The last of our special parties for the kiddos around here!
In my mind & heart was to organize a sewing time with my 10-yr old girl, knowing that she’s been missing this activity lately and secretly I was also hoping we could make a simple little quilt for the baby—she would love that. A day of sewing….perfect!
But when explaining to her my idea, I could tell that there was a bit of hesitation on her part. “Sure Mom, we can do that, sounds fun.” But no real enthusiasm was there; I admit I was a bit crestfallen. After a some sleuthing to figure out what was going on {a true art when dealing with girls!}, it was apparent that she had another idea in mind.
“Mom, do you think…well…could you help me…um, make dinner for the family? I’d love to cook with you for our special time.”
What? Cooking—one of my passions—instead of sewing, something I’m not actually very good at? Baby girl, you don’t have to twist my arm, let’s go!
We started from the very beginning, letting her decide a dinner menu, figuring out the ingredients needed, writing a list and then grocery shopping. I offered bits of advice here & there—‘you may not want a green veggie along with a green salad, adding a different color would be nice’ and she both accepted and rejected my various thoughts (ahem…I took it all in stride!).
The menu? Parmesan Chicken, Carrots sautéed in butter & parsley, a Caesar salad, and some bread. A homemade punch she really wanted to try and a store-bought dessert—cannolis, that wonderful sweet cream-filled pastry (yes, I had a bite).
We made adjustments for the food allergies present in our family and cooked the afternoon away. As much as possible, my girl did most of the labor and as time went on, I helped towards the end to bring it all together. She was so very proud of her work. Naturally, I was proud of her too.
I’ll take cooking over sewing almost any day of the week, it was a wonderful & special time.
Someone is growing up!
Dinner looks yummy, Janelle. Great menu choices.
Shirley
Looks like she had a great time. What a great way to spend time together and learn at the same time!
wow, that looks like a tasty meal and sounds like a fun time!