Compliments!

It's important to let those you love and cherish know how much you appreciate their existence. Compliments are a cute short way to brighten someone's day! I'm not just talking about praising someone's looks or clothing (although this is also very nice), you should try to compliment someone's personality or congratulate them on one of their achievements! 

If you're out there in the big wide world reading this post, you are appreciated, you are loved and you are beautiful. My challenge for you is to give out the compliments below to a friend, a family member, a girl, a boy, a person who serves you at the checkout of a shop, a person who serves you at a drive-through window, someone younger than you, someone older than you and finally someone who looks like their feeling down. We can make the world a better place together <3.

Feel free to leave me a comment down below. Keep smiling,

Nina <3.

Drinking water

Water! Water is one of the healthiest choices for quenching your thirst at any time during the day. I recently started to drink a lot more water and I can honestly say I have really noticed a difference. I feel rejuvenated, ready for what the day has to offer and also happier because I am being concious of what I am drinking. I think water is easily overlooked in today's society so I decided to list a few reasons why you should drink more water:

1) It has no calories and contains no sugars that can damage teeth.

2) Since your brain is mostly water drinking it helps you think, focus and concentrate better making you more alert. 

3) It flushes out toxins in your body (gets rid of waste through sweat and peeing).

4) It improves your skin complexion. Water moisturises your skin, keeps it fresh, soft, glowing and smooth.

5) It helps relieve and prevent headaches which are commonly caused by dehydration.

6) It's cheap! Water is free in most cases and even if you buy bottled/filtered water its still cheaper than other drinks.

So why not try it yourself? I challenge you to drink one glass more of water than you usually do in a day. I know some people don't like the taste of water (trust me I've been there) but stick with it for a few weeks, determination is key. Try drinking more water with a friend, encourage each other and before you know it drinking water will become second nature to you. 

Feel free to leave me a comment down below. Keep smiling,

Nina <3.

Pancake Day!

Happy pancake day! I love pancakes, but this year I thought I'd mix things up a bit. Instead of having a conventional maple syrup, honey or lemon and sugar pancake I decided to try making Oreo pancakes! I followed this recipe which serves 4:



For the pancake batter you will need:

Buttermilk (600g)

Medium eggs (x8)

Unsalted butter (125g)

Vanilla extract (1 and a half tsp.)

Plain flour (600g)

Corn flour (100g)

Baking powder (30g)

Granulated sugar (125g)

Oreo cookies (150g)

Unsalted butter for frying (100g)


To serve you will need:

Marshmallow fluff (25g)

Maple Syrup/Chocolate sauce (100ml)

Method:

• Melt the butter and combine with buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract.

• Combine the plain flour, corn flour, baking powder and granulated sugar. Blitz the Oreo cookies in a food processor till they become fine crumbs and add them to the dry mix.

• Whisk the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract together with dry ingredients. Continue mixing for 2-3 minutes.

• Grease a large hot frying pan with butter and add dollops of pancake mix, keeping them separate. Allow to cook for 3 minutes on each side. They should puff up in the pan.

• Stack cooked pancakes on a plate, add a dollop of marshmallow fluff, break a few Oreo's on top and drizzle with maple syrup or chocolate sauce depending on your taste.

• For those who really want to get in the spirit cut yourself out an Oreo stencil and dust with icing sugar for a perfect finish.

• Enjoy!

Hope you have a wonderful pancake day! Keep smiling,

Nina <3.

Dealing with exam stress

Exams. Oh yes, those evil things. That piece of paper that intimidates you and stresses you out through most of your teenage years. They test your knowledge, patience and will to live. Everyone gets stressed out with exams but here are a few ways to keep calm and relax:

1) Bath bombs, Bubble bars, Bath Melts & Shower Gel!

Treat yourself! Buy a bath bomb and watch it fizz away. For some reason just the sound of a bath bomb fizzing away is therapeutic to me. I recommend lush bath bombs as they make you feel especially luxurious but any type will do. Bubble bars and bath melts also make me feel tranquil and indulgent. If you don't have access to any of the mentioned products try changing up your shower gel! It sounds random but buying a different brand of shower gel and saving it for when you feel stressed out can actually really help. Its like bottling up a pick-me-up an reserving it for when you feel down. Try it; you never know it could make you feel better <3.

2) Listen to music!

Create a playlist of your favourite songs, lay on your bed and just listen (Caution: dancing around your room and singing into a hairbrush may occur). Sometimes just hearing your favourite song can really lift your mood.

3) Paint your nails!

Painting your nails can help you to focus on something else for a while. Pampering yourself is a great way to de-stress.

4) Talk to your friends and family!

Sharing your thoughts with other people can really take weight off your shoulders. Simply talking to your friends and family about what you've got to do (essays, revision, homework etc...) can make you feel a lot better. Also, make sure to talk to your friends and family about what they've got to do, it doesn't cost you anything and it also makes them feel great.

5) Breathe!

Last, but certainly not least, breathe. When you feel like everything is just getting to much, gently take a deep breath and exhale. Don't rush things, take it easy, at your own pace. 

Don't forget:

''Everything will be okay in the end; if its not okay, its not the end''
- John Lennon

Keep smiling,

Nina <3.