He does send messages. Subtle ones.

This was it. The year that Tink was old enough to help construct the gingerbread house. Mom gave me a kit a couple years ago, and I held onto it until I thought she was ready.

On Friday night, I thought maybe we'd do it last night or today. So I pulled it out to take a look at it, make sure it was in one piece and all.

Still in fine shape. But the frosting was already mixed, and solid as a rock. The kit had an expiration date of 2001.

Thanks, mom.

But, I figured they are usually chinzy on candy, so I'd buy a new one and use this candy with the new one too. Today we bought a new kit. We cleared off the kitchen table. I pulled out the directions and started to read.

Now, let me set this up for you. Tink is out of her Abilify since Friday. So as many times as I try to explain to her that it is OK for her to watch TV or something for a little while so I can get the boring stuff out of the way, she will have not part of it. Nope. She was gonna sit there, and :blah: while I am trying to read, and keep asking me if I can get a bowl for her to pour the candy in, or if she can mix the frosting. I had to file the sides of the house, then mix the frosting (it was like spackle) and start gluing the house together. Now she was really ticked. After each step, we had to let the house dry for an hour.

Finally, 4 hours after starting, it is time to decorate the house. Now I have to thin out the frosting a little. Don't I add a little too much water, and it's now too thin. It's dripping everywhere, and instead of helping, Tink is LICKING the drips off the house. I'm trying not to get mad, I know she has no control, but for crying out loud, this is supposed to be a fun project, what the heck? Why is it so difficult? I should have given up when the first one had clumpy frosting...

I finally tell her that we are done, and I see her grab a handful of candy (the 6 year old gumdrops) and stuff them in her mouth. I mean, are you kidding me?

NEVER will I do one of these again.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Well, on the bright side (ummmmm)

You both now have a house that not even the government can take away.

Maybe you should ask her if she'd like some 8 year old m&m's - that would have rocked her world. And maybe some purse candy - you know the kind you lean over in church and whisper to your mom does she have any candy and she says NO but your grandma spends 40 minutes digging in her abyss of a purse to pull out the worlds OLDEST butterscotch disk; kleenex fuzz and all and now you can't say no because it's your grandma or she pulls out one of those blue menthol disks you swear is a cough drop and now your mouth tastes like Vicks vapo rub and toilet tissue. At that point you so want to dip your hands in the holy water just to get some moisture back in your mouth.

Yea - 6 year old gum drop and drippy frosting - YUMMY! num num num
 

meowbunny

New Member
Gingerbread houses are NOT fun! They are work! They are hard to do. THEY ARE NOT FUN!!!!!

I gave up on the frosting and went to Elmer's glue. Worked like a charm. We ate the frosting and smeared it all over us ... that was FUN!

We drew pictures of gingerbread houses. Cut them out of magazines. Made them out of any kits but food kits. Those were fun.

But there is not enough money in this world to ever get me to do a food gingerbread house. I also learned a great lesson -- I would do a kit in private before I would buy one for us to do together. It made for less frustration, more fun and I was the major magic mommy that could do ANYTHING!
 

Debdeb1031

New Member
BBK...I totally hear ya on the "it's supposed to be fun" mantra...lol...i always have these visions on how things are supposed to happen (laughing and giggling and little cartoon birds flying around (think disney) ) and 10 times out of 10 it is the exact opposite...this one is picking on that one which makes that one hit the other one which makes the other one scream and yell...<SIGH> why do we even bother????..lol...i dread the easter egg time especially....
 

Ephchap

Active Member
BBK,

Sorry, :rofl:, I'm trying not to laugh, :rofl:, really, I'm trying, :rofl:...

Okay, I give up ... :rofl:

Of course, I can laugh because I never in my life attempted to make one of those. My hat is off to you for just attempting it.

Six year old gumdrops? Maybe you should have let her chew those while you were trying to read. They probably would have clamped her mouth shut and she wouldn't have been able to distract you while you were reading the directions. :smile:

Again, you're a better person than I am just for attempting!

Hugs,
Deb
 

busywend

Well-Known Member
I tried it twice! Never again - with anyone or even alone. What a joke!

My mother insisted upon trying it once again with difficult child at a family event. Ha! She gets it now! LOL!
 

mrscatinthehat

Seussical
I looked at one of those thinking it would be fun. Then when I saw the "work" involved I said nope not gonna happen. If any of my kids want one of those they can have them when they leave my house/ enter adult hood and do it on their own.

I give you huge amounts of credit. I might attempt candy or chex mix but not that.

Beth
 
i've actually picked one up and put it in my basket then had visions of just what you went through only my son is also telling me how he can read NOT and can do it all by himself so i leave him to do it and come back to my entire kitchen covered in icing and the kid too

let me tell you a story of peanut butter; woke up about 5am; smelled something funny; checked on difficult child; i now know the meaning of speachless; the floor, the futon mattress, the walls; my son sitting in the middle of the card table, naked, covered from head to toe in peanut butter and the jar a large large jar in the middle of the bed

i mean you could see the imprints of his little fingers where he had just dug it out but i have to give him credit there was a spoon beside the jar so he had good intentions of just simply eating it

now onto the bathroom where he tried at one point to clean himself up the entire sink area is covered with soap/peanut butter mixture and the mirror i figure he put his hand on it and said wow pretty and proceeded to make art

it was not funny then and still isn't now but about a month later i'm sitting on the pot in the bathroom (or those of you who don't know what a pot is besides what you cook in) and what do i see on the wall beside the sink a peanut butter handprint

I STILL CANNOT STAND THE SMELL OF PEANUT BUTTER
 
Holy cow!

When Tink was just about 15 mo old, she managed to crawl out of bed and onto her changing table (oh yeah, THAT was scary) and she got into the vaseline.

She took off her diaper and smeared it all over her butt. And legs. And stomach. and hair. And the curtains. And back down off the changer and all over Daddy.

"Tink! What are you doing?"

"I change, daddy!"
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Nichole and I have done several.

Didn't turn out too bad, except it took so darn long to finish. And of course we had to buy more candy because they skimped on it.

Each time we make one I have to threaten Nichole with bodily harm if she touches it before xmas night. Otherwise, it would be eaten the next day.

She was I think 12 when we started doing them. I know I couldn't have done it with a younger child. There were too many times when our 4 arms didn't seem like enough. :slap:

Since her diabetes diagnosis there won't be one this year. (Yippee!!)

Oh, then there was last year when Nichole was determine to do one by SCRATCH. :nonono: Now I can make some awesome gingerbread men, cookies, and just plain gingerbread from scratch. But I couldn't seem to get it thru to her that the recipe isn't quite the same for a house. The end result has to come out sturdier. And then there is the whole shaping the thing, making a pattern and all.......

A disaster that won't be repeated. :rofl:

I'll stick to gingerbread men that the grandkids can help the grown ups decorate. :sled:
 

Lothlorien

Active Member
Yeah, I won't even attempt that with Missy. It would turn into a disaster. I know she can't handle it. She can't have all the candy either, so it would just be torture.

You are a brave woman for trying that with her!
 

KFld

New Member
I still remember making and decorating all those christmas cookies with my mother every year, and I remember it being fun. When I used to do it with my own kids when they were little, it wasn't so much fun. I switched to slice and bake :smile:
 

ck1

New Member
Well, you gotta try lots of things at least once, now you can mark this off your list!!! Good job for trying and make sure you take pictures so tink doesn't forget it!!
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Loan Ranger, ROFL!

Sorry, BBK, but

Don't I add a little too much water, and it's now too thin. It's dripping everywhere, and instead of helping, Tink is LICKING the drips off the house. I'm trying not to get mad, I know she has no control, but for crying out loud, this is supposed to be a fun project, what the heck? Why is it so difficult? I should have given up when the first one had clumpy frosting...

I finally tell her that we are done, and I see her grab a handful of candy (the 6 year old gumdrops) and stuff them in her mouth.

Actually, this is funny.

And it has nothing to do with-ADHD or anything. It's the nature of the beast--both gingerbread houses and kids. :smirk:
I hate making them--you hold the edges together for hrs, and then the min. your back is turned, it falls apart.

I tried to go canoeing with-my kids a few yrs ago with-similar results. No, the canoe didn't fall apart, I did. I was furious. If I said "left," the kids went "Right." They pushed while I pulled. We couldn't even get the thing to the water with-o an argument.
I go alone now.

How about if you go for an advent calendar instead? But don't put all the candy in at once. Hide it and put one in every day. Just a thought. :wink:
 
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