What's your breakfast ritual like?

[DarcyB]

Do you do chores while the kids eat? Do you allow them morning TV while eating? Do you sit with them and chat...or read? Share what your morning meal ritual is.

[unsinkable]

Pour Dr. Pepper in glass.

 

Open box of PopTarts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:lol:

[Mom22ns]

I fix breakfast, we all eat. No TV, or anything else. The kids get dressed and I do chores while cooking if there is time. The kids usually have muffins, cereal or waffles. I eat oatmeal or cereal. Once its all fixed and on the table, we eat and chat then head to school.

[Jen in PA]

DH and I are usually up and have eaten before the kids even wake up. I make the kids something (one likes hot breakfasts, the other is a toast and cereal type) and they watch a few minutes of pbs if they are up early enough for the school-age shows to be on, or put in a video if they have slept until the preschool shows have started. On Sunday mornings I usually do the big breakfast with the entire family.

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

We don't do Dr Pepper and pop tarts :D, but I have a variety of easy fixin's on hand.

 

Cereal, fruit, toast, oatmeal, yogurt, scrambled eggs.

 

My youngest is 13, so everyone makes thier own breakfast when they want to eat. Breakfast is NOT a 'family meal' at my house!

[Daisy]

The kids make their own breakfast (soaked oatmeal, pancakes, eggs/toast, whatever). Oh, and they usually read while they eat.

 

I'm usually sitting right here with a cup of hot tea wondering how I ever forced myself out of bed because it is still dark and I'm still sleepy & slightly grouchy.

 

Our first meal together is our tea break at about 10:30am. That's when we read together, chit-chat, etc.

[Parrothead]

Depends on who is home. Something is usually cooked if dh is home for breakfast. If he isn't dd and I have simple breakfast - toast, eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, frozen waffles, etc.

[Garga]

Funny you should ask today.

 

I'm sick today. DH stayed home to care for the kids. After an hour of cooking pancakes, making toast, pouring drinks, and serving yogurt to everyone, one of the kids wanted another piece of toast.

 

Dh said, "I've been 'doing breakfast' for an hour! The kitchen is closed!" It was one of those, "Welcome to my world" moments. I often complain to dh about how much WORK it is getting breakfast ready for everyone. With my picky kids, breakfast is the one meal where I get healthy food into the kids w/o it being a fight. I'll give them TONS of food at breakfast, because I know the rest of the day they'll fight me on all their food choices.

 

 

Our normal routine, when DH isn't home:

They get their own yogurt, I make pancakes and pour milk, they get their own toast, they watch cartoons while they eat, I read WTM boards while I eat, I shower while they finish eating.

[Gwenhwyfar]

ritual? hmmmm.

 

dh gets up between 3:15-3:30am to get ready for work. drinks his breakfast (coffee) and leaves...

 

i get sometime after him...sometimes with him...whatever... veg out in front of my laptop & have coffee and ____ this morning it was caramel coffee and 2 strawberry poptarts. nom nom nom. :D

 

ds12 is usually awake & up by 9ish lately and generally wants supper leftovers for breakfast, especially if it was something he loved the night before.

 

dd13 doesn't believe in mornings much these days. :p

[AK_Mom4]

At 5:30am, I make breakfast for DS14 and then shoo him off to the shower since he has to be out the door by 6:20 for Jazz Band

 

At 6:30am, I eat breakfast and chat with DH for a bit before he leaves for work.

 

At 7am, I make DD16's breakfast and shoo her out the door for school (she eats on the way).

 

Somewhere between 8 and 9, DD9 wanders in. I get her meds and breakfast going and she gets to watch cartoons while she eats.

[anneofalamo]

I am up at 5ish! So I do all the computer stuff(scrap catch up) and alarms go off at 7 all over the house and the house really wakes up!

 

I turn up the radio in the dining room, my boys have a thumping stereo, and it gets jammed up on high volume, the girls have their little boom box thumping and they come out....hugs and snuggles

 

Then they all do their own breakfasts, sometimes one will cook for the others. They have til 7:30 to make and eat it! We have a couple dawdlers, that will still be there at 9, if I let them!!

I usually sit at my computer (it is in the dining room) and file the last emails, I have and we discuss the news as it comes on the radio (Christian radio station), what's for dinner, plans for the days, and things that might have happened since they went to bed! lol

 

They have morning chores and routines that have to be done, and then they are outside, waving to their friends as they go to school! I really think they love that part!! A couple of the friends come out and play basketball with them before they leave!

 

8am....we begin the day

 

craaaaaa----aack the whip!!

 

I eat on their first break! My tummy is not up for food for almost 5 hours or so it needs to soak the caffeine:tongue_smilie: from my cauldron of coffee first!!

[unsinkable]

At 5:30am, I make breakfast for DS14 and then shoo him off to the shower since he has to be out the door by 6:20 for Jazz Band

 

At 6:30am, I eat breakfast and chat with DH for a bit before he leaves for work.

 

At 7am, I make DD16's breakfast and shoo her out the door for school (she eats on the way).

 

Somewhere between 8 and 9, DD9 wanders in. I get her meds and breakfast going and she gets to watch cartoons while she eats.

 

My DS started trombone last year and hopes to work his way onto the Jazz band by senior year. They practice for 3 hours one night a week (7 PM to 10 PM, I think?) Wait 'til I tell him about the early morning your DS has! They have Concert Band during the school day, every day. Jazz Band is extra.

 

ETA: Congrats to you and your son at the AFA!!!

[Guest CarolineUK]

I get up at 0740 and make breakfast for DS11 who goes out to school at 0830. DH has already had breakfast and leaves for work sometime during DS11's breakfast.

 

DS9, DS6 and DS3 are usually asleep at this time and after DH and DS11 have left I have about half an hour to myself before the others wake up.

 

DS9 then reads for half an hour or so in bed while I crawl back into bed with DS6 and DS3 and have DS6 read to me for about 20 minutes.

 

DS6 and DS3 then get up, get dressed and have breakfast, and as they finish DS9 arrives for breakfast. After DS9 has finished I finally find that my stomach has woken up and have a bowl of muesli.

 

So altogether breakfast lasts a long time in this house, but I find that it's all efficient; I spend any spare time in the kitchen organising drinks for the rest of the day or starting preparations for lunch or evening meal. It's what works for us, despite seeming rather drawn out. We then go on to school work at 1030 until 1330, then do school for another couple of hours after lunch.

 

ETA: No TV at all in our house until evening.

Edited October 25, 2010 by CarolineUK

[misscometa]

I have breakfast by myself, a good cup of "cafe con leche" :) then, get my husband for breakfast, talk a little bit. Wake up the rugrats :tongue_smilie: they have breakfast, NO TV for ds who's HS, only for my 3 year old. DS starts school, DH is off to work, I am off to the Treadmill...

[MamaAkins]

I try to be up, showered and dressed before my kids are up for the day. Once they wake up, I get them dressed. They make their beds before coming down for breakfast (usually something quick and easy like cereal, waffles, frozen pancakes, fruit, yogurt). While they eat, I get all of our school stuff out and ready (we use our kitchen table for school, so I have to pack stuff up each day). After breakfast, they clean their spots, put dishes in dishwasher and go upstairs to brush their teeth and hair. I usually start a load of laundry at that time and then we start school by 8:30-9-ish. Edited to add: I'm not a big breakfast-person myself, so I usually grab something while I'm getting the school stuff out or else I wait and eat when the kids have morning snack (around 10:45). Also, we don't turn the tv on in the morning--sometimes my littlest one will watch an educational video while the others are doing school, but otherwise the tv stays off until after our school day is completely over.

Edited October 25, 2010 by MamaAkins

[OnTheBrink]

Awake by about 8am, grab my iPhone from beside my bed and read my daily scripture reading and pray. Drag myself to the kitchen to make coffee and heat up turkey sausages and make instant oatmeal. Eat while perusing FB.

 

DD gets up at about 8:30, gets her breakfast (sausages and cereal, usually) and eats while I read aloud our devotional reading.

 

I do chores after she's got her school work going.

[JoyfulMama]

In a perfect world, I awaken at 6, get dressed, throw breakfast in the oven (egg casserole, baked oatmeal, muffins) and have a cup of tea while checking email, etc. At 7 the kids joyfully jump out of bed and into clean clothes, and make their beds quickly, so they can come down for breakfast. At 8 my dh glides in the door with a smile on his face, causing a momentary flurry of greetings from the children. At 9 I start a Magic School Bus or other short video while I tuck dh into bed and a have 10 minutes alone with him. When the video is over, we discuss it and it leads easily into school work for the day...

 

I like to think happy thoughts. :lol:

[OnTheBrink]

In a perfect world, I awaken at 6, get dressed, throw breakfast in the oven (egg casserole, baked oatmeal, muffins) and have a cup of tea while checking email, etc. At 7 the kids joyfully jump out of bed and into clean clothes, and make their beds quickly, so they can come down for breakfast. At 8 my dh glides in the door with a smile on his face, causing a momentary flurry of greetings from the children. At 9 I start a Magic School Bus or other short video while I tuck dh into bed and a have 10 minutes alone with him. When the video is over, we discuss it and it leads easily into school work for the day...

 

I like to think happy thoughts. :lol:

 

I want some of what she's having. :lol:

[Karen in CO]

I want some of what she's having. :lol:

 

Me too.

 

 

But my reality is -

Stumble to the coffee pot, turn on the work computer, let the dogs out, drink coffee and start work sometime between 6 and 7.

 

Around 8 except on the days the girls are in school, I kiss the girls awake. The youngest wakes up hungry and the middle wakes up grumpy. I feed the youngest and put on Mythbusters then go back to my desk. Hubby comes down from his office around 9 and makes break for himself and youngest who eats a second breakfast. Then I get a bowl of homemade granola, make sure that middle has breakfast and sit down with both girls, hubby and My mom and have breakfast and a chat.

 

Then start them on school and move my work computer up to the dining room talbe to help supervise while t hey work - this is about 10am.

 

So breakfast isn't a single event; it is more of a process.

[AHASRADA]

I am the first one up at around 7:30. I do last night's supper dishes (I know, but we eat between 8 and 9pm, and I just can't bear to do dishes at that hour!), then I get my breakfast of cereal, oatmeal or a bagel and sit down to check my e-mail and this board in the peace and quiet.

dd10 usually comes down between 8 and 8:30, then we wake up ds13 at 8:45. They find/fix their own breakfasts (could be toast/cereal/poptarts, or pancakes/eggs, whatever they feel like) as I start a load of laundry and enjoy a few more blissful moments on the internet ;).

 

While they are eating, they almost always watch TV. It's not a great habit, and I managed to break them of it for a year or so when they were younger, but it doesn't really bother me and I pick my battles. They either watch PBS or some other kids' show (they LOVE the old Berenstain Bears!), or pop in a family video, which they finish during their lunch break.

 

We start school at 9:30.

 

Dh usually stumbles down between 9 and 10am, and makes his own breakfast. He admits breakfast is his favorite meal of the day, and he creates quite a ritual out of it, eating a little cereal while his coffee is brewing, then having bagel/toast/baked goods while he works away at his laptop. Needless to say, he drags his breakfast out so long, that he doesn't usually get around to eating lunch until 3pm!

 

So, I guess I would say breakfast in our house isn't really a meal so much as everyone's personal pleasant beginning to the day, enjoyed in whichever fashion s/he prefers.

[jengjohnson]

I exercise in the morning so I try to be finished and at the table by 7:30. The girls' alarms go off at 7 and they must be dressed and combed before eating. They get their own quick breakfast (cold cereal/oatmeal/bagels/ grits and fruit), but if the 5yo wants something hot someone will make it for her. I eat quickly and then dash off for a shower while they finish eating and empty the dishwasher. Dh normally doesn't wake until 8:30 so we don't see him for breakfast. We start school at 8 am.

 

Weekends are completely different. They wake according to need (early soccer game?). We work together to make a hot breakfast, all the girls love to help.

 

I feel a little guilty about not spending more time on weekday breakfasts with them, but morning is really the only time I have to exercise, our evenings are filled with their activities.

[bookfiend]

Everybody up at 7:00

Sweet hubby makes coffee for me, and I read something/anything to wake up.

Darling husband then makes breakfast for the children and toast for me.

8:00 Husband goes to get shower, I get on the computer

8:30 Huband goes to work, children get chores, morning routine done, I get a shower

9:00 school starts.

 

I'm a sloooow starter.

[Sputterduck]

I'm not sure because I'm not fully awake yet at that time.

[cjbeach]

Any mealtime = captured audience in my house so I use it to its' full potential. Breakfast = memory work. During lunch or snacks I read aloud or we listen to music.

[LauraGB]

I get up around 7a, get a cup of coffee (programmed the night before), let the dog out, head back to my room, read the news, come here, etc. The kids get up by 8a, make their breakfast, read and eat. I have a second cup of coffee. I take a shower or just get ready. The kids get ready, empty the dishwasher, feed the dog and cat, clean the litter box. I usually toss in a load of laundry, decide what needs to be cleaned that day, what errands need running, remind ds to brush his teeth, add to my running grocery list, check what I'm making for dinner, add to my grocery list again, form some bread to rise, remind ds to brush his teeth again, and meet the kids for school around 830a.

 

I'm not a morning person. I'm so glad they are old enough to work out breakfast on their own.

[Mimm]

I stumble out of bed around 8 to find Imogen reading with her empty bowl of cereal on the table. I remind her that it's time to start school. Genevieve gasps and says she hasn't eaten breakfast. I ask why not. She says she forgot. I tell her she has ten minutes to eat. I make coffee and sit down at my desk and try to wake up and think about the day ahead.

[Tarreymere]

No tv. We don't have cable but we do have netflix. No 'screen' until later on in the day and then it had better be a documentary or something at least vaguely educational. Except for me, because if I get online in the morning it is to keep my sanity.

 

DH gets up before me and sometimes takes pity on me and makes coffee. Otherwise, coffee or tea first, for me, then fire up the electric griddle. Lately popular around here are 'eggs in a hole' where I cut out the middle of the bread with a cookie cutter and break an egg inside it to cook. DS age 3 prefers fried toast. He is just starting to get over his picky eater days. Other days it is pancakes either buttermilk or oatmeal style, or french toast. I like the griddle because it is quick and easy.

 

Some really cold days are oatmeal days, made with plain oatmeal cooked in milk on the stovetop and lots of toppings. Some cold days are hot rice days, cooked the same way. In the summer it is usually homemade muffins of various types, or toast, and yogurt.

 

While I am cooking, the kids torment each other, or if its cold and the fire in the woodstove hasn't gotten going well yet they sit around wrapped in blankets and grump. One is detailed to bring in wood. One is detailed to take the trash out. One is detailed to feed the dog. One is detailed to let the dog out, which usually means letting the dog escape. Once the dog has escaped, all of the kids then have to run outside and chase him, in bare feet, despite being told not to. Next DH shouts at everyone to come back in, and they do, even the dog.

 

I drink a second cup of tea or coffee and shovel food on plates. DS age 3 loudly declares his preference for 'peanut butter sandwich' which he does not get, because he will eat twelve of them over the course of the day and I am hopeful of getting something else into him in the morning when he is hungriest. Everyone eats, while a playlist from Napster runs in the background. DH leaves for work. Government school kids leave.

 

I declare breakfast over and tell DD age 7 to get out her math book. DD immediately has a bladder emergency and runs to the bathroom. I change the Napster track to preschool educational songs, start laundry, wash dishes, dress DS age 3, threaten DD age 7, ..........and off we go

[Luckymama]

5:15 dh gets up, checks work email, exercises, empties dishwasher, becomes exceedingly perky

6:10 I stumble downstairs, directly to coffeepot, praying no one will talk to me before I have some coffee

6:15 dd15 stumbles downstairs to take her meds, growls at dh and me

6:30 someone bangs on ds's door to get him up despite the three alarms going off :rolleyes:

6:45 ds stumbles downstairs and eats enough for a small village

6:50 dd15 makes toast or a bagel

7:20 dd15, dd10 and I leave the house to drop dd15 at school

7:25 ds and dh leave the house to school and work

8:00 dd10 and I return home, I have another cup of coffee, she chooses breakfast and makes it herself (blessed child!), I check email, the forums here, and my planner. After breakfast, we do a cleanup and finish getting ready for the day (teeth and hair, laundry in the machine etc)

9:00 school starts :)

[Halcyon]

DH gets up at 6 and makes a pot of coffee. He does work at home til kids wake up at 7:30. They read books, draw or craft until I get up at 8 am. I stumble into the kitchen, drink my coffee and read The New York Times. Nobody is allowed to talk with me LOL. Okay, they can say hi. Finish coffee. Feel sane.

 

THEN I make the boys their breakfast. We choose between scrambled eggs and toast with veggie sausage, waffles, homemade pancakes, french toast, cold cereal (grape nuts are a hit around here) or oatmeal. Boys eat while I tidy kitchen or make my bed and wash up/get ready.

 

Boys brush teeth, get dressed if they want to (I don't require this for school). We do chores in the a.m., so between 8:30 and 9 they have to be sure their room is picked up, any stray books are back in the book bin or on their appropriate shelf, sink in bathroom wiped down, clothes put away, etc.

 

9 am we start school. Most days. :tongue_smilie:

[King Alfred Academy]

I did a blog post about it. Our mornings have been relaxed, the boys get a decent meal, and I get some time to myself. It's really great. :001_smile: However, since writing this post, I am no longer going to Starbucks. It is too noisy and they NEVER make my coffee correctly. Now I go to Peet's and the classical music they play in the background only adds to the relaxation. Ahhhh...

[myfunnybunch]

Dh and I get up and make breakfast together. We all eat breakfast together and talk about the day ahead. Or our weird dreams, or the weather outside the window, or the picture on the Page-a-Day art calendar, or whatever else strikes our fancy.

 

Boys recently decided they wanted more play time before school, so they set an alarm and get up before we do. They are usually halfway through morning chores by the time we get downstairs, and they finish while we make breakfast.

 

Sometimes ds9 makes the coffee for us, so we come down to a hot cup of coffee. I think he realized breakfast gets to the table more quickly that way!

 

Then boys clear the table then play, dh cleans the kitchen, and I start laundry and take a shower.

 

School starts at 9.

 

Cat

[DaffodilDreams]

Stagger downstairs for coffee - preferably well before dd wakes up. Sit outside with coffee, absorb nature, and enjoy a quiet spot in my day.

Edited October 26, 2010 by kimmie38017

[Peela]

At the moment:

 

I get up around 5am. Meditate, do yoga, put the dishes away and HAVE MY FIRST CUP OF TEA. Also a fresh orange juice if I am feeling motivated to squeeze 2 oranges. Sometimes sit on the verandah and watch the sunrise.

6am- I take the dog for a walk for one hour. It is light at 5am here now.

7am- dd16 is up and getting ready to go exercsising with a neighbour girlfriend (young woman, 21)

Also, Dh gets up about now and makes tea for both of us, and he reads teh newspaper.

I shower, potter around doind a bit of housework and chatting with dh.

7.30- ds14 gets up.

 

Around 8am we tend to all be around the kitchen. Ds14 has usually eaten cereal already- a huge amount of it. Dd (and her friend sometimes) are ready to make eggs and coffee, and dh helps. Its virtually the only thing he cooks- eggs. That is their morning ritual.

I sometimes have eggs with them...and sometimes make myself eggs or something else either before or after them. I do tend to consider my mornings before school starts rather "sacred" and don't like to socialise much. I will chat with dh though. I don't drink coffee- thats something dh and dd do together with our home expresso machine.

 

The kids have been getting their own breakfasts since they were small. The last few years though eggs have been a common breakfast and so a ritual has formed around egg cooking- we went through a poaching phase, then scrambled- at the moment it is fried. On Sunday mornings we often have guests over for "eggs and coffee". Its just what we do :)

[Pippen]

I want some of what she's having. :lol:

 

LOL, I'd like to bottle it to sell. ;)

 

I'm still really missing our old morning routine when I'd get up and make a hot breakfast most mornings (nothing fancy--muffins, pancakes, waffles). Then I'd sit down and read novels to the kids while they ate. We did this for years and read through some great books: Charlotte's Web, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Narnia, Harry Potter, Marley & Me (edited :001_huh:) and others.

 

We hung on through the early jazz band practices but the early high school start time also kicked in was then end.

 

Now that they're all teens they roll out of bed as late as they possibly can and eat cereal.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Dh and I up at 5am. Kids get up varying times from 5:15-6. Dh and I have coffee and he eats a piece of toast. Older kids going to college/PS make their lunch and grab what they want for breakfast. I precook burritos, muffins, pancakes and waffles and they are in the freezer. After they are gone the under 10 crowd decides what they want and the 7 or 9 yo makes it. I am doing laundry, cleaning and checking e-mail, paying bills, whatever needs done. About 7:30 the kids get their backpacks and we get started. I usually just keep drinking coffee and maybe grab a cookie for my breakfast.

[prairiegirl]

Each child takes a turn to choose what we are going to have for breakfast that day. It usually is pancakes or might be french toast waffles, eggs, etc. I fight the urge to get started on the dishes and clean up the kitchen and try to sit down with them while we are eating breakfast. This is hard for me, especially when we have a busy day ahead of us.

[NanceXToo]

I often read aloud to the kids while they eat breakfast. Sometimes I finish up things I want to finish up while they eat, though. I never eat with them as I don't get hungry for breakfast til much later in the morning (although sometimes on hubby's day off they will just have a morning snack so we can all eat a bigger breakfast together later).

[~Tara~]

Eldest has been primarily taking care of breakfast for the crew for years now. It all started out of necessity when I was pg/sick/new baby. He likes cooking, so he has taken over that job. (yay!)

 

I will do a few chores while they prepare/eat. Then sit to do my morning reading with a bite of breakfast.

 

The youngers are scattered about doing their morning chores while breakfast is cooking. Eldest is also my natural early riser, so he's up and has his things done, ready to go, cooking breakfast, while the rest of the gang is just beginning to crawl out of bed. (myself included :P)

[Baseball mom]

Breakfast???? I'm suppose to feed them breakfast!?!?!?!?:eek:

 

:lol::lol:

 

When they were smaller I would fix them something but now they are alot like me. They don't really want to eat when they first get up. So they get up and fix them a glass of juice or tea then sit on the couch watching TV for a little bit trying to wake up.

 

I start the coffee maker (I get it ready the night before). Sometimes one of the dc will hit the start button if they are in the kitchen before me. Grab my coffee and head to the computer.

 

We all spend about 30 minutes waking up, doing our own thing. If anyone wants to eat they fix themselves cereal, poptart, toast etc. Some days I do fix a real (hot) breakfast but we are just not big breakfast people.

[ondreeuh]

Dh has to leave by 7, so if the kids are up before then he feeds them cereal at the table while he gets ready for work. He wakes me up at 7 and I usually just have to fend for myself. I usually take care of the chickens, unload the dishwasher, start a loaf of bread, and pick up before I sit with my coffee. I'm not a big breakfast eater.

[LibraryLover]

You made me laugh. I very much needed a laugh. :D

 

 

ritual? hmmmm.

 

dh gets up between 3:15-3:30am to get ready for work. drinks his breakfast (coffee) and leaves...

 

i get sometime after him...sometimes with him...whatever... veg out in front of my laptop & have coffee and ____ this morning it was caramel coffee and 2 strawberry poptarts. nom nom nom. :D

 

ds12 is usually awake & up by 9ish lately and generally wants supper leftovers for breakfast, especially if it was something he loved the night before.

 

dd13 doesn't believe in mornings much these days. :p

[Wheres Toto]

My kids are not really big on eating in the morning. DH is long gone before we get up. DS sits on the couch, watching tv, drinking a nutrition drink (dd already had hers in bed when she woke up at 4:30am). Sometimes dd will request toast, yogurt or cereal which she eats in the living room. I sit at the dining room table (which serves as the only grown-up desk in the house) on the computer (check email, bank account and forums) while having my cereal and a cup of tea.

 

Once we are all done eating, I do the dishes and we start school.

[justamouse]

They have breakfast, I drink coffee and I read to them from the read aloud we're on. We talk about the story, I race for a shower while they get dressed and it's out the door to pick up 15 yo.