If you're anything like me, you often feel tempted to deny your children the sweet treats of summer, like popsicles and ice cream, simply because you cannot even with the mess. The melting, dripping, slobbery mess that resides from your kid's nose all the way down to mid-belly – on a good day – and almost certainly gets crusted into his or her hair. Yeah, have a cookie instead, you sicko.
Perhaps you've tried some of the sworn-by popsicle hacks floating around the internet? Use a cupcake liner, they said. Cut a slit in a paper plate and thread the popsicle, it'll be so neat and tidy, they said. Not my kids. They ripped off those tried-and-true hacks in the time it takes you to mutter, "you little asshole," and the popsicle mucus flowed anew. For a while, I tried only allowing my kids to eat popsicles outdoors. Easier on the house, sure, but still resulted in epic kid stickiness. But please, mamas, allow me to introduce you to my newest method: