Mama Sarahndipity: Now We're Cooking...

In Act I of Our Over-Scheduled Summer, Ethan participated in his first cooking class on Tuesday evening, on the eve of his 4th birthday. Plenty old enough to start contributing to the household with his new-found culinary skills, right? The class comes complete with adorable little apron.

I'm pretty freaking cute, people.

I assumed since the class ran from 6-7pm, they'd be whipping up something dinner-y that the kids could eat as a meal. Fun for Ethan, less work for me?! Brilliant!

But instead they made strawberry shortcake. So for dinner on Tuesday night, my kid had...strawberry shortcake. Who's got two thumbs and is a stellar parent?! **points to self with thumbs** This mama!

Ethan had a great time. For only the second time in his life he encountered a fellow classmate named Ethan. Seriously, when we were deciding on names I agonized over the fact that "Ethan" was something like the 3rd most common name the year before he was born. Would he go to school with 15 other Ethans and feel a complete lack of originality and uniqueness? Would he feel like just one in a vast crowd of Ethan's, never finding his true self? Would he be lying prostrate on a therapist's couch some day after a life of disappointment and mediocrity, saying, "If only they hadn't given me such a common name! I never had a chance!" He's met exactly two other Ethan's in his life, now three, given Ethan #3 in his cooking class. Mama needs to chill (but we already knew this).

It's an on-going class that we hopped into, so some of the kids already knew each other and the teachers and that made for some awkwardness at the beginning. Ethan hung back a little as other kids interacted with each other. But once the measuring and stirring started, Ethan moved closer to the group and took his turns happily and seriously.

hanging back at the end of the table; perhaps trying to figure out how he feels about the GREEEEEEN wall behind the teacher.

Having made his peace with the hideous green wall and his new classmates, he scooted closer to the action and humored me with one smile before turning his attention to more pressing (and far less embarrassing) things, like measuring and stirring.

tapping the big mountain of flour.

leveling (always with the straight edge of the stick!--baking is inherently Mommie Dearest-y in it's exactness, I think. Makes me a little twitchy)

cutting the butter into the dry ingredients. Ethan will never again let me just melt the butter and pour it in. Damn you, cooking class and your no-shortcuts fancypants routine!

oh, um. Except the shortcut where the kids stick their hands in the bowl and squish up the butter manually. But except for that? No shortcuts for you!

Scooping the batter into the muffin cups...accompanied by a little girl picking her nose. Awesome. KitchenFAIL

Actually, I think she was just moving a piece of hair off of her cheek, but it's not as funny that way. But honestly, I don't think I've ever seen so many preschoolers work so hard to keep their hands clean for such a long period of time. They'd go to pick something up off the floor (or their nose) and another little kid would squeal, "don't touch it!! You'll have to wash your hands again!" There was much hand-washing. I think by the end of the course we will be signing up for an OCD hand-washing support group.