Setting a BAD example

Now that Ada's eating solid solids, as I call them, you have to watch your food at all times. Just the other day I was enjoying a brownie while curled up on the couch, watching a movie. All was well in the world (as much as it can be in this crap economy anyway) and then it happened. Ada reached out and stole my brownie. Just like that. Down the hatch. Bye bye brownie. And I just couldn't wait for her to start eating solids. Right. That was dumb.

The challenge now that Ada is grabbing at my food is, "Do I know where that hand has been?" "Is it worth risking whatever cooties she might have to take back that chunk of the last homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookie or can I let this one go?" Desperation takes on a whole new level. If you are a chocoholic like myself, you can relate.

Being the bad example that I am (and thanks to my friend Michelle who recently split her cookie dough stash with me while we were visiting her in Madison) I made a batch of oatmeal cookies last week and only baked one cookie sheet full of them. The rest, and I admit this is bad, I froze into little bite sized balls so I could snack on them whenever I was in need of a boost. Yes, I know I can get salmonella poisoning from the raw eggs. Yes, I know raw cookie dough isn't good for me. Yes, I know I'm setting a bad example for my child. Anything else you want to rip on me for?

So today, as you may have read in my earlier posts, was a tough day filled with more poop than a dogwalker should ever have to deal with. Desperate times call for desperate measures... and not one, but two balls of raw cookie dough from the freezer. (Shut up, I went on a long walk to burn off the calories and make it all better.) Ada's screaming in her room so I'm quick to grab the two scoops of instant pick-me-up and head to her room. I wisely think to set one on the dining room table before going to soothe her little whine.

As I'm nibbling away, she starts toward me. I'm on the ground, right at her level and one hand is holding her up while the other is being attacked in her attempt to snatch my cookie dough ball. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! What do I do? Quick! Think!

I jam the whole thing into my mouth.

I find this similar to jumping on a live granade to sacrafice yourself while saving your friends. And what a sacrafice it was. Do you know how much less enjoyment you get when you shove the whole thing in your mouth at once and have to wolf it down so that your child doesn't get salmonillia poisioning? A LOT less enjoyment. Like being downgraded at the car rental place from a top-of-the-line Lexus that parallel parks itself to a Fred Flintstone car powered by your two bare feet.

I suffered.

Then I distracted her long enough to grab the second cookie dough ball off the dining room table and savored every bite. Ahhhh... Life is good again.

Moral of the story: It's okay to be bad sometimes. Just remember 1) everything in moderation 2) not in front of the kids.