Hello everyone — how has your week begun? Last week I spent a lot of time teaching my two older girls how to cook. They are not too young to learn. Once children can speak, they can start learning practical skills. It might begin with something as simple as cracking an egg, but every skill starts somewhere. In our case, they quickly learned much more than just how to break an egg.
One evening I wanted to spend some time bonding with them in the kitchen. I queued up a YouTube video by the popular food blogger Laura Vitale and we watched together as she made an apple cake with her grandmother. My girls loved watching her cook. Lately they’ve been trading cartoons for cooking videos, which I’m perfectly happy about. The video inspired them to join me in the kitchen.
We made a heart-shaped apple cake together and had so much fun. At one point my eldest looked at me and exclaimed, “Mummy, I love you!” — a moment that melted my heart. Cooking together is a wonderful way to connect with children. And if you have boys, don’t keep them out of the kitchen; some of the best cooks are men.
Cooking with little ones can be chaotic, but it’s completely worth it. During our apple cake session we survived improperly cracked eggs leaving shells on the counter, and a bowl of sliced apples that ended up on the floor. We survived a lot of mess, and gained a lot of learning and laughter in return.
Here is a slice of the cake:
Our church held a bake sale, so we baked some peanut butter cookies as our contribution. It was also a chance to teach the girls about giving and serving others.
My eldest had fun decorating a face using blueberries and bread.
She also made a fruit sandwich for breakfast.
We prepared coleslaw together and Girl Number 1 absolutely loved it.
I hope to cook with them more often so they can prepare complete meals from an early age. They’re starting to enjoy cooking more than playing. Today my younger daughter planned to go to the basement to play, but when she heard me preparing to cook she changed her mind and asked to join me in the kitchen. I’ll take the help — and the joy!
At church over the weekend we were encouraged to be workers in God’s kingdom. Every contribution matters, and when we work together we can accomplish great things.
Have a great week!
Love,