Cupcakes!

I bought the most amazing book the other day.

The book is Hello, Cupcake! And it is just way too cool!

Both the boys love it too! I picked it up at Costco the other day and the boys have not been able to put it down.

So, we had to make some cupcakes this weekend. I have several school functions for both the boys that I need to "provide" something for and this is just perfect.

After looking through the book, several times... we found some that we thought would be okay. I loved the snowmen family but thought it may be a bit ambitious for a first timer.

Then I notice the current issue of Taste of Home Magazine has these cupcakes featured on them. And there was the perfect cupcake to start our cupcake decorating experiences with on the front cover.

I can't find a picture on line, so here's a picture of the front cover:


See those cute little snowmen at the bottom?

We made those. And they turned out great! Here are the boys showing off their snowmen:



Today was just the "test run" to see how easy or difficult they were. I have to bring something to Sam's school later this week for his Christmas Pageant. I think these are a go!

It was so easy, even a four year old could make them! I did frost each of the cupcakes and I cut the cookies for the hat, but the boys did the rest. I showed them what to do and they did it.



From left to right: mine, Josh's, Sam's.

In fact, it these would be a great class project for elementary kids. If you frost the cupcakes, and come with the supplies already the kids can decorate them and eat them!

The boys had a great time and we decorated a couple other cupcakes in a more "creative" way:

Here's Josh's creative design:

And Sam's:

These were so much fun to do together with the boys. It was perfect for today -- a bit cold outside, Josh wasn't feeling well this morning so it gave him something fun to focus on...

Oh, and in other news...

I'm going to be interviewed tomorrow on a local TV station. The subject: Tantrum Free Travel with Toddlers this holiday season.

It's going to air on Sunday 12/21. Once I know how things go, I'll post more!

Someone's in the Kitchen With Mommy (or Daddy)

Day Three in Week of the Young Child: Cooking with your kids.

Both my boys love to help me in the kitchen. I love cooking and want to pass that love on to my kids.

Cooking with your kids is a great way to keep them entertained, spend time with them and teach them healthy eating habits. And basic "help" can start as soon as they can stir a spoon. And as they grow, they can help more and more.

The boys will help me with whatever meal I'm making. Sometimes they like to make their own lunches and I generally try to let them do that with as little interference as possible. They also love to help me bake and make dinner.

We have several children's cookbooks; these are nothing special except the food is usually geared toward kids with pretty pictures and fun names for everyday things (like "Drizzled and Drenched Fries" which is nothing more than oven baked french fries), with healthy, easy to follow recipes.

Children's cookbooks are by no means necessary, but they do help get the kids excited about what they are making. The boys love looking through the books and picking out something special to make for one of their meals.

Obviously anything involving cutting, a hot oven, hot burner or open flame is Mommy's Job. But you can involve the kids depending on their current skill level.

Sam will help by carrying things from the refrigerator or cupboard to the counter and he helps to set the table. He can also put the pre-measured ingredients into a bowl, crack eggs (and yes I do have to fish out the egg shells) and mix up the ingredients. Since Josh is older, I can have him help read the recipe and measure out the ingredients.

At the very least, it's company and time we can spend together. And I find that (generally) they are more apt to try new foods if they have a hand in preparing it.