Who needs expensive, consumery entertainment...
...when there is butter, sugar, and flour to be had?
I have yet to meet a kid who isn't fascinated with the whole baking process.
Not to mention the happy eating that comes later.
Yes indeedy, this is where it's at.
I will remind myself of this next time I am tempted to say "no" when my kids ask if they can help me bake.
And I am currently reminded to say thank you to my mom, who let me make a huge mess of her flour drawer for years. 😉 I learned from her how to bake bread, and she learned from my grandmother (Wednesday Baking probably wouldn't exist without those two women!).
So, even though the mess increases ten-fold when I include my kids, I'm determined to say "yes" more often when they ask to bake. Because I wouldn't be the baker I am today unless my mom and grandma had said "yes".
Very sweet photos. And oh, so true. I, too, have had to fight off the urge to say "no" in the name of getting things done. Thanks for the beautiful reminder.
My kids love to bake, too! I can't wait until Christmas, when I plan to bake a bunch of cookies, a pie and a bunch of other good things. I've already started stocking up on butter, sugar and flour! I'm trying to plan an awesomed Christmas, so my kids will hardly even notice that their dad isn't there.
Absolutely! My kids actually have a rotation, for whose turn it is to help cook or bake. It's such great fun!
I'm terrible with baking with the kids. I think actually the fighting does my head in more than anything else. I'm much better baking with one on one. And I love to bake. Maybe this Christmas season it will be a bit better.
So true...we get things done faster by saying no...but, when we say yes, we bond with our children, we share some more love and we pass on traditions. I'm not a baker but my daughter has asked numerous times to make cookies. I'm said to say we've only baked once BUT we had blast. Next baking date is Saturday...Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins!
There is very little that is sweeter than children enjoying the process of baking. Gorgeous photos
SWWWEEET !!
in more ways than one!
I love to bake with my son, though I will admit, it's tough to allow him to do stuff 😉
I went back to work full-time when my daughter was nearly 3. We were both so miserable. That first month, we made cookies just about every night. Everyone at work loved it and it helped get us past the adjustment period.
The mess can be bad when baking with kids, but I will tell you from experience, the memories years later are worth it all.
Kristen, think of it as an investment in the future, just as having your 3 yo clean up is. It takes longer now but they're learning. Once they have it down, one more task you can delegate. Be warned: once they can reach the butter and sugar themselves, they may make a surprise for you.
One day I helped out at a nursery school. I was The Baker: since they read Blueberrys for Sal that day I brought everything thing the class needed to make blueberry scones. The 3 year olds were all very well behaved, waiting their turn to stir, sharing cookie cutters, not melting down when they realized the scones were for *afternoon* snack, not morning. I was very surprised when the scones tasted good, because they call for a light hand in the mixing and those kids were anything but!
Nice post, Kristen. I am so grateful for the happy memories of baking with my grandma. She taught me how to make my still-favorite cookie, she called them crinkle cookies. They're a kind of chewy cinnamon molasses cookie.
What a great blog entry, and so true!!
PS: you could have your kids increase the recipe by 2/3 and give 'em a few homeschooling math points when they get it right.
@WilliamB Oh dear. That would probably make MY brain hurt. lol And it might result in some food waste too. Although, even if you screw up some cookie ingredients, the end product is still usually edible.
Oh, so true, Kristen, so true! Last night we made your "overnight cinnamon twists" -- now a family tradition for special occasions (my kids truly thank you) -- and the kitchen was a complete mess! Bedtime was delayed as well. But boy oh boy did my daughter have fun, and the pride in her eyes as she ate cinnamon twists this morning, on her birthday, was unmistakable. Plus, she was extremely pleased that she could bring them into class this morning for "snack time" to celebrate with her classmates.
Since she's asked for spaghetti and meatballs for dinner on her birthday, I thought I'd try the pull-apart garlic bread to go with it. I'm certain she'll want to help with that too... oy! another kitchen mess! Definitely worth it.
Great pics! Reminds me of those wonderful times I propped my two daughters up on stools to help with the baking. Precious moments and as my mother used to say "You can always clean up later." My daughters are now 28 and 25 and are fabulous cooks and bakers and I am so thankful I involved them in food production from a young age. Good on you!
We were in the drugstore yesterday and my son (8) stopped in front of a display with a kid baking set---cookie cutters, tiny spatula, apron, etc. He thought it was so cool. I was excited by the fact that he loves to bake with me---but the best part was, when I told him we've already got stuff that we can use instead of buying new stuff, he agreed with me and walked on by. Frugal training proceeding as planned!
My daughter (13) loves to cook all kinds of things. I came home from work yesterday and she was making the finishing touches to a carrot cake for us all = took a piece to work for lunch today and it was delicious..... and she washes up all the utensils too!
def true! i need to be more patient~