A Surprise Breakfast
Vika decided to surprise us this morning by making breakfast. She and I had talked about making a special breakfast for Jeff for his birthday, however, we were going to do that tomorrow. Vika decided she didn't want to wait till then, so while the rest of us were still in bed, she crept downstairs, turned on the stove (!!!), put a pot on and proceeded to pour an entire box of cream of wheat into the pot. She added a bit of water and milk and began stirring. Then she grabbed some bread from the cupboard and put in into the toaster. The toast was done (only slightly burnt) much quicker than the cream of wheat, so she decided to heat it up by putting it into the microwave. For 8 minutes.
When Jeff went downstairs to investigate the noises we were hearing, he found her standing at the stove, struggling to stir enough cream of wheat to feed a family of 10. Since she didn't mix in the right amount of milk, it had the consistency of hardening cement and was also burning on the bottom. The toast was smoldering slightly in the microwave, so Jeff quickly stopped the timer and removed the pot of gloop from the stove. Thank goodness he woke up when he did or else Vika could have started a fire.
It did put us in a bit of a discipline dilemma though. We were both shocked and angered that Vika would turn on the stove without adult supervision (she certainly knows better). I was also upset that she didn't listen to my words when I said we would make the breakfast together tomorrow. However, she was so pleased with her "accomplishment," and really wanted to make us happy. So while we choked down a bowl of pasty cream of wheat and pieces of hard, dry toast, we talked to her again of the dangers of children trying to cook without adult supervision. I'm sure she was disappointed that we weren't as happy with her "surprise" as she expected us to be, but I guess that's all part of the lesson.
On a brighter note, Jeff and I went to see "Wicked" yesterday with some friends from school. Neither of us had seen it before, and we really enjoyed the performance. I leave you now with my favorite part of the show - taken from the Tony Awards - "Defying Gravity." Enjoy!
When Jeff went downstairs to investigate the noises we were hearing, he found her standing at the stove, struggling to stir enough cream of wheat to feed a family of 10. Since she didn't mix in the right amount of milk, it had the consistency of hardening cement and was also burning on the bottom. The toast was smoldering slightly in the microwave, so Jeff quickly stopped the timer and removed the pot of gloop from the stove. Thank goodness he woke up when he did or else Vika could have started a fire.
It did put us in a bit of a discipline dilemma though. We were both shocked and angered that Vika would turn on the stove without adult supervision (she certainly knows better). I was also upset that she didn't listen to my words when I said we would make the breakfast together tomorrow. However, she was so pleased with her "accomplishment," and really wanted to make us happy. So while we choked down a bowl of pasty cream of wheat and pieces of hard, dry toast, we talked to her again of the dangers of children trying to cook without adult supervision. I'm sure she was disappointed that we weren't as happy with her "surprise" as she expected us to be, but I guess that's all part of the lesson.
On a brighter note, Jeff and I went to see "Wicked" yesterday with some friends from school. Neither of us had seen it before, and we really enjoyed the performance. I leave you now with my favorite part of the show - taken from the Tony Awards - "Defying Gravity." Enjoy!
Holy crap on that breakfast thing! Vike told me on Friday that I was going to go to your house this morning to help you guys make a surprise breakfast for Jeff. I told her that wasn't going to happen! Apparently, as the only female in the house that cooks, she decided it was all up to her. Yikes!
As for Wicked, that was totally my favorite part of the play and I never tire of watching this clip. So glad you liked it.
You ATE the breakfast? Oh, wow, sounds very brave of you!
I LOVE Wicked. It was in Chicago for so many years that we saw it several times. It just closed last month though.
I wonder when one of my boys will try to cook breakfast...
The clip from Wicked makes me want to see it very badly now! I missed my chance in Chicago, so I guess I'll have to wait for it to make the rounds again.
I ate some of the breakfast. The toast was pretty much inedible, although I did make the effort. With a little bit of honey added, I was able to make it through about half the cream of wheat. Barely. I think this is definitely one for the Memory Jar!
Dont ya just hate when you have to rain on their parade. It is so hard to be a parent and see the air deflate out of them.
We loved Wicked. We saw it last year for our anniversary.
That's a hard one about the breakfast. You want to encourage her kindness, but you have to have serious safety rules in the house. It sounds like you found a cook balance -- you told her it was wrong, but you still choked down Cream of Wheat cement!
I haven't seen Wicked yet, but I love the songs. Idina Menzel is so awesome.
Reminds me of the time my bestie and I made chocolate chip hockey pucks. Her parents were good sports about it, but we were older too - just couldn't read a recipe to save our lives.
LOVE Wicked! Great book, great show (though quite different).
The breakfast, not loving so much.
But, loving the generous heart that made it.
OMG! The cream of wheat disaster!! LOL