water pops!

Summer's are not summers without an icee melting in your mouth. I remember walking to the corner store with my sister on hot days just to buy a 10 cent popsicle that would be finished before we'd turn the corner back to head home. Those posicles are still around - and now you can buy them even in bulk. So when Aaron brought a box home, I knew I was in trouble.

For starters - there's nothing healthy about them - full of sugar and flavoring.... and of course - the kids love them. So when the box ran out, we knew the extra effort of homemade popsicles would be better for us all around. Aaron's been so great about filling the molds with natural juices, or blending a concoction from the fruit bowl for the kids to enjoy after dinner, swimming, or an episode of their favorite show.

But we've recently been slacking off in the snack department for Ava - and she's taken notice. So much so, that she has taken the making of special treats into her own hands - Ava style.

After dinner last night, Ava declared, "I'm going to have a water pop!" I disregarded her comment about the water - and informed her that we only had ice cream sandwhices left in the freezer. But to my surprise, when I opened the freezer door, there stood 6 beautiful pops in their stand.



I pulled the sleeve out for Ava and immediately zoomed in for a closer look. What kind of fruit did Aaron blend this time? It was crystal clear - like water - when all of a sudden Ava said, "It's a water pop!" and then grabbed the iceberg dessert out of my hand.



"Did you make those with Grandma when she was here Ava?"

"No. I made them all by myself," she said with a squeak in her voice, licking the water drops quickly reaching her wrists.

Ah yes - it's all coming back to me. When she was in the kitchen a little bit longer than usual the other day - I didn't think twice when she said she was going to go make water pops. I registered that to mean she was going to go get a drink of water. I figured the sounds of all the drawers opening were of her looking for towels because she spilled water while trying to fill her cup from the dispenser. Although I'm surprised that she did all of this all by herself, I am also very proud...

Because there's much to be said from this experience - even with just water. To start with, children should be very much involved in the kitchen and seeing how different foods react together to create something else. Cooking is basically science with food and they get to see first hand what happens when you boil, freeze, whisk, mix... and so on. Ava has picked up on these different methods, and learned that one of her favorite desserts - popsicles - is actually made from such processes - ones that she isn't afraid to do alone - especially with water - her most favorite...