Forget the wine! A Mouse Picnic

Why give a mouse a cookie when you can give him a wide range of fine cheeses and dark chocolate? Wanting to do a cheese-tasting with the girls, I headed to Trader Joe's to pick up a variety of gourmet cheeses (could I help it if the dark chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds jumped into my cart too?). When we got home, I set up our own mouse picnic! (Yes, indoors. 98 degrees is not ideal for cheese tasting.)

I cubed and labeled each cheese for the girls to try. At first they were a little unsure.

E  disliked the smoked gouda announcing it tasted like beef, and the mozzarella was too "watery-tasting" for her. A unfortunately tried the English cheddar and smoked gouda first, which I'm afraid will turn her off from cheese for life. At last, however, the girls found items more to their liking.

E loved the Panquehue and the Havarti, while A discovered the joy of chocolate-covered pretzel chips.

And they both loved doing something special with each other!

Mouse Mess by Linnea Asplind Riley

A enjoyed this book about a messy little mouse who feasts while the family is asleep. The illustrations are bold and bright with dark, contrasting backgrounds. In the story, the mouse moves through the kitchen devouring a wide array of delectables. As morning approaches, he cleans himself up in a tea cup and heads to his cozy bed, leaving a huge mess for the family to discover upon waking. It's simple. It's cute. And your toddler or preschooler will probably love it.


I'm linking up to:
- ABC and 123's Show and Tell