Halloween Cookies

So we needed a project today. So many of my friends have sick kids that we didn't have any play dates that week. For me this equals BORING. I think Colin feels the same. He might not know it, but he does. It's difficult to think of things to do w/a 15 month old. The weather hasn't been all that cooperative and I don't want to drag him all over the place w/him not feeling that great himself.

My answer in these situations is usually cookies. He likes to watch me stir. He likes to sit up on the counter and attempt to mimic me if possible. So I decided we would make some homemade butter cookies to decorate for Halloween.

I got the cookie dough mixed before he woke from morning nap. I got it rolled out while he played after lunch. This was a major success b/c C usually hates me doing anything that takes my attention away or anything he can't join. So I was thrilled when I got the rolled dough back in the fridge w/o any major difficulties. Except I had to wash my hands about 50 times b/c C has a bit of a cold and majorly icky, runny nose. So now my hands feel like they might fall off, but I avoided getting snot on most of my furniture b/c now he climbs all over everything and he knows how to use the back of his hand to wipe his nose. So it's a battle as you other moms know to keep the nose clean w/o making it raw.

Then I had to wait 10 min and here is where the trouble began. C and I went to his room to start packing for the trip to St. Louis this weekend. C was thrilled to be in his room to play. Then I had to go back to kitchen to cut out the shapes of cookies. Mini-meltdown 1. Easily traversed. First batch in oven--we return to pack. We get through the second batch w/a slightly more peeved C, but no major meltdown. Then the dreaded third batch (from the remains of the dough re-rolled). Now this is at least 3o min into this part of the process and he's starting to freak out. Why aren't you playing w/ me, mommy, pick me up, mommy. Waaaaa! He can't really say any of that, but his motions express his feeling. How does a great mom counteract this? I don't know. I put him over my back and shoulders (I kind of drape him over my back and hold on to him by his arms), and we look for balls that he's been throwing. This makes C very happy and buys me 2-3 min a time.

Finally, cookies are done and we finish packing while cookies cool. If you haven't noticed these are time consuming cookies you decorate. Well, as well as I can decorate w/ or around a toddler. So it's time to decorate. I set C up on the counter w/ a measuring cup, a plastic fork, and a spice container. I start whisking milk and cream cheese. He wants to put his fork in the start of the frosting. BAD IDEA! Remember the nose. Yuck! So I successfully avoid the fork by putting a tiny bit of water in his measuring cup so he can stir his own "icing." I finally get this combined, which took forever and added the powdered sugar. He's watching and copying, but now he's growing bored. I start to apply my icing to the pumpkins. C would like to help, so I play keep away trying not to knock over my various sprinkles and colored sugars. I use the orange sugar I made to decorate. I put the bowl back down and move the plate of pumpkins. I turn back and C has found the bowl w/extra orange sugar--which I had a spoon in it I'd left--I see him eating the dyed sugar w/the spoon. Nice. I let him be. Throwing caution to the wind that he needs to take a nap any minute and he's eating straight sugar. Shoveling it in, but in my selfishness I let him continue b/c he's not bugging me. I get to the ghosts and he keeps trying to grab them, but finds his sugar again. Then I move on to the witches. At this point he tried to get to the knife block--I moved it. Then he has the food coloring and is using the blue as a spoon? He's found some other sugar I had mixed--he puts the dye (w/the cap on) in his mouth and then uses it sort of like a spoon to attract the sugar. Disgusting but entertaining to him. I get the rest decorated w/little more calamity except he knocks my container of dyed sugars off the counter, which evidently wasn't tightly closed over the blue, and now I have blue on my floor. So I get on the floor to clean it. I look up and C is not moving to his belly (up on the counter) to better see me. NOOOOO! I yell--I mean quietly mention, and he just looks at me. I tell him to get back on his bottom and he does. He finds various other things on the counter I didn't even know were there and put them in his mouth while I started to clean. Then he started crying b/c he wanted cookies. I let him have a couple bites and then decided it was time for a nap. He was exhausted and I'm exhausted, but I'm not really a napper. Wish I was.