One more on gingerbread, yes?
This year, for the first time, I made a gingerbread house with my kids. In my dreams, I imagined making the gingerbread house from scratch. But when I looked into the details of this, I quickly realized that this is a serious endeavour, and it never happened.
The only gingerbread house-making they’ve had was at their grandmother’s house. She considerately asked first, knowing that I watch how much sugar is eaten around here, and seemed almost a bit surprised when I said yes. But I thought it could be a fun tradition and wanted the boys to have time with their grandmother too.
The other day, my boys saw a gingerbread train kit in the store and asked to make it. Again, I thought it would be fun, and knew I wasn’t going to make one from scratch, and I said yes. I envisioned making it, looking at it for awhile, breaking it and eating a piece, and saying goodbye to the rest.
It kind of happened like that. We made it, and the boys each were allowed a piece of candy or two while making it. They asked to sprinkle sugar all over it to make snow, so we took a cup of sugar and did that. I put it on the counter and we looked at it.
But then my husband complained that there was sugar on the floor, and that he thought the kids, including the baby (with the aid of a step-stool) were picking at the sugar of the train.
I moved it to the mantle.
But then my husband found our middle son up there, with the aid of the step-stool. Our kids have had a run of illness in the past week or two, and my husband said he thought it was because of the sugar (known to depress immune systems).
I walked to the mantle and looked at our little train. The sugar snow had been dipped into, and some pieces of candy had been taken off the train and eaten. This surprised me, as the older boys know not to eat candy like that. My guess is that my older one can look at it and wait to get a piece, but that for my four year old, it’s too much temptation.
I picked up that train, complete but for the missing candies, and threw it out.
Interestingly, my kids are unperturbed by the loss. My oldest was upset for a moment, as he hadn’t eaten any. But I explained the trouble, said that he can still have some if he ends up making something with his grandmother. And that was it.
And then I came across this, a video message by a doctor about the misleading information and the food industry. I didn’t think there was any nutritional value in that gingerbread house, but thought this message was worth sharing all the same. What do you think?
4 Mothers 
YOU GO GIRL!! That was one hell of an eye-opening talk. THE LIES!! Good for you for throwing away the gingerbread. Good for Ben for risking the bah-humbugs and suggesting it.
It felt dramatic when I trashed it, but I’m so glad I did it!
so true…. when I started with bodybuilding, I also started to learn A LOT about food and nutrition. It is really sad what the commercials make people think… very very misleading! no wonder people think they eat healthy but in reality, they don’t! no wonder people don’t loose weight when they think they should be! but people sadly just don’t know enough about food and ingredients and such.
It’s just a reminder that you really cannot believe anything in the ads.
Thank you for sharing that eye-opener of a lecture.
Wasn’t the DHA stuff shocking?
Thank you for sharing this. I did suggest to my husband that we get the gingerbread bread house for Christmas, to start a tradition of sorts.. we’re not really gonna ate it as my toddler really haven’t tasted chocolates or any sugary products but now after reading and watching, I have changed my mind. Will not start doing the GBH at all, tradition or not.
I love the idea of it, the tradition, but it wasn’t worth it for us. If your toddler doesn’t have a taste of sugar yet, he might not even recognize the gingerbread house as food, but eventually he would… Sounds like we’ll have to choose from some other traditions!