Too Cool for Apple Pie?
Sometimes I have a hard time remembering that The Wedding Date’s kids aren’t six-year old girls. You know: the kind I teach on a regular basis? The kind who love stories and stickers and the color pink? The kind who think I’m cool and raise their hands in class to tell me they like my earrings?
It’s not that I don’t like The Wedding Date’s kids (or mind the fact that they don’t notice my jewelry), it’s just that sometimes I wish they were six-year olds girls. It would make life much easier. Especially the holidays.
I’m spending Thanksgiving Day with The Wedding Date’s family and on our way down to Hooper’s Island this past weekend I had what I thought was a brilliant idea.
“We can make an apple pie!”
“An apple pie?”
“Yes! Me and your kids. And we can bring it to your parents’ for dinner. Your mom will be so impressed!”
“Nena…”
“No! We could do it! Apple pies are easy. Heck, I made them in college!”
“I don’t doubt your ability to make pie, Nena. But my kids? Can you picture them making apple pie?”
Actually I could. I could picture all of us standing there in the kitchen, covered in flour and chatting about the virtues of Macintoshes vs. Granny Smiths, smiling beatifically like they do in the Pillsbury commercials. The kids wouldn’t be into it at first—they’d be all like “Apple pie? Do we have to???” but the end they’d be so proud of their accomplishment that they’d end up fighting for the honor of presenting it to their grandmother and the pie would end up crust-side down in the front yard as a result of the scuffle but it wouldn’t matter because we’d be making memories together.
Okay…
So maybe I was being a bit unrealistic.
I gave up on the apple pie but a few minutes later, I had another brilliant idea.
“What about marshmallow blasters?”
“Marshmallow blasters?”
“Yeah, I was thinking of getting them marshmallow blasters for Christmas.”
“What do you do with them?”
“Ummm… you shoot marshmallows. Yeah. The mini ones. My brother and I used to have a set.”
TWD paused to consider the matter but it didn’t take me long to figure out what he was thinking.
“You’d never them they play in your house, would you?”
“No.”
“It figures…”
“But it’s not just that, Nena,” he continued, placing his hand over mine. “My kids are going through the phase where they’re ‘too cool’ for anything. Those things aren’t cheap and I don’t want you to spend all that money on something they might think was lame. You’d be disappointed.”
So no apple pies. No marshmallow blasters. What other options do I have?
Something tells me this is out of the question as well:
And these…
And this too…
Kat Echevarría Richter 
11 Responses to “Too Cool for Apple Pie?”
Those things might be out of reach for TWD’s kids…but from what I gather about him via your blog…TWD himself would appreciate edible Star Wars treats. If you know what TWD’s kids like to do in their spare time, maybe you could come up with an event gift rather than a physical one. Like taking them to Six Flags or something. I don’t know their ages (or them), so I can’t guess more accurate places, but it is worth a thought. Good luck.
Also, on a totally random note, I remember awhile back you mentioning ‘Glee’. Until yesterday I had never seen the show, but I’m all up-to-date on the other shows that I watch so I was browsing Netflix and though, why not? Now I’m addicted and I think you’re partly to blame for this. 😛
Yeah, I did an activity-based gift for the younger one’s birthday, as we’re both roller coaster fans and TWD is not. Unfortunately the roller coaster I was planning on is now in the sea due to Sandy so I’m going to have to re-think that one.
Isn’t Glee fab? I’m totally behind but one of these days I’ll get caught up.
You can come and bake here. Em is good helper and bri would love since I am one handed right now.
Yes! Speaking of which, how does the weekend of Dec 8th strike your fancy? I keep meaning to email you and keep forgetting…
One day when my now-12yo son was about 4 “we” were making bread. I gave him some to knead and he started to sing: “knead-ing, knead-ing”. I got all misty over us doing something enriching together, and how the sun streaming in the window and being with mama and the warm yeasty dough was moving him to song. Until he finished the line: “knead-ing is dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb.” Ten seconds later he was back under the dining room table with his cars and his little plastic dinosaurs.
Good luck. If it helps with your planning for TWD’s kids, all my boy wants for Christmas is Target or GameStop gift cards or unlimited xbox time. Oh. And a puppy. But if marshmallows aren’t allowed in the living room, I bet a puppy isn’t either.
What??? But… J was practically raised to be a pilgrim!!!! Oh well, I do feel a little bit better knowing that even your son wasn’t into baking.
Totally do the blaster, I still have both of yours under the buffet in the guest room, you could ambush them, along w TWD and he’d get into it–first ambush TWD, then give him your bro’s and then ambush the kids, I guarantee after a bit they’d fight back, AND you could run outside, there’s a thought…even in the cold of winter. You and your bro were at about the same age when I gave them to you two…there is no easy answer and you know how I feel about electronic games (never mind everyone will give them those and they are even more expensive) and we already have an event “gift” for them…yeah, I know only one will be able to use it cause of logistics, but still…there is always Dave & Buster’s I guess…
Wait… someone can make those gingerbread “houses?” Holy smokes, I am soooo ready to find that person and bow down to their greatness.
Just google Star Wars gingerbread… you will be blown away.
It’s actually easier than you would think Zak, the frosting glue works pretty well—and you can cheat by using graham crackers if you don’t want to spend the time making gingerbread slabs, but even that is just time consuming. Of course I’m talking about these particular examples not the elaborate houses/hotels/castles, etc. that real artists/bakery aficionado’s craft. And believe it or not, guys do get into this, I have seen it with my own eyes 😉
I agree, graham crackers are the way to go.