Cooking Made Interesting

I usually let Tyler help me bake muffins.

Translation: Tyler stands in a chair right beside me, he opens the nearest drawer, which is full of clothes pins. He then tries to throw the clothes pins in the muffin batter.

Yesterday evening, I opened the muffin box and set it on the counter. He pulled it off the counter and dumped out the bag of mix and the metal tin of blueberries. He was having so much fun chasing around the little metal tin that I decided to try to get everything else ready without his help.

Once he realized what I was up to, he marched over to the table, pulled a chair from the breakfast area all the way around the counter and pushed it up right next to me. He climbed in it, ready to help. (While I'm a little nervous to realize he could get to anything in the kitchen, I was secretly proud that he handled the situation himself instead of whining and trying to climb up my legs. He's only 18 months old this week.)

I pushed his chair into his normal corner and began guarding the muffin batter from the onslaught of clothes pins.

Then he dismantled my toaster. Actually, he just pulled out the crumb tray and started stacking the clothes pins on it.

Then he started throwing clothes pins in the toaster oven. It took me a few minutes to realize what he was doing and to think about the potential consequences. I know. I deserve the "Worst Mother of the Year Award."

And now you know why my toaster oven will be unplugged unless I'm using it: because Tyler isn't to be trusted around it and I'm too slow to realize it.

I'm pleased to say we made 24 muffins and some brownies.

And make that two "Worst Mother" awards. I am not pleased to say that while I was taking brownies out of the oven, Tyler climbed in another chair to get something off the counter and he tipped the chair over. How do you teach them "only when I'm here with you"?

He was fine, but I'm guessing that was the source of the bruise I saw on his leg this morning. I'm thinking about buying a toddler stool. Or at least a really sturdy chair. Mine do tend to flip over rather easily.