Cupcake Tour
I am a good mom. When I my kids are older or maybe tomorrow, and they are defiant or angry or decide to pierce someplace unacceptable, I’ll think of today and know that no matter what, I am a good mom.
I took my children on a cupcake tour of the city. Prompted by a recent newspaper article about the popularity of cupcakes, I thought it would be fun to visit a few cupcakey establishments. We spent all day yesterday at the amusement park, so why let my good-mom momentum die. After two hours and seven bakeries, today will live in their memories as, “Fun stuff our mom did just because.”
At each bakery we bought a vanilla and a chocolate cupcake. At a few bakeries we picked one for the “assorted” category. And a couple bakeries didn’t have cupcakes…oh the shame. The kids at first thought we’d just eat our way through the tour. No, no, a method had to be developed to judge the cupcakes. Arriving home with our four chocolate, five vanilla (or “yellow” as the bakery ladies called them) and four assorted, we invited a few neighbors over for the taste test.
After all the cupcakes were examined for the “appearance” category, a blind tasting was held. Each kid got a paper plate with nice slices of cupcake. They came up with a rating scale from 1 (“made by a monkey”) -10 (“my life is now complete”). Scoring was taken very seriously. Then, the amazing results. The fancy cupcake place, the bakery that only sold cupcakes, and charged $2.50 each, produced the first place cupcake for appearance, but that darn pretty treat came in dead last for taste. Our favorite local bakery sold the number 1 ranked cupcake for .59. So of course there was an excellent lesson for the kids.
As the kids scattered to play outside, propelled by their sugar buzz, I grabbed the tablecloth, checkered with icing, sprinkles and crumbs, and shook it outside. Throwing the cloth into the laundry, and looking at three days of overdue folding, I thought: “I may not get all these stupid mom jobs done, but gosh darn it, I’m a good mom.”
9 Responses to “Cupcake Tour”
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July 12th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
That sounds like the most fun ever! I am going to use this fabulous idea with my grandchildren! And you are the BEST Mom!
Sharon - Pinks & Blues Girls
July 12th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Can I come to your house for the summer? An amusement park and a cupcake tour? Sign me up for the ice-cream tour.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
I’m so glad I only have access to two bakeries so I don’t have to do something like that, lol. My kids and husband would love it! But in the end they would all say that if I made cupcakes they would look and taste the best! (cake and cake decorating are all the baking I do, but I do it well)
July 12th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
That is so funny you mentioned making them myself. I told the kids that really I should make a batch of my cupcakes. My daughter said, “No because even if yours weren’t the best, which they probably would be, we’d still feel like we’d need to vote them the best.” At least she was looking out for my feelings.
July 13th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Yep like I said before, we are so alike! I did the same thing with my kids a couple years ago, but we sampled local whoopie pies. I think it’s so important to have fun with you kids, the chores can wait…….they will all still be there when the kids are married and gone.
Sounds like a yummy bonding time…….yes you are a good mom, and God is good!
July 13th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
that is such a neat and fun idea! I might just have to steal this from you and go on a cupcake tour in our town! Not that we have many places, but I could try and find some!
July 15th, 2007 at 10:18 am
I though I was a good mom . . . . but yes, there are days when I will allow chores to get in the way of having fun with my kids. Thanks for the wake up call. I don’t want to be at a wedding cake tasting and think, where has the time gone?!!
July 15th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
You have 4 amazing children. Your writing is beautiful. I am always so excited for a new mouth so I can read your new posts. I don’t know how you do it, but whatever you are doing keep it up, you’re a very good mom and writer.
July 17th, 2007 at 9:08 am
Sometimes after reading your blogs, I wish I could go back and do it all over again with the enthusiasm and creativity that you bring to the role of “mom”. I am so very fortunate and blessed that my grandchildren reap all the benefits of having you for a mom. Love you!