making + eating

Licked Clean.....

Yesterday Ari and I made a delicious little date + chocolate loaf, while Mischa slept. Ari really loves cooking, especially mixing + whizzing. He's actually very good at it, for a not quite 3 year old. Measuring out the ingredients, breaking the eggs, turning the mixer on and off. I think by the time he's 5 he'll be able to make a cake on his own, as he seems to remember the process of cake making.

I don't really follow a recipe (though I have at least 25 recipe books and stacks of Donna Hay magazines) for making cakes. I remember the way my mum used to make cakes - or explain to us. I really love the rhythm of mixing the butter + sugar into a lovely thick, rich mass, and adding the eggs one by one. After that, we add whatever flavourings (yesterday it was organic dark cocoa and dates), then the flour and if more liquid needed we generally use juice. The problem with him loving baking - well whizzing - so much is that we need to bake quite often, and make sure we use the mixer. This is part of the wonderfulness of being able to be at home with my babes, and set our own time-scale for doing things.

(Hopefully the next time I show kitchen photos, it will be of my renovated kitchen.)

And today - a cold Winter day of being all rugged up. Our cat spent the morning curled up beside the heater. We spent most of the day in our slippers and ugh boots (I'm not going to go into the politics of being able to call them ugh boots or not - its what we have always called them). We rearranged Ari's bedroom, turning it into a play room, which he + Ash spent the evening enjoying. Ari has been sleeping in our bed(room) since Mish was born, so I figure he won't be going back to his room for a while yet - its much colder in his room. Plus, really why would he want to be there on his own, when the rest of his family are curled up in one big bed together.

My sister took Ari for a few hours this afternoon, for me to do some tidying. Every time I get Rolfy* out, Ari wants to vacuum - which takes so much longer, but is much more fun! Mish slept, while I spoke to my Dad (on the phone), and spent quiet tidy + thinking time. Quiet time here is very rare. Then, of course, everyone arrives home at the same time and the turmoil of the evening tumbles on until bedtime. Goodnight.

*my lovely little yellow vacuum, it really seems to have a personality. Which at the moment seems to be having a mental breakdown!