Today, at daycare, the kids “made” cinnamon rolls—put premade dough on baking sheets, which Lucy baked and cooled during gym class. Afterward, the kids frosted and decorated them with raisins and candy. They sampled their creations, and each brought one home. A hands-on baking project. Yet another reason for me to love Carter’s daycare and be grateful that the NASA daycare center stiffed us.
When I was pregnant, Jeff and I had put our names on the waiting list for NASA’s onsite daycare center. The director assured us that it wouldn’t be a problem getting in. But it was. Which I found out at the end of my maternity leave when I called to set up Carter’s start date. Then I found out how hard it is to find daycare with an open infant spot. I was on my way to put a deposit down at an expensive, inconvenient center, because it was the best option I had found, when I stopped to visit one last home provider. Thank goodness. Carter has now been going to Lucy’s for over four years—and learning more than I ever could have taught him had I stayed home. (NASA finally offered us a slot when Carter was 18 months old. We declined.)
After dinner, Carter nibbled on his cinnamon roll and then said, “Mommy, You can have the rest.” It was nice of him to share, but I could taste why. The mish-mash of sweet decorations looked better together than they tasted. So if you try decorating cinnamon rolls with your kids, which is a great easy, creative, and tactile project, keep in mind it’s about the process, not the end result. (At least that’s what I told Jeff when he caught me being a bad mommy and surreptitiously throwing out the remains.)
