Building Routine Memories

Every Wednesday during the school year is a Noah day! I get to keep Noah at my house on Wednesdays while his brother & sister go to school and his mommy & Daddy work. Our day always begins with a discussion about what he wants for breakfast. 9 times out of 10 his answer will always be, “Ummm, Malt O Meal!!” This was something my mom fed me and my brothers when we were kids, then I fed it to my kids and now my grands. This hot cereal is best with butter and sugar in it. It is simple and takes about 5 minutes to make.

Noah always pulls up a step ladder to join me at the stove. He likes to help cook and I love sharing those moments with him. His Daddy always liked to help in the kitchen as well. (Even to this day I love it when he joins me in the kitchen!) At the age of 2 he mostly dumps things in and stirs. Yesterday we talked about how the water makes bubbles when it starts to boil and that is how you know it is time to add the cereal. He also likes to have his own empty pan and spoon or spatula to pretend cook. I have started giving him a piece of bread that he can put in his skillet and “cook.” Yesterday I had the brilliant idea to let him make toast in the airfryer! He loved getting to push the button. It also had a light on it so he could see it while it cooked.

I love that we get to make these memories together. The other day at church, we were having a fellowship dinner, and I overheard Sabrina asking Noah what he wanted to eat. His reply made me giggle. He said, “Ummm, Malt O Meal!!” with excitement in his little voice. But her reply is what warmed my heart and brought a smile to my face. “Malt O Meal is what you eat at Mamaw’s house.”

It’s those little things we do over & over that they will remember. It gets edged into their little memory banks. So, repetition is good. Think about those things that you remember about your grandparents. Then, use that to create memories with your own. Don’t forget to share how you use to do that when you were little or with their parent.

I hope one day, Noah will think back and say, “I remember Mamaw always made me Malt O Meal for breakfast!”