montessori mommy? i think not.

So - one of the blogs I read is called Chasing Cheerios. Some of you may have inadvertently traveled there via my Blog Roll. The author of Chasing Cheerios is a very creative Stay-At-Home Mommy who journals about her experiences with Home-Schooling using Montessori teaching methods. It's an inspiring site, to say the least.

So inspiring, in fact, that I decided to get off my keister and try one of her brilliant ideas: Muffin Tin Monday. Or as it's now affectionately called in my house: Throw Random Items in a Muffin Tin and Feed it to Your Kid Tuesday.

In case this post inspires YOU, here are the basic steps (as I understood them) for creating your very own Muffin Tin Day:

Step 1:
Fumble around in kitchen looking for a muffin tin. notice with sadness that your only muffin tin is dirty and submerged in stinky water. Sigh and finally clean it.

Step 2:
Take a deep breath and gear up for filling 6 spaces in the muffin tin with healthy, creative, items. Remind yourself that they should be edible items.
You can do this!!!

Step 3:
Get [a little too] excited because you found a use for the Dinosaur Sandwich cutter that you bought on impulse at the grocery store this week.
Proceed with making sandwich.
Realize that the sandwich bread you bought is too small for the sandwich cutter.
Curse the marketing genius who creates random crap like Dinosaur Cookie cutters for notoriously impulsive buyers like you.
Eat one of the headless dinosaur sandwiches and continue undeterred.

Step 4:
Dig around in your fridge for something healthy that your picky toddler might actually eat.
Decide on carrot sticks.
Realize that there must be some kind of "dippage" for said toddler to even consider touching carrot sticks.
Pull out a Ranch dressing bottle and commence the very official Smell Test. If pungent odors don't repulse you, continue as planned, but keep fingers crossed just in case.

Step 5
Realize (sadly) that you have 4 more muffin spots to go.
Wonder why you didn't buy pretty, cool, interesting vegetables like Avocado or Starfruit - or something organic, earthy, and lovely like Bulgar wheat pita chips and gluten free what-nots.
Feel a little like a Britney Spears for not buying healthier food items. Vow to do better next time and keep on truckin'.
You can do this...really...you can...

Step 6:
Cut up banana and dig around in pantry for raisins. Murmur, "YES!" because you actually organized your pantry this week and found desired food product.

Step 7:
Decide that this muffin tin thing is a lot of work and throw random food items in remaining spots.
Yeah... who are you kidding? You Ma'm are no Montessori Mommy.

Viola! Lunch is served!

Final Note:
Don't forget to take a picture because you'll never be doing this again!