Baking and Books


I took hardly any pictures yesterday but Sunday is normally pretty quiet in our house so we didn't get up to much! It had been a while since I baked cupcakes (surprise surprise, eh!?) and I was a bit inspired by Zoe's cookies and our recent trip to Lola's so I attempted to recreate Eduardo's Oreo one! I made these Cookies & Cream Cupcakes which contain actual crushed up Oreos...they turned out absolutely delicious! I got the recipe from my Keep Calm and Bake Cupcakes book but it's basically just a regular vanilla cupcake with crushed Oreos added to the mixture, a vanilla buttercream icing and some cocoa powder & a mini Oreo on top! Very easy and yummy! I enjoyed way too many of these while watching Vikings yesterday afternoon (which I've recently really got into...it's not a bad show! Very violent though so be aware!).


Emilia helped me bake and after devouring her cupcake later that evening, she turned around to me in her chair and said "best cupcake ever!" She really knows the way to her mother's heart! Ha ha ha! Other than baking, we had a very lazy day getting back into the kids' routines in preparation for the week ahead. As you probably already know I've stopped breastfeeding (which I'm still struggling with by the way...I admit I sometimes cry about it :( I miss it so much!!) but one of the good things that came from this is that I get to put Emilia to bed again. That was one of the hardest things to let go of when Eduardo was born as I always loved reading her books and tucking her in at night but it became daddy's job for the past year. Now we've swapped over again and Jonathan usually puts Eduardo down while I read to Emilia. Eventually when he's a bit older we'd like to read to both of them together but for now they're at quite different stages of attention spans when it comes to books so Eduardo gets a much shorter story! I took this picture while Emilia was snuggled up in bed waiting patiently for story-time to commence...she looked so cute! 

What books do you enjoy reading to your children? Or which ones do you remember reading when you were young? I have such nice memories of when my mum read me books as a child and I'm really happy to pass this tradition onto my kids too!

39 comments

  1. Lovely post and the cupcake looks amazing!<3

    www.sillycrazylove.com

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  2. When I was a child my mum used to read me some Disney books with the stories from the movies but like really short and my used to invent stories! xx

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  3. Mm i love cupcakes.i actually baked too on sunday. I made cookie bars and got the recipe off youtube (divas can cook) i put them in my kids lunch boxs for school. I must try the oreo cupcake this weekend (definetaly not helping with my diet) .
    Love from Australia
    Dimple xx

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  4. I don't have children, but I'm an elementary school teacher in the U.S. Some of my favorite children's books are "Where the Wild Things Are," "The Day the Crayons Quit," "Press Here," "Matilda," "Dragons Love Tacos, "Tea Rex," "There is a Bird on Your Head," "Kiki and Coco in Paris," "The Book With No Pictures

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  5. I Love Goodnight Moon and Shel Silverstein!!!

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  6. I really love your blog and your youtube channel!! <3 you have the cutest family!! Lots of love from Annemaaike (I'm from Holland)

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  7. I love reading my son "twinkle twinkle little star" book, mostly because I can sing it to him and he loves that. My other son will be here soon and, like you, I can't wait until they are both able to sit in my lap and enjoy me reading to them :)

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  8. My brother and I would always love it when we had Peter Pan read to us! Thomas the Tank Engine and Winnie the Pooh were also strong favourites haha the cupcake looks delicious! Wouldn't mind baking some for my parents :) Em xx

    http://edoublemamurray.blogspot.com.au/

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  9. I have just come back this afternoon from visiting my one day old baby cousin in hospital. She's such a darling and seeing this lovely photo of your little girl makes me so excited for when my cousin gets a little older. As a family we've always been very bedtime orientated so her mum used to read me books all the time which I'd love to pass to her. My brother and I were read the Harry Potter Series growing up but as a baby and toddler I was read the whole of the Beatrix Potter Books and Winnie The Pooh. I was obsessed and have some of the prettiest hardbacks from when I was tiny that I absolutely cherish!! I'm only 18 and yet I cant wait to start reading baby books when I'm older (however, with the new baby I have a bit of an excuse! :p )

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  10. My mum would read Puddle Lane books to my sister and I and the Ladybird series. The Hungry Caterpillar was a favourite of mine also, as well as the Jolly Postman and Chicken Licken :p What were some of your favourites Anna? I'm glad both you and Emilia had fun baking and eating your cupcakes :) xx

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  11. Those cupcakes look absolutely delicious! And Vikings is so good and addicting. I feel like I am going to be like you when I get older. When I watch your vlogs, I find myself saying "wow, thats gonna be me one day" with a bunch of doggies, a silly husband and some wonderful kids.. perfect! :)

    -Maria
    itsmariaisabel.com

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  12. Such a lovely and sweet post! The cookies looked delicious from your vlog today also. They seem quite easy to make as well. Love how you read to the kids before bed. I am a true advocate when it comes to reading and read to my kids when they were young as well. My daughter, Erin, loved Chippy Goes to the Dentist and my son, Kade, was all about Thomas the Train. I loved and cherished every minute of it. Having mommy & daughter time is always special but so is mommy and son! Thanks for sharing with us and hope your week is full of adventure and fun memories! Take Care!

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  13. your daughter is so cute! she is getting so big xx lovejoystyles.com

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  14. My daughter loves "It's Pajama Time". There is a rhythm about it and it gets her excited to go to bed.

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  15. My daughter loved a touch and feel farm animal book and my son loved red hat,blue hat by sandra boyton. i too mourned the end of breastfeeding! and my kids are 16 and 14 but i still miss those days!

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  16. I love that you read to your children every night! Make bedtime a little more magical :) I remember my father reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?" to me because it was one of my favorites. I also remember my mother reading Muphet's book to me. All of which I still own!

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  17. Dammit I feel like a cupcake now! Xx

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  18. Ohh Anna i love and your family and also cupcakes :))

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  19. That cupcake! :) it just looks amazing! And Emilia is a cutie <3

    please visit my bog - just started recently :) posting a granola recipe today :)))

    https://enjoybypaula.wordpress.com

    xx <3

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  20. I loved Spot the dog and Old Bear books - definitely try to find some Jane Hissy, they really made my childhood and are lovely characters

    Lauren x
    Britton Loves | Lifestyle Food Beauty

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  21. We love to read the Gruffalo at bedtime in our house. My son usually loves anything by Julia Donaldson. :) My youngest daughter is only 1 so she usually gets Fox's Socks or one of the 'That's Not My' books. My oldest daughter is almost 8. She only wants me to read to her occasionally. It makes me sad that that part of her childhood is almost over! x

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  22. I am going out today to buy ingredients for cupcakes. I literally get a craving when I look on your blog!

    I love reading to alice but most of the time she robs the book off me and tells me hew own little story!

    x x

    http://sophiatallulah.blogspot.co.uk

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  23. Hi Anna! First off, I wanted to say I'm so happy that you're posting again. I really enjoy your blog :) Your Sundays remind me of my boyfriend and I's minus the kids... do animals count? Hehe.. those cupcakes look amazing. I can see you creating your own baking themed cookbook one day and I would totally buy it! Have a great week!

    ~Richelle,
    www.Richelleloveslife.com

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  24. Your pictures are lovely :)

    When I was little my Mum often read a book to me called Threadbear, it was about a bear who lost his squeaker!

    theeverydaylifeofrachel.blogspot.co.uk

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  25. Will have to give those cupcakes a try, they look delicious! When I was a child I remember loving 'The Big Hungry Bear and the Ripe Red Strawberry', such a good book and great for both Emelia and Eduardo!

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  26. Mmm, that Cupcake looks delicious! Lovely Post! Emily is getting so big! :) X.

    Amylaurenxo.blogspot.co.uk

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  27. Mmm that cake!! Definitely getting the ingredient on my way home tonight. Your family is just <3 (*love heart face emoji*) xxx

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  28. My mum read to us every night too! And I did the same until my kids started to read by themselves. They are 8 and 10 now. They take a book to bed and read for a while before falling asleep. The habit sticks, luckily!
    Loved Emilia's picture and her comment on the cupcake! Cute :) By the way you did an exact replica of the one on the vlog! You are good at baking!
    Alina
    www.eclecticalu.blogspot.com

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  29. I think Emilia would really like 'The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew it Was None of His Business'. It was a picture book I found so funny as a child ahah :)

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  30. Hi Anna, my kids love stories at night, especially Adam's Cloud books (before you sleep & Adams pirate adventures are favourites). The are written by Irish dad Benji Bennet....there are a big hit in our house. You can get them online.

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  31. Oh Anna those cupcakes look amazing! I'm so glad you bake with your daughter, and I know as soon as Eduardo is old enough he can join in. It's so important to teach kids those things so young. (:

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  32. I so want to make these cupcakes but I have college graduation in 3 weeks so I better wait! Afterwards though eye are fair game ;) My mom used to read Berenstain Bears to me as a child. I LOVED them! Do you have those in Europe? You should check them out! :)
    Www.brisul.com

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  33. The cupcakes look divine! It's so sweet that you two bake together! I love reading your blog because your family is so down to earth and adorable and you both seem like such great parents and so in love (soppy but true!). Even though I'm a way off from children, I love reading your blog for tips and advice!

    Josie
    josievictoriaa

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  34. This is such a sweet post <3 I definitely have to try out these cupcakes now! xx

    www.monochromeroses.blogspot.co.uk

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  35. your cupcakes always look amazing!

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  36. Omg - that cupcake looks yummy! I heard the book with no pictures is a good read !!

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  37. My parents and grandparents used to read to me a lot and I only have the best memories. When I was little, I really enjoyed that rabbit book "guess how much I love you" (you've probably heard of it) and I also used to love this massive book about telling the time which had a big pop-up clock going through every page. I can't remember the name of it, but was about a princess in a castle who learned to tell the time and you had to 'help her'. I can remember that being the best thing ever. :)

    blogjustabubble.blogspot.com

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  38. I love Goodnight Moon. I used to read it to my baby brother and now I read it to my baby boy. Reading it gets me calmed down too! ;)

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  39. So glad you still continue to blog even with YouTube going on. I love yours and Jonathon's channel but the blogs are still an all time fav to :)
    I remember when I was going through ivf last year I constantly read your blog posts about your pregnancy with Emilia it made me so excited to have my own ! I was pumping myself up so to speak haha now I have a beautiful 5 month old daughter Isabella and I have started my own blog. :)

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