Do your kids enjoy baking as much as you do?
KW: Well, George is still a baby, but I have been able to bake with Aimee. And it is a class five disaster every single time. I was the mom that bought the cutesy aprons and the American Girl Baking Set thinking, “Surely my two year old will be able to do this.” NO. I’m here to tell you, that children will make a disaster zone of everything.
But the baking process really stimulates their curiosity. Aimee destroys my kitchen every time we bake, but the more I allow her to be apart of this passion of mine, the more she wants to be apart of it. The floor may be covered in honey, and my pants covered in flour for the next ten years. If the trade off is that my daughter wants to spend time with her mom in the kitchen, then it’s worth it.
What are Aimee’s favorite baking assignments?
KW: There’s a few things we really like to make together. Cookies are easy and she can just dump things into the bowl. Although there was one time when she turned the mixer on full of dry ingredients—that was disastrous. What Aimee really loves to do though is “sprinkle.” Which basically means, she gets to sprinkle salt into the batter, sprinkle cinnamon on top of cinnamon rolls, anything that she can take a pinch of and sprinkle over the food. That’s her favorite way to get involved. Well, besides the eating.
What’s Aimee’s favorite thing you’ve made for her?
KW: Her favorite thing in the world is cinnamon toast. I take that back. Her favorite thing in the whole wide world is sweet tarts, probably. But of my baking recipes, this Cinnamon Swirl Bread is the treat she constantly requests. And that’s really convenient for me because I love cinnamon bread too. I got hooked on it when I was pregnant with George, and it started this fierce baking expedition for me. It took me months, but I was able make the ultimate loaf of cinnamon bread. This might be bad parenting, but she has cinnamon toast four out of the seven mornings in a week. I’ll wake her up in the morning and she’ll roll over and say, “Mama, can Aimee have cin toast?” And I just give in.
What would be a perfect Mother’s Day for you?
KW: I want to have some appreciation. Every mother wants a little love and affection every day, but on Mother’s Day, it’s the appreciation that counts. And that can come in different forms. Like Aimee looked up at me the other day and she said I was her best bud. I don’t even know if she really knows what that means, but I swear it just made me melt. So I’d like a little bit of time with my family, a little bit of appreciation, and a little bit of alone time. Everyone needs some space. There’s no heroism in pretending that you don’t need some peace and quiet every once in a while.
Who else would you like to be appreciated on Mother’s Day?
KW: I think a lot of women mother in ways that aren’t always recognized, whether it be a mentor or a friend. Mother’s Day isn’t just set aside for people who have children, it can be for anyone who has nurtured, guided, or given that little extra bit of love. Use this time to share that appreciation and tell them that they matter. Let them know they made a difference. People need gratitude. So take some time this Mother’s Day to celebrate all the nurturers in your life.
Love this story and her insight!