Yesterday was the last day of the holiday break from school for my kids and from work for my husband. I decided that since it was the last day of vacation I was going to act like I was actually on vacation. As I was deciding what to have for breakfast, I tried to imagine that I was at a resort in some beautiful locale. I thought back to some of my favorite resorts and their wonderful restaurants. In these types of places, I am typically drawn to the parfaits, fresh fruits, and omelet stations - things that I've made for myself at home but never felt particularly inspired by. Nonetheless, yesterday morning having been inspired by a particular restaurant at a resort in Kauai, I decided to make myself a parfait with yogurt, frozen and fresh fruits, and nuts that we already had at home. To make it extra fancy, I decided to serve my parfait in a Tiffany glass that was part of a set Jake and I had received as a wedding gift and never used. I figured while I was at it I should set the parfait glass on a dish and drink coffee from a cup from our Wedgwood china collection which we also received as a wedding gift and barely ever use. Jake made himself breakfast (potatoes and eggs served on our everyday dishes. . .in case you were wondering) and joined me at the dining room table. The kids had already eaten their breakfast and were playing nicely together. I was able to sit and eat my breakfast off of my finest china while having conversation with my husband. It was lovely. And then it struck me. The issue has not been WHAT I've been having for breakfast. The real issue is HOW I've been having breakfast.
The mornings in my house, particularly on weekdays, are pretty chaotic. I know that most moms can relate to this scenario. The girls and I usually wake up at the same time - roughly an hour and ten minutes before we need to leave for school. Since Jake generally leaves about 15-20 minutes after we wake up, I am a one man show. From the time that we get out of bed, there is a mad dash to get ready. This mad dash includes getting the girls dressed, making Allie's lunch, fixing breakfast for both girls, brushing hair, occasionally playing referee for my kids, convincing Emma that a tank top really is not warm enough for a winter day, etc. Somewhere in between all of this, I need to get myself ready and eat breakfast. . .if I have time. On the days when I can squeeze breakfast in, I stand at the kitchen counter and eat my breakfast while preparing Allie's lunch. On the days that I don't have time to eat breakfast before school drop off, I stop someplace and grab either a bagel or a roll and a cup of coffee and eat them in the car on the way to the gym. The reason that I am not feeling satisfied by my breakfast choices is simply because I am not giving myself the opportunity to enjoy it. Half the time I finish my breakfast I can barely remember having eaten it because I was so busy doing something else. The reason why I enjoy breakfast on vacation is not because the food tastes any better, its because I am in no hurry. I am able to sit and enjoy myself and my breakfast. I realized this yesterday while enjoying parfait at the dining room table.
So this morning I woke up 30 minutes earlier than I normally do on a school day. While Jake was getting ready for work and the girls were still sleeping, I headed to the kitchen and whipped up another parfait in the same Tiffany glass. I sat at the dining room table with my parfait and coffee and a book. I took my time eating it. After I was done eating, I lingered at the table for a bit reading my book. I took the final sip of coffee from my mug, got up from the table, and got on with the business of a school morning as usual. But I felt different. I did feel more focused. I felt relaxed. Taking the time to sit and eat and enjoy a healthy breakfast really was one of the most important things I did for myself today. So tomorrow morning while the house is still quiet I will be sitting at the dining room table enjoying a slice of the frittata that I made tonight. I am so happy to have started a new breakfast ritual.
How about you? What's your breakfast ritual? Are you happy with it?
I relate to this post a lot! Not necessarily just about breakfast but in regards to taking the time to sit and enjoy your food. I always use a pizza delivery example with my wife. When we were going out I noticed this and I've been pointing it out ever since. Whenever her family would order pizza they would start opening the box grabbing slices even before setting the box down on the table! I'm a big fan of eating with your eyes first so I like to set real plates, have all the drinks ready, and only then open the box together to start eating. I try to do this with the food I make as much as possible and when I do it's much appreciated (except when everyone is starving lol) Sometimes time just doesn't allow it, but your points about having that time mean something are right on! As busy as we all may get we can still control our time and allow ourselves some of these simple luxuries.
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