Making a Mess

A couple of weeks ago, Steve and I visited a Montessori school, where we were considering sending Camden in the fall. At some point during our tour, the owner of the school made mention that, while kids tend to be messy, they are not overly comfortable with "making a mess" anymore. We teach our children not to get their clothes dirty, or to be careful not to spill, etc. I thought about this in the context of my own family, and realized just how true his statement was. So, on a recent visit to our library, we checked out a great book entitled, Messy Activities and More, by Virginia Morin. What a wonderful little book! I decided to try it out with Camden, so I took him into the kitchen one day, and proceeded to spray a huge pile of shaving cream onto the linoleum. He looked a little horrified, especially when I told him to "have at it" and make a big ol' mess. He promptly looked worried, and said, "but I will get it on my clothes", to which I replied, "Who cares! That's what the washing machine is for!" I tell you, although my boy is a very happy little guy, I hadn't heard him laugh as hard as he did that day in quite some time, up to his elbows in shaving cream. Gosh, did we have fun. That only reinforced the fact that we need to do a whole lot more "mess-making" going forward.

Possum's Honey Bread

Last year, our library gave away a bunch of old books that apparently hadn't been checked out in a very long time. We grabbed a bunch of them to add to our collection, and there was a real gem in the bunch. How to Make Possum's Honey Bread by Carla Stevens was published in 1975. This particular copy shows hardly any wear, and I just can't believe it! It is the cutest little story about Possum spending the day, teaching his friends how to make honey bread. Everyone joins in except Raccoon, who decides to fish by himself. He does a little pouting about the fact that he can't make honey bread as well as Possum can. He finally gives in and tries some of Possum's bread, and finishes the day by going fishing with his friend Woodchuck. All through the story, Possum gives instructions on how to make his bread. The recipe, along with some variations, are included in the back. Of course, Camden was intent on making some of Possum's bread, so that is what we did after he came home from school yesterday. Camden just loved pouring all the ingredients into the bowl, stirring and kneading, and then watching the bread rise.

Reading the recipe

Stirring the sticky dough

Kneading the dough (you'll notice that between stirring and kneading, Camden "disrobed". Apparently he didn't want to be restricted in any way.

The finished product - - delicious, by the way. Camden gets an A+ for his first attempt at bread baking

Christmas Business

Over the weekend, Camden and I tried our hand at making a gingerbread house from scratch. Last year, we bought a kit that had everything we needed in it, but this year, we thought we'd try to be a little more ambitious. We found a great little recipe and template on the internet, and got busy. Camden is such a good little helper in the kitchen, and we sure do have fun together. Decorating, of course, was the best part, because we had to sample all of the candy we used, to make sure that it was up to snuff. The apron that Griffin has on in this first picture, use to be mine, when I was little. It cracks me up to see it on him. And, yes, that is a Spiderman suit that Camden is wearing, go figure.

As I was setting up the picture on the right, a little munchkin walked by just in time to sneak into the shot and grab a gumdrop. He's a shifty one, that Griffin.

Today was a bit comical, as I attempted (and succeeded, I might add!) to retrieve the play kitchen that I bought for the boys, from WalMart. I looked at my calendar this morning, and realized I wasn't really going to have an opportunity between now and Christmas, to make it to WalMart without little ones in tow, so off we went. It was clear, at the pick-up area, that it would be hard to sneak the box past Camden, since it was ginormous, and plastered in pictures of the contents of the box. I was able to occupy Camden with a pirate calendar, and quickly grabbed a piece of poster board in the paper aisle. Then, I had the clerk tape it to the front of the box and then slide it on the bottom of the cart. Camden asked at one point what was in the box, to which I replied, "I don't know." Luckily, that's the only time he asked, and pretty much didn't pay any further attention to it. Phew!

Snow Globes

I love snow globes. I can't say exactly why, but I've always been fascinated with them. Now, Camden is, too. On Thanksgiving day, Candy had a tray full of all the things we would need to make our own snow globes. It was really a project for the boys, but I dare say, Kasey and I were just as excited about it. Of course, the project came from Martha. What doesn't that woman think of? This picture just doesn't do these snow globes justice - - they are so darn cute. You can use old baby food jars, peanut butter jars, or anything similar. The rest of the supplies are readily available at your local craft store. Tomorrow, we'll take our snow globes with us to story time -- we're going to use them for props, when we read stories about snow.

Sugar Easter Eggs

When I was little, I remember one of these sugar eggs being up in the dish cupboard - - I think my mother must have made it at a cake decorating class. I have always been fascinated with sugar Easter eggs, and finally tried making some a few years ago. They were very easy to make, and so pretty. The other day, Camden and I invited some friends to come to our house and make some with us, and we had a great time. That's Camden's egg on the left, along with the one we made for Camden's friend, Josie.

Molding Sugar

5 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons Wilton meringue powder (you can purchase a can of this in the cake decorating section at your local Walmart)
3 1/2 tablespoons water (if you would like colored sugar - - we made ours blue - - simply add a few drops of food coloring to the water, before you mix it with the sugar)

Mix the meringue powder with the sugar in a large bowl(use a whisk to evenly distribute). Then add the water. Mix with a wooden spoon at first, but then use your hands to ensure it is well mixed. You will want it to look and feel like wet sand:
Next, pack the mixture firmly into each half of your mold. Wilton sells rather expensive molds, but you can easily go to the Easter section at any store and purchase a plastic Easter egg - - the one I got was about 4 inches long or so, and was probably filled with candy or something. Much cheaper than buying an actual sugar mold kit. Level the top of the mold with a knife so the surface is flat. Unmold by inverting onto a smooth surface. Take a sharp knife and cut off the narrow end of the egg (this will be the area you "peek" into, once it is put together). Do the same with the other half o the egg, cutting off equal amounts so the halves will match up.

Let the molds dry for about 3 hours. Gently pick up each half and hollow out with a spoon, creating an oval bowl. I had to gently break away the hardened sugar on the "peek" end with my fingers. You can save the sugar that you scoop out, to make more eggs with. Just put it back in a bowl and cover it with a wet dish towel to keep it moist. Once they are all hollowed out, let them dry for an additional 30 minutes (hollowed side up).

Royal Icing
1 lb. confectioners sugar

3 tablespoons meringue powder

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

5-7 tablespoons lukewarm water

Combine all the ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer. Turn speed to high and mix for 5-7 minutes, until very stiff peaks form. Put icing into a decorating bag. This is your "glue", as well as icing for decorating. Pick what you want to put in your egg. We used little Wilton sugar decorations of bunnies and chicks, but you can use any kind of small animals, etc. Glue them to the bottom of the egg with the royal icing. You can then add some Easter grass around your items. Then, pipe some icing around the top of the egg half, and then add the top of the egg. Pipe around the seam of the egg, as well as around the peep hole. You can add silver dragees for extra decoration if you'd like. It takes a few hours for the royal icing to set, so place them away from little hands for 3 hours or more. If stored carefully, these eggs will keep for years.