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Cooking With The Littles

Before having kids I used to really enjoy cooking. Now, not so much. Wait! I actually don’t like it at all. Cooking for two fussy toddlers has done this to my cooking spirit. I feel this spirit has, over a period of time become a bhatakti aatma thanks to all the insults she has had to endure at the hands of my boys. Throwing, squashing, mauling….Uff just thinking about it makes me heave my chest like Kiron Kher in Dostana. Maa da laadlaa bigad gaya!! 


Cooking for me is something that needs to be done at leisure. However cooking with two young kids present in the kitchen with you makes this far from possible. Children by their inherent nature are curious and that’s wonderful of course until their curiosity begins to seep into your kitchen cabinet of pots and pans or worse even the spice rack! Before you ask, yes I have tried child locks (of almost all types) but both boys have cracked the code. I’m not sure whether I should be proud or terribly concerned! 


A logistical issue now; the layout of our house. The kitchen and family room are in the same area so as much as it’s a blessing to keep an eye on the kids it’s difficult to keep them out of the kitchen especially when they are playing games like ‘catch the ball’ or flying paper planes for obvious reasons. The other day Little R pacified me by saying “Don’t worry mummy, you can just cover the pan and the ball won’t get in!”. See the sass? I only have myself to blame here. 


Tending to two fussy eaters is not a task for the faint hearted. It requires creativity e.g. in disguising vegetables and persistence e.g. in both experimenting with new flavours and textures as well as introducing rejected food groups again and again. 


We (the husband and I ) thought that Little R was a fussy eater until Baby R came along and really showed us what a fussy eater is. To put it mildly, if he had an option he would just consume food in the form of pills for the sake of survival. He may just invent something of the sort when he grows up. So as you can imagine cooking becomes even more tiresome. 


To be very honest it’s not the cooking itself that’s bothersome. The cleaning up and washing up is what really gets me. It really gives me the whole Cinderella vibe - look and all. Except that my charming prince is working hard at his job and the only chappal I am fortunate enough to wear these days is my comfy pair of home slippers. I am eagerly awaiting my Fairy Godmother’s arrival. Until then I will just stuff my face with pumpkin pie!!




 

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