Time available to spend with your children can be extremely limited when you’re a working mom. So on the weekends, holidays or days off make the most of the time you do have together. One special way to do that is to spend some quality time baking as a family!
Yes, there’s a multitude of ways you can spend time with your family when you’re a working mom or grandma. You can load up all the kids and take everyone to the zoo, to a museum or to the park. You can order pizza and watch a few movies.
But as the weather gets cooler, what is more fun than turning on the oven on and baking up some happiness?
In fact, make it an all-day affair. Start at breakfast with a family meeting, take a vote and decide what you would like to make. Then take a trip to the grocery store to buy supplies and head back home to start baking.
Baking as a family can be a great time of bonding but it can also be a lesson in sharing.
John Maxwell says every day he looks for ways to add value to people. The most important people in our lives are our children. So, spend the afternoon pouring love and affirmations into their lives.
Then teach them how to give into other people’s lives. Wrap up a few care packages and have your children deliver their homemade treats to a few lonely, elderly neighbors or surprise a few classmates with a batch of their favorite cookies.
Happiness comes with sharing, sharing time, sharing memories and sharing kindness. The memories you create will last a lifetime.
If you don’t already have a few favorite cookie recipes, here are some suggestions…
Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 cup Crisco or 1 cup butter softened
- 2 Eggs well beaten
- 4 T sweet milk
- 1¼ Cups Sugar
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and the baking soda. Cut in the Crisco or butter like you would a pie crust.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the eggs, milk, and sugar. Add to the flour mixture. beat all ingredients until the cookie mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.
- Wrap in wax paper and chill for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface until it's about a ¼ thickness. Cut into shapes. Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper about an inch or so apart.
- Bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until they are just starting to turn brown around the edges. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Sprinkle the cookies with colored sugar or frost as desired.
Then Let’s Make Peanut Butter Cookies!
Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Peanut Butter Creamy or Crunchy
- ½ Cup White Sugar
- ½ Cup Butter
- 1 Egg Beaten
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- ½ tsp Vanilla
- 1¼ Cup Flour Sifted
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Baking soda
Instructions
- Cream peanut butter and butter.
- Add sugars gradually creaming.
- Add beaten egg and vanilla
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda; stir into the peanut butter mixture.
- Chill the dough for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Roll chilled dough into balls about the size of a walnut.
- Flatten with a fork dipped in water.
- Bake cookies for approximately 10 minutes.
How about my favorite—Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs Well beaten
- 1 Cup Raisins
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 Cup Butter
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup White Sugar
- 2½ Cups Flour Sifted
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsps Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 Cups Oatmeal
- ½ Cup Chopped Nuts Walnuts or Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine eggs, raisins, and vanilla. Let the mixture stand for about an hour.
- Thoroughly cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.
- Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon into sugar mixture.
- Blend in eggs, raisins, oatmeal, and nuts. The dough will be stiff.
- Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until light brown. Do not over bake.
Review
Time spent with children is limited when you’re a working mom. And, guilt is real when you have to leave your little ones at daycare or when you have a series of late nights at work because of a big project. If you have to work to support your family, then there’s nothing you can do about the hours you are at work but you can make the most of the time you spend with family.
Make weekends and holidays memorable by giving yourself fully to your children. There are many things you can do to make together time special including baking up some cookies and a few memories with your family.
As a working mom, how do you spend quality time with your children?
Comment below and let me know.
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