February Vacation With 2 Little Sous Chefs

Dear Em,
This week is February vacation week for most of the public schools in Rhode Island. You don't get February vacation, because you're not in public school yet. Daddy & I don't get February vacation either, but I did get Presidents Day off. I kept you home with me & invited your bestie over to play. You were so thrilled to get some much needed play time with your favorite gal pal.

The two of you probably would have played all by yourselves. In fact, for the first half hour the two of you pretended you were detectives cracking a case (just like Nancy Clancy).

I had fun plans, though. You two were going to be my little sous chefs. We started with a Kiwi Crate. It was a cooking themed Kiwi Crate. Isn't it so much fun when your plans & your Kiwi Crates line up perfectly? The two of you decorated a chef's hat & cooking apron. You also frosted & decorated foam cakes.

I took you guys on a grocery shopping adventure. You both love grocery shopping. However, you are used to being the only child along for the shopping fun. You threw your very first full-blown grocery store tantrum (at five years old), because your little friend S got to ride in the front of the cart. Your tantrum was loud & it felt like it lasted FOREVER. Let me tell you, grocery store tantrums are just as embarrassing as you'd imagine them to be...the stares...the people shaking their heads...the random lady who walked over to try to console you. I'm still shuddering just thinking about it. Luckily, you soon realized riding on the back of the cart was the better place to be (which is what I was trying to explain before you took your full blown tantrum), because you got to help me pick food out & weigh the produce.  Luckily, our next stop was BJs, & there is room for two in the shopping cart.

Once we got home, the two of you were excited to help me prepare a "fancy dinner." We made Caesar salad, homemade dressing, creamed spinach, rice pilaf, & sauteed broccoli. Daddy grilled NY Strip Steak.

After you two finished helping with the cooking, you took off your chef's gear. You & S set the dinner table with China & candles before heading upstairs to dress for dinner. The two of you came down in princess gowns, white gloves, & high heels. You sat down to drink your raspberry lemonade & tried to use your best table manners (later you proclaimed, "I sat on my bum- criss-cross, apple sauce- for the WHOLE DINNER).

While you did not want to partake in the homemade Caesar salad dressing we had made, you actually ate the salad. Well, you ate lettuce & croutons- which is the closest you've ever come to eating salad. So, we will take that as a win. Neither you, nor little S cared for the creamed spinach. S ate chicken nuggets instead of steak (you didn't love the steak, but you ate it). You ate four servings of rice pilaf. Still it was a wonderful dinner. I thought our fancy dinner tasted amazing. We sat around the table talking about our favorite holidays & seasons & all the things we miss about summer. You & S ate a dessert of blue berries & whipped cream.

As Daddy & I cleaned up after dinner, you & S gave us a curtsy to say thanks for the wonderful feast. Then you ran upstairs to enjoy your last moments together.

As I tucked you in that night, you sighed such happy sighs. While the two of you had a blast as my sous chefs, I don't think it would have truly mattered what we did with S that day. To you, there's nothing better than a school vacation spent with your best friend. Lucky for you (& Me), on Friday you get to have one more school vacation, best friend day (while I have a weekend getaway with my best gal pals).

I love you so,
Mommy