National Geographic Practical STEM Kit Review!

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As part of our Bandai Ambassadors role we have had yet more fun with another new set of STEM kits by National Geographic. This is our final review with Bandai and we have loved our National Geographic sets.

This time our wonderful Midge jumped at the chance to review the Ultimate Play Sand Kit. This retails at £11.99 on Amazon.

Midge and Will love anything like this and have already added the sand to their Christmas lists so they  can have even more to play with!

Review: National Geographic Mini Dig Kits

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Today I wanted to show you our latest review of National Geographic's STEM kits. The boys were thrilled to get a mini dig kit this time from Bandai and Will in particular wanted to dive right in with his mini dig kit. I think they're liking their Ambassador role!

A Turns 7 and a Sketchers Shoes Review!

It's hard enough to believe that just 2 months ago I wrote that my Midge had turned 10. Now I am writing a post all about A's birthday which was last month; he turned 7! It's madness.

Adidas Sport Performance trainers from Footway ~ Review

Like most parents, I like to get my children to write me a list of gift ideas for their birthdays so I have some idea of what I can buy them and a few ideas to float around to family who ask me "Please tell me what I can get them I have no idea!"

123...Flowers!

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I've been feeling a little under the weather lately. Like a lot of the population I was bitten by the cold that seems to be doing the rounds. I was bunged up, tired, sore and on tonsillitis watch, I prayed very hard to not get tonsillitis as I get it very badly; not something I fancy coping with on my own with 2 children!

2017 Moo Free Bake Off ~ Vegan & Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Today I bring you a delicious cake that has taken me absolutely ages to perfect. There are so many different recipes out there on the net for all manner of free from foods and vegan cakes are no exception...Except, that every single one I looked at had a bunch of different flours, or a load of raw ingredients not to mention all the different types of foods or products that you have to go through to make a decent egg replacement.

I finally feel, after well over a year, I have found a recipe that whilst is still not as cheap to make as gluten and egg containing cake recipes, it works and is no where near as pricey as some of my previous experiments!

In this post I have used Moo Free baking chocolate drops which are available from all major supermarkets priced at £2.18 (Morrisons). I was sent my packets free of charge to participate in Moo Free's Bake Along which is a nod towards the wonderful Bake Off that I'm very glad is back! Moo Free chocolate is certified organic, GMO free and free from dairy, wheat, gluten, casein and soya making it ideal for my friends daughter's birthday!

RECIPE

The Lemon Tree Cafe ~ By Cathy Bramley

The Blurb...

Rosie Featherstone loves her high-flying job at a social media firm. So what if she isn't married and settled like her sister? A relationship would only get in the way of this workaholic's hectic schedule.

So when she unexpectedly finds herself at a loose end for a month, Rosie keeps busy by helping her Italian Nonna serve espressos and biscotti at the Lemon Tree Cafe, a little slice of Italy nestled in the rolling hills of Derbyshire.

However, just when it seems she ought to head back to reality the appearance of an old acquaintance and a budding romance makes life at the cafe a lot more appetizing...

A Third Birthday Summer Party with Party Delights!

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We have been having a wonderful time away in Kent with Martyn and his boys which I will talk about a lot more in an upcoming post. We have been having a lot of fun and getting on board with loads of cool things that happen in the home here. One of our summer activity plans was to hold a summer themed party with lots of yummy food, a BBQ and some awesome party bits from Party Delights including fun drink bottles, tableware, party bags and a pinata! 

Jazzy plates, inflatable animals, gift bags, summer and animal bottles, ice cream tubs, sweet tub, balloons, flamingo food picks and an awesome pinata!

Recently Read ~ Watership Down

I remember watching some Watership Down when I was  child. I was pretty traumatised to be honest. The animation was scary, the fight scenes were gory and it's safe to say I was far too delicate to be watching something like that given I was surrounded by rabbits, fish, guinea pigs, ducks, horses, cats and dogs. I didn't really want to see all of that on the television. I was never given a copy nor had the book read to me and never thought about it until a month ago when a copy turned up in the post from my boyfriend who adores the book.

The book was nothing like I imagined. It's certainly not a children's book which is what many people said to me. In fact, it's nothing like the animation at all. Of course it's detailed and your imagination doesn't need much encouragement to imagine the well detailed scenes throughout the chapters but as I read the book I didn't see big shaggy bunnies with red eyes, I felt a connection to the characters and pictured actual rabbits making their way across dangerous lands, fighting, helping each other and so much more.

I massively identified with Pipkin. So loyal and kind and quiet but a bright bunny who has plenty to say when asked. I feel like that's me. I loved the change in the characters from the start to the finish. I love how you could easily give these characters different names and a human form and you'd be reading the same book. It teaches us so much about society, about loyalty, faith, death, will power, courage.

Have you read the book? A lot of people have told me they haven't because of the animation but the book is amazingly well written and you can't put it down, there's so much action, you're on edge more and more as the novel goes on.

Who knew bunnies could make you feel so strongly about, well, anything! They're so not silly little fluffy things I know that much now!

Smug Pets Poo Bag Review

This is Peppa:

    Peppa is a pampered pooch. She's a bit of a princess, a bit stubborn and a little sulky. She's also a smug pet and she's very proud to be showing off her new collection of dog poo bags to my readers today.

Did you know

• There are over 8 million dogs in the UK (rspca)

• UK dogs produce 1000 tonnes of waste every day. (keepbritintidy.org, 2002; estimate based on 6.5 million dogs.)

• 95% of the British public are worried about the amount of dog waste in public places. (local government association, UK) 2013

Now, I'm not going to tell you that these bags have solved my poo picking aversion, it'll always be a disgusting job but they do have a lot of plus points.

They smell REALLY good. Smug pets have heavily scented these waste bags and I am very grateful. They really do mask that awful smell not only when picking up after your pooch but they also help when you're stuck with the bag until the elusive poo bin turns up (I swear there's not enough!?) so instead of me walking around smelling of crap, I actually have a much nicer smell following me around!

The bags are also biodegradable. Big bonus for me and anyone concerned about our environment (which you kinda should be) these bags will take as little as 18 months to dissolve compared to the cheaper bags and carrier bags often used as a replacement.

They are thick! Ever picked up a dog turd and questioned if you are in fact even using a bag? I know I have which is why this is my biggest point. Thin bags are horrible, I'm not going to have any unfortunate incidents with these bags or feel like I'm using my bare hands which, let's be honest, is more than a little disgusting.

The set of bags I was sent for review also came with a handy poo bag dispenser that clips onto my jeans if I'm going for a long walk or nipping out and also to other items such as my handbag so it doesn't get lost or even to my dogs lead. At first I found it a bit fiddly, sometimes the roll got twisted but now I'm used to it I can pull a bag out and pull it off whilst using my other hand to keep the rest of the roll in place.

So if you are a poo picking dodger because:

It stinks

Bags are too thin

All bags are bad

You've 'got no pockets'

It smells when I'm carrying it

You have no excuses (you didn't in the first place as far as I'm concerned but you know...)

Peppa likes them and so do her friends Milly and Sam so what are you waiting for?

Update 2026: Sadly it looks like Smug Pets are no longer trading. If you still want to purchase really great biodegradable dog poop bags, please consider Pets at Home bags, Who Gives a Crap or even search online for alternative brands; there's loads! 

This post is now in rememberance of beautiful Peppa who passed 24 December 2019 and our beautiful Milly. X

Cupcake Mumma

Enjoying Coeliac Awareness Week with Tesco Free From Foods

This week is coeliac awareness week. ( See here for more info on coeliac disease) I've not been able to eat gluten for about 13 years. At first it was a huge struggle, supermarkets were only just bringing out 'free from' products and the quality wasn't fantastic. If you've been a reader for a while you'll also know I'm intolerant to dairy and wheat. These days the free from ranges are so, so much better. One superstore that has really improved their range not just in general but with their very own range is Tesco's Superstore. Look at my local Tesco:

  The frozen section has improved the most in my opinion. There's a lot more gluten free options than dairy and gluten free but I'm really impressed with pizzas, garlic bread, breads and nuggets which my children love.

I was sent a gift card to pick up some gluten free items from my local Tesco store. The garlic bread has only been available for a few months, I can't tell you how great it is to be able to buy some!  The bread cooks quickly and well and tastes really garlicky, just like your regular non gluten garlic bread. It's also milk and wheat free.

Before we found out I couldn't tolerate the foods that were causing my stomach problems, I had never got around to trying some really good food items. One food I never managed to taste was scampi (shock! I know) I was browsing the frozen section, not getting too excited in case there was milk in them, when I saw they didn't: Hooray!! I had scampi for the first time in my life this week and It. Is. So. Good. I had mine with some veg and chips and it did not disappoint. I do find them a bit sickly if I eat more than 4/5 but other than that they hit the spot. Midge thought they were ace so I will buy some normal ones for her next time.

Before our separation, my partner used to make us a weekly free from battered fish which was delicious. I keep meaning to practice but until I get around to it I've found these crispy breaded Pollock fillets that are a brilliant replacement. They are quick and easy, we all enjoy them and I love the crispy bread crumb coating.

These lemon slices are one of my favourite treats to pick up. The center of the cakes is lemony and creamy, the sponge is firm and the topping is lemon sugar which is delicious. The children loved these too!

As you can see I have finally found loads of tasty treats and essentials I can now eat! The range of food available in Tesco's is really good to see and I am always pleased to see new items being added, especially to the frozen section because that has been some what overlooked for a rather long time!

Do you eat free from foods? Are you a coelic who has been struggling to find tasty replacements for your cupboards? I hope this post has shown you just a selection of yummy goodies available to you. If you don't find something in your store you can always speak to customer services who in my experience have been really good ant trying to get products in that are normally more commonly found in my larger Tesco store. Check out the Free From Range by Tesco online!

Cupcake Mumma 

Fuzzikins Craft Dozy Dogs ~ Review

Fuzzikins Craft sent us a lovely set of little Dozy Dogs puppies to decorate! They are so cute! In the box you get 3 different sized puppies to decorate with different coloured pens and fabric to put their little beds together. There is even a cape, eye masks and stickers for your little pups!

Both the children loved decorating their dozy dogs. I made the beds because they were a little fiddly. I'm sure Midge could've made them with some more patience, especially as there are several lollipop sticks to aid the making process but never mind! We all coloured a puppy in and every one is super unique as you can see!

 Midges, Little A's and Mummy's Dozy Dogs

All tucked up in bed

Both the children gave the play set a thumbs up. Midge said it gets a 9/10 because all the dogs should've had capes, which I agree with. My only criticism is that the ink went all over our hands (you'll need some warm water and soap to get this off) as proudly shown by Midge below:

Check out the Fuzzikins Craft Facebook page!

Cupcake Mumma and The Mini Cupcakes

Qwerkity Chocolate Teapot ~ Review

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I'd never heard of Qwerkity (now MenKind) before but I'm so glad they got in touch to ask if we'd like to review this fabulous gluten free chocolate teapot! How unique is this? So much cooler than a boring old Easter egg. This teapot makes you a couple of hot chocolates, then a delicious dipping fondue for your strawberries and marshmallows AND you can smash it and enjoy the dark chocolate for days after!

This chocolate teapot is gluten free. Although the ingredients do not list milk there is a 'may contain' for it. Because I am not allergic to milk I actually did get to enjoy the fun with the Mini Cupcakes. The teapot does contain soya though. 

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate, Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (soya lecithin E322), vanilla essence, Shellac E904 Dark chocolate contains minimum 58% cocoa solids.

Gluten free. Contains soya. May contain traces of milk and nuts.

I made some hot chocolate for myself and was really surprised that it worked so well. Then we dipped strawberries into the delicious chocolate sauce before breaking it up. We still have some sat in our fridge! We all gave the chocolate teapot a huge 10/10 because we'd never seen anything like it before. It worked wonderfully, it's totally unique and if you want to surprise your loved ones with a rather different Easter gift this year the chocolate teapot has been put on sale for £14.99 (RRP £23.99) You can find the direct link at the top of the post. 

Enjoy and Happy Easter!

Cupcake Mumma and The Mini Cupcakes

Creating Sand Art with KidsBeeHappy

Last month Maddi who sells fab Sand Art kits from KidsBeeHappy on her Facebook page sent Little A a sand art kit. We have used these before and had such a lot of fun we both jumped at the chance to have another go. When he opened the packet he was so pleased to see a fun snake to colour in with the different colours of sand; needless to say, when we did eventually get around to doing this craft he didn't waste any time!

He let his sister Midge and I help him too, we all had fun choosing which part of the snake would be what colour. They even came up with the idea of pouring the sand out together and mixing it up using the small yellow tool that came with the pack. This resulted in some lovely colours blending together, they were rather pleased with themselves!

I'd highly recommend this craft. It's simple, easy and as long as you have a spot to tap off the excess sand it isn't really a messy activity plus anyone can do it! Fun for all ages! I've been told to buy some in the very near future, I think we'll be choosing one each!

Sand Art packs priced from £4.00 including VAT

One Little Mistake by Emma Curtis: Book Review

The Blurb

YOU TRUSTED YOUR BEST FRIEND . . . YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE.

Vicky Seagrave is blessed: three beautiful children, a successful, doting husband, great friends and a job she loves. She should be perfectly happy.
When she makes a split-second decision that risks everything she holds dear, there's only person she trusts enough to turn to.
But Vicky is about to learn that one mistake is all it takes; that if you're careless with those you love, you don't deserve to keep them . . .

My Thoughts

Not my usual book to pick up but always up for a challenge I opened up my review copy of One Little Mistake

Slow to start I wondered if this story would be another girly housewives terrible affair gone wrong with something a bit edgy thrown in. I was wrong. Gladly wrong. By chapter 6/7, so not that far in, I wanted to find out where this book was going. It was obvious to me at least one character was linked to the beginning and continuing chapters throughout the book where you visit their past. A pretty dark and troubled past. Throughout the book I was kept guessing until Curtis allows you to click every piece together leading you to that rare 'I can not and will not put this book down until I see how it ends' moment.

I found myself constantly between feelings for the main characters Amber, Tom and Vicky. I was frustrated, irritated and even felt sympathy for each one. The one character you expect not much from is Maggie, Vicky's mother. She has an interesting past, especially where men are concerned; but her story is so much more and what starts as a minor character you pay little attention to, slowly becomes a more interesting and important character.

Overall, One Little Mistake is one good book I'd recommend. If you're into more gritty psychological novels this could be a little tame but I'd still give it a go. For me it was just perfect. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of twists and turns, there's manipulation, there's blood and heart in your mouth moments but it's not too over the top (I can't read crime novels for example, there's too much detailed violence for my liking) Emma Curtis does a wonderful job with each character, I still don't know how I feel about main character Amber but I think I feel more towards her than one would expect and dislike Maggie more than I thought I would which is a total reverse on how I started the book.

Read One little mistake (which you can purchase as an e-book from Amazon here and as paperback from 15th June 2017) and let me know what you think. One things for sure, I'm pretty paranoid about the things my best friend knows about me now!

Cupcake Mumma

About The Author

Emma Curtis was born in Brighton and brought up in London. Her fascination with the darker side of domestic life inspired her to write One Little Mistake, her first psychological suspense. She has two children and lives in Richmond with her husband.

Find her on Twitter: @emmacurtisbooks

With thanks to Rosie Margesson for providing a copy of One Little Mistake for this review. Make sure you check out the rest of the book tour!

Having some fun and getting festive with JD Williams

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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

Review: Skincare for the Whole Family with Mustela

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Mustela have sent me some products to test out on the Mini Cupcakes and as I have sensitive skin I have also been trying them out too. I wasn't expecting 3 large products to turn up but I'm pleased because they have so far been lovely to use on all our skin which means we will be using it every day and it'll last a lot longer than a small pot or tube of cream and those bath bubbles we usually pick up with goodness knows what in it but it has Spiderman or Elsa on so it must be good and fun to use...Mustela are committed to using natural ingredients in as many of their products as they can and each product is absolutely made:

- Without alcohol.

- Without essential oils.

- Without parabens.

- Without phenoxyethanol.

- Without phthalates.

- Without plant extracts derived from genetically modified plants (GMO).

- Without aluminum chlorohydrate.

- Without ingredients derived from animal products - except hive products (honey, beeswax, etc.) -, purified lanolin-based products or milk-based products.

- Without terpenes (camphor, menthol or eucalyptus).

- Without triclosan.

We still have a small selection of those bubble baths and shower gels because well, the kids are right; they are cool and as nice as the bath milk is, it doesn't give you the big bubbles a good squeeze of bubble bath does (especially my gorgeous chocolate orange bubble soak mmm) The bath milk is perfect for regular baths though and we use the novelty products on a weekend as they don't bother the children's skin either. 

The emollient cream has been amazing for Midge. She gets quite dry skin which she seems to have inherited from her Dad. A little goes a long way with this cream and because it isn't thick and doesn't have a strong or noticeable smell, Little A has even decided to start using it. For those who don't know, Little A has sensory processing difficulties and one of the things he struggles with is having showers, using gels, creams and anything else (only coconut oil has been allowed anywhere near him which is great because it is so good for your skin, he likes it because he smells like a Bounty bar!!) We have been using the emollient cream on A, actually I should say he has been using the cream because he applies it to his face and arms all by himself and quite willingly too. I was a bit worried about the children putting it on their faces but they don't seem to have had any problems and as this product is aimed at very young children and babies, I am pleased to see on my twos delicate skin the cream has caused no problems.

Finally we tried the cleansing cream, well I tried it, the children were happy with the emollient cream and milky bath oil so I have been using this in the morning and at night on my face (again, I was concerned I may come up with some blotches because that usually happens with any cream I apply to my face as it's the most sensitive area) but I have had no problems at all. As part of my new healthy eating regime I have noticed my skin clearing up and needing a little extra help so using this cream has been a much better option than the harsher creams on sale in beauty stores I'd previously used or considered. 

I was sent these products for the purpose of this review and have found them to be of great use to my family or to myself and therefore would recommend them to others wanting a product for those with sensitive skin and especially the milky bath oil for those who have very young children and those concerned about the ingredients in supermarket bubble baths. 

Cupcake Mumma 

Introducing the Money Saving Epson ET-4550 Printer

I have always been a printer hogger at home. I used to get moaned at for using up all the paper when I was growing up, printing posters for my bedroom wall, song lyrics and of course all my coursework. When Midge was born I used my printers for all her photos instead of using online sites, but then cartridges got more and more expensive and then I moved out and never managed to afford a new printer so back I went to the library and begging parents to print things out for school route. 

Now things have changed! I have been sent this amazing printer, the Epson ET-4550. It is an Eco Tank printer, ink cartridges have been replaced with ink filters which can last up to 2 years saving you money in the long run. Already a win for me. This printer can print up to 11000 pages in black and white or colour and delivers your print outs fast.

When I received the ET-4550 I was surprised by how lightweight it was despite its size. I popped it on my craft drawers next to several sockets and started the set up! This printer is also a copier, fax and has a scanner too. It came with magenta, black, blue and yellow ink bottles which is where I started. 

I was worried I would need a super steady hand but filling the ink tank was really easy. First open the ink bottle and remove the foil cover, then pop the lid back on tightly. I'd recommend doing those 2 steps then snipping the top off of the ink lid to avoid any mess. The ink tank is clearly labelled so you don't have to worry about filling the wrong ink tank up with one of the other colours. There is a clearly marked line to indicate where your ink should fill up to and then you can replace the rubber stoppers before closing the lid to the tank. What I also found great about the ink bottles was the drip flow, this minimised spillages. Any ink I did spill was a very, very tiny amount and cleaned up easily straight away. 

I then plugged the printer in and set up the space around me to continue the set up process. You can set up your fax function around this point too but I haven't done this yet purely because I have no idea who I would fax! For a working office or someone who does use fax I'm sure you'd have no trouble setting it up because the instructions are very straight forward.

Once set up I loaded my paper into the bottom tray for printing. We also tried the scanner at this point and it was really great quality. Following the instructions on the printers screen I was easily able to connect to my wifi and select layouts, paper size, quantities etc The longest part of this set up is allowing the ink tank to fill up which takes 20 minutes , I was just impatient to get started, it's really not that long to wait! 

The ET-4550 is WiFi connected, some laptops will recognise your printer straight away using the wireless detection and some can download the software using the disk provided with the information booklets.I don't have a CD Drive on my laptop so I searched the Epson link provided in the booklet and found the download process straightforward. I actually downloaded the software as I was waiting for the ink tank to fill so this helped waste some time!

I wasted no time in printing out some documents, coupons and also photos which was the one thing I really wanted to try. Printing was surprisingly quick and every image and document was clear. I am really pleased.

As I read through the booklet I decided to try connecting the Epson ET-4550 printer to my phone. I downloaded the Epson app using the app store on my phone, (this is free), and as long as your phone has no trouble finding your printer you're well away. If you have a little trouble you can find your printers I.P address which came up on my screen during the downloading process on my laptop which helps your phone find the connection. I printed a photo and several coupons from my bedroom (2 floors up!) with zero problems. The paper tray caught the print outs so they were not on my floor when I came down, the connection didn't have any trouble considering I was pretty far from my front room and again, print quality couldn't be faulted!

I have been blown away by this printer. It's the first printer we have owned in years. I know the ink will last a very long time because we don't print a huge amount. I'm pleased I can now print coupons for my shopping, the children can print out school work and I don't have to pay the library for their printing and scanning services (or ask my Dad repeatedly if he has remembered to print something important that I need!) I also have to add that I like that this printer is environmentally friendly. Not many people discard cartridges properly but now cartridges aren't a problem and I know my local recycling center take the plastic ink bottles, I can pop them out for collection and this is a plus to me.

The Epson ET-4550 has an RRP of £369.99 and comes with a 3 year warranty on the Epson site. I think it is absolutely worth the money. In the long run this printer will save you money on cartridges that in my experience don't last very long and these days even come with price tags as high as £20! What do you think? Would this printer save you money?

Cupcake Mumma

Fancy Dress Fun!

A couple of weeks ago parents up and down the country were having World Book Day panic. What can I dress my little ones up in? Do we go homemade? Can I really be arsed? I always ask myself the same questions to be honest whether it's fancy dress for their friends party, some non uniform (but of course not free) day at school and of course these national events which schools like to go all out for. Roo never used to want to dress up, so this year he surprised me by asking if he could. I knew I wasn't getting him into anything other than a superhero costume but I figured that was okay since he had been reading plenty of Captain America and Iron Man books (which, by the way, are really good. Especially the Origins ones because I'm new to all this and I never knew how all these people became superheros) 

Midge the poor girl has always had minimal effort applied to these school events. I'm sure she would prefer to go as something really cool but all we ever managed was sodding Matilda from....well, Matilda. I don't feel bad because most of the girls at school for several years running were also Matilda so I felt some what united with the rest of the Mums at school who also couldn't be arsed.

This year however I was approached by Tickled Pink Fancy Dress, who I believe I have purchased from before, a little while ago though I am sure. They asked if I fancied choosing something for one or both of my little Cupcakes and I thought, here's my chance to earn some real Mum Points from Midge. Roo was already catered for, his Iron Man costume was ready to go. Midge however was still unsure (and probably just waiting for me to put pigtails in her hair and pack her off with a pile of books..)

Oh but she wasn't expecting the costume that turned up for her just in time for World Book Day. Mummy had only gone and managed to get one her favourite film costumes:

Yes! With her new Gryffindor cape and her long tie (I wish it was elasticated, it's rather embarrassing that she walked in to school and her teacher immediately did her tie because neither Mummy nor Daddy knew how to do one ha ha!) but she loved the whole outfit, and to be honest, so do I because it pretty much fits me too! I wish I remembered my scarf though! She was so happy to be Hermione and for the first time ever was really excited to go in and show off her dressing up outfit.

I was really pleased with my experience shopping at Tickled Pink Fancy Dress. I received some great customer service, my parcel arrived just in time as promised and I can't really fault the costume either. As I mentioned above, elasticated ties would be better as these are very long (I suspect there's probably health and safety issues with elasticated ties though!)  There is a separate clasp which connects the cape together (took me ages to find it!) at the front which is much safer than having a tie around your child's neck and it was still on at the end of the school day which I wasn't expecting. So it's a big thumbs up from both me and Midge! Thanks TP Fancy dress! 

Cupcake Mumma