It's pancake day and while there's always the great debate - pancakes or crepes? I thought I'd share my most favourite pancake recipe with you! I'm a huge fan of fluffy American style pancakes, but not of how stodgy they can be! This recipe makes perfect fluffy pancakes every time and I can't wait to dig in to some tonight!

Ingredients:

200g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 large eggs

250ml milk

vegetable oil for frying

Method:

Mix together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Once well combined make a well in the middle and add the milk and eggs. Mix until just combined a few lumps are fine, and actually add to the fluffyness! You want to avoid over mixing it. 

Heat the oil in your frying pan and add the mix to the oil once its sizzling. Leave your pancake to cook and don't be tempted to poke at it. Once bubbles appear on the surface, it's ready to flip!  Flip it until and fry the other side until golden brown.

Once cooked, I like to serve them with either maple syrup and a dollop of butter, or blueberries and honey. Alex prefers it with maple syrup and bacon, but either way, they're delicious! 

Valentines Day is fast approaching! While me and Alex will be celebrating our love, I thought it might be nice to send handmade cards to some of our nearest and dearest to let them know we love and miss them, and we're thinking of them.

I also thought it might be a nice excuse to get creative and have some messy fun with Axel and give me something to do after bed time.

Every family is missing someone near and dear to them at this time, and this is a great way to get kids of any age involved to create something truly unique friends and family can enjoy and keep forever. It also helps that they're really easy to make!

You will need:

Blank cards and envelopes

plain paper

Glue

Pen

Finger Paints

Scissors

Firstly, take your paints (we kept it on theme and just used red) and let your little ones have some fun painting the plain paper. I have these finger paints for Axel. They're great because they're completely washable. That doesn't mean I let him play with them anywhere but in the bath though! He had great fun getting messy and colourful. It was a really fun rainy day activity too! He had a blast!

The rest of this craft is for the parents or older kids.

Once you have time to yourself, and your little ones master piece is dry, cut out as many hearts as you need. Get creative! Do any size or style you like. I'll be honest, I used my silhouette cutting machine for this, just to get it all done quick, but you could totally cut them out by hand too.

Take a heart and glue it to the centre front of your card. I love that you can see Axel's little finger prints and mitt marks in each heart and each one is obviously different. You can let your kids get as creative as they like with this! I love how abstract they are.

Now this is where my version may differ - I again used my silhouette for this - I cut the phrase 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' out of black vinyl and stuck it to the front of the card. You can obviously write this however you like. I just had my machine and the vinyl to hand so figured....why not? I also really like that it's completely separate to the painted hearts.

And you're done!

I wrote a personal note in each card and included a photo magnet I created via Photo Box

I just thought it'd be nice to include a little gift. Something special for those we miss so much!

I hope these cards have inspired you! I know our nearest and dearest will really enjoy their cards and we really enjoyed making them!

 When discussing how I was planning to feed Axel through my pregnancy, I'd always say the same thing: 'I'd like to try to breastfeed, but if I can't I'm okay with giving him formula.' Which was true! I honestly wasn't fussed either way and I'd never been a stickler for 'breast is best.' In my opinion, it isn't. A happy, healthy, feed baby is always best, whichever way you decide to feed them. 

Lanolin:

Ahhhh Lanolin, how I love thee! I can not recommend this stuff enough. A little really goes a long way, I’ve got tubes on my bedside, in my changing bag and in my changing caddy downstairs. It’s great to have close by to apply straight after a feed to help soothe and repair sore nipples. Trust me on this, if you’re breastfeeding you need lanolin! 

A good nursing bra... or 4:

Before falling pregnant, I was buying any pretty lace underwear sets that caught my eye. I was all about form over function. But now, that has completely changed! Sure, there’s something about a beautiful set of lingerie that’ll make you quietly confident, but when easy access is the aim of the game, those sets aren’t always the most functional. Make way for the nursing bra!

I got mine from M&S and let me tell you, they are the most comfortable bras I have ever owned! When your milk comes in your boobies can feel crazy heavy, so you need all the support you can get. They’re ‘heavy duty’ with a super easy access clip to make it easy to pop a boob out for a feed. A nursing bra might seem like a no brainier but I couldn’t recommend getting a good quality one enough. And on top of that, go for a bra fitting!!! M&S offer bra fitting appointments in store (try to pre-book so you know you’ll definitely get the help you need) which is great since your chest size can change drastically after birth. I took my mum along who looked after Axe while I took some time trying on different fits and sizes before I found the perfect ones for me and grabbed a bunch. I wear them every day... and most nights (I swap between these and sports bras in bed) and I honestly think they’ve made my whole breast feeding experience easier.

                                                       Breast pads:

Ready for TMI?! The one time I tried sleeping without a bra, I woke up thinking I’d peed the bed... I hadn’t I’d just leaked milk everywhere in my sleep! It’s crazy how much milk you can leak and these little guys are great for saving you the embarrassment of leaking in public. They’re basically sanitary towels for your bra, and a total must have in my books!