Easy Bake Oven

Have you ever felt like you have put a lot into something, only to get a little teeny tiny return?  If you have ever done an Easy Bake Oven project with your son or daughter, I'm sure you know the feeling.

Elly and I had a delightful time last Tuesday baking in her wee light bulb heated oven.  And, while, relatively speaking it was not truly a lot of work, it sure felt like it in light of the 4 just-a-bit-bigger-than-bite-sized-cookies that were produced.

The preparation...

The physical exertion (ha ha)...

The baking...

The end result....

There were just enough cookies so that Elly, Zac, and Ben could each have one.  Elly ended up eating the fourth one also, as she was not sure she could bear giving the last of her creations away.  Four, oddish tasting cookies.  That's it...that's all that came from dragging everything out, making a mess, dirtying up dishes, and spilling flour on the floor.

You know what?  It didn't matter.  Not to me.  Especially not to Eliana.  

What did matter was the time we spent together giggling, taking pictures, making a mess, setting timers, and learning more about the fine art of Easy Bake baking.  It mattered that Elly had a chance to do something she really wanted to do with her mommy.  It also mattered that, in the end, despite how trivial 4 little cookies might seem to most grown-ups, Elly had done something that she was proud of.  

I had intended, when I started writing today, to share some deeper insights revealed to or strengthened in me through my afternoon adventures in Easy Baking.  However, there are princess fairies that need to be de-winged, visiting kids that must be brought home, a neighbor's cat to be fed, and a tad bit of tidying that needs to happen before some visiting grown-ups come over for pizza dinner (notice I did not mention cooking!!).

Thanks for reading!  Enjoy something with someone you love today...even if it feels like a lot of work for a little outcome.  Chances are, the outcome is greater than you expect.