Yesterday afternoon was a bad afternoon, very very bad. Hannah jumped off the school bus talking a mile a minute about the cupcake she had in class to celebrate a classmate's birthday. She was very excited about it which I understand. We do not bake cupcakes very often so they are truly a treat for her. She's 5. In her opinion a surprise cupcake in school = best day ever!
Within 2 minutes of getting off the bus she was already picking on her little brother - snatching his toy trucks away and then throwing them at him when told to give them back. You know it is a bad sign when a time out has been issued before we even make it through the front door!
All through the homework process Hannah fussed that she couldn't concentrate. The homework was just too hard, she couldn't do it, clearly I hate her for making her write the number 2 a couple of times. Oh, believe me when I tell you that my normally happy child was gone and no where to be found. After some questioning, Hannah told me that the cupcakes were very very colorful ("like rainbows").
Now I see the problem. Hannah and food coloring do not mix well. It isn't surprising since food coloring is a neurotoxin. Add it into a ball of sugar and wheat and pass it out in a party atmosphere and we have trouble. Big trouble. Put the kids to bed early and pour a glass of wine kind of trouble.
I don't know what I can do about this problem. I certainly don't want to label it as an allergy with the school and have Hannah singled out during special events. Honestly, it isn't the cupcake that bothers me. There is plenty of room in Hannah's 20% for a birthday cupcake. It is just the food coloring that bothers me. If the cupcakes had been left white we likely would have had a better evening.
I suppose there isn't anything I can do to avoid this. Hannah is bound to have a colorful cupcake again this year. All I can do is make sure we are stocked up on wine when I see a birthday coming up on her class calendar.
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