hot chocolate sitting inside which was a huge win for me! We all got some many nice things from each other and then we opened even more on Boxing Day at my Grans where we ate a lovely roast dinner. It was doubly nice because it was the last day my sister would be here before heading back to her boyfriend up country.

My looking after a poorly Peppa// Midge got hair chalk for Christmas// I got new Care Bears!// New mug being tested// Making mince pies on Christmas Eve

Peppa came with us on Boxing Day// Grans Christmas tree// My angel from my Aunt// New stationery from my sister

Christmas Day was lovely, it was the first time we had celebrated Christmas Day just the 4 of us and I will absolutely be doing it again this year. There was no pressure, just films on the television, gifts opened early, the children playing with their toys and I could get on with the dinner with some help from Mr B. It really was lovely.

The only thing I missed was our usual walk around the neighbourhood on Christmas Eve before bed with the children. It's so nice to see how much effort everyone goes to with their trees in the windows and the decorations outside, I hope we feel more in the mood 

Did you have a good Christmas? I sure hope so and I'd love to hear about your favourite Christmas moments of 2015.

Cupcake Mumma

Hogwarts in the Snow & The Hogwarts Express

A few weeks ago I took Midge with me to make the long journey to London with my mum. We stayed at The Jury Inn in Watford, a good place to stay as it's near the studios and near the town for dinner and shopping if you're there earlier. We met up with my sister and her boyfriend and went for dinner, then after a nice warm bath each we settled down for the night.

We all woke early for breakfast which although at £10 seems pricey it's all you can eat and I knew we wouldn't be eating at all during the day because the tour is as long as you like (long!) and cafe prices there are unsurprisingly high. Fully fuelled we headed to the Warnerbros Studio Tour. You can check in bags and coats, have something to eat and drink, use the loos, order Starbucks coffee and also dive straight into the shop (warning! this is definitely not budget friendly! Cheapest item is a postcard at 95p..I'm not sure I want to know the highest!) we did look around the shop however but didn't purchase anything at this point. We did marvel at the beautifully huge Christmas tree in the center of the waiting area and I measured my hands up to the 3 main stars prints, the one pictured is Daniel Radcliff's hand print.

We started queueing for our 12.30 tour, got our tickets checked and Midge got a passport to fill in, a great activity for the children (big and small!) the queue looks massive (because it is) but you get filed into a fairly large space so the line goes down very quick indeed. Make sure you don't miss the cupboard under the stairs and the 'flying' car!

I won't detail the next part, I know many have but it was the most magical part for me and I'd hate to tell you what happens before you enter the Great Hall. From this point on though it's spoilers all the way...

Midge with Aunty Issy

Beautiful wreath

Once inside the hall we were greeted with a huge feast which would've been in the films. The hall was decorated with trees, wreaths and looked amazing. The next section is full of props from the make up and dressing department, the portraits, Hogwarts gates, the Gryffindor common room, manikins dressed up in the actual clothes used in the films, dark arts props and so much more.

A huge spread

Chocolate table from the Yule Ball

The Philospher's Stone

Prison number from Azkaban

Fleur's hat and shoes 

Lord Voldemort and Harry's clothes at the start of the film on left// On right, the clothes by the end of filming

Gryffindor common room all festive

The newest installment is The Hogwarts Express. You can explore the carriages from the films (keep your eyes peeled on the carriage windows!) there is a shop specifically for the express with keyrings, mugs, jumpers and much more available here. There are luggage bags and of course, you can get a photo of yourself on platform 9 and 3/4:

Luna's trolly

Harry and Ron's first meeting

Me!

From there we saw more new props and then went on to outside. The Night Bus, Private Drive and Potters Cottage are all out here. There is also the bridge to Hogwarts and the famous East Anglia for you to snap a photo of or you can climb in for a selfie! Next you can see the special effects/mechanical props and more. There's plenty of amazing masks, animals and creatures to look at here. If you didn't appreciate the work that went into the amazing films before you certainly will over the last few sections.

Buckbeak is an amazing piece of art

The miniature dragons from the Goblet of Fire

Going into Diagon Ally is great fun! Look out for Gringots, Weaslys Joke Shop, Quiditch Supplies and more! As it was Hogwarts in the snow we got to see how they made the footprints on the snow (and earlier the different types of fake snow) that appear when Harry uses his cloak. Next stop is where you can view more truly amazing work. All the drawings and artwork and plans from the filming.

Once through the art and design you'll see many built up designs of the most well known houses such as Luna Lovegood's house, the Durmstrang ship and the Beauxbattons carriage plus much more. Brace yourself for around the corner though, the best bit is yet to come. No photo of Hogwarts castle could take away from the experience you will have at the Harry Potter studios; it's a piece of art in my opinion and can really only be seen in the flesh, so to speak. Below you can see the photos I took but believe me, they don't do it justice!

One you have dragged yourself away you can look for the names of all the cast, crew and actors/actresses on the thousands of wand boxes before heading into the shop where I bought a bunch of postcards and a chocolate wand for Little A. Midge had £10 pocket money which got her a chocolate frog and a couple of postcards.

It was such an amazing trip and I can't recommend it enough. Ticket entry is reasonably priced, the real cost is getting to and staying in London but Late Rooms was my handy tool for the latter! Now I've done the tour twice I feel happy, I don't need to go again (but if a friend needs accompanying I'm not going say no ha!)

Cupcake Mumma

Fixing The Future with Sugru!

AD

I've heard a lot about Sugru. I've seen it on you tube, I've seen it on blogs and several people have mentioned it to me for crafting. Those of you who don't know about Sugru, here's a little information:

Sugru is a mouldable clay which comes in a variety of colours (and right now Sugru has gone festive for Christmas!) you can use it in crafting, diy, fixing those broken toys, even for hanging up items and hiding those unsightly wires on USB cables you haven't quite got around to replacing yet! Here's a bit more about Sugru and what you can do with it on their website

As for me, well, naturally I don't think in terms of DIY or mending broken items, I think crafty! So I spent an evening making two rather sweet little models. A mushroom which I can easily turn into a badge/broach/keyring and a funny little worm which will become a keyring!

I'm not very gifted in the modelling department unfortunately so any further makes were firmly cast aside and the clay was reused for other things...

Like sticking my sons train track bridge together. It always comes apart and it upsets him a lot. Not anymore! It's not as neat as i'd like it to be but it's a very awkward object to stick together. I also got the chance to finally mend my beloved skiing Cheer Bear Carebear. She was dropped a while ago and I've only just found the missing ski! I was gutted when she broke but now Sugru has fixed her right up.

I still have more left and I'm sure it'll all come in very handy. My husband usually tapes everything up but now he has no excuse for that horrible habit! Sugru dries in a fairly quick time if left alone and it does dry rock solid. It's worth remembering that just like real clay and playdoh, if you don't look after Sugru it will become rock solid if left lying around and will get covered in bits if you drop it etc so do remember to pack it away again when you're finished!

Sugru is a long lasting mouldable clay and is also very strong. I have seen photos of this product holding up pans after being moulded into hooks and stuck on to tiles! It is also waterproof which is very handy if you need a temporary fix in the shower or around a tap before you can get to the hardware store. So basically, whether you're into make do and mend, DIY or crafts, Sugru really is a product anyone can make a use of!

I was sent a pack of Sugru in the colours yellow, blue, red and white for this review. A limited festive edition has now been released exclusively online which could be perfect for those stocking fillers! The best thing is that Sugru is under £10 and can be purchased from B&Q, Maplin, Wilkinson and more stores! So, let's fix the future and banish the electrical tape habits of a life time! (Seriously it's not just my husband is it?)

Cupcake Mumma

December...

December is: Getting out those gloves and mittens, the knitted scarves and thick coats. Bundling up warm and doubling up on socks. Not to mention wearing leggings under those jeans for the super cold days.

December is: Making cups of hot chocolate with chocolate sprinkles and plenty of marshmallows. If you're lucky; there's whipped cream on top too.

December is: The month of planning and list making. Searching through catalogues and picking out thoughtful gifts. Writing your plans for delicious dinners and planning the extras to treat yourself to over the festive season.

December is: Giving that little extra. With the festive feeling and good cheer it's hard to not look around and notice how you can help make others feel happier too. Loose change to the musician, some

boxes of food in the food bank and perhaps some pennies left at the coffee shop to pay it forward.

December is: Being covered in the fallen bits of tinsel and the glitter from your baubles as you decorate. Standing on fallen pine needles and feeling that happiness when your decs are up and looking wonderful.

December is: Taking a stroll around the neighbourhoods and marvelling at the outside lights and pretty Christmas trees in the windows.

December is: Secretly hoping for a White Christmas.

December is: Christmas fairs, nativity plays and Christmas carol concerts. Festive church crafts and Christmas bazaars and being offered raffle tickets at every shop you visit.

December is: Remembering to be thankful. For all you have.

December is: Soups and stews, big hearty breakfasts. Tea and cakes, mince pies with cream, Yule logs and roast dinners.

December is: Family.

December is: Not forgetting what it's really about.

Have a wonderful end to 2014 all my amazing and loyal readers. I wish you nothing but the happiest Christmas and New Year. Now tell me, what is December to you? I'd love you to link up your posts below!

Cupcake Mumma

Our Week That Was: Captured 1/12/2014

Hello! Another week another week that was with the lovely Hannah. Enjoy!

Monday was probably one of my best days this week and it was so refreshing to enjoy a Monday! Little A and I dropped Midge off at school then watched our usual 9:06 train at the station before heading into town. I decided not to bother with going home and stayed in town with Little A instead. We enjoyed a Costa together, then trotted off to the library before A announced he needed the loo and unfortunately the toilets there were still out of order meaning we had to go to the train station where we ended up staying for half an hour chatting and going through leaflets (nowhere else to go so close to nursery!) We watched the usual 12:02 train come in then went to nursery. I came home to do a few bits and bobs before returning for the afternoon pick up where both children had had a good day. By tea time things were getting their usual hectic so what a wonderful surprise it was to see hubby come through the door! He decided to come home early from work as his shoulder has been giving him grief (he works on factory lines) it was a lovely surprise! We ended the day with some paper chain making which was fun.

On Tuesday we did our usual morning routines, a little more wrapped up than usual because the temperature seemed to have really dropped! Hubby and I picked the children up early from school to head to the dentists- eek! Midge was brilliant as usual and this time her teeth were very good. Little A made us very proud by letting the dentist look at his teeth this time so they both got stickers. Hubby and I were not so lucky! I have a tiny cavity and need a big filing elsewhere as does Hubby- oh dear! New year gifts to us! We rounded the day off with a chip shop tea as a treat. I also got to see my sister before she went back to uni with my parents the next day.

Wednesday wasn't anything special but it was a relaxing day and those are good. Little A and I had a nice walk to nursery in the afternoon, he played about with leaves and we ate chocolate (naughty mum!) on the way home I had a rather rubbish anxiety moment in a store when they wouldn't take my vouchers which wasn't nice but I went home after sorting it out and tried pesto with pasta for the first time ever whilst watching the 2nd Harry Potter.

On Thursday I planned to head to Penzance after the nursery drop off but soon changed my mind when I picked up what I thought was my parcel from the sorting office..it wasn't, it was my husband's new shoes *sigh* I wasn't going to go around with them so went into the local shops instead. I got a call from Hubby asking if I wanted to meet him so we had a lovely lunch in Weatherspoons. It was so, so good and we both left to pick the children up together after having a drink and a chat. On the way home we popped to Tesco for some extra bits and Midge let me take a photo of herself in the Elf face which was rather funny.

Friday I received a prize in the post. It was a fantastic Paddington Bear haul from Love Reading. I was over the moon and so was Little A who opened it with me. Hubby had the day off and he went early to take Midge to school and do the food shopping. He also picked up Little A's carol concert outfit which I can't wait to see him in on Tuesday. On our way to nursery we spotted a very old-fashioned but lovely tractor which Little A had to have a photo taken next to. I also treated my nails to a bit of TLC with a lovely purple colour. Quite wintry I thought!

On Saturday I had a lovely lay in then took the children to town to collect a few bits. We then went on to the church to see a few of their Christmas trees and see what they had to offer in the market. I felt really uncomfortable there and couldn't wait to leave. Little A bought a toy and Midge bought a book before leaving. I liked the fair trade stall and bought two lovely angels that had been made in Bangladesh. After we left, both children wanted to walk around the graveyard and we saw some squirrels which was nice. We headed to Costa for hot chocolates and cake and I had my first ever Turkey wrap. I've not eaten Turkey in over 13 years and it was pretty nice in the wrap but I won't be craving it at Christmas dinner! We looked in some charity stores then headed off to watch hubbies football game (which he won!) Dinner was a lovely pesto pasta salad which I enjoyed very much. Hubby went out for the night so I snuggled down and watched my 3rd Harry Potter film.

 Christmas tree up and decorated// Early morning frost// Hot chocolate in Costa with little A// Making paper chains with Midge// Our new homemade Advent Calender

 Little A showing off his sticker from the dentists// A's photo of the bridge// Being a train driver// Wednesdays walk to school// Eating his chocolate// First ever pesto pasta// Thursdays mini stock up shop for Christmas// My yummy meal with hubby// Midge's 'Elfie Selfie'

 New nail polish// Paddington story book// New bag for Little A!// A and the vintage looking tractor// At the Church to see the Christmas trees and market// Costa stop// Midge enjoying her hot chocolate and cake// My first ever turkey wrap// Babysitting the bunny// Daddy at football (half time)

Advent Week 1!

As an extra over the festive period, I'm going to show you my weekly Advent gifts from my swap partner. If you're on Instagram you'll see these so do pop on over and follow me and my lovely partner Yazmin. 

Sunday saw us be super lazy and have a yummy roast dinner. We did the usual getting organised for school and watching our 4th Harry Potter! Love it. Next week will see Little A's nursery concert, parents evening, a church craft day and well, goodness knows what else! Have a lovely week!

Cupcake Mumma

Our Week That Was: Captured 24/2015

After spending all weekend with two very tired children who had been coughing all the time, I decided Monday was to be a day off school and nursery. I made it clear it was to be a relaxing day therefore it meant we didn't get up to much other than watching TV, me doing chores and wrapping and posting my swap partners Advent swap gift.

On Tuesday Little A was back to nursery and he had a great day. Midge woke with belly ache (which turned out to not be as bad as she had made out) I had to go to town to do some boring jobs but we found a snowman to hang out with for a little while so obviously I took a photo of that! When we got home I knew hubby was picking up Little A so Midge and I got some food and watched the first Harry Potter film snuggled under our duvets.

On Wednesday I finally had a child free house during the day! I did a huge de-clutter in the house in preparation for Christmas decorations and the big day itself. I have 3 large bags to donate to charity and will need to do some dump runs one day soon! I also created some leafs with Little A before nursery today. If you follow Story of Mum then you'll know that this month has been all about leaving inspirational leaf notes around your local area. I had great fun making mine.

On Thursday I had to be super organised. I tidied the house in preparation for my Dads visit (it was his birthday) I baked a cake and cooked a roast. They arrived before the children went to bed which was nice, then we had an adult dinner before my little sister made a surprise entrance which my parents just loved. She came back from university for a week and I know they were both over the moon with her arrival as was I! We had such a wonderful night.

Friday was rather dismal. I woke feeling unwell and had to drag my backside to the school. Thankfully I perked up for the nursery run but I came home and did nothing all day! So no photos for Friday I'm afraid!

Now Saturday was set to be another boring day. The children bickered a fair bit and I was still down in the dumps (but at least not feeling poorly) we watched Toy Story 2 and I did a nice risotto for tea. When Hubby returned from football I had spontaneously decided to get the decs out so we spent the evening sorting through them. He popped out and bought a new tree which he put up minus the decs and we spent the rest of the night drinking hot chocolate and watching my Desperate Housewives dvds!

A nice big parcel ready to post for Advent// Midge made herself feel better with some Christmas crafting//On Tuesday we found a snowman in town// The family Advent calender I made 

A warm cup of hot choclate for the school run and a Midge to push the buggy!// The sun was beautiful in the morning but we could hardly see to walk// The two leafs I made with Little A before nursery and which I left in town//Little A at the train station//Watching 'his' train come in

Dads birthday cake// Some happy mail from America// A rather yummy hot chocolate//A decorationless Christmas tree// My new read for the festive period and a yummy free from muffin!

I hope you all had a wonderful week too! We ended ours with a wonderful family day consisting of going out for breakfast, buying lots of new decorations and doing our tree. This week there is dentist appointments, a school fayre and plenty more planning for the Big Day to look forward to! (And hopefully i'll get to blog this week on time!)

Cupcake Mumma