Big or small, all our days start with milk

In our house, we have more Big Days than not-so big days. One of my biggest hurdles as a mom is making sure that they’re ready for these days.

What constitutes a Big Day in our house? Wow… where do I begin?

• Test days
• The first day of school
• The last day of school
• Driver’s training
• Soccer games
• Football games
• First sleepover with Grandma
• Band concerts
• Class field trips

My list could go on forever and to a mom of four, I can’t just pick one.day. because to me, every day is a big day.

Big and small days deserve a good breakfast.

I don’t think that any day, big or small is complete without breakfast. Yes, sometimes we get lazy on the weekends and postpone our breakfast until lunch (making it brunch of course) but it never fails that at least one of my four will head to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal and milk. And if you’re a mom to a 17 year old boy that bowl of cereal is accompanied by toast, eggs, and whatever else he can fit on his plate. But at least he’s still drinking his milk at 17. (I think that has something to do with him being on the Dairy judging team in FFA two years ago!) He knows the importance of milk and how it not only affects his body but his brain as well.

Last week as I was putting three gallons of milk into my grocery cart, this little old lady looked at me VERY wide eyed. I just smiled at her and said, “Family of six. This won’t even last the week but it’s all I can fit in the fridge at one time!” We laughed and parted ways but it’s true!

I really feel like I lucked out in that my kids are all big milk drinkers. My 12 year old son will grab the milk from the fridge and drink it straight from the jug (we’re working on that) while my seven year old prefers to drink his straight from the cereal bowl. My 13 year daughter will drink milk “just because” when she could have a number of other things to drink from the fridge.

This is how he looks most days when he has breakfast in bed!

You never know when the opportunity for a Big Day will strike!

Ever since they were little I’ve stressed the importance of breakfast before we head out the door. Whether it’s off to school or off to the soccer field, I want them to be at their best so they can handle whatever the day brings them. Making sure that they have breakfast before the day starts is right up there with good hygiene. It’s very, very important.

I remember going to school (back in ancient times), and while most days were ho-hum, there was always a chance to turn that ho-hum day into a major win. I want the kids to be prepared for those opportunities. I know there have been a number of days already this year where my seven year old has come home and told me of awesome things that have happened. I love watching the way he lights up when he tells me about those days; they warm my heart and my soul.

Milk is a must have recipe staple

Not only do the kids drink milk during breakfast and in between meals with no haggling from me but it’s a much needed ingredient for many of our favorite recipes.

All of my kids love it when I make their scrambled eggs with milk and cheese (and they notice when I don’t!) and when it comes to our favorite cold weather drink, the kids prefer my homemade mix with milk (watch for that recipe soon!) We don’t make mashed potatoes without adding milk (and yes, the mashed potatoes are homemade and not from a box!) and when we’re looking for a cold treat, we fire up the ice cream maker for some homemade ice cream.

Cooking though, isn’t always an easy task with six different tastes so I like to jump online and do recipe searches often. Sites like Supercook and Pinterest have been great for inspiration but the “got milk?” campaign recently launched The Breakfast Project and using their recipe page, I can go from hot to cold to breakfast and brunch all at once! (I’ll take a mudslide smoothie, a frozen hot chocolate and a chocolate banana smoothie please!)

As the slacker mom that I am, I don’t preach to my kids about all of the nutritional goodies they get from milk, like the fact that there’s 8 grams of protein in every eight ounce glass of milk, because that information would be lost on my 7 year old (and then I’d have to explain protein and what it is and why it’s important and then we’d miss the bus). Instead I tell them that milk makes you smart and it gives you strong bones and teeth (which always results in a big toothy grin from my youngest) and that information has always been good enough no matter what age my kids have been.

Do you start your days with milk? 

This post was part of the National Milk Mustache “got milk?” campaign of which I am proud to be a part of and have been compensated for. Check out The Breakfast Project for great recipes and more healthy and fun milk facts! 

Scholastic Parent & Child is celebrating important milestones in your child’s life, events that will be remembered forever.  Find out what Big Day is being celebrated and get all of the tips and tricks at Scholastic.com/PCBigDay.  You can also tell Scholastic Parent & Child about your Big Day for a chance to be featured on the website and share your Big Day with family and friends with a digital postcard.  Visit Scholastic.com/PCBigDay to find out more!

All viewpoints expressed are my own including the children who drink milk from jugs, eat it on cereal, rice, and in their hot chocolate (just to make it “creamier”).