Breakfast here Inside the Wendy House during term time is not a pretty affair. Ella, who catches a ridiculously early bus for college, grabs a cereal bar and is out the door by 7.15am while I am still in bed. Freddy will undoubtedly be lying on my head at this time, as he still ends up bed-sharing and has never slept through the night to date. At 8am I have to wake him up and coax him into getting out of our comfy kingsize and downstairs for breakfast. Thankfully, Kizzy is a very independent 10 year old who gets up and ready for school without any need for nagging, but the occasional hunt for discarded school sweatshirts, tights without holes, swimming kits and a matching pair of shoes can pose an unexpected early morning problem.
Eventually we make it downstairs to the kitchen where the standard item on the breakfast menu is toast and apple juice for the kids, black coffee for me. Thankfully my husband is in charge of packed lunches which he makes before dropping Ella at the bus stop on his way to work. That means one less task for me (I love that man!!) Getting Freddy to eat is quite a task as he is too busy playing some imaginative, make-believe game involving zapping power and shrinking spells. I try to put on his shoes and coat if he stops moving long enough for me to do so. If we are too pushed for time, the toast comes with us in the car to school and nursery. I often find fossilised crusts down the back of Fred's car seat!
Warburton's have commissioned some research that has proved that mums juggle twice as many challenges in the morning than senior businessmen and women do in the first 73 minutes of the day. There are an average of 9.8 chores during the average breakfast hour which can prove very taxing. In fact 27% of mums say they find the breakfast rush hour and school run more stressful than a visit from the in-laws! Breakfast time is all about multi-tasking in an effort to get all the jobs done and the kids off to school on time.
Warburtons are in the process of compiling a book of useful tips, ideas and recipes to help families across the nation make the breakfast rush-hour less stressful and more enjoyable. Check out the Warburton's Facebook page where you can give your own advice and have a chance of winning prizes!!
Warburtons sent us a hamper of their baked goods to inspire us at breakfast time. Having different loaves such as the half and half, the seeded batch or the farmhouse white, makes breakfast time more interesting. Just to have a change from toast in the mornings now and again is nice, so switching to crumpets or brioche makes a great alternative and takes no more time to prepare.
My top tip for breakfast times is definitely to delegate. With Ian preparing the lunchboxes, the kids getting their school stuff ready the night before and Kizzy popping the bread in the toaster for Freddy and herself while I get Fred dressed, the stress levels are greatly diminished!
At weekends when time is not an issue, we have a later breakfast and enjoy egg or beans on toast....lovingly made by daddy!
