Get
The Kids Cooking
Written
by Jeanie Ruppert Boling
My
kids are driving me crazy. There. I said it! I love them but,
oh my word, they have me at the end of my rope. They used
to play so nicely together and the weather has taken its toll
on the family dynamics. My boys love to be outside. They snowboard
down the little hill in the front yard and continue to swing
in the backyard. Unfortunately the temperature has gotten
so low I won’t let them out and I am reaping the “benefits”
of their indoor captivity. I swear I think they are having
a contest to see who can turn Mommy’s hair gray faster.
So,
what is a mother to do? Get them cooking! Tonight we had salmon
and one of their favorite things to go along with the salmon
is blueberry muffins. Who would have thought that just a little
79-cent box of Jiffy Mix would cause such glee when I pulled
it out of the pantry?!?
When
I asked my 5 yr old to read the directions he got a really
sad look on his face and said he couldn’t read. I quickly
corrected him saying that he could indeed read the pictures.
His face lit up as he rattled off the ingredients and utensils
we would need.
After
we were all set and ready we began to work as a 3 member team.
My 7yr old took over the heavy reading and told us the measurements
and each additional step. My youngest carried out the orders
and in a “Jiffy” we had 6 cupcake holders ready to go into
the oven. Thirteen minutes later, mouth watering, piping hot
blueberry muffins were coming out of the oven.
At
dinner I was telling my husband about that experience. Every
one worked together toward a common goal. We used math, science,
language and social skills to make muffins. Such a small act
created a little blip of peace. It was one of those perfect
moments when the world was in sync. Or if you are cynical
like me, it was the calm before the storm. I was right. About
20 minutes after dinner, my husband took the boys downstairs
for some raucous play. They loved it and I got a little break!
