Since my other half is away visiting his grandparents and picking up Cutie Pie’s new big boy bed, I’ve been trying to keep the boys occupied. Luckily, today was a preschool day (Pajama Day to be exact) for Wildman. So, Cutie Pie and I ran errands until it was time to pick up brother from school. We met some friends at a nearby park for a picnic lunch then came home so Cutie Pie could take a little nap. Wildman and I did a few art projects, spray painted some wooden hearts for Labschool and played a his new board game. When Cutie Pie woke up we played with Hot Wheels, built towers with blocks, set up a toy train, played with a sensory table and tried out some Thomas Colorforms.
I was running out of ideas to keep the kids busy by the time dinner rolled around… I really wanted to cover Cutie Pie’s new sports table with the 20-gauge clear vinyl I had purchased earlier today. I opened up two of the new Diego play sets that Cutie Pie got for his birthday as a distraction. The munchkins would want to assist me with the scissors and staple gun if they weren’t otherwise engaged. Diego is always a good distraction. That and remnant vinyl pieces… Once the table was sufficiently covered in a layer of protective plastic Wildman declared that he wanted to eat dinner on it. I saw no problem with it but I wondered what I could fix that would be a special treat for them to go with the new dinner locale.
Then it hit me- muffin pans! The new silicone muffin pans would be perfect serving dishes for the boys. Presentation is everything when you’re trying to get preschoolers and toddlers to eat.
I filled each cup with something different. The boys feasted on drinkable yogurt, chicken nuggets, ranch dip, TLC Fire Roasted Veggie crackers, baby carrots and cheese sticks that I cut into disks. Both of them cleaned their plates without much coercion encouragement from me. Yeah! I’m going to have to do this more often.