Matthew's Favorite Snack

Matthew often gets ideas into his head for things he would like to do, see, or create and does not stop bugging me until they happen. For a while, he was determined to ride a roller coaster even though I'm' pretty sure he had no idea what a roller coaster was. Paul and I finally took him to an amusement park and fulfilled his dream. After completely terrifying him on that coaster ride, I think Matthew has had his fill of coasters for the next decade.

Then, he decided that he wanted a pet spider after seeing a caged Tarantula at the pet store. I worked for weeks trying to talk him out of that idea (and I never told my arachnophobic husband about it since I know the thought alone would keep him up at night). When I told Matthew the spider would eat Riley (our cat), he finally agreed that owning an arachnid was probably not the best idea. Now he's deathly afraid of spiders. Good job, Mom.

Note the lettering on Matthew's t-shirt.

Then there were the three months leading up to Emma's first birthday where Matthew talked nonstop about making her a strawberry cake. He even had me search Google for pictures of strawberry cakes so he could select the right one. It was cute at first, but quickly became irritating. I almost decided to move up her birthday celebration by a couple months just so we could bake it and be done with it.

Which brings me to the story behind Matthew's favorite snack, a snack that Matthew has been determined to make for over a year.

Matthew has been checking out the same 10 books from the library for what seems like forever. They are a variety of Thomas, Curious George, and Little Critter books that he just enjoys reading over and over. When we get to the library, I turn him loose in the Children's Section and then take Emma to the book return to drop-off our old books. By the time I have returned, he is sitting at one of the little tables with a stack of books completely identical to the ones we just returned. Goodness gracious, child! Variety is the spice of life!

One of these books is Curious George Picks Apples. The book is just about as exciting as it sounds. In fact, the title pretty much gives away the climax. At the end of this gripping tale, there are three "recipes" that kids can easily make using apples. One recipe in particular for "Apple Teeth" caught Matthew's attention and he would not stop begging me to make some apple teeth with him. "You need go to the grocery store, get some marshmallows, get some apples, and then we make the teeth!" he would remind me every time we entered a grocery store.

Finally, I got around to buying a bag of mini marshmallows and this has been Matthew's snack every single day this week. I think they're a bit disgusting looking, essentially some gruesome apple dentures. Although, I have to admit, the marshmallow and peanut butter combination is killer.

To make these delightful snacks: slice an apple. Spread a thin layer of creamy peanut butter on one side. Stick marshmallows along the curved side to resemble teeth. Repeat with all slices. Sandwich slices together to make a smiling mouth of teeth! Eat!

And Matthew's latest obsession? He wants a pet turtle. He's actually laying on the couch now "reading" a National Geographic Book on turtles while every once in a while making a plea for his case: "Mommy, turtles are nice. They don't bite. I pet the turtle. I sleep with the turtle. Turtles make eggs. We can eat the eggs for breakfast. Riley can't make eggs. Turtles do. Turtles swim in the bathtub with me....."

Not happening.