The Seventh Food Group

{Denise is still exploring computer skills and in tonight's post she plays with "Paint" -- only she had just a wee bit too much fun...}

Back when I was a kid we had four food groups and that was enough for us. Kids these days just aren't satisfied with four so now apparently they have to have six. Where did they dig up 2 new groups? Upon further inspection on my part, I realized that the new food groups were actually part of the original four. Maybe the explosion has to do with the supposed "dumbing down" of America, who knows. All I know is that after this morning I propose we add a seventh food group.

Yesterday I made my weekly Costco trip. With a family this size Costco has quickly replaced Target as my "go to" store. In fact, I am an Executive Member -- don't I feel important? (I think that executive merely means "big spender" but I like the sound of "executive" better.) Ross happened to go with me and in a moment of total weakness I bought a MEGA size box of Rice Crispy treats. This was rare, I can only think of one other time I have bought Rice Crispy treats. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against a rice cereal and marshmallow gooey confection, it's just that they're so simple to make it seems almost sinful to buy them. But buy them I did and it turns out that Ryan LOVES them.

This morning the kids got up and before I could get breakfast made Ryan had found the mega size box in the pantry and brought me an individually wrapped package to open. As I held the package in my hand Jenna saw it and got excited "I want a Rice Crispy Treat!"

I put the package back in the pantry and told them Rice Crispy treats weren't for breakfast and that their real breakfast would soon be ready.

My three youngest dug into their breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese, strawberries, toaster waffles with Cool Whip and calcium fortified orange juice (not one of these three will drink milk) and Jenna pipes up. "But Rice Crispys are breakfast cereal!" She's a persistent child.

I am the first to admit that if I have a chocolate cake on the counter I have been known to eat some for breakfast. Please, tell me what the difference is between a piece of chocolate cake and a donut? But giving my children Rice Crispys coated in marshmallows just seemed wrong.

But then I remembered Lucky Charms, and Count Chocula, and all of those other marshmallow breakfast cereals (that I never buy for my children) and I thought what's the difference?

So this is one of those days when Mommy changes her mind in favor of the children and I brought a bit of happiness into their bleak little lives. (tongue firmly planted in cheek on that one) I LOVE Ryan's eyes in this picture. You can tell how happy and surprised he is to have a Rice Crispy treat in his hand.

Obviously the giddiness was contagious. I just couldn't bring myself to give her one but she was happy anyway. Here she's clapping for her siblings.

What a good mother I am. I provided my children with food from 5 of the 7 food groups. What, there's only 6? No, I created another:

If breakfast cereal companies can put marshmallows into breakfast cereal than surely it must be a food group. So there you have it, the marshmallow food group at the tip top of the food pyramid. (and now you see that I can't spell because "marshmallow" is misspelled which I just found out doing spell check and there is no way to fix it without starting over again!-- that I know of...) I even found a diagram with a picture of me on it which I just couldn't help adding hair and facial features. And then of course the text that even now, hours later, makes me giggle.

I think I need to get a life.