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Dinah displays one of Mommy's creations, thanks to the ideas at the Play-Doh site. Oh, well. There are always the cookie cutters.

Cartoonish, but functional

Please note subtle marbled effect in the cookie chips. You, too, can achieve this effect with minimal effort.

Even as a small child, I suffered from a complete lack of Play-Doh creativity. I would sit there, sniffing glorious new vats of Play-Doh, desperately trying to think of something to make other than an egg, a snake or a pancake.

I remember watching my grandmother, my Abuelita, as she made Play-Doh eggs for me. I liked to hear her bracelets jangle as she'd roll perfectly-shaped eggs with her lovely, strong hands.

And then I married and had children with a man who can make literally anything out of Play-Doh. We take small containers of Play-Doh to the doctor's office, and my three-and-a-half year old daughters make requests while we wait, like "bird" or "train" or "duck" or "airplane." Anything they ask for, he can make.

It's humiliating.

When my daughters make the same requests of me, I can only smile sheepishly and offer to make them an egg. Or a snake. Or a pancake. They sit there, looking perplexed as I explain that they are lucky to have a father who can respond to their Play-Doh requests so easily but that their momma is good at other things, not Play-Doh. They always appear unconvinced.

One day, though, I decided to take matters into my own Play-Doh-incapable hands. Before going home from work one day, I went to the Play-Doh website. There, I was thrilled to find the Fresh Ideas Gallery.

The gallery has an assortment of Play-Doh figures in three levels of difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. There are so many things to make, and they really are pretty simple. Print out the pictures on a color printer and use them like a Play-Doh menu.

My daughters love to pick out things for me to make. I have vindicated myself in their skeptical eyes and am becoming pretty accomplished at making pumpkins, birthday cakes, baskets, little animals, all sorts of things.

Now I am a Play-Doh pro, although I am useless without my little guide. However, my ability (or lack thereof) with Duplo and Lego blocks is a story for another day.