Meals Can Be "Traditions"

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As a mother, I have always been a sucker for rituals or routines or traditions. Some of them I copy from my childhood or a book I have read or an idea shared by another mom. I have two "meal" traditions that I have done with my kids since they were babies. The first is Valentines Day! I love this day and it's always so much fun with my kids. Every Valentine's day morning, I wake up and make pancakes. I dye the batter red...cook them up and cut-out hearts. I also throw in a couple of handfuls of chocolate chips to make it even more sweeter. My kids always know they are coming and look forward to that "special" morning.


Just writing this post, I have quite a few. But, another "meal" tradition, I do are birthdays. The only thing is that I throw out the "meal" and replace it with dessert. The morning of my kid's birthdays I whip up an extra special cupcake on the birthday plate and they eat that! I know it's full of sugar and icing but my kids love it! Nothing like starting your special day with something "sweet".

I have also been known to dye the eggs "green" on St. Patrick's Day. Cinnamon rolls served the morning of our family Christmas or a big breakfast the FIRST day of school. Making "meal" time special and unique is another way to tell your family you love them!

What special traditions or meals does your family have?

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Check out Love Your Cereal...click here.

“Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.”

"Bowl of Goodness"

Congrats to Jennifer...this week's winner!

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Great things can come in small packages! A few that come to mind are diamond earrings...oops...we are talking breakfast! I think a small and simple bowl of cereal is packed with so many great things. Cereal has a lot of nutrition and vitamins that helps my kids grow healthy and strong. What is wonderful about cereal is that you can put so many wonderful and healthy things with it. Of course, the natural thing to do is to add cold milk to cereal which is packed with vitamin D and helps the bones to grow.

But, we love to cut up fruit like bananas or strawberries and add it to our bowl of cereal. Sometimes, we take vanilla yogurt and put our cereal on top. That is another way to add variety to your bowl of cereal. We also are big "grit" eaters. I am a true northerner but my husband is from the south. I think our kids have his southern taste buds. They all love a warm,buttery bowl of grits in the morning. This is another meal in the morning where you can add fruit to the bowl.

Breakfast doesn't have to be "BIG" or four courses. A simple bowl of cereal or grits can make any breakfast nutritious and filling.

What is your favorite breakfast food in a "bowl"?

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For a second entry, you can:
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· Sweepstakes ends 5 PM EST on October 25, 2010.

{Official Kellogg's Sweepstakes Rules are here!}
*********************


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Go Here.


Check out Love Your Cereal...click here.

“Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.”

Making Breakfast Special...

This is sponsored content by Blogher and Kelloggs.
Congrats to Susan-this week's winner!

I try to have "variety" in my breakfast menu. However, I know that one breakfast food that my kids will eat is cereal. Honestly, it is also a go-to even for dinner! My kids are big cereal eaters and usually I don't hear any grumbling when pouring the cereal. My kids do love a variety of cereal...they each have their favorites. I really believe that my kids should eat what they are served especially for dinner. But, I am a bit of a "softy" for breakfast and try to have different choices for the kids. It makes the mornings a little more easier and smoother.


Another favorite "secret" around here is cinnamon-sugar shaker... We use it on bagels, pancakes, toast and even our oatmeal. I have to be careful that my kids don't use to much. But, it somehow makes everything a little sweeter and nicer plus my kids love to shake it! I try to balance out the cinnamon -sugar shaker with taking their vitamins each day.
I guess that is how I mentally "justify" the "shaker"! smile....

What is your "secret" to a great breakfast?

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Check out Love Your Cereal...click here.

“Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.”

Dealing with the Morning Rush

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

Plan, plan, plan and a little more planning. This school year, our mornings have been more rushed and out of sorts with three kids going to school. I have a couple of kids who are as slow as molasses and no matter what time I wake them up they are down at the table the same time! So as a mom, I have to plan and get as much as I can ready the night before. This really helps a lot and makes the mornings go smoother.

My nightly routine is...

* Lay out all their clothes (from undies to pants)
* Make lunches. I even fill their water thermos and put it in the frig the night before.
* Lay out bowls, spoons and cereal on the table.
* Make sure all binders, papers and backpacks are ready. Sometimes we even put them in the car the night before!
* I even lay out their vitamins on the table.



I have been known to put toothpaste on the toothbrushes the night before BUT my kids were not to fond of that! The point of all this, is that anything that can be done the night before makes our mornings better. I have talked before that I make a breakfast schedule. Cereal is the perfect and easy breakfast in our house. I know eating healthy cereal with piece of fruit will hold my kids till lunch. I usually have about 2 to 3 types of cereal for my kids to pick from. Also, cereal is a great breakfast because the kids can clean up and put their bowls in the dishwasher. It is perfect for those mornings that you feel rushed!

We also put our cereal in bags and eat in the car when we are running late~

How does your family avoid the "morning rush"?

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Check out Love Your Cereal...click here.

“Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.”

Making Breakfast "FuN" on the weekends

Congrats to Loui---this week's winner!

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

Our weekend mornings are a bit different around here. I guess you could say that we break the "rules" of healthy eating and pull out the donuts. We love to go to our local donut man down the street. He is only open in the morning and has a large variety of pastries and donuts. My kids love to pick the ones with all the icing and the ones with the most sprinkles! It 's a bit of a tradition and it makes our weekend mornings a bit different from the "week".

Of course, after leaving the donut man's shop, I have to make a quick stop to get a hot latte and usually vanilla milk for the kids.

Saturday mornings= Lattes for me!

We have also been known around here to throw in some chocolate chips in the pancakes on weekends and make funny faces with the batter on the grill(sprinkles make pancakes special too!). All these special little treats make our weekend mornings fun and different.

But, if I had my way every weekend, I would go out for breakfast. It's one of my favorite meals to eat out. We do not do it very often unless we have a soccer game or something special but it's always a delight when we do! I just love anyone's coffee but mine. My coffee that I make at home just isn't the same "out"....I feel that way about pancakes too!

What is something different you do on the weekends with your family?

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Check out Love Your Cereal...click here.

“Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.”

Starting my morning on a positive note...

Congrats To April-this week's winner!

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

How I start my day is important...I would say I start it off with a diet Mountain Dew, however, I have gone cold turkey. No more "dew" for me! So my next "start" is grabbing a cup of ice tea or coffee! This is just a personal "starter" after that alarm rings.

I know that if things are orderly and planned out that my mornings go much smoother!

Even those nights that I am so tired...I get "ready" what I can for the morning. So then I can give more attention to my kid's breakfast. Even those days that we have cereal or toast, it is important to me that I include fruit or another healthy side with protein and vitamins.

I would love to say that I always serve a "healthy" breakfast but that just isn't so but planning ahead gives me a much better success rate than no planning at all. I try hard not to fall into the "Mommy guilt" but when my kids are short "changed" on breakfast I feel bad. So I try to get up at least 20 minutes before them to get myself ready and then able to "attack" the day with my kids starting at the breakfast table.

How do you start your day on "positive" note?

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{Official Kellogg's Sweepstakes Rules are here!}
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Go Here.


Check out Love Your Cereal...click here.

“Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.”

Reading, Writing and Up "EARLY"!

Congrats to Leah...this week's winner!

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.

It has taken me these three weeks to get back into the {groove} of school. Now, I have 3 kids to get ready and I am feeling a bit "lop sided". I do believe organization is the "key" to a peaceful and productive morning.

I make my kids lunches the night before (except sandwiches). The backpacks are packed, the uniforms are layed out and even the shoes are out in the garage at night. I am a HUGE {schedule} person...if it can be scheduled I do it! I even have a schedule for each day of the week and breakfast meals! It keeps me on task and lessens the complaining b/c the kids know what each day is!

Monday- Waffles
Tuesday- Cereal
Wednesday- Grits
Thursday- Cereal
Friday- Your choice (usually it's cereal!) or Eggs

I also get my kids up about 15-20 minutes than I really need to ! It gives them the time if they are "moving" slowly that morning. Or to go over any school work and review for a quiz, they may have for that day.

Mornings are the "start" of the day for everyone. When we are rushed or not ready, it affects everyone....even me!

What breakfast "items" would we find on your table?

Simply leave a comment here and you will be entered to win $100.00 on my blog.


You may have another entry by...
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{Official Kellogg's Sweepstakes Rules are here!}
*********************


Check out other blogger's review pages- 24 chances to win $100.00!
Go Here.


Check out Love Your Cereal...click here.

“Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.”