ME: You girls are tough cookies, all right!
Madeleine latched right onto one key word.
MADELEINE: Uh, Mama? WHY did you say "cookies?"
ME: I said you're tough cookies. Do you know what that means? It means you're super strong and not afraid to get your exercise even when it's not great weather.
JULIA: But why is it called "tough cookies?"
ME: It's just a saying. It means you're tough, and you're not all like, "Oh, no, I'm getting all WET in this ICKY rain!"
JULIA: Well, it's not even raining that much.
ME: Exactly. The rain is not even bothering you. You know, since I've been a runner for so long, I've just gotten used to being out exercising in all kinds of weather. Like, running in the rain doesn't seem like a big deal. I just get wet, but it doesn't mean I can't handle it. And if it's super cold, I just wear lots of layers to keep warm.
Julia then decided to challenge my statement by posing all sorts of weather emergencies that would prevent me from running outdoors.
JULIA: So, Mom. Do you run in a HURRICANE?
ME: Well, no. That would be dumb. If it's not safe to go outside, then I don't run outside.
JULIA: Well, what about a BLIZZARD?
ME: Well, I definitely run in the snow.
JULIA: But in a BLIZZARD?
ME: Dad and I *did* go running in a blizzard once, but it stunk, so we turned around and went home.
JULIA: Why? What happened?
ME: Well, the snow was coming down so fast that we were slipping and sliding all over the place, and it was such an effort to move because the snow was up to our knees before long.
JULIA: Well Mom. Would you run in a WHITE-OUT?
ME: Well, I guess you couldn't see very well in a white-out, so probably not.
JULIA: What about-
ME: So Julia. If it's SAFE to be outdoors, then I will run in any kind of weather.
I guess I shouldn't make absolute statements anymore to Julia, unless I want to be subjected to the third degree.
At any rate, after we dropped Julia off at school, Madeleine and I returned home to begin baking cupcakes for Julia's birthday tomorrow. Since there are close to 30 kids coming, and since last year I learned the hard way that not every kid likes chocolate cake, I wound up making several dozen chocolate as well as several dozen vanilla. I whipped the chocolate batter up while Madeleine was watching "Little Bear," only to have her wander into the kitchen as I was pouring batter into muffin tins and exclaim, crestfallen: "Oh, NO! I missed ALL the cupcake fun!"
Little did she know there was waaaaaaaaaaaaay more cupcake fun to be had. I mean, I was only on the very FIRST batch of cupcakes. I wound up making more than 60 cupcakes all together. Missing the first 12 was hardly anything.
So from that point on, I had my little helper up at the breakfast bar with me, pouring in ingredients with my guidance, and, more importantly, licking ANY stray batter off of anything it plopped onto.
MADELEINE: (sticking a chocolate-batter-covered finger in her mouth) Mmmmm! I really LOVE this chocolate! Mmmmmm! Oh! Uh, Mama, guess what? I forgot ALL ABOUT drinking my milk, because I was SO BUSY eating all the CHOCOLATE!
After making 3 dozen chocolate cupcakes, I moved onto making the vanilla batter. Madeleine made sure to give that plenty of tasting as well, exclaiming over its deliciousness. It turns out she was not QUITE as big a fan of the vanilla as she was of the chocolate, however.
MADELEINE: Mmmm! Mama, the vanilla is really DELICIOUS! But...it's just a LITTLE bit disgusting. Only a LITTLE bit.
So, should I forewarn the guests who choose vanilla at tomorrow's party that the cupcakes will taste just a LITTLE bit disgusting??
At any rate, I have finally finished Julia's requested cupcakes with pink frosting and Harry Potter decorations:
Now all I have to do is hold Madeleine at bay for another 36 hours until she can finally have one...
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