Nov 2

Nov 2 Birthday prep and fun in the kitchen

As a mother, it is easier, cleaner and quicker to do everything yourself, but having the patience to work side by side with your children can be one of life's sweetest memories. Teaching your children how to bake, craft etc. although endlessly messy can be some of the punctuation marks in your career as a mother. As a parent, I am constantly trying to provide diverse and enriching experiences for my child and a hands on approach to learning is the best teaching method I know. When I decided to make Jasper's birthday cake while he napped I quickly rethought that idea as I decided it would be more memorable and more fun if he could assist me instead.

I measured out all the ingredients and Jasper was eager to haphazardly pour each ingredient into the bowl. I was a little worried about how much oil, flour and sugar we lost in transport, but in the end the final product was something to be proud of. The entire time Jasper was beaming as he was able to stir, mix and most importantly lick the beaters, bowl and anything else he could get his hands on.

Sure it was messy and took a bit more work, but in the end I realized I should not put limitations on what Jasper can and cannot do. He should definitely be spending more time in the kitchen doing something other than snacking.

This year in lieu of a big birthday party we kept things simple and had a small gathering to celebrate our big TWO year old. The night before his birthday I set up a "birthday parade" complete with his stuffed animals outfitted in miniature party hats and all his car and trucks lined up on the road tape. When he woke up the next morning, it wasn't as magical a moment as I had created in my head, but I still had fun anticipating what his reaction was going to be.