Report Card

One of the more awful sights of my day is the state of the kitchen after the children leave for school. A couple of months back I blithely announced my plan of cooking breakfast and having lovely family time around the table in the morning. Ho ho ho. You'd think I might be a little more self-aware so far into my life, but no. Anyway, needless to say, breakfast is not being cheerfully prepared by this domestic goddess each dawn. The two smallest children still glare at me sullenly from the other side of the breakfast bar while I slap sandwiches together, and about two minutes before they are due out the door, they finally decide to drag themselves to the cupboard and fridge, sigh, and choose the most peculiar combination of food they can see to prove that there really is 'nothing to eat' and it's all my fault.

This morning Rosy ate apple and rhubarb crumble and cream (see, nothing at all to eat), and Posy had chocolate milk, crackers and cheese. Yesterday Rosy had juice and ham, and Posy had pineapple chunks. It's amazing how far a tin of pineapple chunks can spread across a kitchen..

Still, I've added all those hypothetical breakfast menus to our dessert list. Dessert around here is weekends only, and pancakes and waffles are high up there on the list for the days I don't turn the oven on. Because, alas, another confession: I have fallen off the 'saving electricity' bandwagon. This quarter we have used fan heaters endlessly for drying paint, The Man put heaters in the children's bedrooms, and of course they turn them on to get dressed, then forget to turn them off again, we still all use hot showers as therapy, and we've gone back to our bad habit of turning the oven on for a batch of cupcakes. Then, I got the bill, and, miracle of miracles, we had still used five percent less than the same time last year. I can only imagine that all the energy saving features we built in with the renovation are actually working, and offsetting our other terrible habits. It has inspired me to get back onto the wagon again, and return to my nagging ways, because just think of the savings we can make if we actually try...

So, to sum up: cooking breakfast: fail, saving electricity: could do better. Mean mummy: go to the top of the class. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
I believe children should only be given a cooked breakfast as a treat. They appreciate it all the more. About once a month I will give my darlings hash browns or pancakes or eggs. They light up with delight and thanks. Well, that's my reasoning. I prefer to ignore the alternative reasoning posited by my husband: that I am an unsocial harradine in the morning!
Jo said…
I am NOT a morning person, and neither are the children. We are an awful combination before school. I thought we all might be nicer if I cooked breakfast, but alas, it looks as though we will never find that out...
My children eat cold cereal for breakfast and seem to like it just fine. On very special occasions I'll whip up some french toast, but really, it's not worth it. Nice idea, though ...

frances

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