If you follow me on Snapchat, you probably know that we have been doing a ton of baking lately. We have been sick off and on for a couple of weeks and this has been a good way of keeping them busy for a few hours (for reals, it takes forever with a two and four year old). For those who don't follow me on Snapchat, here is what you are missing.
Baking with TotesMandy and Kids: A Step By Step Guide:
1. Decide to bake and then mentally prepare for what will likely end in blood, sweat, and tears.
2. Tell the kids we are going to bake and then break up a fight because they are screaming over who gets to wear which color apron.
3. Pull out all of the ingredients while they wash their hands. Then put them back and let them pull out the ingredients themselves because they wanted to help with that part.
4. Start baking!
5. Half every step because... two kids. Realize you only have 1/2 teaspoons (where is our teaspoon?) and double that. Or double entire recipe because they both insist on helping with all ingredients. Math, why are you so hard now that I'm old?!
6. Look down for a split second to look at the recipe while kids spill cinnamon everywhere.
7. Grab phone to take pictures and snapchat.
8. Clean up the cinnamon mess while the two year old "accidentally" drops butter on you.
9. Two year old no longer wants to bake so you clean them off and then find something that isn't screen time to keep them occupied. *It's usually screen time.
10. Resume baking with your four year old, who coughs all over the mixture.
11. After a few ingredients with one kid, realize that you are still halving the recipe's ingredients and go back to see if you can remember which ingredients need to now be doubled. Ugh, math!
12. Let your four year old attempt to use an electric mixer for the first time.
13. Two year old hears electric mixer and runs into kitchen yelling "My turn! My turn!" You let them and regret it while flour and eggs fly everywhere.
14. Two year old is bored again so you find something other than screen time for them to do. Oh, slime! That will keep her busy for a while!
15. Four year old decides she wants to play with slime too and now leaves the rest of the baking to mom.
16. Look at what is left to do and then pull out some Halloween chocolate because you are so exhausted and there is still so many steps.
17. Moments after putting the baked goods in the oven, your kids run in whining, "I wanted to see that part!". So you pull them out and do it again.
18. Pour a drink and sit on the couch while baked goods cook. Crap, I just sat in slime! Back to screen time for the kiddos.
19. Beep! The baked goods are done! Cool off and then offer them to your kids who say, "Ew, I don't like that". "But you made it. You should try it. They're cookies!" "I want a REAL cookies". Give them Chips Ahoy backup cookies.
20. Pour another drink and eat all the damn cookies myself. F dishes.
And now, some photos...
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| My youngest baking assistant. |
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| And my oldest. |
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| "Gently" mixing. |
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| How much of that nutmeg actually ended up in the bowl E? |
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| She may be two but she is a MEAN egg cracker (breaker). |
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| Four year old cracking. |
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| First time with an electric mixer! If daddy was home, he'd probably have a heart attack. |
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| Getting our boogie hands in there. |
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| Ghosts and pumpkins! |
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| Methodically making "Daddy Pumpkin". |
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| And methodically eating all of the sprinkles. |
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| Future food blogger, who doesn't actually eat the food. |
*TotesMandy is my Snapchat name if you want to follow along LIVE for our next baking adventure!
