This is breakfast...

So it is a hockey morning here, which means Seamus and Gary left the house at 5:15. Mahone always wakes early that day as well-hearing the noises in the morning in a tiny house will do that!!

On these mornings... who am I kidding... on every morning, my boys eat their breakfast in the living room in front of the TV. Yeah, I know that we should eat together at the table, I know it encourages bad habits and mindless eating... I also know that I need to shower, make lunches, and get out of the house in record time in the morning, so we do what works!!!! We do make good breakfasts for the most part-eggs a least a couple of times a week, oatmeal, pancakes, sometimes toast or cereal. I have this thing about them having something hot in the morning!!!

But when it is just Mahone and I, I bring on "the tray"-a small wicker tray with wooden holders that I bought at a yard sale for .50 cents We use this tray almost everyday-for snacks after school, before bed, small lunches.. and on Tuesday morning, Mahone's breakfast.

This is the smile he gives for every picture... and yes, he is sitting on our coffee table!!!

What I would love to have is some suggestions for some healthier whole food versions of my breakfast staples....cheerios (these are banana nut) and bran crackers ( I kid you not, my children love Presidents Choice Bran mini crackers). The cheese, apples, oranges and milk I feel pretty good about, but if you read the ingredients in the cereal and the bran crackers.....well, that I am not so sure. Maybe it is fine and sometimes even good things have weird sounding ingredients.. right????

I have found that lately-within the last month-I have been buying food I don't usually buy-can anyone say canned Vienna Sausages (and I use the word sausage loosely!!), and have felt that even though our budget is tighter... so much tighter, I need to stay true to what I feed my family, and myself for that matter. Living outside of my values, even in this small area, is not feeling good!!!!

So, I am looking for budget friendly tips for convenience food-you know, crackers, granola bars, cereal!!

Here's to breakfast!!

me.

1976

On our street, time has stood still and it continues to be 1976!

Every now and then there is day around here that makes me realize how fortunate we truly are to be living in this time bubble... yesterday was that day..

It was a bright, sunny and crazy warm day outside. By 9:00am, my 7 year old was outside on the front yard playing-guess what, ON HIS OWN. I do not have to sit there and watch, making sure he does not run out onto a busy street, I know-I mean REALLY know every neighbor, every car-as does he. BY 9:20, I was hearing other voices out there-two neighbor children joined in the game. BY 9:30, a neighbor came down with a cup of tea and we sat out in the amazing sun and had breakfast together.. What fun feeding more than you expected!! I actually mean that..

We said hello to all the dogs out for their morning walks-those dogs that have much nicer owners than our poor Kailey!! 

By 10:30, most of us have left for Maple Madness-we mids' well drive together and make a day of it.... We hike in, take the wagon out.. We are home around 2:30 full of mud and a full belly...

I come inside to switch laundry. Mahone sleeps on the sofa-he just needs a quick cat nap to make it through supper!! Seamus is back outside of course, running through the neighbor's lawns with his soccer ball.. I think you know where this is going.. Of course, they all join in and of course, we all meet back outside-again with tea (there is a common theme here-tea during the day and wine at night....) 

By this time, Gramma is finished her work for the day and she has walked down for a visit. We all decide we MUST go to the park. We pick up "stray" children as we walk.. Oh what fun games of "grounder", "sewage"-don't ask about that one!!!, "hide and go seek".  As an aside: MAHONE HAS NO FEAR!!!!

Home again, I make brownies-trying out a new recipe. When done, I divide them out to be delivered to well...just about everyone..We eat supper. Hubby stays in after supper and does Mahone's nighttime routine. I head out with-you guessed it- neighbors. We take our older kids to the fabric store!!! You just never know what you will find when you rumage through the fabric store for an hour!!!! I have a project or two now to do for Seamus-including a set of hockey sheets...

We come home, have that last glass of wine and part our ways. Seamus runs ahead of me in the dark, with no fear, no hesitation, no questions... 

It is 1976 and we are raising FREE RANGE KIDS!!!