Saturday Morning Breakfast
Kiera is getting to that age where we can sleep an extra 30 minutes on Saturday and she will entertain herself. That is good news considering that on Saturdays she comes in and wakes us up anywhere from 6:30-7:00 a.m. Never mind that during the week I have to turn the hard-core charm on to make her wake up at that time.
But, I digress. On a normal Saturday she will wake me up and I will turn cartoons on for her to watch while I try to grab a couple more minutes of sleep. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
Last Saturday, Aaron and I were able to sleep almost a full hour after she woke us up at 6:30 a.m. It was wonderful. Although, I have to admit, the best part was not the sleep. The best part was waking up to a breakfast that Kiera had made.
About 30 minutes after she had been watching cartoons, she came in our room, whispering. “Mom? Can I make breakfast?”
Having Mom ears and not really being sound asleep, I opened my eyes to see her peering at me. “Yes. But…” I started to reply.
She cut me off before I could finish. “I know. Don’t use the oven, microwave or knives.” She responded as if we might have told her that once or twice before.
“Exactly.” I replied.
“Thank you!” She yelled as she ran from the room. I laughed at her exit as compared to her entrance. I pulled up my Kindle and read for a short while, knowing that at any time she would be back.
Twenty minutes later, she was back. “Breakfast is ready!” She declared.
“You made us breakfast?” Aaron asked. I glanced at him with wide eyes. I was suddenly glad that we did not have bananas and pepperoni in the house. (Refer back to the first time Kiera cooked for us.)
“Yup!” She excitedly replied. “Come on!”
She turned and ran from the room. Aaron and I looked at each other wondering what might be waiting for us.
As we entered the dining room, we were greeted with an amazing spread. The table had been set with a bowl of cereal, animal crackers, a yogurt, a drink and a Barbie doll.
Apparently, all four of our cereal bowls were in the dishwasher. That is why, if you look at the picture, you will see that Kiera improvised. My bowl is actually a steamer bowl for veggies.
Kiera sat down across the table from me as we praised her. “This is beautiful, baby!” I exclaimed.
She beamed at us. “I gave you a spoonful of peanut butter, Mom, because I know you like it.” She explained.
I glanced at Aaron’s place setting and realized that he did not have peanut butter. “Thank you!” I gushed. “That was very sweet of you.”
“I have milk to drink but I gave y’all both almond milk for your diet.” She continued on.
I resisted the urge to shudder. Granted, I use almond milk for our morning shakes but lots of other things get added. I have never just drunk plain almond milk.
“I even washed an umbrella and put it in your drink.” She told me. “Dad you have Fruit Loops, Mom you have Apple Jacks and I have my favorite cereal!”
This particular breakfast wasn’t about the quality of the meal or how unhealthy it was. It wasn’t about the bowls our cereal was in. It was all about the memories being made and the time spent together as a family. It was about the sweet gesture of a 7 year old who without using the oven, microwave or knives made a meal for her family, even going as far as to include to our favorites.
Special times like these are more important than catching up on sleep, or worrying about how clean the house is. These are my favorite times.
Rowonna McNeely works with her husband, Aaron, at Willie’s T’s in the Art Department, regularly volunteers in the community, and has her hands full with her daughter, Kiera, along with three dogs, one cat and one hamster.
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