7 Jan 2013

making pancakes









She has from the youngest of ages been so fiercely determined to do things herself. There have been falls, scraped knees and tears muddled in together with equal amounts of triumph and pride.  My girl, like her Mumma before her struggles to ask for help choosing rather to burden herself with tasks a whisker above her capabilities often resulting in hot, spiky tears of frustration. We are both working on this one.

And my beloved and I, like my parents before me, are choosing to accept this tenacity as one of her very many positive characteristics and gently guiding her to choose the path of drive and determination as opposed to the rockier, less appealing tangent of stubbornness. We include her in most all daily goings on about our home and have endeavoured to equip her with not only the emotional tools but also the physical ones to "get the job done". She has long joined me in baking sessions but one too many tumbles from a helter skelter chair caused us to hunt out just such a tool.

A chance meeting with a lovely soul at a market saw us pack this piece of brilliance into our car. The Hi-Tot  has quite simply changed our lives and would possibly be the very best purchase we have made for our children. Made in Australia by a young father of two it provides the necessary stability to encourage little people to become autonomous in the kitchen. Coupled with adjustable heights and its generous width means it can be used for all your babies and it's sturdy timber design means it will last the distance.

As we tuck her into bed on a Friday night we tell her that it is the weekend. "Will there be pancakes?" she asks. Of course my love. There are always pancakes. And you my beautiful baby can make them from scratch almost all by yourself. My chest is puffed out right now ;)

Steph x

(Sadly whilst heading off to find the necessary links I discovered that the HiTot website no longer exists. Hopefully they are just having a wee holiday. A similar albeit pricier version is The Learning Tower)

22 comments:

  1. look at that wonderful contraption! it is just sheer brilliance! I was just snapping away at my son cooking us dinner ... he's making pizza! I love our first borns determination that they can do it...all on their own!

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  2. Love this, she looks so happy to be so independent.its a great thing you do to encourage & guide her determination & drive. Beautiful photos.

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  3. Wow...the HiTot looks amazing!
    I would love to get Toddler C more involved in the kitchen...generally when I am baking with him we set up on the floor!

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  4. Oh, Steph, I almost cried reading this! Slightly melodramatic, perhaps, but my darling Roc also has that same beautiful independent spirit. Making pancakes from scratch is a familiar, reliable weekend staple here too. Always with a squeeze of lemon :) And my goodness your photos are wonderful.

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  5. Steph you are an inspiration. I find it a little tricky to take that step back to look at the independence as a positive rather than looking at it as stubbornness but you are so very right. What a lucky little girl Bijou is to have such a beautiful Mum like you. That stool is such a fantastic idea too, how clever. xx

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  6. so adorable! and that hi-tot is absolutely brilliant.

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  7. I love your view of her determination. After reading "raising your spirited child" I forever changed my language for describing children. Piper is also determined, focused and tenacious. Learning to raise a child with love and accepting them for who they are is so liberating. I want a tower for my girl- not in the budget but did bookmark a homemade one a while back using Ikea stools. Clever and cheap. Maybe I should get on that while I wait for someone else to keep me busy! Xx ashley

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    1. here's the link to the little one: http://www.mintinthemiddle.com/2012/11/lucy-recommends-learning-tower.html
      and a fancy diy version: http://ana-white.com/2010/12/helping-tower.html

      may be of interest to somebody! xx

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  8. She is adorably clever and you have captured her beautifully. Lovely post, Steph. x

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  9. We love pancakes in our house too xo

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  10. I love that kitchen helper- never seen that version before. We have the learning tower (which I scored at a yard sake for I think about $40)... it's the best invention ever! Such great pictures, she's quite the helper :)

    xox Lilly

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  11. HI. I just started reading your blog. It is fantastic! I love kids with determination. I am a kindergarten teacher and have had many students who wanted to try things on their own. I love it!

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  12. Those are such a wonderful idea. I spent many years with both mine on chairs, trying to mind them on the chair and with the kitchen equipment. I spied a very expensive imported version when Leila was about 2, but knowing there would be no more following couldn't justify the cost. If you're a kitchen person with your kids, I agree, a fantastic purchase.

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  13. Such a great idea! Love your one, shame it's not still around. Beautiful words about your precious daughter

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  14. What a brilliant idea...it sure would have come in handy with each of our five and their desire to help/cook :)

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  15. I looked into the learning tower a few years ago and I to could not justify the purchase. What a clever Dad to create his own (although I am certain that someone has caught up with him and put a stop to him making them if he has disappeared off of the web)
    Pancakes are a favourite weekend breakfast here too. I have just started taking Amelia's helping in the kitchen to a new level and she has started helping to chop and prepare more. I find we don't have time during the week nights for her to help me, so am making the most of our school holidays.

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  16. I must try and remember: if I look at it as drive and determination rather than sheer stubbornness, we might succeed a bit more. Drive and determination will stand them in good stead. Thank you Steph. x

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  17. Aww so beautiful, all of it. Love the pics and words. xx

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  18. She is just the sweetest- you are so lucky! I hope mine still wants to cook with me when she's older. Hope you've found a way to stay cool in that crazy heat! Have a lovely rest of your week x

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  19. Steph, She is completely adorable!!!!
    I love little hands in the kitchen they learn so much so easily when they bake and cook.

    Where did you get your mixing bowl? I have been looking and looking for something similar but never finding one. I have the same measuring cups :)

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  20. That's awesome! And I love your words, and gentle guidance. We have a tenacious one too. Much like her mum xx

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  21. Oh lucky lucky you - what a score! I've been searching gumtree and the classifieds for a secondhand Learning Tower ever since I first came across them on a Montessori blog......I see the seeds of a fiercely determined and driven young lady in Sassy, you know. I love that you focus on the positives of these attributes in B. Oh B - you've got a beautiful and dedicated mama x

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Your words brighten my day! Thank-you so much for joining me on my adventure. x