Pumpkin muffin ingredients–4 year old’s version!

So I must begin with a confession…I told Parker before school that this afternoon we would make muffins together…he loves to help me bake (which isn’t very often anymore)! I was feeling good about the day and thought this would be a great idea. Well, after school drop off, two errands w/2 kids, pause for a feeding in the van, school pick up, unloading and putting away groceries, while feeding 2 kids lunch, making my lunch and then eating simultaneously while nursing, I decided I didn’t want to make muffins. You can understand this, right? For some reason, my 4 year old didn’t understand why…SO, I gave in and thought fine, let’s just get this done.

While I was getting all the ingredients out and lined up on the counter, my mood began to change. Parker was asking ALL kinds of questions and then he started describing things to me in his own words. Here is what I learned during our wonderful 30 minutes together:

Quaker Oats: Parker referring to the oatmeal container…“Mom, who’s this guy” Me: “The Quaker Oats guy” Parker: “That’s not a guy, he has long hair and looks like a girl.”–this began a discussion of how people look different (my example is that he has his head shaved in a mohawk! He said “good point, Mom”)

Sugar: I use Stevia which is a natural sugar. “Oooooo, this is so soft. I wish we lived in powderland.”

Cinnamon: “That looks like dirt.”

Ginger: “Hey, Mom, if this is ginger, then this is what Gingerbreadmen are made from.” Well, done, son!

Nutmeg: “Ugh, that smells like cleaning supplies.”

Pumpkin: “GROSS!” After just now realizing that the pumpkin in the can, comes from the pumpkins we pick at the patch!

Vegetable Oil: “Mom, what is this?” Me: “Oil” Parker: “Oh, this is what you use for cars.” Me: “You are right that we use oil in cars, but this is different, this is just for baking and we can eat it.” Parker: “Well that’s good because this smells like apple juice.” (Really?)

AND, my all time favorite quote:

Kitchen aid Mixer: “Whoa that’s a smart machine…it actually looks like a pet.”

I’m so glad Parker convinced me to make muffins today. It was just one of those moments I realized (even though most of Parker’s observations didn’t make complete sense) that I have a very smart and inquisitive son who enjoys spending time with his Momma in the kitchen…something I will never take for granted again!

Recipe: Dairy-Free Pumpkin Muffins http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/muffinsbiscuits/r/pumpkinmuffins.htm