Connecting with my Digital Kids

All of my kids love technology. This should not come as a surprise as their mom is a blogger who frequently tweets, facebooks and generally adores her iPhone.

Lately, though, it’s been a challenge to get them interested in much of anything besides movies and videos, and we’ve been declaring “digital-free” times to try and reconnect.

So when I arrived home from work today and my nine year-old whipped his library book out of his backpack and plopped it on the island in front of me–a cookbook–my eyebrow raised in interest. “Mama,” he said, “let’s make somethin.’”

OK, the large-sized font was an incentive for me. I can do this.

I was all ears. We poured through the pages together and I promised him that whatever recipe he chose, we’d go to the store RIGHT THEN and buy the ingredients.

Cream Puffs was the final decision. Darn, I thought, I was hoping for the ice cream floats on the first page.

Now anyone who knows me knows that I am not exactly Martha Stewart in the kitchen ( more like Marie Callender, the queen of heating) so this was a feat for me. But when the instructions were in giant font, well, I knew I could handle it.

So we headed out to the store in the monsoon where my middle kid swore WE WERE GOING TO DIE IN THE FLOOD OF RAIN but luckily, we made it, and of course they talked me into ice cream floats (ahem) while we were in the store.

Who YOU callin' a cream puff?

Soaked, we headed home and set out the ingredients for our baking adventure.

We measured and poured with anticipation of the golden buttery yumminess that was about to evolve from this amazingly-easy combination of a handful of ingredients.

The kids spooned the cream puffs on the baking sheet with little help from me and I geared up for the next round–the chocolate sauce. Once we had that simmering, since we were working so hard, we treated ourselves like any good bakers to some fabulous, well-earned root beer floats.

Don't even accuse me of taking this photo from a magazine, sister, these are all ours!

In eighteen minutes our cream puffs were ready, we’d whipped the cream filling (mom, that is seriously cool how that cream turned into solid stuffing!) and were ready for the grand finale.

There wasn’t a peep made for several minutes as we daintily nibbled (read: inhaled) our fabulous

That's what I'm talkin' about, mama

Always a critic, DevilBoy says "good, but not the best chocolate I ever had." I oughtta. . .

masterpieces together.

There was so much chocolate all over their hands and faces I just told ‘em to go on up and hop in the bath, which they did without a sound.

This was one of the most delicious nights we’ve had together in a long, long time.