Do you remember what mornings used to be like before kids? You could get up late – or early if you chose.
You could watch whatever breakfast news program you wanted – not Peppa Pig.
And you could leave the house stress free.
No running back two, three, nine times, for forgotten items.
No nagging, cajoling and yelling at small people to brush their teeth and find their sports shoes and put some knickers on today please.
No constant battle over what to have for breakfast.
No you may not have ice-cream.
No, you cannot have cake and ice-cream for breakfast. Image: Pexels.
No searching high and low every Wednesday morning for library books borrowed a week ago and buried down the back of a sofa by Thursday afternoon.
No in-a-frenzy rushing.
Can you remember those mornings?
Fast forward to mornings with kids and I am sure you will agree with me that once you combine work, school, a day care drop-off and a busy family with before, during and after-school activities, mornings are the most stressful times of the day.
I didn’t imagine it would be like this.
When I first had kids I had hopes of Zen-like mornings that ran as smooth as clockwork. Of obedient children who happily rose and dressed themselves in neat quirky clothing and cheerily packed their own day care bag before sitting down to a wholesome breakfast at a table I’d laid the night before.
Who knew it would be a whirlwind of where’s-my-school-shoes and I-need-to-finish-my-project and we’ve-run-out-of-milk-again and does-anyone-anyone-at-all-have-my-library-book…all topped off by breakfast consumed in the car.
I know I’m not alone.
"I didn’t imagine it would be like this." Image: STX Entertainment, Bad Moms.
In fact, psychologists studied the cortisol levels of mums and found that they had the highest levels of the stress hormone in the morning - while dealing with the breakfast rush.
Most mums say it’s not just the getting everyone ready, feeding them and coordinating where and when everyone needs to be, but that mental checklist of who-needs-what is the most taxing.
Five out of five mornings a week my kids need to be somewhere by 7.30am, whether its day care, band practice, soccer training, before school care or the school tennis club. It’s an early start each day.
I mentally tally what they need to remember, the excursion notes, sports shoes and a costume for that play. A ballet bag for after school, afternoon tea and an extra water bottle, their presentation on their favourite insect and a “gold coin” donation for a charity collection.
And that’s just the start of it.
And then they spill something. Standard. Image: iStock.
What gets lost in all this is one of the most important things.
Breakfast.
I’ve tried everything in an effort to get some nutrition into those little bodies before they rush off for the day. I’ve gotten up at dawn and baked, only for them to leave the rock-like muffins on the counter. I’ve invested in a smoothie maker, only to have my car coated in sweet sticky fruity concoctions not to mention the school uniforms and I’ve even bought a four-slice toaster and tried to make toast for on the go. But it’s always cold.
So it’s a relief to discover the answer could just be in the refrigerated section of my supermarket.
Its yoghurt aimed specially at that busy time of the day.
Yoghurt aimed specially at those busy little bodies (and mum too).
We can do better than that. Image: iStock.
Vaalia Kids Breakfast Yoghurt is nutritious and filling – and packed with fibre to fill those hungry tummies up. It comes in flavours that kids will love - blueberry and banana and has the goodness of Vaalia yoghurt with natural grains - a mix of rice bran and quinoa.
The beauty of this breakfast is that my kids are getting not just the calcium, fibre and the protein they need to start the day but they will also actually eat it, because it tastes good.
For me, it’s the perfect breakfast solution on the go. One, I can easily hand the littlest to eat on the way to day care and the six-year-old can gobble while he hunts down his school shoes.
The beauty of a Vaalia Kids Breakfast yoghurt is that it is so convenient you can strike that one worry off your list knowing that as their bodies are nourished on the inside they will thrive on the outside too.
Now we have breakfast sorted we just need to work on those library books. Surely they are around here somewhere…
What do you make for your kids on the go?