Family Breakfast

Maybe it is my job, or maybe it is just my love of breakfast, but while our family tries to share as many meals as possible together, breakfast just works for me.  It is my favorite meal by far, and my kids eat with the least amount of parental prodding, so it is the most relaxing for me as well.

From early on making breakfast has been one of my favorite past times.  I have vivid childhood memories of our Sunday brunch, making chorizo and eggs, waffles, or blueberry pancakes.  We never really ate breakfast as a family any other time, but those moments I cherish to this day.

 I started making pancakes with Drew early on, and eventually Sean joined in the fun.  We make waffles, bacon and eggs, cinnamon rolls, breakfast puffs, heck anything that sounds good.  I do my best to try and involve my boys rather than doing it the fast way (IE alone), but that doesn't always happen and sometimes I just make it in the quiet of the kitchen with my cup of coffee.

I love the energy of a cooking kitchen in the morning, lunch and dinner has the same amount of energy, but it is rarely fun and often stressful.  Even when I bring home pastries, from the Cuban bakery we love, after a long night of work, the vibe of the family breakfast is fulfilling.

This morning my wife stayed in bed battling the flu going around and just me and the kids sat down for toast, eggs and bacon.  Obviously sans one parent made things harder, but I really loved having a moment with my kids with everyone in a good mood and a successful meal to start everyone's day.  At that moment I felt like a good parent providing more than just food for my kids, but time as a family.

My wife and I subscribe to the belief that daily meals as family is crucially important to a happy home, but also a healthy marriage.  5 years of marriage and 3 very small children later, our morning meal really has made being a father and husband wonderful.