Tomorrow I was supposed to start babysitting a second child. Unfortunately, he has come down with a contagious rash so his father will be keeping him for the week. I feel like I was dreading him coming this week so that happened. I was just so overwhelmed with us moving our apartment that I couldn’t imagine getting all of the stuff I needed done with two toddlers. One is daunting enough! I sometimes wonder how parents with two children of similar ages go to public places without having at least one panic attack. One has to run one way and the other must run in the opposite direction! Quite frightening.
I decided to make a treat for the little boy I watch, Z. He has been really good this week while we were out and about. A parent even complimented him for playing so nicely in the library the other day. I have to admit, Z’s personality is really laid back and pleasent, so watching him is easier than other children. He doesn’t use temper tantrums to get what he wants, which is good. There is nothing worse than being stuck in a public place with a screaming child because they did not get something they wanted. Half of the people giving you a dirty look, the other half convinced you are beating your child or doing something wrong. Thankfully, his mother is very consistent in her dealings with him, so he knows that crying will not get a desirable result.
During this summer, we ride the bus often and I am surpised at the mixed reactions I get when people see me walking along with a toddler. Many people are shockingly rude and inconsiderate. At times I feel like a real nuisance to them, and like I do not belong there. I hate this feeling, especially when it is in places for the public, such as riding the city bus. It makes me sad to see a person who is very anti-child. I can’t imagine how one could have this attitude, especially since we were all kids once and should have some experience around kids ourselves. I suppose they will have a wake up call when they have kids themselves.
I’m not trying to be totally negative. Even though there are many negative reactions to our presence (I think it is exaggerated here because we live in a college town and mostly students ride the bus), there are many smiles and welcoming looks when we are spotted as well, and I always appreciate those. I try to bottle those feelings when I deal with unpleasant people.
Tangent, there. I wanted to make a treat for Z to snack on in the days to come. I found a nice recipe for berry cookies, an oat based recipe by louisabellissima. It has simple ingredients that I had on hand, easy preparation, and a short baking time. The taste was really good. Unfortunately, I think they needed more baking time. Although I baked them for the time stated, they did not hold together very well. Next time, I will lengthen the baking time.
Nevertheless, this recipe is awesome for kids to snack on. I’m fond of oats and this is a nice way to include them.
Ingredients:
- 175 g butter
- 125 g brown sugar
- 50 g honey
- 350 g rolled oats
- fresh or frozen berries
- a muffin tray
- paper liners
Directions:
Melt butter, sugar and honey in a small pot on the stove over low heat and stir until dissolved. Combine with the rolled oats in a large bowl. Add the berries and distribute the mix into the muffin tray. You can use a small bottle or a glass that fits into the moulds to gently press down the contents. It works best with frozen berries, with fresh ones you have to be careful not to squash them.
Bake at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes. Once they are baked and have cooled you can take them out of the muffin cups and they will have a beautiful shape. However, if you use colourful muffin cups and leave them in there, it will make them even more appealing to your children and they will look much nicer in their lunch boxes.
Thank you so much – and what a lovely story! I really enjoyed reading it.