Super Summer 2012 - Mission Log, Day 5

I did much better today! Luke got up right at 8. We ate a leisurely breakfast while watching some Ninjago, then he played Wii for about 45 minutes (which is an aerobic activity, the way he does it; I'll try to post some video, if I can find one). After that, it was craft time, but I had been a little too leisurely with breakfast and not yet prepared the paint. It was about snack time anyway, so let's combine snack and play.



Yeah, this was a great big "duh" when I saw it on Pinterest! I'd seen it done with toothpicks and gumdrops, but no one in this family likes them, and I didn't want to buy them just to play with if no one wanted to eat them (that's half the fun anyway, right, eating as you play?). The house did eventually become a sprawling ranch with a second story and a garage, but he ate most of it before I got a picture. Next up, another Pinterest idea: painting with condensed milk. It's supposed to stay shiny as it dries (I'll let you know). We prepared with wax paper and a garbage bag smock, and off we went.



Apparently painting isn't his thing because "it's messy, and I'm not very good at it," or so he says. I could only get him to do the one picture, and then he wanted to play. (I also think he'd already seen his new playdough colors and was anxious to get to them.) I didn't want all that paint to go to waste, so I made one, too. I'm pretty sure I had more fun with this one than he did.



Apparently, I have just been depriving him all these years by not having playdough? I had no idea it was his most favorite thing in the world! As you can see, I've made a few more colors since last time. He was *most* impressed with the white playdough. "Mommy, why did no one ever think of this before?!!" Well, I'm pretty sure they did, but thank you for the vote of confidence. I would (will?) also be the best mommy ever if I go pick up some black gel coloring from the cake decorating store and make some black; that would just blow his mind!



He played with that until lunch (apparently the red and yellow good guys teamed up against the blue, green, and white bad guys), we sang happy birthday to Kitty:



(No, I had no idea it was Kitty's birthday; at least he didn't ask to make a cake.) We watched a Mythbusters, which was the Alaska special, and we got to talk about the fact that Uncle Jacob was just there. Then he played some more Wii while I took a quick nap. Then it was time for our first major culinary experiment: homemade pizza dough! We got it all in the mixer, turned it on, and let it go.



Does your mixer try to walk off the counter when using the dough hook? I had to push mine back on twice! The dough was a little sticky coming out of the bowl. Not sure if I did something wrong. Just had to cross our fingers and hope.



What to do while we wait for it to rise? Play downstairs? Um, what about your reading? There was a fair bit of pouting, but he eventually picked out a book and read it to his cats. Tigger also joined in story time.



Okay, now you can play LEGOs downstairs. Have I mentioned how much I *love* having all the LEGOs in the basement? He can leave them out, strewn absolutely everywhere, and all we have to do is close the door and not look at it. I'll try to get a picture in the next week or so of just how much of a war zone it appears to be down there. Anyway, by this time, Daddy was home, and it was time to start the pizza!

Before:


And after:


Well, it did rise! Have I mentioned that I have never successfully made something with yeast in it? I don't know if I usually killed my yeast or what. And yes, I took the temperature of the water with a thermometer this time! 105 degrees, thank you very much. Nothing left to do but make a crust, which was actually much tougher than I expected.

Ready:


Set:


Pizza!


Well, it looks pretty good.



Now, for the most important critic. He inspects and contemplates:


Then takes a bite:


The verdict?


He ate 5 of the 16 pieces (3 total pizzas, the big one pictured, and two smaller ones; he ate 5/6 of the one pictured), and I have officially been declared "the best pizza cook ever!" Hey, I'll take what I can get. It was good, a good contrast of soft and chew, though it was not the best pizza crust I've ever had. Still, *I* made it, it was good, and Luke loved it. Hard to ask for more than that. I might try some other recipes, but at least I know I have one that works and that I can successfully make. Go me!

Currently feeling: not yet an expert, but working on it