Mastering the Playground and the Kitchen

I am starting to get really excited for this upcoming school year. Waking up this morning to a crisp, blustery breeze blowing through my window and turning my calendar over to September, filled me with excitement. I am done with summer and I am looking forward to the new routines fall will bring. Yesterday, I registered Leif for the toddler story time at our local library . . . eeeek! How can he be old enough to have his own social calendar?

Since Harriet was born, I have been lumping the two of them together and consider them both my babies, but Leif is growing up. He amazes me each day with the new words he says, the new concepts he understands and the new things he can do. On Saturday night, Mr. Level-Headed and I took the two-under-two crew to the playground after we dropped Elliot off at a party (talk about growing up . . . eeek!). I was shocked to see Leif climb the playground structures like a pro, even the ones designed for the bigger kids. I also learned that carefully going down the slide is a thing of the past for Leif. Rather than very gently turning himself around and lying down on his belly so that he can slide down feet first, Leif now runs to the top, grabs the handle bars and swings off of them for a moment or two before plopping himself down on his bum and sliding off.

 

He is such a dare devil!

Since he is a big boy now, I decided it was time to teach Leif a most important skill - baking the world's best chocolate chip cookies. Seriously, this skill will benefit him tremendously. Think of all the ladies he will win over with a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies . . .  mmmm!

First, you must taste-test your chocolate chips.

I think they passed the test. Then you place the ingredients in the mixer.

ooooops!

uh oh!

Then you mix the dry ingredients separately.

This step can be messy, especially if you are toddler.

Floured toddler tootsies . . . adorable!

After you add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and throw in copious amounts of chocolate chips, you must taste the cookie dough. Okay, so I can't do it, but toddlers love this step.

It passed the test. Now it is time to bake the cookies.

Once the cookies are done and when they are still ooey gooey and warm, you put on some Saturday afternoon cartoons, get comfy on the sofa and indulge.

Yep, I think he has this step mastered . . . tee hee!

Baking with toddlers is not for the faint of heart. It is messy. They will try to mix the dough with their feet and they will definitely throw flour in your face, but it sure can be a lot of fun . . . and it is almost always very delicious.