My Week That Was ~ Week 38

Week 39 went from the daily chores to a trip to London with family to see Hogwarts in the Snow, I won't get another week like this for a long time! On Monday it was a long day of nothing much, then in the afternoon I collected the children and we went to a local restaurant to celebrate my sister in laws birthday. I had a really nice gammon, egg and chips which is one of my favourite meals. We went home late but full of food. The children enjoyed spending time together but it was good to settle in my bed at the end of the night!

Mr B and his niece T// Midge// Yummy dinner// Mummy and son moment

We had a lot of rain and wind for the school run this week and I'm very aware that it's just the beginning. Little A managed to give me a smile before setting off on Tuesday which always lifts my spirits in this damp weather. I put my name down for several upcoming school trips (one to see Santa and the local cinema/theatre and today's trip to the fire station.)

Big smiles// Happy mask making// Charity shop success

I made a start on the camel costume for Little A. They've made him a camel for the nativity play and given him a line, which should be interesting! On Thursday I dropped the children off then went and popped into town to look in the charity shops. I ended up with a nice big bag of bits, always good!

At the weekend we made our way up to London to see the studio tour. I took Midge with me last year to see the studios at Halloween and on this occasion we saw it all decorated for Christmas which was totally breath taking. We liked the new Hogwarts Express installation and it really is fantastic, I think it completes the tour. I thought it was good to see new props and I saw a few things I had missed when I came the first time. I took so many photos, as expected and even Midge had an old phone of mine so she could take photos from her perspective.

Car journey smiles (not for long!)// Overhead planes!// Beautiful lights in Watford// Huge meringues and lovely pasta dish in Capriccios

Not keen on the plants life!// Puking Pastels!// In front of Hogwarts// Off on the Express!

We stayed in a hotel in Watford, which was really nice and we met my sister and her boyfriend (who we haven't seen in months) at the hotel. We all went for dinner at Capriccios, I had a lovely gluten free pasta dish and huge meringues. It was nice to all meet up again even if it wasn't for very long, Christmas is around the corner. We headed back to my Mums late on Saturday and stayed over before heading back on Sunday to see the boys.

We had a great time and overall I had a good week. Hope you all did too.

Cupcake Mumma

5 Reasons you should visit The Harry Potter Studio Tours

Recently I visited the Harry Potter Studio Tours as a birthday treat from my Mum. I had an amazing time. I've purposely not posted too many photos because I feel that I may spoil it for others who also want to go. I avoided all blog posts about the tour because I didn't want any sneak previews. There will be a few photos in this post so if you are the same way inclined you may want to move along. How about you read something from my archives instead *wink wink*

For those who are wanting to visit the Warner Bros Studios, here are 5 reasons why you should definitely book your tickets and if you've already booked your tickets,then these 5 reasons will build up your excitement for the big day!

1) Everything in the studio tour is FOR REAL. It is totally genuine, has actually been worn, held, touched, sat on (and more!) by the actual cast who starred in the Harry Potter films. It is where some of your favourite actors and actresses have stood,walked and acted. Probably the closest most of us will get to the cast of Harry Potter and it doesn't feel like a bad thing.

2) You really can't appreciate the hours of skill and hard work it takes to make these films until you see the props for yourself. Handmade wands, clothes, animals. Creatures beyond your imagination hancrafted and made to move. Books, cloaks, houses and...

3) The breathtaking sight that is Hogwarts Castle.

4) You get what you pay for, and more. We paid £31.00 for adult tickets and £23.50 for a child ticket. We spent nearly 4 hours at the tour and you can spend so much longer if wanted. You can take your time, wander at your own pace. You can find friendly staff to talk to who are full of extra, interesting facts rather than be led about the studios by a tour guide. You can read the factual information without rushing, take as many photos as you like, ride broomsticks and when there are events on (Dark Arts Week was on when I visited for example) you don't pay any extra to enjoy the experience.

Nagini at The Malfoy Manor

Charity Burbage's unfortunate death awaits her by the hands of Lord Voldemort at Malfoy Manor

5) Forget theme park rides in Florida, seeing the making of one my favourite books come to life in film was amazing. To see all the props and hard work that went into making these films was something I'd happily do again. For any Harry Potter fan who has read every book and seen every film, the Warner Bros Studio Tour brings to life the magic of JK Rowling's most brilliant characters and their journeys in the wizarding world. A side from dreaming I'm an actual witch going to Hogwarts, I'm happy that I can get this close to the magic of Harry Potter.

There are way more reasons to go and visit the studios, of course, but why not go and explore them for yourself and have an excellent time!