Simplify Your Mornings: Breakfast Rotation
Child #1: "But I don't want oatmeal! I want cereal!"
Child # 2: "But IIIIII want oatmeal! With sugar!"
Child # 3: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
And so went our breakfast time, day after day after day. Each person wanted his favorite thing for breakfast, and he wanted it day after day after day. And this Mama, being a rather uptight kind of sort, wasn't really into the "short-order cook" gig, nor did she want her kids to miss out on the nutritional excellence in say, a bowl of grits.
So I came up with a plan--a weekly menu that looks like this:
Child # 2: "But IIIIII want oatmeal! With sugar!"
Child # 3: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
And so went our breakfast time, day after day after day. Each person wanted his favorite thing for breakfast, and he wanted it day after day after day. And this Mama, being a rather uptight kind of sort, wasn't really into the "short-order cook" gig, nor did she want her kids to miss out on the nutritional excellence in say, a bowl of grits.
So I came up with a plan--a weekly menu that looks like this:
Weekly Breakfast MenuSunday - Scrambled eggs and fruit
Monday - Oatmeal
Tuesday - Hard-boiled eggs and fruit
Wednesday - Grits
Thursday - Cereal
Friday - Cereal
Saturday - Waffles or pancakes
And I posted it on the refrigerator for everyone to see. Course, one can't read, and another has no concept of what day of the week it is, but that's beside the point. I've got a seven-year-old Rule Nazi, and he makes sure this menu is The Law. There is no varying from The Menu.
It took the troops a few weeks to get with the program, but since then, our breakfasts have been complete and utter bliss.
Oh, I dream.
But really, it has added a measure of order and calmness to the morning, where at one time fighting was the norm.
Now my kids just fight over something else.
For more ideas about organizing your morning, head over to the 8 Ways to a More Organized Homeschool carnival.
12 comments:
I find menu planning works really well in our house!
So simple and smart. Thanks!
so smart. i like that you call it "the breakfast law" -- it sounds so official and i bet that works!
Great idea! Love the idea that the law cannot be broken. Thanks for stopping by and commeting on my blog!
I really like this. I only have one who is old enough to complain, but oh, it gets old. Thanks!
I've been thinking about doing this for lunch. That's when I get the most complaints and it's closest to naptime, so they're whiny complaints!
I came over through the giveaway, but had so much fun that I stuck around for a while :) I'll be back!
Sounds good. I'll be over on Sunday. :-)
Thanks for contributing this post to this week’s Carnival of Family Life, hosted at A Child Chosen. The Carnival will be live on Monday, February 5, 2008, so I hope you and your readers will stop by and check out all of the fabulous entries included this week!
Great idea! We need "the Breakfast Law!"
We have a menu too, and 3 of my kids make a breakfast meal once a week. I don't remember when we started this but it has been wonderful!! I highly encourage everyone to get your littles making breakfast (bagels, cereal, scrambled eggs, froz.sausage are all good ideas)
What a great idea! Though I'm still struggling to find ANY kind of food my almost-2-year-old will eat for breakfast - I do like the idea of having it up there for everyone to see, with their favorites included...
Thanks for the breakfast idea, and thanks for visiting my blog.
We are blessed to have both bio & adopted children.
Jamie
when you get to 7, "breakfast is oatmeal. Period." Your choice is honey or sucanat.
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