Breakfast

Breakfast has become a type of game show at our house. Not for the kids. For me. The goal is to eat breakfast in one sitting. I very rarely win.

Winter was easy. I made myself a bowl of oatmeal each day. Yummy, stays hot for a long time, doesn't get soggy, and I can eat it one-handed as I simultaneously feed the baby, open yogurt for Andrew, pour oj, etc etc.

But we have now moved into hot weather season. I hate being hot. It makes me irritable, short-tempered, and just unpleasant to be around. This doesn't work well with parenting, as my children often make me irritable, short-tempered, and just unpleasant to be around. I especially HATE being touched when I'm hot...don't you dare add your body heat to mine...which obviously doesn't work well with parenting.

So oatmeal is obviously out now. The last thing I need to do is gulp down something warm and raise my body temperature. The children may not survive the morning.

My favorite summer breakfast is Cheerios with fresh fruit. I actually enjoy this more than oatmeal...but trying to eat it in one sitting should be an Olympic sport. First, I wait until Andrew tells me he wants breakfast. If I try to eat before he wakes up, he will instinctively hear the splash as the milk hits the cereal and wake up instantly. Pouring the cereal does not activate children...it is the addition of milk. When it is just cereal in the bowl, the cereal can wait indefinitely for me to finish taking care of the children and sit down to eat. But with the milk...ah...the possibility of ruining the whole bowl is a distinct possibility. So anyway, I wait until Andrew asks for breakfast. Then I prepare his breakfast and mine at the same time. I rack my brain to think of every possible request he could have, "Open my yogurt" or "I need 2 spoons" or "I splashed milk...I need a towel" or "Juice! I must have juice!" or "I want to check the newspaper". I assemble the table. Now is crunch time. I must pour my milk quickly before Lily needs to eat, for I cannot manage baby cereal and milk on my spoon at the same time (she is in her exersaucer...of course). I must finish eating before Andrew does or else a whole new crop of issues will come up; "I have to go pee" or "Where is my red car" or "I need new pants". I make faces at Lily between bites to keep Lily occupied and distracted from her growling belly as I try and coax Andrew to stay and finish his meal.

Occasionally I make it through the entire bowl without having to get up. Lots of times I end up with a soggy mush. It's like an omen...reading tea leaves or whatever. If I get crunchy cereal, good day. Mushy...it's iffy.

If you think this sounds like a 3-ring circus, you should see dinner! The kids have 2 performers for that meal...and they keep us up and running!