Because of our new money saving strategies (born out of desperation to hold onto what little we have) we have been forced to experiment a lot more with food budgets and food consumption....which has led to a HUGE change in our breakfast menu (as in branching out from large portions of cold cereal everyday...and sticking to the olden days breakfast of champions. Oatmeal...Oatmeal...and, you guessed it, more oatmeal.
The kids don't seem to mind, but I am thoroughly bored with it, which is actually quite ironic since when we did have cold cereal I CHOSE to eat oatmeal everyday (at least most days) and now that I am "FORCED" to eat it...I don't want to. Honestly!
Anyway... I've been trying to experiment and add a little variety to "the norm" some mornings, which has resulted in some pretty unsavory tantrum throwing. My kids do NOT like to try new things unless there are super human amounts of sugar involved.
This is what a typical conversation on "experiment morning" sounds like...
Them- "WHAT is THAT?"
Me--"insert food name here"
Them--"That's DISGUSTING", "That's not what I asked for." "I'M NOT GOING TO EAT IT!" "WAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Me--"Well...suit yourself...but this is what we are having"
Them--"I'D RATHER EAT NOTHING!"
Me--"Okay...well that is your choice."
Typically after rehashing this conversation over and over, I loose my patience and go off on my "There are starving children in Africa (which is the argument I heard when I was young) who have no food to eat...and you are NOT going to waste this and mock their suffering...you should be grateful for what you have" speech.
"Well...I'm still not going to eat it."
"That's your choice," I reply, "but you can not eat anything else until this is gone. PERIOD."
And I stick to it....I do.
Well...this morning was no exception. All I tried to do is add a little germade to the oatmeal. You would think I had taken away their birthdays with all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. HONESTLY!
The two oldest eventually relented, because they REALLY wanted some cinnamon butter toast (which I would only let them have AFTER they had emptied their bowls of whole grain goodness), but Mr. More Stubborn Than Them All (aka 4 year old Mini Rob) was not about to give in. Typical!
He held strong...all day long. Through snack time and even though lunch time...choosing to go take a nap instead of eating, though he was totally complaining of hunger.
I had to do something. As much as I want to stick my ground, the poor kid had not eaten all day and was getting grumpier by the second. So when he woke up from his nap I had two things to consider.
What could I offer him to entice him out of his stubborn stupor (I mean, the poor kid was starving)? and What could I do to make his experience more enjoyable (maybe heat up the now refrigerated mass of goo that was formerly recognizable as hot cereal)?
In answer to the first question...I decided to pull out the big guns.....HOT CHOCOLATE! Mini Rob's favorite!
and the second...I relented and heated up the cereal for him....yeah, I'm that nice.
Worked like a charm. No matter that it's 100 degrees outside right now....the mention of hot chocolate was too irresistible.
He scarfed down the now warm raisin filled goo and got his hand on some "Schocowate. I wuv schocowate."
I'm a genius...I know.
Although...maybe I should stop experimenting for a while....avoid the situation all together. Makes me all agitated from the day's get-go and it sure doesn't make them happy either. Lose-Lose kinda thing.
My mom suggested that I possibly make up weekly a breakfast menu and start changing it up a bit.
"Yeah....but that will take a lot of effort," I whined in a yeah-that's-a-good-idea-but-I-don't-wanna sort of way.
I just wanna be lazy...stay in my bed in the mornings while they pour themselves a bowl and chow down. Is that too much to ask? sigh....
If I were rich I would spend all of my money on cold cereal and milk dispensers for my kitchen and a never ending supply of food to fill them. Yeah...it means that much to me.
Although...now that I think of it, if I were rich I would probably send lots of money over to Africa for those poor starving children. That would be the more Christlike thing to do, right?
Maybe I could do both..........when I'm rich someday, of course. Hmmmmm....
P.S. Don't tell my kids...but about the germade/oatmeal...I had to gag it down myself.....blegh!
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