True Love

In honor of Valentines, I thought I'd share a love with you! It's a long lost love, one I haven't seen in YEARS. It is one of the many perfect explanations of another love.... SUGAR. 

As the last kiddo in my house and a product of a working mom, I grew up eating cereal for breakfast each day. No pancakes, no waffles... nope, cold, sugary sweet cereal. That I made for myself, by the way.  

When I was 12 years old, my momma opened a day care in our home. I was pretty excited when she first started - she equipped the house with cribs, toys, playpens, highchairs. I liked kids so I was ready to jump in and help anyway I could. 

Oh Lord... I was not prepared at ALL. I was totally used to having all of the attention as the only one still at home and now I had to share MY momma with 15 other kids. Yes, you read that right... at the height of her business she had FIFTEEN kids in our house! And she did it, somehow! They all got attention, they had two (sometimes three) meals a day with snacks. They had playtime, nap time and sang songs. It was awesome to see. 

With the advent of the day care, my Dad installed a full sized cabinet in our kitchen on an empty wall. It was up high for some reason. It didn't really match our other cabinets. I had no idea why. 

It then became apparent.... my momma needed space for the cereal. This was pre-Sam's Club or Costco so she bought over 10 boxes of cereal every single week for the kiddos. Every week. And they earned their very own space in our house.

I was hooked. You name it, it was there at my fingertips. Fruity Pebbles. Captain Crunch. Fruit Loops. Apple Jacks. Cookie Crisp. Trix. Cocoa Puffs. Lucky Charms. I loved every single, sweet, sugary one of them! I was totally addicted to cereal. I could have it anytime, anywhere. Totally portable by the way - I could even take bags of it to school with me!  I ate it for breakfast.  I ate it after school.  I consumed mass quantities of this wonderfully yummy food.

Bubba spent his first 6 years of life in mom's daycare as well so he shared in my cereal addiction. Once Bub went to school and momma shut down the business, the cereal waned. I was a young married mother, what was I gonna do... drop $20 a week on cereal?  Not exactly. 

 I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a bowl of cereal that wasn't fiber enriched, whole grain, heart healthy oatmeal. I still yearn for the yummy, crunchy sweetness in a box. Little guy has no idea. He has never had a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. He never eats cereal unless it's a sleepover at someone else's house. We don't have a single box of cereal in our home. He is a tried and true waffle consumer. I've tried to give him cereal before and he won't eat any kind that has sugar in it. He wants Cheerios. Or Corn Flakes. Ugh. 

 I still profess my love for yummy cereals. Maybe this weekend while hubs and I go away I might sneak a box with us. Nothing like a bowl of cereal in the middle of the night as an indulgence.

Enjoy your cereals, friends! Have a great Saturday!
Jen