Recipe for a Perfect Family

Ingredients

-2 1/4 cups of love

-1 teaspoon kindness

-1 cup of happiness

-3/4 cup of hugs

-3/4 cup of smiles

-1 teaspoon of playtime

-2 large pieces of goodness

-2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Combine love and kindness in small bowl. Mix happiness, hugs, smiles, and playtime in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add pieces of goodness, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually mix in love and kindness to mixture, and stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for nine to eleven minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for two minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely, then enjoy your PERFECT FAMILY!

He waited long enough after he had brushed his teeth and laid down that his Mom and Dad thought he was asleep, then hopped out of bed to begin his project. He had a box full of crayons and pencils, along with a glue stick and safety scissors. Eddie copied the list of ingredients from the back to the bag that had chocolate chip cookies that he found in the kitchen cabinet He carefully added the new ingredients for the perfect family on construction paper with his colored pencils. Eddie wanted to get it just right. He drew a picture of him between his Mom and Dad. They were all standing outside of the house and smiling. Eddie picked up another pencil, a brown one, so he could finish drawing his Mom’s hair. He wasn’t supposed to be up this late but he wanted to surprise his Mom and Dad and have it ready for them in the morning. He had thought of it on the way back from school. His class had made their own Valentine’s day cards earlier in the year, and that’s how he learned to make the special card he was working on tonight. Eddie thought it would help. He finished coloring his Mom’s hair, and then checked the spelling on his card. He wanted to get everything right. Eddie put away his colored pencils and his scissors and crept into the hallway. He only opened his door halfway because he knew it would squeak if he opened it all the way, and he wanted to surprise his Mom and Dad. He wanted to leave it on the kitchen table so his Mom and Dad could find it in the morning. Eddie only got about halfway down the hallway before his Mom and Dad talking. They were mad. Again. Usually they started out just talking, even when they were mad, but Eddie knew they would get louder. They would sometimes wake him up when they got so loud, especially when Mom starting breaking something or when Dad hit Mom. He would pretend to be asleep when Mom would peek into his room after they were really loud, but he heard every word. Eddie turned around quietly and snuck back into his room. He didn’t want to hear what they were saying, so he made up a game that he could think about instead of listening. Eddie took his scissors and cut up the recipe, concentrating very hard on the sound of the scissors as they cut his card into tiny, tiny pieces.