My Favourite Acts of Kindness and Christian Aid's Big Brekkie 2017

Scrambled egg on toast next to the Big Brekkie logo
Christian Aid Big Brekkie 2017

Any long term readers of Cupcake Mumma will know I'm a huge fan of random acts of kindness, no, any kindness! I firmly believe you put good out into the world and you get that back; in some way, shape, or form, even if it's that warm and wonderful feeling of doing good, it lasts for me throughout the whole day.

I'm helping Christian Aid promote their Big Brekkie 2017 Appeal which takes place between the 14th-20th May 2017. I've not been to one or hosted one before but they sound fab! Sharing together, talking, eating good food and being happy sounds perfect to me! Here's a short video for you to take a peek at and see what it's all about:



"Sharing a meal can bring us together and help break down the barriers between us and this Christian Aid Week, it can do so much more than that. By inviting your friends, family and colleagues to a Big Brekkie fundraising breakfast, you can show love for people living in poverty and suffering injustice around the world. Help fight injustice with a Big Brekkie


Jesus' passion for justice inspired the first Christian Aid Week collectors to come together to raise money for refugees in 1957. Now you can be part of this incredible story of the church in action.


Host your very own Big Brekkie and follow in the footsteps of thousands of Christians who have made a huge impact over the last 60 years."

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I wanted to also share some of my favourite acts of kindness which if you feel inspired to do any I would love to see so please do tag me on social media! 


My Favourite Random Acts of Kindness

  • Pay for someone else's parking ticket. I'm not sure you can do it now with the new digital pay and display meters but if you can, pass your ticket on if you still have a fair amount of time left on it
  • Donating to food banks is a great activity to do as a family
  • During special holidays such as Easter and Christmas many supermarkets and even banks have large donation boxes for children's hospices etc I like to add a toy at Christmas and some eggs for Easter
  • Leave books in random places with a kind note. I read some books on anxiety when I had a bad patch. When I returned one of the books I left a note inside with words of comfort and encouragement on which I know I would've loved 
  • Write a letter to someone to tell them how much they mean to you, why they are simply wonderful, especially if you know someone who is having a tough ride right now
  • Plant trees and/or flowers. Be kind to the world too! Pick up litter where you see it (as long as it's not filthy or sharp- be careful!)
  • Call up a friend or family member. Maybe Skype someone you've not seen in a long time for a catch up. When I hear from long distance friends I feel so good.


Before I separated from my husband I also liked to do random acts of kindness for him too, so if you fancy doing any of these with your partner then I hope they love it and you both get happiness from the activities. 


  • Cook you partner their favourite meal
  • Leave notes before you leave for work, or draw something onto the mirror whilst they take a hot shower
  • Run them a nice bath or a hot shower to help them unwind from a hard day 
  • Watch a movie together
  • Plan some time out together in the near future so you both have something to look forward to. Even if it's a walk and a picnic, whatever you're into.
I hope you're inspired to spread some kindness and even host a Big Brekkie to raise some money for Christian Aid and the wonderful work thet do around the world.

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

I Miss....

I know my ex hasn't departed this world forever, that we will co parent and remain friends as close as is possible for both us and the children. I am grateful for this. But a huge part of my world has been taken away, things have shifted in a huge way and a piece of me has been broken. Now my best friend, the person who knows me better than anyone in this whole world and who I could trust with anything has gone. He has broken my heart, I could never talk to him or trust him like I once could because he isn't my constant anymore; maybe on paper he is my husband but in all other sense he is not. 

I am finding positives to single life, I have to. There are things I miss. Part of me misses the soaking wet shower mat every time he had a shower. 

His snoring. Which sounds weird I know.

The big cuddly hugs

Playing with his beard

Telling someone I loved them. Now it's 'take care' whenever we end a phone call

Hearing about his day

Talking to another adult

Knowing I was safe.

One day someone else will have his gentle hugs, his ridiculously loud snores. I hope that one day I get to tell someone I love them, to not feel so alone. Sometimes it doesn't matter how many friends you have around you you feel like the loneliest person in the whole world. 

Qwerkity Chocolate Teapot ~ Review

I'd never heard of Qwerkity 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

A Guest Post by Elle May ~ Life with Hypermesis Gravidarum

Today I'm bringing you a guest post by the lovely Elle May who blogs at Garden of Eden. This post is a sensitive but important subject about Hypermesis Gravidarum, a potentially life threatening illness suffered by a small percentage of women in pregnancy. As someone who suffered what I would deem 'awful sickness' (but not HG) throughout both my pregnancies, I am both pleased and honored to help Elle share her story and raise awareness of this widely misunderstood condition. 

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I've always been one of those girls who wanted to be a mum. When I was a little girl I had lots of dolls who were my babies and I was so excited to grow up and become a mummy. I grew up around a lot of babies because my family is so big so as I got older I had a broody feeling. My pregnancies didn't turn out to be what I thought they were, they were torture, to say the least, it sounds so dramatic but it's the truth. The reason I feel this way about my pregnancies is because I suffer from a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) in pregnancy. Not a lot of people understand what it is and most of the time they will say it's just normal pregnancy sickness. There is nothing normal about HG; the reason it's different to morning sickness is because it can last all day every day for months on end, it normally ends around 14 weeks in pregnant women but women who have it most severe have it all the way through their pregnancy. Can you imagine being sick all day every day that it gets so bad that the inside of your stomach lining and your throat tear so you end up throwing up blood? Women who have HG usually have to be admitted to hospital for fluids and sickness medication to help get the sickness under control, it can be hard to get fluids in us so quickly as our veins tend to disappear because we are so dehydrated and it's not very fun being poked with a cannula in different places of your body.

May 15th is Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day and I want to talk about the reality of what a lot of HG women end up doing, something I would have never thought I would do but I had to do it. My pregnancy sickness started at the 6 week mark, I was sick one morning just a little bit then the next day the sickness elevated to the point where I couldn't even keep down a single drop of water. When my partner woke up the next morning he sat down next to me in the bathroom and hugged me and that's all I really needed, he wasn't aware of how bad sickness could get for me but I had warned him before so he had some kind of idea. Over the next few weeks, I couldn't move from my bed, I couldn't even pee because there was nothing in my body to pee out. I tried my best to eat something or drink something but as soon as I put it in my mouth I would just throw up.

Pregnancy was the loneliest time in my life. I was in a bad place mentally and emotionally and I could only escape through sleeping. I had people telling me that I needed to get out of bed and move about because it will make me feel better. Unfortunately, I couldn't do that, the HG mixed with my chronic illness made the pregnancy even worse for me and my body started to go into shut down mode. I was getting more and more ill, so it was then I decided I had to terminate the pregnancy, I couldn't carry on anymore. I wanted this tiny life but it was poisoning me, I saw no other way out, none of the medication was working for me and I couldn't pull myself out of the dark place I was in. I had to have an emergency doctors appointment to see my GP for him to rush a termination through for me, it felt like months whilst I was waiting for the day of my termination to come; it sounds horrible but I breathed a sigh of relief when the day finally came, after it was all over I started to fall into another dark place, this time I had an overwhelming amount of guilt. I felt like I was an evil and selfish person for getting a termination. I still have days where I sit and cry but I try to do it so no one can hear or see me, it's thanks to the reassurance from my family and friends I'm able to deal with my feelings towards it a lot more easily.

I recently found out there is a charity that could have helped me, I had no idea about it and nor did my GP. I'm not saying I wouldn't have had the termination if I knew about them but I would have got help for my sickness sooner as I knew I suffered from this sickness to start off with. The thing is I tried to see someone for the pregnancy and I kept getting told that I can't see anyone until I'm 9 weeks along which I found really unfair considering they knew my history with my previous pregnancy, they should have seen me earlier so I could have been put on sickness tablets to help control the HG. Luckily The Pregnancy sickness support charity are there to help, I contacted them to ask where my nearest walk-in clinic is for fluids and sickness medicine, it turned out its literally 10 minutes away from me which left me very conflicted as I could have got help much earlier on than I was able to, but I don't want to keep dwelling on that fact, I want to turn it into a positive and to let other women who suffer from HG know that there is help out there. My one wish is for HG to be taken seriously and for there to be more help in place, whether that is leaflets being given out so women know what charities can help them or more walk-in clinics being available for HG mums to go to. If you're suffering from Hypermesis Gravidarum and in the UK you can get in contact with The Pregnancy Sickness Support Charity. If you're not in the UK there is another charity called HelpHer

You're not alone.




Now There's Only Three

I never thought I'd be single again. I never thought I'd have to be a single parent. I don't think anyone does. I haven't just lost my husband, who doesn't love me anymore, I've lost my best friend. We met when we were 16 and quickly went from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend. We got married only 4 years ago, which is deeply sad and shameful for me. Marriage was so important and special to me but when one side stops talking and stops being honest with you you can't fix anything. Now we're at the point where I am incredibly in love and suffering so much pain and he feels nothing for me.

In time I'm sure we will be good friends. The children are going to be okay because we will make sure they are. I will now be a single mum to my little babies and really not much will change there. As the working parent, their dad wasn't around much and as the stay at home parent I obviously took on the responsibilities of the home and children, it's when I'm poorly that things get scary but I know we just have to get on with it!

I know life throws you curve balls but this is a bloody big one. Everyday at the moment is just constant pain. I'm not writing for sympathy I'm writing because it helps. Because this is my blog and as such I always wanted to be honest and wanted to document our journey as a family. Now there's only 3 of us and in time we'll be happy and stronger again.

I do wish I could fast forward the next few months, not that I know how long it'll take to stop feeling this way. Empty, scared, sad, upset, low, anxious, angry, desperate, just a bloody rollercoaster. Thank you to all those who have been there for me. I'm all ears for advice, support etc please leave a comment if you think of anything that could help in this time. Thank you xx

Cupcake Mumma

The Story Corner Story Cards and Colouring Pages - Review


We love books, we love stories and we love using our imagination. Midge is gradually moving onto bigger and more difficult books preferring to delve into the writers own world of fun characters and their adventures. Little A is improving every term with this reading and I try to encourage him wherever I can. As A is only 6 he's still really into imaginative play and he loves the visual aspect to stories. At school, stories are shown on projectors. He tries to tell stories by their illustrations before reading the words and we've just started using The Story Corner's story cards. We've got 2 sets of these cards both wonderfully illustrated and packaged safely in attractive boxes for safe keeping. Midge used one set and found it all quite fun. I sent this set to year 1 which is the year Little A is in. His teacher thought they were great and would come in really useful.

THE ENCHANTED FOREST STORY CARDS

SPACE ADVENTURE STORY CARDS

Little A found it a little harder to get the idea but as I made up names and told my story he soon joined in. He used the space story cards to tell the story of a girl called Dora who went to space with her bunny friend to eat sandwiches and zap aliens who tried to steal her!

We also had some great fun colouring in one of two big nursery rhyme posters from The Story Corner. I actually had a huge amount of fun with this activity. We haven't finished our fairy tale poster yet but I will show you our nursery rhymes one below. We had great fun trying to figure all the rhymes, then singing them over and over again. Little A really tried hard to stay in the lines and I was pleased he was taking so much care with it because that shows how much he's grown up! He's normally one to just scribble and walk off but because his sister and I were involved and visibly enjoying ourselves he was up for the fun too! We were all really pleased with how these came out.
FAIRYTALES COLOURING POSTER
I had a look at The Story Corners website and have recommend them to my children's school. I volunteer in reception and the class teacher thinks the story cards are fabulous! We were sat one day with some children and I told her how we had been discussing space a lot when she said about making a space themed corner! I said I'd bring in some cards to show her and since then I've shown the children the cards who really like them! Initially they struggled to grasp the concept but with a little modelling they had fun making up similar space themed stories as my Little A did at home.

I think both activities are really fun ideas for home especially for chill out time. I also thought home school parents would enjoy the cards. I really love the story stones which yet again look wonderful with delicate illustrations. The Story Corner kindly sent me some story cards and colouring sheets for this review and I've loved discovering both mine and the children's imagination and creativity all over again.

Cupcake Mumma