sprinklefingers

My just-turned-five-year-old is in preschool three days a week for just a few hours each day. Of course, this limited time at “school” doesn’t stop us from being inundated with take-home projects, sewing detail, classroom obligations and more. Don’t get me wrong - I generally love getting involved - I mean, it’s a complete crack-up to see preschool kids in action…it’s just that I don’t necessarily think asking them to prepare a science project to present to their classmates is very fair. 

First of all, I love my kid to pieces, but he can’t read. He also can’t work at the kitchen counter without a stool or even google something himself. He can’t use the stove unattended, he sometimes can’t even zip up his own pants. Hell, he sometimes pees all over the bathroom floor when using the toilet. Yet he’s going to present a science project to his school friends all by himself. This I gotta see.

Of course at first mention of ‘science project’ he envisioned beakers and flasks and bunsen burners and goggles and lab coats (he loves anything that requires a special outfit.) It was tough to break it to him that we would need to tone it down a bit. From there he started asking questions about creating a volcano. I got out of that one by explaining that one of the requirements (!!!) of the project was that he had to be able to teach his classmates how to do it - and who wants a volcano exploding over and over and over again (he said he wouldn’t mind, but then I reminded him I wouldn’t be there to clean anything up and he quickly saw me as extremely smart and very correct. Good boy.)

So, after going through a list of potential projects (one including lighting a candle and then putting it out with a candle snuffer) we finally settled on a water glass xylophone. A line of glasses each filled with different volumes of water. He can pour water. He can explain how differing amounts of water make a different sound. He can play a tune for his classmates and then teach them how to do the same. Sure, it’s a lot more like a music lesson than a science lesson…but he is, after all, just five.

I found this blog post at the Guardian UK’s site this morning: a dad, much more ambitious than I, takes different types of mass produced chocolate bars and attempts to make them better. What a project! (Please do not tell my kid - it took a lot of convincing to get him to agree to the water glass xylophone!)

And today wraps up our week in Hawaii. After a brief play in the ocean this morning we’ll be boarding a plane bound for Oregon. And tomorrow I get to go to work!

I’m so excited.

You see, it’s been a week since I’ve scaled ingredients, mixed a dough or chopped chocolate. I miss it. So much. Sure, vacation is nice. But there’s only so much “relaxing” I can take. I’m like a toddler who needs a definite routine in order to thrive - vacations being void of routine - aren’t exactly my style. My husband swears this is one of my biggest flaws. I swear it’s one of my special talents. But we can agree to disagree. 

Anyways, I was thrilled to see in the Guardian this morning a post about chocolate chip cookies. It made me miss my pastry station a bit less - and got me even more excited to be headed into work tomorrow. 

Dear Felicity Cloake breaks down the ingredients for perfect (read: American) chocolate chip cookies. Everything from types of sugar to hardness of flour is examined. It’s the perfect read if you’ve ever wondered why chocolate chippers come out flat and crispy while others are puffed and cakey.

Enjoy!

[click on the image to go to the story.]

it seems that, for me, all roads are currently leading to paris. i don’t know what’s going on in the universe, but nearly everything is somewhat french for me right now - from dinner to dessert to music, we’re gettin’ all french at chez sprinklefingers.

that said - check out this piece from the ny times magazine about fancy french chocolate shops in paris. i’m considering planning a research & development trip…this all looks too good to be true!

ps: if you’re in lovely portland, oregon, the closest thing we have to these amazing french shops is, in my opinion, cacao. cacao is the ideal chocolate connection selling both cluizel AND felchlin chocolates (in bars, drops and even cocoa powder.)

these chocolate desserts from the ny times look way too beautiful to disappoint.

have a happy valentine’s day!