I've been rather uninspired by my food lately, what with the decision to lay off on the sugar/refined flours and stick with healthy fare. While flinging some of the 9000 catalogs I receive in the mail every day into the recycling bin, I came across this one: For Small Hands, which is apparently a resource for Montessori families.

We're not a Montessori family, but my overachieving online shopping has no doubt made it appear that we are all about family resources and educational things and wow, have I pulled the wool over someone's eyes there.

The cover of the catalog has a child raking leaves. I like the looks of this, so I flip through the pages. It is all...tools. Miniature brooms and dish scrubbers. Miniature rakes and mops and buckets to hold the sudsy water they'll need to clean the house top to bottom. Woodworking tools so that they can make things... Hey! Why didn't I know that Montessori was all about training up children to be industrious and tidy?

I kid. I knew. But still, why haven't I taken advantage of our local Montessori programs? Oh, yes. The $600 monthly tuition per child. But still!

Thank goodness I ended up on this resource list. I was especially taken with the kitchen goodies. I ordered a whole bunch of stuff to play with. After I placed my order, I got a call from the shipping gal who infomed me that they were located about a mile from my house, and did I want to come pick it up?

By ten o'clock that morning, we were punching out mini-sandwiches, slicing bananas and slicing veggies. And the kids are jazzed. Last night, we made tiny blueberry pies and they were amazing.

It is like one non-stop tea party around here. I'm finding the joy in being sous-chef to a four-year-old. I'm loving the rapture over a crinkle cut zucchini. Food is fun again.

I'm so ordering the mop and bucket next.