Shared Hobbies

I love to cook. (Big secret, I know.) Eric loves to cook. And more and more, Ian loves to cook. Preparing food has become a family activity as Ian continues to get older and more responsible. This, of course, warms my heart. I think it's so important for members of a family to share activities with each other, rather than each person going off and doing their own thing (although, there is a place for that, as well). Eric and I try to incorporate shared family time into each day, where we're all doing the same fun thing together. Sometimes, it's playing a circuit of team-style MarioKart on the Wii. Sometimes it's building a train track in Ian's room, or reading a book on the couch together. But it's also often gathering in the kitchen to make a meal where we all have responsibilities and can help each other out. When we sit down to breakfast or dinner, there is a sense that we all have ownership over what we're about to eat. And that is a satisfying feeling.

Anyway, all that rambling is to say that Ian's new play hobby has become cooking. He only plays with his trains two or three times a week now, rather than devoting the entire day to the goings-on in the lives of the inhabitants of the Island of Sodor. At least one part of each day often consists of getting out his play cooking tools (some plastic silverware and plates, a few smallish wooden utensils, and my old measuring cups and spoons) and concocting whatever imaginary food is on his mind.  He's been known to come up with some pretty strange "recipes" - my favorite so far is orange juice soup with gummy bears, jelly beans, and black beans (blech!).  But hey, I'm lovin' the creativity. 

Our little chef looking rather "Swedish"

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Want some ideas for ways to incorporate little ones into the kitchen activities?  Check out the advice from Simple Mom and Simple Bites.