Does the idea of baking with your kids - got you like?!

I love Pinterest. I love baking. I always had these dreams of baking cookies with my girls but the reality of the situation scared the sprinkles out of me! (I'm not normally this cheesy but I've had a glass of wine.) But I decided to give it a go - the easy way.

I don't know where you are, but in Missouri it's either been 200 degrees outside or raining; which has caused a bit of cabin fever. So... on one desperate day, I decided to take the plunge and bake with my twin toddlers. I began with (2) pudding packs and some Netflix to keep them occupied while I set up (I know - more sugar - don't judge me).
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What I put together in preparation for our cookie baking activity was REALLY simple and only took 5 minutes:

• (1) Roll of Pillsbury cookie dough sliced in half placed in separate bowls (one for each kid).
• ​(2) Cookie Sheets 
• ​Whatever sprinkles and toppings I had in my stored in my baking cabinet (separated into small bowls for easy access and to avoid dumping).
• ​(2) Placemats (Target)
• ​Milk
• ​Personalized Krazy Straws. I had ordered these on a whim a few weeks earlier and they are adorable! To order your own personalized Krazy straw click here).

I broke off a good amount of dough and had them roll it into a ball. Once we had a ball, I encouraged them to decorate ball with the sprinkles I had set out. They ate some, the sprinkled some, and they spilled some; but all in all the cookies got decorated. We baked the cookies and watched..and watched...and watched...until they were done.

This was such a fun and simple activity. It took all of the stress out of the equation and allowed us to have fun, bake cookies and provide that super important element of independence.  My girls had a blast and the mess was minimal (the placemat's are clutch).

​These two-year-old's created the most beautiful imperfect/perfect cookies I had ever seen, and they were PROUD. They weren't quite the perfectly trimmed, cookie cutter cookies I had imagined but they turned out GREAT! Once they cooled we picked out our favorites and set them aside for some special people and then dug in (no sugar intake limits on this fun day!). I gave them their special straws and a glass of milk and it made for a really fun afternoon.​

So instead of postponing your perfectly envisioned baking day - start here! Try it! No fuss, just fun and delicious cookies. Perhaps by Christmas we'll be ready for more intricate projects. In the meantime? This was AWESOME! I will absolutely be doing it again soon!

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Do you have fun go-to activities for rainy days? We would love to hear about any fun idea's - we're always looking for something fun and productive to do!