Thursday, July 14, 2011

Cooking with kids

Its Plank Pullin time! The one day a week that we strongly resolve to ignore the multitude of specks and sawdust around us and pull one bona fide plank from our own eye. Matthew 7:3-5, style.

One of the memories I hold dear to me is the smell of spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, brownies, and dump cake coming from my mom's kitchen. She was a stay at home mom whose pride was in her children, and her cooking a close second. I don't remember how it was with us being at home-I remember doing some cooking-but I remember too-being asked to stay out of the kitchen. With four kids underfoot of my own now, I can relate to that. I do it too. I don't mean to do it-I like having the kids learn-the science, the math, seeing how everything melds together. I think too that's part of why my kids are good, adventurous eaters- because they see how meals are made, and help make them.

Yet, I struggle with it. Every.day. Some days are better than others-some creations hold their appeal more. Making cookies and brownies, the kids are sure to want to help. Meats, sauces, vegetables-sometimes. Soups and stews, um, yeah, not happening. Making the food is the fun part for the kids and myself. The prep and cleanup-definitely tied for being the hardest. I'm aware of my struggle-I want to foster a love of cooking with my children-I want them to be able to share it with friends and family as they get older. I want them to see how we can take whole, unprocessed ingredients and make a flavorful, healthy meal. Yet I struggle.

I feel like I'm muddling my way through-maybe this is what personal growth is about. I'm working to let go of my desire to be Rachel Ray, Julia Child, etc. I'm no Next Food Network Star.

My kitchen leaves a lot to be desired today. Yet my boys made egg salad for lunch, and pumpkin muffins for snack/breakfast tomorrow. There was a lot of mess, a few tears when a tray of filled crackers were upended. Yet they had fun. There was laughter, smiles, and good food eaten with family.

These are the memories I want to make.


So, here’s the part where you make me feel better by sharing your planks, also. And if you're feeling really inspired, write your own post and link up below! (Don't forget to type the name of your post in the "name" box)

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2 comments:

Jessica said...

I definitely struggle with this. It's so easy for me to want to make the kitchen my own personal little sanctuary. I have to be very intentional and let the kids in on the fun.

Mandy said...

This is a common struggle for me as well. I LOVE clean. I HATE mess. So it's hard to just let go and let them have at it in the kitchen. I'm getting better at it though.