Valentine's Day goodies

There are some days I do get bit by the baking bug. It's not often, but when it does happen, my sweet tooth is usually throbbing and I've scoured the pantry to see what kind of boxed goodies are left for me to devour.

Valentine's Day was no exception this year. The goodness in the pantry yielded a bag of sugar cookie mix and I just happened to have a heart-shaped cookie cutter for the occasion. Hot Dog! We're on!

It was time to put some blinders over my OCD, pull out the fancy-shmancy children lifters, stand between the two for more efficient referee-ing and bake some cookies.
Nathan, will most likely always be stuck with the pink, frilly aprons, because boys usually don't get those for gifts. Get used to it kid.
And where this one gets her photogenic-ness, I don't know. But when the camera comes out, she's ready man. Pose, head-tilt, pretty smile, etc.
Now, I do know where this one gets his photogenic-ness.
The next night was a daddy-night and he put together some home-made icing for the kiddos to slather on the freshly baked cookies.

These cookies were officially the best-tasting cookies I'd had in a long time. Full of sugar and made with lots of love.

Thank goodness for friends who tolerate the kitchen

It's no secret: I'm not a cook.
Nor a baker.
Nor, do I really enjoy doing anything inside the kitchen beside cleaning it up or reorganizing it.
So, when family or friends offer to do things with our children that involve making kitchen activities fun, I'm all over it. Because frankly, that's why God made all types, right? I find it a blessing and privilege to depend on other's strengths to teach my children stuff I could care less about, and hopefully they'll look to me for the same.
So don't waste your time wondering what my response was when Bamah called one day and said, "Papa found this adorable Gingerbread house and thought the grandkids would like putting it together and decorating it. Would you mind if they came over for the day to do that and make some Christmas cookies?"
Or even, when my good friend 'A' said she wanted to have Katherine over to make/bake/decorate some sugar cookies with her daughter, AC.
We all know the answer to those two requests.
Just thinking about the patience I would need to muster up to do something like these two activities makes me want to go chill out and watch some HGTV.

Thankfully, our children not only have their father to encourage healthy kitchen habits, but also loving friends and family to do the same.
Even our neighbors make a point to include our little ones in baking.
Make sure you keep me in mind when your child needs tutoring in math or your closet needs a good cleaning.