Summer Holidays Week 1 ~

I'm writing this from my sofa, all tucked up under a duvet with my fluffy hat on. I've wanted to blog much like I've wanted to take the children to get a hot chocolate, order my shopping, meet my cousins whom I haven't seen in a year, make playdoh and eat cakes. Yes I can still do all these in time but I'm more than a little annoyed that a whole week has been lost to tonsillitis. Bloody, horrible, energy sucking tonsillitis. I didn't even know it could make you so ill!

The children have been so good. I'm very lucky that both children like a lay in and Midge is very independent in many ways. She made sandwiches for her and little A to have lunch which was very sweet. I have been there I should point out, I'm not sure how I've stayed awake until my Husband got home from work but I have managed it!

Midge baked her own cupcakes with very little help from me. This was on Monday when my throat was just sore and not 'Argh! My throat is killing me' sore you know? They tasted amazing. Mostly they have been watching TV, playing on phones, playing imaginary games, playing with their toys and bickering (not too much of that though I must admit!) Mr B did take Midge to watch a football game yesterday and today he has taken both of them to see a friend and watch football again so they've had some fresh air!

I'm really disappointed I got so ill but I'm glad it wasn't later because of our planned holiday. Now I'm just hoping they don't get sick and I get better by the weekend!


Cupcake Mumma

Last Day ~ A Mix of Emotions!

Today marked the last day of school for my two. I had to convince Little A that his last day was yesterday because he's come down with a bug which started this morning, poor thing. Midge has had her last day though and had a great time saying goodbye to everyone and watching DVDs. The school have spent 3 weeks doing lots of fun activities with the children which is so nice.

I'm very excited for Midge. I felt sad watching her play last week because I realised that would be her last play of KS1, my little girl is growing up and fast. I am excited for her though because she has gained a lot of confidence in this year and I know KS2 will bring lots more opportunities for her to learn and grow in many ways. In the first week back there is an activity day and camping at school. This will be a big deal for Midge, I'm planning on getting her to sleep over at her cousins and my mums house in preparation.

Midge has had a great year with really good attendance which would have been perfect if not for those pesky ear aches (must be inherited!) she had several awards for hard work and had a good day at a sports event to build her confidence. She's made more friends and strengthened those ones that have been there for the longest. We have had no problems with Midge, we just want to help build her confidence and help her anxieties, she's very much like I was as a youngster so naturally I'm trying to guide her in fighting what she's afraid of.

Little A has also had an amazing year. It has been a long one and often hard, filled with meetings and appointments but we have got to the end and he is a totally different child to the one who started last year. When he started nursery I was often heart broken at not being able to understand my own son. Now we chat all the time and although others can't always understand him I can now translate! Great feeling! The nursery staff have been truly amazing and I will miss them so very much. I feel sad because he had such amazing teachers, the same ones Midge had and there has not been another teacher to match up to their standards so far! He does have a wonderful teacher next year I'm pleased to say. It's also the end of many things. No more nursery, ever. No more morning hot chocolate dates sat with my Little Man and talking, playing and relaxing before popping to the library and then heading to school. No more piggy backs on the way to school in the afternoon (I can't do mum taxi in the mornings!) No more 9.05am train to watch with my train loving buddy. No more spontaneous breakfasts at Spoons. A money saver of course but man will I miss those. Of course we'll make new routines and maybe I'll bring the odd babychino to school at pick up!

So yes, a mix of emotions but I know we're heading on a brand new education journey with Midge entering year 3 and starting more in depth work and swimming and Little A starting Reception where he'll start learning to read and write but still have loads of fun!

Happy holidays everyone, I'm going to be sharing our summer on the blog and I can't wait to read everyone else's holiday posts too.

Cupcake Mumma
A Cornish Mum

Our Week That Was Captured Week 26

Hello! Another week has gone, I'm now on day 2 of the last week of school and my how I am looking forward to not having an alarm to get up to in the morning! Right, on to last week and what we got up to.
My lovely heart rhythm which was just fascinating, can't help myself! //New childrens book which is fab//Lovely sandwich from the local deli// Peanut butter cup

Monday wasn't a good day for me! Anything that could go wrong today did. I was running late for both school and nursery and half way through the day I was having such bad palpitations and trouble breathing I sat for an hour with a paramedic who was very nice and very reassuring. It was simply one huge panic attack. I was given the all clear and saw my GP later that day who gave me some medicine to take which is simply there if I need it. My anxiety has been a big problem for a month now and I'm not sure why, it's very difficult. The children were really good and we had an easy evening.

On Tuesday Mr B and I saw Midge do her play at school. This years play was called Pirates and Mermaids. It kicked in watching her do her singing and dancing as a beautiful little mermaid that this would be her last ever KS1 play. Forever. My girl is growing up and there's sweet FA I can do about it *sob* On Wednesday I made a giant Reeces peanut butter cup that was very crumbly but very tasty. My nephew helped me out with the mixing and the rest of the clan who visited for dinner helped with the eating!

Midge as a mermaid//O helping me in the kitchen//Romantic chicken pie//Costa date//Library- so peaceful//Sports day star!

On Friday I totally missed a consultation for little A and no amount of fast walking was going to make it better. I called, spoke to a lovely receptionist and had it rescheduled. Sadly it's in September but it's better than nothing and was my fault! We sat and had a Costa instead which was very nice indeed before heading off to nursery. I returned later on after a solo trip to the library to watch A in his sports day which was a lot of fun. At the end was a parents space hopper race which was quite hilarious and yes, I did take part but no, I did not win. I came sixth which is better than last (and I don't care what anyone says!)

Cupcake Mumma

The Mouse & The Crocodile by Lorraine Catterall ~ Childrens Book Review



Hey everyone, today I want to show you this beautiful book I was sent for Little A to read by the author herself, Lorraine Catterall. This book, The mouse & The Crocodile is going to be a part of a series of books titled The Unlikeliest of Friends. 

Each page is written with short paragraphs, features easy to read print (so my 7 year old, Midge, can read it) and flows beautifully from page to page thanks to rhyming and the opportunity for plenty of character changes (I'm not the only one who is a fan of doing the voices am I?)

All illustrations are by Fanny Liem and they are so beautifully done. They are bold and appealing to my 4 year old (even a tarantula called Terry which my son quite liked and considering he's not a spider fan (not even in books!) I thought this was a plus!)
The story itself is all about a rather sweet crocodile called Master Croc who befriends a mouse when he becomes lost trying to find his home. Along the way they encounter several other friendly animals and together go on a journey to find Master Croc his home and family. They share sadness, fear, excitement and happiness together despite the fact you wouldn't think they could . What a lovely tale!

You can purchase Lorraine's book here on Amazon and follow her site Lorraines Books. You can also find Lorraines Books on Facebook. I hope you love it as much as we have! Let me know what you think of The Mouse & The Crocodile!

Cupcake Mumma

Freeing my Boobs with Mish Lingerie and Panache! #FreeTheSqueeze

About a week ago now I was invited to attend a blogger event here in Cornwall by Mish Lingerie with Panache. I was super excited to be invited and couldn't wait to find out more. We were to have a talk about Mish Lingerie and Panache, see some beautiful underwear and swimwear by Panache which Mish stocks and then see some more underwear in their upcoming Autumn/Winter range. We were also told to look forward to a Cornish lunch and a professional fitting! I was concerned that no bra would fit  being a 36B (or so I thought!) but after I checked online I knew they'd carry ranges for the smaller busted woman as well.

The day arrived and I was collected from the station by Stevie aka A Cornish Mum. We quickly clicked and had a nice chat before finding Mish Lingerie without too much trouble. Inside I met Mish and her fab team, Zehra who was there to represent Panache (and who did my bra fitting) and the other ladies attending the event ranging from bloggers and WI members to willing volunteer models! 


First Zehra spoke about Panache, which was first established in 1982 and has grown massively over the years. We started by looking at one of its ranges. (Panache has many ranges including Panache Black, Cleo by Panache, Sculptresse and Panache Swim) The Panache Sports bra has won several awards in 2012 and 2013. Mish talked about how comfortable they are as a wearer herself and demonstrated their fit and flexibility. You can read Sam's post about Panache Sports Bras below. These sports bras go up to a H cup but are going up to a J cup for the A/W range. There are now more colours to choose from and I liked the racer back style for more support. There is now also a sports swimsuit available too!

Next we got to view some lovely swimwear and lingerie both available and some sneak previews of the A/W range coming soon. All the lingerie looked very supportive and pretty! I'd like to say a big thank-you to these lovely ladies for modelling the lingerie for us, everyone had great fun and it was great to look at the underwear and swimwear on women that are more my size and not airbrushed. 

Penny in Cleo by Panache Lucille Bandeau bikini I really loved this bikini, was one of my favourite items on the day.


Bikini Elle by Panache modelled by Jocelyn  and  tankini being modelled by Claire. Hidden bra in the tankini to give you that extra support and confidence.

Nautical swimwear Claire in a bikini (you can move the bow!) and Penny showing off the tankini. Claire in a longline bra. I nearly bought a Panache longline bra but went with my t-shirt bra instead! They are very comfy. All sets to come!

Tallulah by Panache Swimsuit with bra for that extra support!

The ladies showing off the coming soon Autumn/Winter range. 1) Tango bra and knickers 2) Kitty by Sculptresse with high wasted knickers. Gorgeous colour 3) Cleo Baby doll, beautiful. All by Panache.
Mish spoke to us about her store in Bodmin and we had a chance to ask some questions. Mish then spoke to us about bras in general and in particular about fitting and caring for our bras. A few things I picked up, about 80% of women are most likely wearing the wrong bra, Mish reckons by their experience this could be more like 90% which is sadly not surprising!

When wearing your bra you should not feel like it is extremely tight. The band should not ride up your back and if you can fit your whole hand between your band and back then you need to get it checked! Your boobs should not be squashed, your straps shouldn't pinch you and you should be able to only lift them about an inch- so if yours reaches your ears, again, get those boobs fitted! A woman's body changes many times in her life and anything from medication, breastfeeding, pregnancy, losing weight, gaining weight, hormones can change the size of your boobs so it's important to get fitted properly if you notice any of the above. As for bra care, avoid washing bras in the washing machine, especially moulded ones. Instead, opt for washing in the shower!

After lunch (which was yummy!) we had a bra fitting. The lovely Zehra fitted me. So here's the moment you were all waiting for yes? I walked into the event wearing a horrible looking 36B bra and came out a...34DD! The difference! I think all of us were wearing the wrong size and we all left feeling pretty chuffed with our new sizes and with the knowledge we were going to be supported and more comfortable in future!

I'd like to say a big thank you to Mish and all her staff at Mish Lingerie for inviting me, catering for me and for their gifted items (which will be blogged soon), also to Panache for their goodie bag, fitting and for making beautiful lingerie!

Goodie Bag!

Please read these other blogs all about the #FreeTheSqueeze event!

Stevie - A Cornish Mum- Does my Bra Fit?

Elle - Garden of Eden- Free The Squeeze!

Sam - Sofa Dodger- Why I Love my Sports Bra

Jo - Slummy Single Mummy- TBA

Alison - Shut The Frock Up- Panache Bloggers Day with Mish Online

Cupcake Mumma



Spoonie Survival Kits ~ A Guest Post by Pippa

Today I bring you a guest post from Pippa who I found via Instagram. I quickly found her GoFundMe page which helps her produce what are known as Spoonie Survival Kits. I donated and thought, why not get a post out to raise awareness of this fantastic idea that helps brighten the day of chronic illness suffers? I'll hand over to Pippa now, please do share this post!


Hey everyone! The lovely CupcakeMumma invited me to write a post for her blog, so let me tell you a bit about myself. My name is Pippa and I’m 20 years old. I am about to go into my final year of studying Psychology and Education at university, which I really enjoy. I live with a handful of chronic conditions including ME and Anaphylaxis, and would like to work in the field of chronic health in the future.

Each bag is a surprise for the recipient and tailor made for them.
Bags are £2.99-£6.00

In April, I began a little fundraising project called Spoonie Survival Kits. I decided to make some little bags of happiness tailored specifically towards those who live with chronic illnesses. I wanted the kits to contain items that would provide comfort to the recipient and remind them that they’re not alone. Being chronically ill is not easy, and I wanted to give a gift that people could treasure and turn back to on the bad days.

I use kind donations and my own money to create the kits, and then sell them online. 25% of the funds raised go into creating more kits and different products, and 75% goes to Action For ME; a charity that promotes awareness for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

The first few batches of kits have sold out almost immediately and the spoonie community has really got behind what I’m doing, and because of this I’ve been able to expand my project. As well as the kits, we now sell a range of items including bracelets and quote cards. I have two lovely volunteers and also have volunteering opportunities for other spoonies, many of whom have been crafting items to go in future kits. We are a non-profit organisation made for spoonies by spoonies, and we’re on a mission to spread some love to those who need it!

Some of Pippas wonderful kits made up ready for posting!



If anybody would like to find out more or get involved, please email spooniesurvivalkits(at)gmail.com or have a chat to me on social media; I’m on Twitter and Instagram!

Love and spoons,

Pippa

Thank you so much to Pippa for sharing her story and her fantastic work. If you know a sufferer of chronic illness do you think a Spoonie Survival Kit would help them on a bad day? If you are a chronic illness sufferer, I'd love to know if you've had a kit and if it helped you. Look out for a future post where I'll be giving away several items from Pippa's store that I have purchased!

To my Children, My Parenting Sins...


We all have parenting 'sins.' Those things we've done that we're not too keen to share with friends or even family (sometimes we don't even tell our other halves for a while!) I thought it would be fun to list a few my most memorable parenting sins and share them with you, my readers and of course for my children in the future (because they will undoubtedly commit these sins themselves!)

1) Pretending the most delicious items of food in the house have been scoffed by Mr B/ the dog/ a random visitor (delete as appropriate) Sometimes children are vultures. Mine included. If I have any chance of getting something tasty for myself sometimes the only way is to hide the desired item (this isn't always a success) or just out right lie to their cute little faces.

2) Laughing when they are in unfortunate circumstances like say...fallen down the toilet. There are those parents who rush immediately to their aid and then there are parents who will film the event and post it to You Tube. I fall in the middle camp which involves rushing to their aid but then seeing a pair of little legs waving in the air with their little butts stuck in the loo and their faces which look as if they don't know whether to laugh or cry just cracks me up. Give me 1 minute to compose myself and I am able to assist once again...with giggles...

3) Blaming a child for something I did...Oh the shame. I once fancied myself as a bit of a hairdresser (I wanted to save money on a trim) so I trimmed Midges hair. Naturally, not being even slightly gifted in the hair department I loped a bit too much off and it was wonky. To avoid the embarrassment of owning up I blamed the whole 'incident' on my 2 year old scissor wielding son Little A and had Mr B had to take Midge to the hair dressers. She never once said I chopped her lovely locks, even she some how bought that Little A had snipped her hair and she returned a half hour later with a lovely looking bob...I still feel guilty for this one.

4) Counting the paddling pool as a bath: Nice day, two children in need of a wash, paddling pool goes out, two children happy, add a bit of bubbles and there you go; two children having fun, outside, in water, with soap. You can thank me later (or not..)

5)Using screen based baby sitters. iPhones handed over when little feet keep getting out of bed. Cartoons on TV so I can wash up, or read a book, or drink a hot drink. The laptop with some Netflix chucked on so I can just sit on my arse..and so on.

6) Saving old, more expensive cereal boxes and placing new, cheaper cereal bags into the boxes. So far this has worked and saved me a fortune. No mum guilt here! (It's still a bit crafty though!)

So there you go, a few parenting sins, there's many more I could share but I would like to here your parenting sins. Leave me a comment or even write a blog post to share with me!




Cupcake Mumma


Our Week That Was ~ Week 25

I haven't had my phone to hand much this week when out and about so there aren't that many photos this week. I took A on a hot chocolate date before nursery, we also window shopped and checked out the children's mags. It was nice to take my mind off some things at home. On Wednesday I went to a blog event in Bodmin. I was picked up by Stevie (A Cornish Mum) from St. Austell who was lovely and so easy to get along with. At the event we had a talk about Panache, learnt how Mish Lingerie got started, checked out Panache's range of underwear (with a sneak peak at their new autumn/winter range) then we had a yummy lunch (yes! Even I was catered for thank you!) We then had a bra fitting before leaving with our goody bags and gifted underwear. I had a lovely day. I was greeted from the station by the children and Mr B which was very nice.

Homemade hot choc// Little A date// Little A gave his teacher this snow globe//Tickets to St.Austall// Newly painted nails and purse//Gingerbread women at Mish Lingerie 

A talk from Panache//Lunch!//Claire modelling for us//Little A//Chocolate crispie cakes//Singing happy birthday to Midge 6 months early!
I met a mum from nursery on Friday, it was our first 'mum date' as I've labelled it! It was so nice, we got on really well, I had baby cuddles and we chatted for over two hours taking us up to school collection time! I enjoyed a lovely hot chocolate and Costa's new egg and sundried tomato wrap was delicious. No photos because I refuse to scare off a new and very much needed friend!! On Saturday I had a lay in and Mr B cooked me sausage & bacon toasties for breakfast *love him!* The children made rice crispie cakes with very little help from me and played together nicely for most of the day. 
Next week is Little A's sports day, Midge has some fun activities planned at school but I don't have any plans! I'm starting to look at volunteering opportunities, just need to see what I feel like doing.

How was your week?

Cupcake Mumma

TWTWC

Reasons to be Cheerful ~ Lingerie & Hot Chocolate!

I've had a pretty good week this week! I've had some lovely hot chocolate dates this week the first at home with well, myself actually! Hot chocolate, Little A playing nicely it was a perfect moment. I took A for a date on Tuesday with his new hair do which I love. He gets so hot with his thick locks (even though his hair is gorgeous!)


I had a costa date with a new mum friend on Friday! It's taken us weeks and weeks of just casual hellos and quick chats, then longer chats when we realised we walked the same way. One day two weeks ago I handed my number over, she actually text me unlike several other mums last year and finally we had lunch and a hot chocolate. I had a genuine 'I'm so friggin happy moment' talking, getting along really well, having baby cuddles. It was a lovely couple hours before the school pick up.

Lastly, I attended a blogging event in Bodmin last Wednesday. I went with stevie from A Cornish Mum and met several other bloggers, 3 lovely volunteer customers who were posing in the underwear and swimwear ranges and a couple of ladies from the local WI as well as Mish herself, her lovely staff and forgive me I cannot remember your name but lady from Panache who also fitted me you were lovely!


We had a yummy lunch, got fitted professionally and went home with gifted underwear and a Panache goodie bag. Can't wait to write about the event real soon!


Cupcake Mumma

Ojo's World


A Cornish Mum

10 Things To Smile About May and June

I've had to combine May and June for two reasons 1) I lost all my writing mojo at the beginning of June so never got around to doing a post all about May and 2) I also had a hard time off my medication so everything felt like a massive task and I couldn't really do the whole thinking of happy things err thing. It's now July and I'm feeling much better so I can tell you 10 things that defiantly made me smile in May and June.

May:
Mr B won the football cup final in his league and we all got to watch. It was so much fun standing there with Midge and Little A, all my nieces and nephews and cheering the whole team on (biggest cheers for Mr B of course!)

Mr B with Little A, O, Midge, Little T and G

I went to Bath and saw my friend Kat. I took Midge with me who had a great time shopping and we introduced ourselves to Shakeaway! It was a delicious smoothie that although cost a fair bit in my opinion was worth it. Midge enjoyed one with milkyway stars and I got to enjoy a soya one with banana and strawberries: Yum!

Whilst in Bath I got to take Midge for her first cinema trip at the Odeon cinema. We saw Paddington which was a great choice. The snacks cost me an arm and a leg but it was so worth it for the quality time.

 Midge won a gift voucher through my blog so naturally I was very pleased with her. She has saved a lot on it still and will probably forget about it!



I baked a load of cupcakes for a friends wedding and really enjoyed myself. It was a definite highlight of my month!

Showing off the cupcakes

June:
I had a weekend at the end of June for just me and my mum. I had spent the last couple of weeks feeling more and more down and needed to sort myself out. It was great to have lunch with family, talk endlessly with my Mum without interruption and I even watched a film, blogged and looked through some old items, all of which was therapeutic for me.

Going back on my medication was something I just had to do. Maybe I will write about it as I have done since I started lowering my dose and coming off the medication. It wasn't easy to do but with some kind words I feel better and know I made the right decision. My mind, family and marriage is better for it right now. I am happy.

Wonderful family, doctors, friends both in 'real life' and far away and online have made me very happy and thankful over the past month.

Making friends with a nursery mum was a highlight. As of yet we haven't managed to arrange any coffee dates but I'm sure we will soon. It's a shame her daughter isn't going up when Little A does but I'm hoping that won't change anything.

I also really enjoyed taking part in 30 Days Wild which has opened my eyes to nature (even more so) I keep wanting to photograph flowers and am keeping a keen eye on my own flowers in the garden, finding natural ways to kill off my weeds and encourage the bees and butterflies into my garden.

Mums Rosemary, raspberries and blueberries

Cupcake Mumma

A Cornish Mum



Our Week That Was Captured~Week 24

We've now entered the beginning July. There's only 3 weeks left of school, with the children having a lot of fun in the lead up to the end of term. We're on countdown to a holiday in Cambridge which we're able to go on thanks to my parents and I'm starting to plan some fun activities of our own so no one gets bored like last year when we all started fighting!! 

I don't normally blog the weekends because well, we don't honestly do very much most of the time. Last weekend was different though, I headed to my Mums for 2 nights alone and Mr B had the children for 2 days which they enjoyed a lot. I got to blog and look through some old things, catch up with my mum and some family came over for lunch. It was just so good to clear my head after a very hard week with my anxiety and feeling very, very low. My parents live by the sea, it's so nice to go back to what I know as I grew up in the countryside only leaving it completely at the age of 21. Anyway, it was nice to get some breathing space and think about 'stuff.'

On Tuesday Mr B was sent home from work poorly. He ended up having the rest of the week off and now as I type this he's much better for it. I wish he could get a job he enjoyed but it's secure and we all know how essential that is. After school my mother in law picked me and the children up for her birthday tea at Table Table. Mr B was in the car sleeping and Midge was at the other end of the table to me so I have no photos of them but I do of Little A, me niece and my delicious pudding!

Wednesday was sports day for midge and it was great fun. There was long jump, track races, a sack race and more which she loved (after moaning about the whole day in the morning!) I met Mr B at the doctors and took A up to nursery, I returned home before repeating the school run later! On Thursday I had Little A's paediatric appointment before he went to nursery which was pretty uneventful, just a catch up and with nothing much to add or ask it was over pretty quick. I got some advice on helping him with his pencil grip and A was happy enough to do the tasks she asked of him so mostly I was a spare part! I still think there might be a little something about A but at his age it's hard to tell and he may be just a normal 4 year old boy!


After dropping A off to nursery on Friday and sending Midge off on her teddy bears picnic at school, Mr B and I headed to lunch and to look around a few charity shops where I found an audio Care Bears set which is really old and so great! We bought new shoes for the children and a family game for £1. Later we got home and had a cereal dinner as it was so hot! Mr B was feeling better so we set up camp downstairs for the night which was actually okay and much more comfy than previous camp outs! On Saturday we went to town to get Midges hair cut. I feel sad her long hair has gone but Midge is happy with it. I on the other hand needed a bit of time to get used to it! Midge and Mr B decided to camp in the garden but Little A and I opted for our beds (A had no choice because they came home late from a BBQ) but i'm not fond of camping outside! We did join them in the morning when it lashed down creating a very fun Sunday morning for us all with my laughter!


Next week Little A has his teddy bears picnic with his new teacher and Midge has lots of fun planned at school, I'm going on my second blogging event (this time invited! Big thanks to Stevie and Mish Online for this!) so I'm super excited about that. Hope you've all had a great week!

Cupcake Mumma