Making cookies with kids....

[swasat]

....today and I am already on my third cup of coffee for the day

I love those boogers and love spending time with them, but man....its hard to do anything in any form for of organized manner with an over zealous 9 and a 6 yr old   


The argument about using green sugar vs red sugar for decoration went on for about 20 min. Then they argued over what shapes to use. And then there was this half hour when they bickered about whose candy cane shaped cookie looked better and more real. And then they wanted me to have an opinion on it and decide whose was better

Dh is working from home today and giving me smiles which seem to mean..."Thank God its you and not me!" I'll have murder on my hands tonite!!

Any of you have family activities that drive you up the wall and make you go nuts but you do them anyway because kids love them?

[Deleted]

Dec 23, 2013 14:10:28 GMT -5 swasat said:

Any of you have family activities that drive you up the wall and make you go nuts but you do them anyway because kids love them?

Pretty much any board game with my 3 year old and 11 year old.

[Deleted]

Awww....we baked those pre-made sugar cookies because this mommy didn't want to deal with it, so I gotta give you props! 

[Wisconsin Beth]

I did that the other day with a 4 year old and a 5.5 year old.  Which ended up with the 4 year old eating the assorted kinds of sprinkles by the handful...  But the cookie are yummy.  Pretty, no.  Yummy, yes. 

[giramomma]

I have kids the same age as yours.

I made peanut butter kiss cookies, and the kids had to take the wrappers off the kisses. They made a freaking contest out of that, who could finish first. They make contests out of everything, though.

I actually was able to bake efficiently today as the littlest one was at the sitter.

We get the bickering and on top a little one trying to push her way in, touching the cookie dough, and then repeating "cookie" about 5, 335 times. And, then we all do the "where's the baby" call/response every time I open the oven door.

I like baking with my kids. Just one at a time

We got a few new card games, Munchkin and Moose in the house. In Moose in the House, there's a picture of a moose rear end on one of the cards. My middle child likes to remark "I'm giving you moose butt." It's not funny after the second time. Or the 15th, if we happen to play two games in a row.

[Deleted]

I like baking with my kids. Just one at a time

[swasat]

So DD (who is 6) proceeded to ice a bra on a gingerbread shaped sugar cookie. Because Ariel has one of this on, you know  -rofl-And DS thinks its disgusting. That made DD all defensive because of course, Ariel has one on and that makes it alright. So now she is sulking in the corner because her brother made fun of her. 


We'll laugh at these memories in the year 2034. I can't wait 

[Sunnyday]

my two year old helped decorate the gingerbread house, she licked pretty much every piece? and bit pieces of the gumdrops. I was cramping up with laughter because it was by DH doing the activity and not me.

[Formerly SK]

I don't bake with my kids.  They don't seem that into it.  Maybe once/year DD(7) will want to make cookies but she gets bored half way through and leaves me to finish.  DS(9) doesn't care at all (doesn't like cookies).  For some reason I feel really guilty about this...like if I were a Good Mom we'd be happily making cookies all week to bring to friends/neighbors in some great statement of Love and Community.  But they don't want to, and DH and I don't really like having a bunch of cookies around the house, so we don't. 

Probably they'll grow up and decide they love baking cookies and will look back on their childhood and the fact we never made cookies and they'll get mad at me for not having done it with them more often.  Just another mark against me.... 

[Deleted]

STOP IT RIGHT NOW! There is no reason you need to feel guilty because your definition of a holiday is not the same as Hollywood's.


If you don't enjoy baking then don't do it! The only reason we have the 2 doz we have is because we needed cookies for Santa. I completely forgot about the cookies and milk when they were 2 & 3 so I brought some cookies back from the in-laws that year.

"Santa" doesn't mind the cookie, but the milk does not go with her  err....his beer. 

[Formerly SK]

Dec 24, 2013 10:51:33 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

STOP IT RIGHT NOW! There is no reason you need to feel guilty because your definition of a holiday is not the same as Hollywood's.


If you don't enjoy baking then don't do it! The only reason we have the 2 doz we have is because we needed cookies for Santa. I completely forgot about the cookies and milk when they were 2 & 3 so I brought some cookies back from the in-laws that year.

"Santa" doesn't mind the cookie, but the milk does not go with her  err....his beer. 

Thanks.   

Santa gets Oreos.  It's the only cookie DS likes.  And he gets rice milk, because DD hates cows milk.  LOL

[muttleynfelix]

DS loves to bake with me.  It is "our" thing that we do together. I like to bake and there are so many math lessons while baking.  I'm sure it will be crazier when his sister is able to join us.  She may not be as in to it.  He's quieter and she can be rowdy (well as rowdy as an almost 1 year old can be).  But for now, we have a blast.  

[swamp]

I'm making pies with the kids this afternoon. I think I will open a bottle of wine.

[Deleted]

Good luck swamp! 


I'm going to the in-laws. I think I shall open a bottle of wine as well. 

[Deleted]

Not only did I use the refrigerated sugar cookie dough with the granddaughter, but she knew more about baking cookies than I did.  I didn't know you put the sugar on before you bake them.  She's five.

Do you think I should ask her for tips on how to make my pie crust flakier?

[swamp]

Dec 24, 2013 11:22:14 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

like if I were a Good Mom we'd be happily making cookies all week to bring to friends/neighbors in some great statement of Love and Community.

In our community they would have to be gluten free, nut free, sugar free, vegan, use locally sourced ingredients, and come with a long story about their origins.

Would they be actual cookies you could eat?

[whoisjohngalt]

Dec 24, 2013 11:10:18 GMT -5 swamp said:

I'm making pies with the kids this afternoon. I think I will open a bottle of wine.

Right there - you just won the mother of year award from me

No way on this Earth am I EVER making pies and certainly not with the kids.

I found out a long time ago that if I don't want to drink myself to death or start smoking again, I need to look at any kind of cooking/baking with kids in a VERY relaxing sort of way. 

I don't care if there is a mess
I don't care if it tastes like crap (which hasn't happened yet)
I bought extra measuring supplies
I don't care if they lick everything and anything (although, I am starting to teach them that communal food not to be touched)
And this one was the hardest - I don't care if they waste food (within a reason, of course)

As a result of this, they are learning measuring system, they can chop pretty much any vegetables (except the hard ones like carrots bc they are not allowed to use sharp knives), they crack eggs better than most, they know ingredients in many many various dishes.  And if I really need them to, they can feed themselves.

[whoisjohngalt]

Dec 24, 2013 10:44:31 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

I don't bake with my kids.  They don't seem that into it.  Maybe once/year DD(7) will want to make cookies but she gets bored half way through and leaves me to finish.  DS(9) doesn't care at all (doesn't like cookies).  For some reason I feel really guilty about this...like if I were a Good Mom we'd be happily making cookies all week to bring to friends/neighbors in some great statement of Love and Community.  But they don't want to, and DH and I don't really like having a bunch of cookies around the house, so we don't. 

Probably they'll grow up and decide they love baking cookies and will look back on their childhood and the fact we never made cookies and they'll get mad at me for not having done it with them more often.  Just another mark against me.... 

Please please PLEASE don't.

Every homeschooling mom I know does "sensory" activities and "nature" activities and all kinds of other activities, some of which I can't even pronounce.  For awhile I thought "OMG, I am failing my kids miserably"

So, I tried.  And then I stopped bc it was CRAZY trying to do a bunch of crap my kids didn't want to.

Give yourself a break and a drink!!

[Deleted]

AMEN! 

[luckyme]

Most terrifying sentence coming out of your kids' mouths:  "Can I help?"    


I use to wait until they were not home before baking cookies, unless they were the ones you just break apart and place on the cookie sheet.  Now that they are older, I will bake with them.  I am going out now for raisins to make raisin filled cookies.  We go to my brother's tonight so I will take him some, it's an old family recipe.


Soooo good!  

[swasat]

Dec 24, 2013 11:25:14 GMT -5 whoisjohngalt said:

Dec 24, 2013 11:10:18 GMT -5 swamp said:

I'm making pies with the kids this afternoon. I think I will open a bottle of wine.

Right there - you just won the mother of year award from me

No way on this Earth am I EVER making pies and certainly not with the kids.

I found out a long time ago that if I don't want to drink myself to death or start smoking again, I need to look at any kind of cooking/baking with kids in a VERY relaxing sort of way. 

I don't care if there is a mess
I don't care if it tastes like crap (which hasn't happened yet)
I bought extra measuring supplies
I don't care if they lick everything and anything (although, I am starting to teach them that communal food not to be touched)
And this one was the hardest - I don't care if they waste food (within a reason, of course)

As a result of this, they are learning measuring system, they can chop pretty much any vegetables (except the hard ones like carrots bc they are not allowed to use sharp knives), they crack eggs better than most, they know ingredients in many many various dishes.  And if I really need them to, they can feed themselves.

AMEN Sistah!!!

I love to cook and my kids really look forward to making cookies so I don't mind doing it. I won't lie, it does get overwhelming and the floor and the table look like zombie apocalypse just went by, but its all good   

You HAVE to not pay attention to the mess that gets created. Otherwise its easy to feel like committing suicide. So after we were done, DH took over the cleaning. It took him about 40 minutes to clean the entire table, put away the stuff, sweep and mop the floor. And then we sat down and stuffed ourselves with cookies and had a nice bellyache in the night 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I like making cookies, just don't so much these days as I have absolutely NO self control when it comes to eating them. It's just better that they are not in the house.

But a couple years ago, I got on a sugar cookie making binge. I spent all freaking day making and decorating these cookies, and they were worthy of a bakery pretty. I very carefully layered them between wax paper in a big Rubbermaid container and brought a few out to eat. Rubbermaid container was left on the dining room table when we went to bed.

The next morning, the container was upended, top off and wax paper scattered about the room. The dog was lying on his side, not feeling so great. The stupid dog ate 4 dozen sugar cookies.

I guess that saved me from eating any more.

[Wisconsin Beth]

My kitchen still has carpeting on it.  So baking (or cooking) with the kids sucks.  I do it anyway because I like to eat... 

I have to say, the sugar cutout cookies the kids did were a hit over the holidays though.  Cabe was happy making dinosaur shaped ones.  Keira did more Christmas shaped ones.  If I can sucker myself into it, I'll make more with them using the animal shapes from the Playdoh (after I wash them, obviously) and maybe finish off the decorations.  I've got leftovers sugar/jimmies from several holidays anyways. 

[tskeeter]

Dec 24, 2013 10:44:31 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

I don't bake with my kids.  They don't seem that into it.  Maybe once/year DD(7) will want to make cookies but she gets bored half way through and leaves me to finish.  DS(9) doesn't care at all (doesn't like cookies).  For some reason I feel really guilty about this...like if I were a Good Mom we'd be happily making cookies all week to bring to friends/neighbors in some great statement of Love and Community.  But they don't want to, and DH and I don't really like having a bunch of cookies around the house, so we don't. 

Probably they'll grow up and decide they love baking cookies and will look back on their childhood and the fact we never made cookies and they'll get mad at me for not having done it with them more often.  Just another mark against me.... 

That's why the Scandihoovians invented bars.  If you make bars, you mix up dough, slap it in a pan, and bake.  No droping cookies onto cookie sheets for hours on end.  And waiting for pan after pan of cookies to finish baking.  It gives you more time at the bar down on the corner after the Grandkids are done making the bars in the kitchen.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Gwen helped my mom decorate gingerbread men.  She left the kitchen and I turned to say something to my dad.  Turn back to the table and Gwen had figured out how to unscrew the tip and was squeezing frosting straight from the tube into her mouth.  She got to go home with me.

I don't really bake, I'm not good at it.  I did try to make Muddy Buddies but somehow the chocolate seized up and I ended up with a giant ball of chex.   Got even worse when we tried to add the powdered sugar.  Gwen thought it was great.  I put what I could into paper bags with sugar and let her shake them.  We had a blast and I passed the disaster off as "reindeer food" that we left out for Santa.

DH would have had a stroke if he'd been  home to see the mess we made.  That's what papertowls and dustbusters are for.

[Wisconsin Beth]

I think the worst part of baking/cooking with kids, in MY house, is that there's carpet in the damn kitchen.  So flour and egg messes are, um, not fun to clean up.  To put it mildly.  I keep saying the carpet is coming up.  Maybe one day it actually will!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

keep saying the carpet is coming up. Maybe one day it actually will!

Ours came up 2 years ago.  Never been happier.  I didn't realize how icky our house looked till it was gone.  And it's SO MUCH easier to clean.  

[Wisconsin Beth]

I'm very scared of what's UNDER the carpet.  It's ugly tile at best.  Damaged at worst. 

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Our carpet was glued to the foundation.  So we had to have the glue taken of, everything sanded down and subflooring put in before they could lay the linoleum.   We probably could have DIY but it was worth the cost to have it be someone else's problem.

Underneath our sunroom carpet is more of the kitchen carpet  If the house is ever sold that will have to be pulled up but I didn't want to deal with it so they used it as the padding for the new carpet.

[Wisconsin Beth]

That's my basement.  We had to rip it out after we flooded a few summers back.  We've got carpet rejects down there now, just laid where the kid stuff is so they're not on the cold floor.