EGG ON TOAST -v- Breakfast cereals

The battle has been going on for months, whereby packets of cereal have been commanded by small people with commands such as :

Mum, can you buy this cereal, because it has a toy in it, and I want it.

This ploy has been declining, although it has been a slow process and made me aware of the amount of consumer messages my children unconsciously pick up from the TV. The tactics I used were not the same, no messages of what is bad in the cereal but rather of providing a gentle alternative to what was on offer.

• I no longer shop with the children in the store.
• I buy on line once a month and get it delivered at the house ( staple goods).
• I shop locally and am reducing the amount of meat we eat.
• We have chickens
• We bake our own bread so I know what goes in it.

To my amazement, cereals in packets with bright colour and toys no longer have an appeal.

Today, my son said:

Mum, can I make myself egg on toast today.

This is an amazing statement for many reasons.

• It voices a deliberate choice of egg on toast, a natural product with ingredients made at home or carefully sourced.
• It seems to state a preference as to any cereals that might be on the shelf still.
• The emphasis of ' can I make' means that he has chosen to make his breakfast himself.

These are small little triumphs in my mind, but I think I amongst the family had lost the ability to check what nutrition I need for my body today, what is available and how I can produce it with the resources available to me.

We have also changed from buying one sort of bread to producing 5 different loaves at home and we are still experimenting with more ingredients. Some come out fine, others not but then thats the fun of it all.

If you are interested in what is happening with food, you might want to check out the deliberate agrarian's article...but be warned it might scare you a little.