A couple nights ago I was leaving a friend’s house when we landed on a really serious discussion. It was so serious that I set my purse down and sat back down on the couch. What was so important, you might wonder?
Cereal.
Not just any cereal, y’all, we were salivating over the sugary, good, delicious, unhealthy, childhood cereal that we all secretly dream about while we choose to eat the healthy cardboard junk. Who invented Kashi cereal anyway?
Even as I type this I’m feeling all giddy again.
I went on to explain to my friends that growing up my mom might have well been named the Junk Food Queen. We had every imaginable sugary cereal and Hostess Cupcake you can imagine. I wish it weren’t true. In fact, I’m almost certain that if I were to open my mom’s pantry door today, I’d see remnants of my childhood. (Well, they wouldn’t be THAT expired, but you get the point.) My mother still doesn’t believe in food tasting like cardboard and I don’t blame her.
(I think she got the habit from my Grandpa who, until the day he passed away, would eat Cap’n Crunch nearly every morning. I ate it in his honor the last time he visited, because you better believe he had a box left.)
Since I am now considered a grown up, I try to make healthier food choices, including the cereal I eat. (And let’s be so honest, any evening that includes cereal for dinner is a really good evening.) This means I steer clear of the Cookie Crisp, the Corn Pops, the Cocoa Pebbles, the Apple Jacks, the Cap’n Crunch, the Frosted Flakes, the Fruit Loops and well, you get the point.
(And don’t even get me started on how Lucky Charm marshmallows should be saved for the end of your bowl and then eaten all together. Or the fact that you can buy Lucky Charm marshmallows separately and if that doesn’t make you happy, I don’t know what will. If you’re one of those eat-one-marshmallow-with-each-bite kind of person, I don’t know if we can be friends.)
I could name twenty more cereals and add a jingle or a tag line with each one of them.
(Oh, and shall we discuss at large the leftover milk if you’ve eaten Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa Pebbles? It was one of the best parts of the cereal eating experience.)
After our detailed discussion we decided we needed to have an official cereal night. There are a bunch of us that frequently eat dinner together on Sunday evenings, so the rule this past Sunday for all who decided to join was to come with your favorite sugary cereal. I’m not even kidding, y’all. These are adults I’m speaking of. We usually eat very adult meals with an occasional chicken nugget thrown in, but Trix aren’t really just for kids.
I failed to get a picture of our cereal choices Sunday evening because I was too busy eating said cereal, but despite my lack of photographing that particular evening, I struck gold when I reached this aisle the day before and bought myself a box of Cocoa Pebbles. Not for the Cereal Extravaganza of 2013, but just because.
I think I even heard angels singing.
This entire conversation and experience is something I felt so passionate about, I knew I had to share it with you guys. I know how you people get all excited about the little things with us. Even if it’s about cereal.
So can we all just take a moment and relive our childhood by naming off our favorite all time cereal? And by all means, throw the slogan in there, too.
And if your mom never bought you the good stuff, today we grieve with you. But please, for the love of all things normal, go buy yourself a box of Fruity Pebbles.
They even make those gluten free.
Boom.
Ohhhhh, I’m running to the store today for a box of Lucky Charms! When my kids were little, we called them “Lucky Arms and Lucky Legs”. Thanks for a laugh this morning!
I still eat Honey Nut Cheerios…but I mix it with Special K so that it makes me feel healthy!!!
If I went on a splurge, it would be Frosted Rice Krispies (SNACK CRACKLE POP – RICE KRISPIES)or Frosted Flakes (T-H-E-I-R GREAT!! did you hear that?). Yes – Love cereal for dinner when nothing else sounds good. Thanks for the fun post. You have some cool friends.
Lucky Charms all the way! And yes, I always leave the “charms” for last!
I also confess to buying my kids all of these cereals. I figure I give them a healthy meal every night, why not let them have the cereal memories like I do. 😉
This post makes me want to go to the store for cereal! I always liked Cap’n Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, and Froot Loops. Now I eat, and really like, Cinnamon Burst Cheerios with a few raisins thrown in. 🙂
My favorite cereal growing up was Rice Krispies. I ate them with a big spoonful of sugar sprinkled on top, and of course milk. Aside from eating them, I loved to LISTEN to them. Snap, Crackle, Pop!! I had to be careful to keep my hair out of the bowl, though.
This made me think of my mom, who has been with Jesus for ten years now. She was the homemade junk food queen – we had lots of cake and cookies when we were kids. My children still talk about how she would make cinnamon curls (cinnamon rolls) when we came to visit. Yum!!!
M.J. in Lovington, NM
This is not about cereal! We are 1 day away from LPL in Daytona, and I am so anxious! THis will be my 1st LPL. It is sold out, so I know it will be full of Spirit, and singing , praising God, and praying. I have been holding up Beth and the LPL staff/musicians and their families, because this can’t happen without the support of the families. I pray for protection, encouragement, healing, joy, and grace for all the 8800 attendees! I hope you will join me in prayer. I need it. Thanks!
OK, I totally don’t get this, because I am one of the handful of people in the world who doesn’t eat cereal of any kind ever. Never have. Mainly because I don’t drink milk; can’t stand it. My mom says I weaned myself early because I didn’t like it!
I have been known to eat chex mix though! LOL!
BOOM!
Kathy, we still love and accept you despite your lack of cereal love. Laughing.
Peanut Butter Captain Crunch is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Back in the 1960’s, cereals were called Sugar Pops, Sugar Smacks, Sugar Frosted Flakes, etc. It wasn’t until later on that the names were changed to make them sound healthier. I loved Sugar Smacks (now Honey Smacks). I still remember sitting at the kitchen table on a summer morning, wearing my pajamas because it was school vacation, and pouring a bowl of Sugar Smacks. I wasn’t allowed to eat in the living room in front of the TV, so I didn’t linger over my breakfast. I never liked the leftover milk at the bottom, too icky. Once I was through eating, I spent the morning watching old reruns of “Ozzie and Harriet”, “Father Knows Best” and “Sky King”. Those were the days!
My absolute favorite childhood cereal was Cinnamon Toast Crunch…haven’t bought any in ages (relegate my options to Fiber One cereals these days; their 80 calorie Chocolate Cereal is actually pretty good though)!
Corn Pops, my fave! At least you can fool yourself to think you are eating somewhat healthy as it has “corn” in the name rather than chocolate.
Boom chocka-lucka!
Sadly I grew up in a home with a mother who did not eat cereal so she only bought Kelloggs corn flakes and rice krispies and Cheerios, no sugar added either. But you can bet once I grew up and was buying my own groceries I got the good stuff! Lucky Charms, Apple Jacks, Cocoa Pebbles, Honey Nut Cheerios, Peanut Butter Crunch…yum. We raised our 4 boys eating all kinds of cereal, let them pick whatever they liked. They had cereal for breakfast, after school snacks, and for bedtime snacks. I’d go to the store and have 8-10 boxes of cereal a week and the cashier would ask if I was stocking up and I’d say no this is just for the week. Even today when they come home if they are hungry they will open the cupboard where all the good sugary cereal is still kept — because Mom still eats it — and eat a bowl of cereal.
I will post this, despite the fear of rejection because . . . I HAD to eat one marshmallow in each bite!! Save them all for later? I think I had (have) some control/perfection issues! But anyway, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks and Honey Smacks. I won’t buy any of them for my kids except for Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I’m so selfish that I don’t let them choose their sweet treat, I assign it to them. Maybe one day we’ll have a fun trip to the store where they could pick out any cereal they want!!
They would love you forever if you let them pick it out just once for themselves. So fun!
Lucky Charms and Captain Crunch were my favorites growing up.
Now that we are adults, I only buy Whole Grain Cheerios, Honey Bunches of Oats, Raisin Bran and the occasional Honey Nut Chex for my husband, who eats cereal for a night-time snack. We rarely have cereal for breakfast!
Cocoa Puffs and (nod to your Gpa here) Cap’n Crunch!
My favorite – and only – son-in-law tragically didn’t get sweet cereal when he was a child, but every Christmas the kids got a box of the most disgustingly sweet cereal his Mama could find. It is still a tradition to this day that all 3 kids, their spouses, and now the grandchildren, receive a box of sweet cereal in their stockings. 🙂
I have an awesome mama who fed us really healthy including, get this, homemade granola. However, we did get to have a few splurgy cereals sometimes and so I have to say Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks!!
Also, remember that post where we were discussing “going to the grocery” vs. “going to the grocery store”? I recently heard my very proper, very British friend say she needed to stop by the grocery for a few items. So you can feel very proper and English next time you go to the grocery for a box of Cocoa Pebbles;-)
My childhood all time favorite cereal is Coco Crispies which I think they have now changed to Coco Pebbles, but it just doesn’t quite taste the same. I was definitely one of those that drank the left over chocolatey milk in the bowl. I too make healthier choices now and eat gluten free Crunchy Flax (sounds boring i know), so for the sake of not being too legalistic, you Lindsey have inspired me to buy a box of Coco Pebbles and re-live some good ole days. Thanks
Life cereal! It was the happy medium for my Mom & me. I don’t remember the jingle (I’m 46, haha!) but I think they had ‘ Mikey’ the youngest sibling try it first, the older ones peeking around the corner saying ‘He likes it! Hey Mikey!’ I still love it today, those milk soaked sugary carb wheatish fibers. But sadly, I’ve traded most my breakfast cereal for protein bars of any kind. That’s life in the fast lane, with 3 teenagers!
I do love chocolate Cheerios though as a late night snack. And you can mix them with peanut butter Cheerios! The recipe is right on the box!! (Laughing!!) 🙂
Coco for coco puffs!!!! And Yes on the drinking of the chocolate milk when done!!!! Of course frosted flakes. Their GREAT!!!!! How fun your Sunday dinner must have been! Ps I am 40 something and no longer eat those thing just because of resulting condemnation …….I eat Kashi every morning……insert loud wail here…..grin
OH MY!! this is pure greatness!! I am soooo going to have a ladies event all around cereal “dinner time in a pinch” CEREAL
going to be O’mazing!!
thanks for the inspiration
I want to do this too! So fun!!!
Count Chocula! I didn’t get them often, but I loved it when my mom splurged once in a while! Fun post! Have a great weekend, y’all! Praying for the Daytona LPL!
Oh Lindsee, my sister, I have a cereal kinship with you! I have no less than a dozen boxes of different cereals in my pantry and always buy 2 gallons of milk at a time. I eat cereal at all times of day…yada yada!
My favorite when I was a kid was Apple Jacks. My vegan mother approved because I had convinced her each serving was a fruit group. Honey Nut cheerios is a staple and my all time fave…drum roll please…Honeycomb! I can eat a whole box at a time. This cereal makes me sing with jolly joy! I will eat it dry if out of milk…which is often! 🙂
Does anyone remember Special K when the flakes were small and cupped to hold milk? But I still like them–same flavor. Yep, and Sugar Smacks and Captain Crunch. And Life.
Sugar Smacks (honey smacks) with peanut butter toast! YUMMY!!
Wouldn’t mind having that for dinner tonight!
My childhood all time favorite cereal was Coco Crispies which I think they have changed to Coco Pebbles, but it just doesn’t quite taste the same. I definitely was one of those who drank the chocolatey milk that was left over in the bowl. Yum! You’ve inspired me to be abandoned and buy a box, because I too am now a health nut and I eat gluten free Crunchy Flax. So for the sake of not being too legalistic, I’m going to splurge! Thanks Lindsey 🙂
I don’t remember getting sugary cereals as a kid. But we would pour the sugar on our cheerios. Then my dad would make us drink that awful sugary milk. I couldn’t do it. So I stopped putting sugar on my cereal. I like all kinds of cereals now but my fave is cheerios with a banana. My husband on the other hand eats frosted anything and then puts EXTRA sugar over it.
ok…so my favorite cereal memory from childhood was actually Rice Krispies…and my mom would let me pour the sugar in…and oh yes i would eat that cereal while digging the bottom of the bowl to get the sugar. once all the cereal was gone….i drank the sugary milk…YUM!!!
As i got older I fell in love with Lucky Charms and I save the marshmallows for the end too…..i can eat that cereal straight out of the box too….
Needless to say, after 2 kids and 11 years of marriage i must eat these sparingly…the beauty of aging! 🙂
Lindsee, you rock lil Sister!
Love this post…simple, funny and packed with memories. Honey Nut Cheerios and Lucky Charms are crazy amazing! My husband hates cereal. Had I known that early on, it might have been a deal breaker…just sayin and jk. lol
So, quick question?, how do you eat your M & M’s? In pairs of same color or mismatched colors? Hand full at a time, one at a time or several at a time? This is serious science here ladies. (jk) Have a great evening!
Vickie, so funny about the M&M’s. Depends on my mood. Typically two or three at a time, and I think I mix the colors. But skittles? That’s a different story. Blessings to you!
I loved Sugar Smacks cereal 🙂 Doesn’t it just sound delicious?? It was! My mother let me have whatever kind I wanted no matter the sugar or the colors involved. I just loved Lucky Charms and Sugar Pops! Now you have got me started and I WANT some ! lol
This post is so funny! I love cereal so much I should have an intervention. I’m having a hard time picking just one favorite, but I guess it would have to be Cocoa Krispies because you get the bonus chocolate milk at the end. 🙂
I think my son may be taking after me because last year on his Christmas wish list he wrote, “I want a box of Capt’n Crunch All Berries ALL TO MYSELF!!!!”
LOL…
When I was a kid we took a trip to Battlecreek, Michigan, to visit the Kellogg’s plant, where we saw cereal spinning around in massive “dryers.” At the end of the tour, they served us – drum roll – cocoa puffs over vanilla ice cream! Incredibly delicious!
1. Lucky Charms: Not only do I have to save all the marshmallows for last, but they have to “die” in pairs. No singular ‘mallow is allowed to be swirling in the pastel colored milk alone, rather the human must strategize each ‘mallow scoop so as to consume them in communities and never singularities. Leave no man behind.
2. Oops! All Berries (from Cap’n Crunch); Pure divine awesome.
Count Dracula and I would drizzle Hershey surup over it;).
Did anyone eat sugar sprinkled Cheerios and when only a few were left try to get them into a face of some kind? Had forgotten all about that until this post. Thanks for the memory.
Peanut Butter Captain Crunch
and
Life
“Hey Mikey, he likes it!” is the only thing I can remember from commercials…
Frosted Flakes… they’re GREAAAT!!
Apple Jacks rock…just sayin
Does anyone remember QUISP? The box was blue with a cute martian character. The cereals were little saucers. It kind of tasted like captain crunch but did not hurt my mouth as much.
Lol I love this blog. You just never know what fun or encouraging word you are going to find. I love that. I have not been able to get on the computer cause of business lately and have missed being able to read each post and ponder those that require pondering or enjoying the fun in those that are fun. Anyway my favorite cereal growing up was and still is Cheerios. I ate them just about everyday with few exceptions. This was not because my mom would not buy us any other kind of cereal. The truth is my mom would buy us any cereal we wanted. I also would sometimes get a craving for corn flakes. I like them on the soggy side, not the cheerios though. Oh yes and sometimes I would pile a ton of sugar in the bowl with the cereal. Sometimes it was more like having little cereal with your sugar. Boy now I feel like I should go buy the two kids at home their favorite cereal. Haha.
Well I went grocery shopping today. And yep I bought them the cereal of their choice, Fruit loops. lol I had to remind myself not to over do it since they were all on sale. What timing. Haha
I grew up in a house where we only had Wheaties, Total and All-Bran. My Mom had read somewhere that sugary cereal was bad for you, and so it was outlawed from our pantry.
My brother however, had a tool box that he kept locked in his room which enclosed a box of Crunch Berries. My sister and I used to beg him for just a handful. So we nick named my brother Crunch Berries ever since.
Cocoa Pepples! Nuff said. I’m positive I hear those same angels singing, Lindsee! Although they do have to be eaten quickly or they get soggy. UGH. Can’t stand soggy anything.
My brother and I were allowed one box of sweet cereal at the end of each school year, and that is all! Can you hear my mom’s voice in there? 🙂
I love Lucky Charms and I leave all the marshmallows to the end as well! Delayed gratification is the BEST!
So fun to read some of these comments! My favorites were Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies. Now, I eat Kashi cereal. Ha! The Vanilla Tropical wheat and Blueberry flakes are good to me. As I’ve gotten older, I don’t care for the taste of those sugary cereals. I’ve become my grandmother who ate Total and wheat germ!
I love Kashi cereal!….mixed with frosted flakes:). Ha ha
My top picks are cap’n crunch berries and fruity pebbles. Yum!
Great post.
You have a fun mom:)
~ melissa
Honey Bunches of Oats! A box never lasted more than a couple days between me and my sister 🙂
I was at a retreat eating breakfast one morning and talking with another one of the ladies with me when the topic of conversation turned to cereal. And you’re right it was a deep conversation that after 10 minutes we laughed at, because we couldn’t believe we had just sat here and had a real and serious conversation on cereal choices and how to eat said cereal… glad to know we aren’t the only ones!
We ate the yummy cereals too. Cocoa pebbles all the way! And the sickeningly sweet sugary chocolate milk left in the bowl 🙂 My kids ate chocolate cheerios for breakfast just this morning!
Does anyone remember Quisp? I believe they made Quake too. Quisp and Quake were little alien guys on the package. They had different shapes and taste, and Quisp was always my favorite. They were similar to Captain Crunch. I’m getting a sugar rush just thinking about it! Now I need some coffee!
I was wondering if you could post the Facebook address for the bible study…. When Godly people do ungodly things. I was at the Springfield conference and seen where Beth is doing a fb study. I ordered the book but can’t find the sight. Thank you all for everything you do. i love you all. Blessings to each of you.
Hi Kathleen, I’m not sure of what facebook Bible study you are speaking of, so I am afraid I am not help. It must be through a church or something, but we are not hosting anything like that. So sorry! Blessings!
I love cereal – even for dinner. But I have an ulterior motive for posting.
Shameless BEGGING:
I’m coming to Daytona without a ticket and hoping to find one.
If any of the siestas can help a girl out find me on Facebook or twitter:
Twitter: @lisambowden
Facebook: Lisa McGugan Bowden Jacksonville FL
That’s it.
Sorry to use the blog for this!!
Oh my this post made me laugh thinking of the memories…My mom was a health nut, but she did enjoy Corn Pops and Captain Crunch, so we had those on occasion…..usually it was Raisin Bran and those big puffy wheat things that you broke up in the bowl (Shredded Wheat I think). Anyway, my younger sister would ask anyone we ever visited…family, friends, virtual strangers…”do you have junk cereal?” and then proceed to ask for some of whatever they had! Still some 35-40 years later we all still joke and laugh about it!!!!! Hysterical…