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!"

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...

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!

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 

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!

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

An Avengers Birthday Tea Party for Little A!

My boy is now 5! His actual birthday was slightly uneventful, we had this lovely idea all planned out (luckily it was a surprise) but the rain thwarted our plans and we ended up with birthday cake and birthday Costa (his favourite place bar soft play which I hate..)

To make up for the non eventful birthday I hosted a little tea party for him before we went off to the local pitch and kicked a ball around with Daddy and the dog. A is really into the Avengers and Marvel and with help from the folks at Party Bags and Supplies I put on a spread with Avengers everything! The whole pack came to about £28 and I didn't have to worry about a thing!

We got Iron Man paper plates, napkins and plastic Captain America cups plus a table cover featuring all the Avengers which he loved.

Best of all were the 8 party bags which were all pre-filled saving me the job of going out and looking for suitable items. I couldn't find these items locally, I'd have to go online anyway so I'm pleased to have left it to Party Bags and Supplies to get the fillers! Once you add a big slice of cake the bag is a regular end of the party gift bag!

Little A was happy with his Avengers spread and goodies, he broke the theme slightly by insisting on a mini cake with his paw patrol toys stuck on top, but that's okay, it's his day after all!

If you'd like to purchase this set or perhaps a different theme, check out the Party Bags and Supplies website. There are so many fab party supplies to browse plus fast delivery and friendly customer service so it's well worth a look. We were sent this Avengers set in exchange for an honest review and if you fancy it, why not pop back soon and try your hand at winning a Party Bags and Supplies prize? Look out for the giveaway coming really soon!

Cupcake Mumma

Weekend Box Club Review!

I've wanted to try a craft box out for ages, I have used one before but I couldn't commit to the payments which I'm hoping will be easier this time around because the boxes don't cost as much! I'm reviewing a new Mini Weekend Box costing just £4.95 (plus free delivery) from The Weekend Box Club, a great company getting children (and their parents and carers in most cases!) involved in more green craft, baking, exploring and one on one time.

The first thing we loved was the box itself. With all the colour and the animals printed on the front, both children knew the box was just for them and became very excited to open it! I like the fact the box just slips through the letterbox, I don't have to worry about being in for its arrival and disappointing the children if I happen to miss it.

There are two different crafts in the box, one is a make and one is a gardening craft. Ideal, one each. There is a theme to each box sent out, this one was a rainforest theme so we had a parrot mask to make which Midge claimed and some seeds to grow, which is right up Little A's street. You can subscribe to the bumper weekend boxes if you fancy more crafts and have more time. 

First the parrot, I think you'll agree Midge did a great job on her mask. Everything was supplied and Midge needed very little help from me.

Next the planting! The only extra we needed was an empty plastic bottle that Midge fetched from the recycling bag. Working together we cut the bottle in half then added our soil into the bottom. After following the instructions, we put our seeds into the soil and placed the bottle on our kitchen windowsill. I will be putting our plants' journey on my Instagram so do follow me for our rainforest update!

If you'd like to try out a weekend craft box then all you have to do is register your details at https://www.weekendboxclub.com and don't forget this code: which will give you your first Weekend Box FREE! Midge has cut out the tickets that came in the box to give to her friends, what a lovely idea.

I hope you have as much fun as we did and if you subscribe let me know, I plan to subscribe and will be sharing our makes, bakes and fun on Instagram and Twitter!

Cupcake Mumma

The Adventures of the Wishing Chair By Enid Blyton ~ Review

So the other day I wrote about introducing Little A to the world of poetry (a great success!) and now I want to share with you Midge's book from The Book People: The Adventures of the Wishing Chair written by Enid Blyton. I wanted to show Midge some of the books that I read when I was a little girl from famous authors. After just finishing Matilda by Roald Dahl and both enjoying it again very much, I chose this book by Enid Blyton for our bedtime reading.

Midge has been really trying with her reading lately and enjoying it so much. She's been reading her own books at home and gaining confidence. If you have a confident reader this book will be no problem with them, Midge read a few pages and was very surprised to learn she was actually able to read a 'big book.' Mostly though we shared the story together at bedtime with me reading to her. There are some larger words in this book that at 7 years old she hasn't come across yet in school, which is always good. 

What we love about this book as well is that although the front cover is a very modern illustration the inside is full of wonderful old style illustrations in every chapter.

Overall this book gets a 5 out of 5 from Midge!

Cupcake Mumma 

Introducing Little A to The World of Poetry!

Little A has been sent a set of new books from The Book People to review. We chose Seaside Poems but didn't realise the book was actually a part of a set (yippee for book lovers!) so we also got Noisy Poems, Machine Poems and Tasty Poems all by Jill Bennett and Nick Sharratt.

All the books are fantastic. There are a selection of poems by different authors on each page accompanied by bright, fun illustrations:

We love Seaside Poems because, living in Cornwall, we are all about loving the sea! Little A loves Noisy Poems too and for me it has to be Tasty Poems. There really is a book, or at least a poem within the books for everyone. From food poems to rocket poems, aliens, friendly ghosts and car poems I reckon there is something for everyone (not just the little ones!)

These books are a great introduction to the wonderful world of poetry which we have all enjoyed as a family and as part of Little A's bedtime routine. The best bit is you can buy this whole set for just £4.99 here!

Do you think your children would like these poems? Look out for Midges book tomorrow, The Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton. 

Trevella Park in Autumn ~ A Review

I have been kindly offered to return to Trevella park this year and review the park plus some of Cornwall's attractions and see what we all think. It's great to come here at a different time of year. When we last came we were holidaying in the summer, Little A was 2! You can read that review here, it was a great time so returning is just wonderful. I've decided to write this blog as a type of diary, so each day I'll write about our day, a different way of reviewing!

Monday 26th

Today we arrived at Trevalla Park, all very excited despite the rain. We are situated in The Meadow which is a lovely area to be, and it appears to be host to the dog friendly caravans on the park which I have to add as lots of people have asked about the park and rules on dogs. Our caravan feels slightly smaller than last time but it is cosy, it's a 2 bed luxury caravan with plenty of heating and actually pretty spacious given that there is an eating area and a large sofa plus generous storage space. We brought our own food but yet again there are plenty of things I appear to have forgotten! It's okay though because there is an on site shop. We are using it for top ups and those items we forgot to bring from home.

The children have been incredibly excited despite arriving to pouring rain. We had trouble with our TV but a member of staff sorted this straight away and so CBeebies is going to be viewed this evening! We have just enjoyed a simple sausage, mash and peas all cooked easily in the caravan with all kitchen equipment provided by the park.

Tomorrow we are heading to Newquay zoo! I've been using the App for Cornwall to check what attractions are near by as we are using taxis and I've found this app to be really useful. You can also find places to eat and other things too, it's worth checking out and downloading if you're visiting Cornwall. Using it, I've been able to see entry prices of the attractions we want to visit which is very handy as my Internet isn't working great here and it saves me using my 3G for ages looking on line!

Right now though, I'm going to put the children to bed in the same room and Mr B and I will chill on the sofa having cake and watching television. It won't be long before we go and enjoy our rather comfortable bed in our warm room!

Tuesday 27th

Slight change of plan today! Because of the pouring rain we have decided to head to the Blue Reef Aquarium. We've just had breakfast and showers, it took me a while to get my shower to be as hot as I like but once I looked properly I was in shower heaven! We were up pretty early this morning so time has gone very slow, it's okay though because I've got lots to do before leaving for our day trip!

***

We had an amazing time at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay, it's a small aquarium and as it's half term was pretty busy but we had an enjoyable hour or so there. We booked our tickets online which meant it was slightly cheaper and brought our own lunch with us too. Before the aquarium we went to the beach, which the aquarium overlooks and it was so good to feel that soft sand. Check out our lunch view below.

We drew pictures and wrote our names in the sand ticking off one of the 70 Great Adventures in Cornwall on Trevellas website.

Then we enjoyed seeing the fish, sharks, turtles, frogs and various other creatures at Blue Reef Aquarium. I'm going to do a separate post on our trip so look out for that.

Once we were dropped back to the site (we don't drive so used 2 taxi firms, getting to the town cost us £7.00 each way. It certainly limits the activities you can choose because we can't afford to go very far) I nipped into the shop and then watched Midge and Little A play on the parks play equipment. Both are big fans of the tractor! I also checked out the Rangers activities for the rest of the week which were written up by reception.

Now I'm chilling with my hot chocolate and enjoying the peace. Despite seeing a lot of dogs around The Meadow you hardly hear them at all which is obviously a good thing. We had sunshine from 12pm, maybe earlier and the evening is lovely tonight as opposed to last night! Tomorrows plans are breakfast, crazy golf, on site party and then a spooky walk at 5pm!

Wednesday 28th

What a day! We started with crazy golf in the late morning (FYI I won!) that was 50p each and I have a feeling the cheapest activity will be the favourite one! We all had a laugh anyway. After crazy golf we headed back for lunch and to get ready for the Halloween party being hosted at the cafe. Little A wore his power ranger suit but Midge unfortunately left all her dress up at home. They still had fun at the play area, playing pin the boo on the ghost, getting a face paint and eating cupcakes. We didn't win the raffle but I got some lovely bits at the table top sale and all the money went to a good cause. There were some fab pumpkins on display too:

In the evening we wrapped ourselves up for the spooky walk. We were early so went to see the rabbits, degus and Ollie the owl. We got to go in Ollie's cage! It was wonderful seeing him fly over for his food.

Then we joined some other families for a short circuit of the woods. All but Mr B got suitably spooked by the dressed up staff! We loved the pumpkins dotted around and the hanging ghosts! I could tell the staff thoroughly enjoyed their Halloween roles! To warm up we bought chips from the on site cafe which were really good. For £2 a portion they were generous and the ideal ending for a busy day!

Thursday 29th

It's my birthday! I've had a big cooked breakfast, my lovely cake and opened my gifts in bed. Looking forward to trying out my new wellies in the woods later and going to the zoo!

***

We have had a great day. I'm writing this tucking into more chips and feeling totally shattered. We had a little walk this morning then headed off to the zoo. I was given a press pass for 2 adults so after we paid for the children we were off on our zoo adventure! We saw zebras, fossa, lions, lots of birds, penguins, frogs and a lovely racer snake too. There was so much more there to look at as well. Little A enjoyed it the most I think but we all had a great time and spent all day there. I would recommend bringing your own packed lunch though, the cafe is so incredibly busy and high priced but I will say I thought their food was tasty. I had a good look round the gift shop which was full of great cuddly toys, nick knacks and games. We're now at home snuggled under blankets and all feeling a bit sad it's our last night here. We've had a great time though.

We had such a wonderful time at Trevella Park and hope to go back next year. I wondered what we would get up to at this time of year but I'm pleased to say, as you can see we were not short of things to do. A big thanks to Trevella park who provided us with accommodation for our stay.

* We were provided with a 2 bed luxury caravan by Trevella Park for our stay. I also received a press pass to check out some of Cornwall's attractions which we used at Newquay Zoo but we paid for the Blue Reef Aquarium. I was also asked to review the App for Cornwall which I have mentioned within this post. This is a free app available to download now.

Cupcake Mumma