The Car-Eating Monster Under the Refrigerator

I spent a good amount of time this morning trying to find something thin enough and long enough to get a small matchbox car out from underneath the fridge. Who thought to make the space under there large enough for a toy car to go under there, and who didn't see that the car was small enough to fit? I have to say that there certainly was not a person with a toddler in mind when either of those things were designed. As well, there are few tools (except a yardstick, which I could not find) that are thin enough to fit under the refrigerator. Here's a list of the things I pulled out from under there:

• A dust bunny who could have been a small cat
  
• 3 marshmallows, now turned to stone
  
• A spoon
  
• A magnet
  
• A dime
  

After a while and the creative use of a swiffer duster and flashlight, the car came out too. Unfortunately Emma thought the flashlight was WAAAAAAY more interesting then that car had ever been, despite the earlier separation anxiety that occurred the minute the car disappeared.

Well after that I needed cookies, so I finished making the Christmas cookies. I know full well that Christmas cookies are intended to be made before Christmas, which we did. My mom came down one day and we rolled out cookies and used cookie cutters and sprinkles with Emma'[s help. After 2 1/2 hours we had only made 10 cookies and everyone, including Ernie, was covered in flour and sprinkles (you can see Ernie's hands sticking out from behind Emma in the picture). It was a blast, but we did not use up all of the dough before I surrendered and had to clean up the floor, the counter, the doors on the cabinets, the stool, the toddler, her favorite doll, myself and my mom. So I figured it should not go to waste. Amazingly enough, cookies went a lot faster (and neater) without Emma's help. She still enjoyed eating the warm sugar cookies when they came out. Now I just need to get as creative about dinner.