Laundry and Chocolate Milk

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Phillip turning on our fun music playlist (rock, country, pop, Latin, all shuffled together) while we did our Saturday chores. It feels good to work together.

. . . Joy offering to help out a lot around the house. She helped clear the floor so I could vacuum, accompanied out back to start the laundry, asked me to teach her how to fold it, and helped me put it all away. I was impressed that she offered to help so much. I've tried to help her be more self-reliant lately, and I think she likes feeling responsible.

And another thing . . .

. . . Joy also has been asking me to teach her to cook things she can make all by herself. I’ve struggled to come up with ideas, since most cooking involves flames and sharp knives (neither of which I feel comfortable letting a preschooler handle). Even most of the ingredients are out of her reach. Still, I wanted to help her learn this practical, fun skill she is showing an interest in, so I decided to try a simple recipe with her this afternoon. It was basically bite-size frozen bananas.

The recipe called for slicing two bananas, spreading a little peanut butter on them, dipping them in melted chocolate, then freezing them. I had to muster every ounce of self-discipline I possess to sit back, keep my mouth shut, and let Joy do things her own way. After all, it doesn’t really matter that the bananas were cut different thicknesses, or that Joy ended up with peanut butter smeared all over her clothes. The important thing is that she is learning her way around the kitchen and having fun doing it.

That said, I need to make a more concerted effort to find some kid-friendly recipes. The only other one I’ve come up with is oatmeal, and that didn’t exactly spark Joy’s imagination.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the banana bites were just OK. Don't think I'll be making them again. On the other hand, the dipping chocolate made fabulous chocolate milk with some milk and a little sugar mixed in. Maybe I'll try that with Joy next time.