We are sometimes in the position of creating celebrations just because, well, we want to! Celebrations aren’t always about birthdays and other milestone events. Sometimes they can be about the ordinary. I love to read, and having been a former elementary school teacher (among other things!), I’ll do almost anything to help children connect with books . . . and baking is a good “hook.”

I decided to celebrate Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar with little batter balls, fingerplay, and decorations that would lead to feasting on words and treats. I adapted this idea from the Bakerella website after my daughter received a copy of Bakerella’s Cake Pops as an autographed birthday gift and introduced me to her website at http://www.bakerella.com/. We initially spent about an hour pouring over the delicious pictures of colorful, clever miniature desserts that made us want to lick them right off the page!

This recipe requires no cooking beyond the initial preparation of the cake, and the results are amazing! Basically, prepare and cook a boxed cake mix according to directions. After it cools, crumble it with your fingers into a large mixing bowl. Then, mix a can of prepared frosting into it until you can work the crumb mixture into little, round balls with your hands. Children can form their tiny creatures following the written recipe (or your oral) directions using their fingers or miniature cookie cutters to shape them. Use three or four of these balls to form the head and body of the caterpillar. Decorate the head with antennae made from pretzels. Add miniature feet made from pretzels or short pieces of string licorice and top the head with “jelly belly” eyes. Help yourselves to a few bites of a miniature caterpillar made from cake pops, and then bite into this classic book!

Yes, we’re sometimes in charge of celebrations . . . that signify quality time together enjoying things that matter, in this case, family, reading, and eating! This reminds me Byrd Baylor’s I’m in Charge of Celebrations, in which she proclaims:

Last year
I gave myself
one hundred and eight
celebrations—
besides the ones they close school for.

Baylor celebrated dust devils, shooting stars, and sunsets.  I celebrated a book with a child and a treat. So, how have you celebrated lately?

 I’ve often used books to help address events that life unexpectedly throws our way (or, in this case, leaves on our doorstep!). For instance, when our children were playing in the backyard, they found a beautiful gray bird, totally intact and looking like it was simply taking a peaceful nap. It apparently had fallen from the sky in the throes of some kind of sudden-death bird heart attack, where our dog Shasta retrieved it and left it for us as a present without ruffling even one feather or leaving a mark of any kind on it. Immediately, five-year old Kelly ran inside to the bookcase, grabbed The Dead Bird (by Margaret Wise Brown of Good Night Moon fame), and demanded that I read it to them because there was a dead bird, Mommy! on the doorstep.

Well, I did read it to them, and when I finished it (don’t ask me why, or judge us!), we all burst into uncontained laughter (yes, probably inappropriate but timely). Although that book had only recently arrived at our home in a “A Bag for a Buck” from The Friends of the Library book sale and we had barely glanced at it prior to that event, it helped us through this mini-crisis as Kelly was convinced it would.

Decades have passed. Last week, I bought Teeth Are Not for Biting (by Elizabeth Verdick) for my grand-daughter, Ellie (age 2) who had pretty much been an angel until she suddenly bit her sister, twice! Of course, her mother talked to her in between bites, but we now have reinforcements with the rescue book for the no-biting regime. Written for toddlers, it’s informative with its brightly colored illustrations, clever descriptions of the functions of teeth, and clear instructions about chewing food slowly and using words instead of teeth! The publisher also carries other books that deal with socio-emotional issues (with some books for parents and professionals). Check this out: Free Spirit Publishing as http://www.freespirit.com/.

 I know there are many of you who have also reached for books along with band-aids. Which ones would you recommend for life’s little troubles?

My oldest daughter, Pam, writes for her own website called Single Mom Smarts. She recently started a column for single moms at  The Orange County Register. This week she wrote a pleading letter to the Binky Fairy. I’m glad she’s working with her girls to quit the pacifier, since it’s an issue when they visit me, too! Read her story.

We grannies wear our name proudly. I’ve gathered up a team of expert grannies to offer insight on a lot of different issues. Some us bake cookies and knit, and some of us don’t. We are all different and that’s what makes us great.

Stay tuned for more.