On Minnie Pizzas

Yep, you heard me right. Not Daisy, not Donald, and certainly not Mickey-pizzas, but Minnie. That lovable gal with the bow in her hair....

One terribly important aspect of life is finding ways to get my charges to be self-sufficient. Call me lazy (see my Manual Labor post), but when working with triplets, it's even more imperative that they learn to fend for themselves. This often translates into my encouraging them to set the table, clean up their toys, and even help me cook on occasion. I admit, it takes a LOT of patience to allow them the freedom to help.  We have to leave copious amounts of extra time because things always take 3 times as long when I don't do them myself. However, it's worth it. They gain a sense of accomplishment, something to do, and learn a new skill. I feel that this is part of my job as a Nanny. I want to see them grow and thrive. I will not say it is always the easy route, but I can content myself in the knowledge that they are learning and acquiring skills that will be incredibly useful in the future.

One of my favorite easy recipes to do with kids is: Mini-Pizzas. I'm sure you know the one. Slap some sauce, cheese, and toppings on an English muffin and bake at 350 for 15-20 min. Yes, it can be messy with 3 toddlers wielding a spoon covered in red marinara sauce. Yes, it can be frustrating when there are 3 sets of little hands grabbing and pulling and trying to "help." Yes, nanny.nora eventually has to lay the smack down in order to get it done in an orderly fashion. (It is a must for my sanity that they wait their turn and learn to do things with the least amount of mess possible.) However, when we finish, they have had a blast and lunch is all prepared. I find they like it a lot more too if it's something they've worked on.

A is currently obsessed with Minnie Mouse. She was ecstatic when she heard that we were making "Minnie-Pizzas."  Thankfully she wasn't too awful upset when she realized the semantics error.