Upon opening the kit, however, I found that, unlike IKEAs other construction kits, this one didn't include any way to attach the walls and roof and chimney together. It also didn't include any decorations. JUST THE GINGERBREAD. IKEA fail.
I briefly considered just eating the gingerbread. Mmmm... Maybe just the chimney? It doesn't needs its chimney. Ahem.
By this point, however, I was determined that this was going to be the family Christmas bonding experience of 2012, so I went out for more ingredients and tried to figure out when the hell we would be able to put it together.
I note here, possibly echoing earlier sentiments, that candy canes are not available in the Netherlands. Certainly not the proper peppermint ones, anyway, and most definitely not before December 6th, when all the Sinterklaas stuff is instantly replaced with all things Christmas.
I mixed up a batch of icing and wrangled The Little Ninja into his space-egg-chair last Saturday afternoon. I started putting the walls together and realized two things: a. this was going to take all day and b. The Little Ninja wouldn't wait that long. He needed distraction. And, with a table covered with gingerbread, icing and decorations, distraction was easy to find. I slathered icing on one of the roof boards and gave TLN sprinkles and tiny marshmallows and things to put on the icing.
Haha. The Little Ninja is now just a bit past 21 months - still a fair ways from two. His comprehension of the task/interest in cooperating/idea of fun was not decorating the roof. As I should have expected, he was far more interested in just eating all the decorations. <sigh>
So while I struggled to hold the walls up while the icing was setting, The Little Ninja binged on sugar. Leaving a half-assembled house, an over-energetic toddler and a single roof-side covered in icing with smeared finger streaks rather than decorations. The walls reasonably stable, I moved on to the roof. Or, at least, I tried to. TLN was not having it. I was stealing his candy! And whoever said something was like stealing candy from a baby clearly had a younger child in mind. Tantrum! I quickly substituted the other roof panel and went on with my construction.
A second tantrum erupted when I needed to complete the roofing job. Come on kid; you know what a house looks like - you can see I'm building one and that it needs the roof! Why the hysterics? I did say that was for the roof and that I needed to take it away now! <sigh>
By this point The Recyclist is going on about what a great idea this was and that I should "NEVER DO IT AGAIN" while I roll my eyes and try to hold the roof together. The Recyclist starts making dinner because this whole project is taking way too long. Possibly because he isn't helping at all, just making negative comments.
The Little Ninja isn't particularly hungry for his nutricious dinner after all the goodies and The Recyclist berates me for that too. I continue to roll my eyes and think what a great time The Little Ninja was having and that if we don't follow The Recyclists orders to never do it again, it'll probably turn into one of those great traditions he remembers his whole life. You're only a kid once. It can't all be health and education. It should be fun too. Right?
Things I learned from this experience: Don't include The Recyclist - preferably do such crafts on Wednesdays when he is at work. Building a gingerbread house, even from a kit, is way harder than it looks. Maybe put the house together in advance, with thicker icing, and maybe some (temporary) supports. I should get more interesting stuff to put on the house, and maybe make some kind of scene for it.
Questions based on this experience: when do you smash it and eat it?!!! Do we have to wait until Christmas? I've never done this before! Maybe it would be a good tradition to destroy it either Christmas Eve or at New Year's... What do you think?
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