If you take a look inside this month’s InStyle, you’ll see a handful of my favorite tips for extra-busy mornings (which is all of them, lately). I cut corners in lots of ways: I lay out a pair of leggings and a big sweater for myself to put on first thing when I wake up so that I don’t have to go digging around for something to wear while I walk the dogs; I get my son dressed right away so that I don’t have to tote him up and down the stairs over and over and over again; I make the bed and brush my teeth while the shower heats up (which can take awhile in a house that was built over a century ago).
One thing that I do not cut corners on is breakfast. My son literally starts asking for something to eat the second that his eyes open (my daily alarm clock consists of the words “MAMA! ORANGE JUICE!”)…and I think this might be an inherited trait, because if I do not eat semi-immediately and fairly well, I turn into a hyena. (I actually disagree with this statement – I think I am lovely and sunny in the mornings whether I’ve eaten breakfast or not, but Kendrick insists that it’s accurate, so there you go.)
A few months ago, Kendrick came home from the supermarket with Pepperidge Farm Swirl bread, and: delicious. From the moment of his discovery it’s been eaten pretty much daily by everyone in my family - I stockpile it in the freezer and just defrost a loaf whenever we run low, because I am that disinterested in ever running out. It’s just a tiiiiny bit sweet, and easily lends itself to a whole bunch of different protein-inclusive toppings that make everyone in the family happy as breakfast-eating clams.